Chapter 11 #2
“Hey there, darlin’ girl! Who you got there with you?” He leaned to the side and narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at my dining companion.
“My friend from work, Xander.”
“That monster of a boy who always looks pissed at the world?” he barked, making my back go straight.
Uh oh. I glanced at Xander from the corner of my eye to gage his reaction, and what I saw twisted my stomach. He looked anxious and pissed at the same time, but what bothered me the most was the shame I saw.
“That’s just his face, Ralph!” I yelled loud enough for the whole diner to hear. “Kinda like your face makes everyone think you’re slightly psychotic. Xander’s a big ol’ teddy bear, just like you.”
That earned me laughs from several people, including Sally and Ralph himself. A minute later, she took off to go put our order in, and I gave Xander my full attention.
“Sorry about that,” I said with a small wince.
“He really is a nice guy.” It was surreal I was defending a guy I’d known less than a month to a man who had lived in this town for seven years, but it was becoming more and more obvious that Xander kept himself closed off from almost everyone around him.
One of his big shoulders came up in a shrug. “Don’t worry about it.” Then he arched an eyebrow and asked, “Harley girl?”
It was my turn to shrug. “You know my dad and his buddies were all bikers. I grew up riding on my dad’s Harley. I found out Ralph rides and we got to talking. The name just stuck, I guess.”
That seemed to pique his curiosity. “You like to ride?”
“I don’t like it, I love it. You know how I said green mountains are in my blood?
” He nodded in response. “Well, riding is in my soul. The best times of my life almost always consisted of being on the back of my dad’s bike.
He taught me how to love the feel of the sun on my face and the wind in my hair.
There’s no better feeling in the world.”
“You know, I have a—”
“Harley Softail Springer? Believe me, I know. If I didn’t love my baby with my whole heart, I’d have jacked your bike by now. That thing is fine.”
His eyes flickered with approval at my appreciation of his motorcycle. “If you want, maybe I can take you for a ride this weekend. The weather’s gonna turn soon, and I’ll have to put her up for the winter.”
I felt my eyes go wide in shock at his offer.
“Are you for real? I’d love that, Xander.
” Reaching across the table, I placed my hand on top of his and gave it a squeeze.
I was filled with an indescribable excitement at the thought of riding with him.
It had been years since I’d been on a bike, and that, coupled with the thought of being pressed into Xander’s back as the wind blew through my hair made me downright giddy. “Thank you so much.”
The air between us felt thick all of a sudden as our gazes locked and we entered into a staring contest. It was like he was trying to silently communicate something with those midnight eyes, but I wasn’t sure what it was.
I could still see the shadows, but there was something else in there that was beating them back.
The moment was broken when our lunch arrived. A feeling of annoyance washed over me at the interruption, but I quickly tamped it down and pasted on a smile for Sally.
Shaking off the daze Xander’s look had put me in, I noticed she was staring down at our hands. I cleared my throat and pulled my hand back, tucking them both in my lap. “Thanks so much, babe.”
Her focus shifted to me and a slow, giddy smile pulled at her lips. “Oh, not a problem at all, sweetie. Not a problem at all. You guys just holler if you need anything else.”
Then she scuttled off, leaving us to enjoy our meal.
Xander
Lying on my back, staring up at the random patterns the moonlight was casting on my ceiling, my mind replayed lunch with Sage.
The logical side of my brain knew it was a mistake to offer to take Sage out on my bike.
But when she’d spoken about riding with her father, how she loved the wind in her hair and the sun on her face, her eyes lit up, and her already expressive face shined with excitement.
I’d never seen her look more beautiful. Not to mention, the way she’d identified the make and model of my bike just by sight was one of the hottest things I’d ever experienced.
I was walking a fine line with that offer, knowing having her wrapped around me as I took her for a ride would be an exquisite form of torture unlike anything I’d experienced in years.
However, the way her face lit up, shining so brightly it was almost enough to combat the darkness I lived in, I knew in my gut I’d do anything to be the reason she smiled like that again.
Remembering how her expression had started to warm those cold, dark places inside me caused me to do something I never thought possible.
I reached beneath the sheet, sliding my hand into my boxers and wrapping my fingers around my aching cock. Then, for the first time in more than eight years, I jacked off to the visual of a woman who wasn’t my dead wife.
I was so fucked.