Chapter 4
Ryan guided his bike down Spring Glenn Road, trying desperately to cool his head. Emma did this thing when she rode with him where her hands somehow wound up underneath his jacket, resting flat against his stomach. Other women had ridden this way, but none of them had left him feeling so distracted, so hot, that he was having trouble keeping his mind on the road, and it didn’t belong anywhere else while he was riding.
It was probably foolish bringing her here. He hadn’t been out to the bluffs in years. Not since Derek’s death. But once upon a time, he and Derek had owned this place—in the most unofficial sense. They’d scaled the bluffs for kicks, trying to out-badass each other, to see who could take the riskiest route to the top.
And when they got there, they’d cliff-jump, plummeting fifty feet into Crystal Lake. Then they’d climb out, shake themselves off, and do it all over again. Back then, Emma would beg them to let her tag along, but they never had.
Somehow, he felt he owed it to her now.
The access road looked different than he remembered. It was wider than it had been and paved. He eased the bike up the road and stopped at the top, overlooking the lake and bluffs. There were a lot more houses around now than there had been then. But the bluffs…they looked the same. They rose from the water, towers of sheer rock. Even now, the sight gave him a thrill.
Emma shifted closer behind him, her chest pressed to his back. “Where are we?”
“Derek and I used to come here a lot. Thought you might like to see it.”
She didn’t say anything, but her arms tightened around him. He held in a groan. Her hands on his stomach had gone from distracting to flat-out arousing, and that was not a good state to be in while straddling a bike. But he couldn’t bring himself to move, to break the connection.
“Is this where you guys went cliff-jumping?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“You finally brought me,” she whispered. Her hands rested just above the waistband of his jeans, and he was practically holding his breath, silently hoping she’d slide them south, even while his brain wrestled with his dick, reminding him this was Emma. He could feel Derek’s shadow here like a physical presence.
He motioned for her to hop off the bike. She lifted off her helmet and stood behind him, leaving him without the feel of her chest against his back, her arms around him, and her hands…
She swung her right leg over the bike, stumbling as she hit the ground. He reached out and grabbed her arm to steady her. Instead of hitting the asphalt, she fell against him. Her blue eyes widened, her lips parted, and hell.
He had no idea what happened next, who moved first, but his lips brushed hers, and his body revved straight into overdrive. She tasted like some kind of fruity lip gloss, sweet and sexy. He bent his head, deepening the kiss.
Next thing he knew, she was in front of him on the bike, facing him, kissing him like crazy, and every cell in his body was lit up for her, for Emma. Emma…
She moaned, scooting closer, her knees pressing into his thighs, and it was all he could do not to reach down and hook her legs over his so that she could slide all the way home. But?—
“Emma.”
“Mm?” She lifted her head, her eyes glazed, her pink lips curved in a dreamy smile.
He drew in a ragged breath. “What are we doing?”
“Kissing?” Her gaze dropped to his lips.
Desire curled hot and strong inside him. “Shouldn’t.”
Her cheeks darkened, and her face fell, and dammit, he was an ass. He hauled her up against him and kissed her again, hard. “I didn’t mean…hell, Emma. I am completely blindsided right now. But whatever this thing is between us, I am feeling it. Big time.”
“Me, too,” she said, sounding breathless.
“Let’s walk. I have someplace I want to show you, and then we need to talk.”
She grimaced. “Unless talk is a euphemism for kissing…”
No, they definitely needed to talk, but he was never going to be able to think straight with her in his lap, her knee mere inches from a certain, very hard part of his anatomy. He slid his hands up her sides and lifted her off the bike.
Emma grumbled in protest as he set her on the ground.
“Let’s walk, and then we’ll talk.”
Emma pressedher fingers against her lips as she followed Ryan down a path into the woods. That kiss. Holy shit. Her pulse was still racing, her knees still weak. The chemistry between them combined with the rumble of the motorcycle beneath them was altogether the hottest thing she’d ever experienced.
Her little crush on Ryan Blake had just exploded into something a whole lot more, and she had no idea what would happen next. He wanted to talk, which didn’t sound terribly promising, but unless she’d totally lost her mind, she was pretty sure he had kissed her, not the other way around. Which meant…well, it meant he was attracted to her, whether he liked it or not.
And that knowledge alone was enough to rock her world.
“So how serious are you about living a little dangerously?” Ryan asked, tossing her a wicked smile.
“Totally serious—oh shit.” She stopped dead in her tracks as they came out on the bank of a rushing stream spanned only by a fallen tree trunk lying about five feet above the icy water.
“Looks like the bridge is washed out,” he said. “Feeling adventurous?”
“Um…yeah, sure. Why not?” She’d just kissed Ryan. She was invincible right now!
“The water’s not deep. Sure would be cold, though.” He stepped onto the trunk and walked out over the rushing water.
The trunk was wide, the bark worn smooth across the top where countless other people had crossed. Spreading her arms for balance, she followed Ryan across to the other side.
“You still come here a lot?” she asked as they hiked up a steep incline, headed she presumed for the top of the bluffs, where he and Derek used to cliff jump.
“Not since Derek left.” He extended a hand to help her over a large rock in their path.
“And how many times did I beg you to let me tag along?”
“A lot,” he admitted with a laugh. “You were persistent.”
