Chapter Twenty-Two
“No one’s coming with us?” Miranda asked a couple of minutes after they pulled out. With as many people as had been outside waiting for them, she’d assumed some of them would be riding along. She hadn’t been on a club ride yet and hoped Ashes would take her but apparently that wasn’t what this was.
“Not today. I thought you might like your first ride without everyone watching.”
“Thank you.” She hadn’t thought about it but now that he mentioned it, she liked the idea.
She didn’t know where they were going or how long they would be gone, but she’d seen enough TV and read enough to know that her first few rides, especially longer ones, wouldn’t be the most pleasant.
At least the aftermath wouldn’t be. So far, though, she was having a blast.
She didn’t know enough about the area to know where they were going, and she didn’t really care.
As long as she was with Ashes, she knew she would be taken care of.
He would never do anything to put her in danger, not if he could help it.
So, she closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation of the wind in her face, the rumble of the bike, and the warm presence of the man in her arms.
A deep breath gave her the scents of exhaust, sunshine, leather, and man.
It wasn’t just Ashes, but she was close enough to pick up hints of him with every breath.
She loved the way he smelled. Well, most of the time.
She wasn’t thrilled when he came in from the gym soaking wet and wanting to rub all over her.
Still, she hadn’t protested too much, and it had ended up being fun when he’d dragged her into the shower with him.
The vibration of the motorcycle changed, prompting Miranda to open her eyes.
Somewhere, they’d left town behind. Now they cruised along a stretch of highway that while not crowded like most of the streets, and even the Interstate in town, still had a decent amount of traffic.
That didn’t stop her from admiring the landscape.
She’d heard people call the desert brown, ugly, boring, and so much worse, but to her, it was home.
She saw a lot of green. Granted, it wasn’t the same kind of green when there were lots of trees—and where she’d grown up had far more—but they’d come down into the valley, as her parents had called it, often enough she thought of the desert as home too.
The rolling hills gave enough of a change that watching the horizon was never boring.
“How are you doing?” Ashes’ voice was as clear as if he was sitting next to her in a quiet room. She hadn’t been aware of it but there must be some kind of communication system in the helmet.
“Great!” she said. Miranda tightened the arms she had around his middle, hugging him for a moment, then turning her gaze back to the desert around them. “This is amazing.”
“I’m glad you like it. We’re coming up on a little town, how hungry are you?”
“I’m not. But I could use a drink.”
“No problem. We’ll pull off at a gas station and grab something.”
Ten minutes later they stood beside the bike, she’d used the facilities while he’d grabbed some water, and now they stood, drinking it before getting back on the road.
“Walk around a bit. It will help in the long run,” Ashes said.
“Today’s only a few hours, and with a couple stops.
There will be days when we ride all day long, only stopping for gas and food.
But I don’t think we’ve got one of those coming for several months.
I heard some of the brothers are talking about Sturgis this year. ”
“What’s that?” Miranda frowned.
“What’s what?”
“Sturgis, I think you said.”
“Oh, Sturgis is a town in South Dakota. Once a year they host a big MC rally. It’s really a big party. It’s a week or ten days long, concerts, bike shows, rides, races, and more. I heard they’ve had as many as half a million bikes show up.”
Miranda blinked as she stared at him. She didn’t know where to start. The thought of that was just ... overwhelming. Did he expect her to go?
“Is that something you would want to do?” she asked, swearing to herself she wouldn’t hold him back, no matter how nervous the idea made her.
He tilted his head to one side as he watched her. She felt his gaze like it had weight and tried to keep her expression interested, and if she couldn’t manage that, blank.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never been up there, but I’m not sure I’m in for all the partying I hear goes on up there. What do you say we give it some time before we decide? It doesn’t happen until August, we’ve got time.”
“All right.” Miranda drained the last of her water, then grabbed the empty bottle Ashes had been holding and took them both to the trash. “We’ve got time to think about that trip. Would you ride all the way to South Dakota?” she couldn’t help but ask the question as it popped into her head.
Ashes chuckled. “That’s kind of the point of the trip, Tiny Warrior, but it wouldn’t be your typical trip just for the destination.” He tipped the top of his head toward his Harley. “Ready to get back on the road?”
Miranda didn’t bother to hide her excitement. “Of course.” She moved to get back on the machine just the way he’d shown her earlier. She was determined to show him she’d been paying attention.
“Very good,” he said, then leaned in and kissed her hard before handing her the helmet. “Can you get this on too?” He pulled on his own helmet and secured it before checking on hers. “Good job. You’re a natural. Now let’s go for a little blacktop therapy, huh?”
She frowned, not sure what he meant but she was more than willing to ride, and figured she’d figure it out eventually. He climbed on in front of her, started the engine, and before she knew it, they were back to zooming down the road.