“Not persistent enough.”
“No offense, but this was kind of a ‘no chicks allowed’ zone for us. Maybe the right girl could have convinced one of us to come up here and fool around under the stars, but…” He drifted off with a shrug.
“Derek’s dorky little sister didn’t stand a chance,” she finished for him.
He chuckled. “Pretty much.”
But she sure as hell stood a chance today. Now that she’d kissed him, she wanted to do it again. If she got into the University of Georgia, she’d be leaving town in the fall anyway so who cared if it didn’t work out between them? She wouldn’t have to stick around to face the fallout.
They hiked in silence for the next few minutes. The terrain had gotten steeper, and although she was an experienced hiker, she let Ryan boost her up and over a few large rocks in their path.
“So what’s the deal with this dare?” he asked.
“Oh, that. Well, my friends were trying to help me shake things up a little at girls’ night, but I had so much fun, and it kind of got me thinking. If Derek had known he’d die so young, would he have done anything differently? If something happened to me, would I be happy with the way I’ve lived my life so far?” She shook her head. “I’ve been holding back, doing what’s expected of me, just going through the motions.”
“So what is it that you want?” he asked, his cocoa eyes locked on hers.
“Excitement.” Her voice sounded breathless…maybe because the trail had steepened again. “Like…whoa.” She paused as they came out at a little overlook, the cliffs dropping straight down below them to where the lake twinkled like a beautiful sapphire. “Like this.”
“Just wait,” Ryan said, nudging her on. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
“Did you guys really jump from here?” Because the very thought made her light-headed.
“A few times,” he said. “But usually we jumped from up there.” He pointed to another spot above them, and holy shit, that was absolute insanity.
“That is crazy.”
“It’s an adrenaline rush like no other.” He gave her another wicked smile.
Her heart thumped hard against her ribs. “Take me.”
Ryan’s eyes darkened, and oops, yeah, she should have worded that better.
“Up there,” she said as her cheeks warmed. “Take me up there.”
“Planning on it.”
Okay, now everything sounded dirty, but maybe that was just because her hormones were still dangerously out of control from their kiss. She fell into step behind him, panting from the climb.
He led her up what might have been considered a path or could have just been a scrape of dirt between some rocks. Together, they scrambled toward the summit of the bluffs. Her blood was pumping, her adrenaline flowing. Hiking was fun, but heading for the one place that had been off limits throughout her childhood with the man who’d occupied her teenage fantasies? Now, that was exciting.
Ryan took her hand, hoisting her up beside him. They stood on a big rock as the world fell away in every direction. It was dizzying and thrilling and amazing.
“Wow,” she whispered.
“Forgot how much I dig this place.” Ryan had a blissed-out look on his face as he took in their surroundings.
She peered over the edge toward the lake, glittering in the sunshine so impossibly far below. “You really jump from up here?”
“Oh yeah.” He said it with the cocky confidence of a man who’d done this and so much more. “Your brother and I have scaled every inch of these cliffs and jumped off every available surface. It’s a rush.”
“I can see why.” She tightened her grip on his hand as she looked down. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but…whoa. “Maybe I’ll try it this summer once the water’s warm.”
His brow bunched. “Em?—”
“Will you stop with the overprotective act?” She gave him a friendly nudge.
He captured her fist with his free hand, drawing it against his chest. “Can’t.”
Her breath caught in her throat as the low rumble of his voice vibrated through her fingertips. “I’m going to jump.”
He groaned, casting his eyes toward the cloudless sky above. “You’re killing me here. Okay, but just know I’m going to try my damndest to talk some sense into you between now and then, and don’t you dare jump without me if I don’t succeed.”
“I’d rather jump with you anyway.”
He looked down and met her eyes, scorching her with the heat of his gaze. She gulped.
“It’s time for us to have that talk,” he said.
She scrunched her nose. “I’m trying to have fun, Ryan, and this does not sound fun.”
He chuckled. “Maybe not. Look, I have no idea what’s going on between us all of a sudden, but here’s what I do know: I fuck up relationships. I sleep with women, but I don’t date them. And you’re too important to me to risk losing you when I inevitably fuck it up.”
She fought to keep her face impassive. “Are you always this romantic?”
He groaned. “Hell, Emma. I’m just trying to be honest.”
Her inner hopeless romantic wrestled with the new, cooler, more adventurous Emma. “Chill out, Ryan. I never asked you for a relationship. I just wanted you to help me have a little fun this summer.” And now that she’d made out with him, she knew exactly what kind of fun she wanted, but she’d had enough rejection from him to last a lifetime.
“I am totally down with that.” He grinned. “As your friend, you’re welcome to go for a ride with me anytime you like.”
“Okay.” Except her hand was still on his chest, and nothing she was feeling toward him at that moment could be defined as friendly.
Ryan desperately neededto get his hands off Emma before he completely lost his mind and kissed her again, but to let go of her now would make him look like even more of an ass than he already did. “I’m just trying to do the right thing. For Derek. For you, and for me.”
She gave him a long look then stepped backward out of his grasp. He’d been half expecting her to sucker punch him the way she’d been looking at him a minute ago so it caught him completely by surprise when she smiled. “I know.”
Huh. That was easier than he thought it was going to be.
Emma looked down at the lake sparkling below them. She let out a little laugh and twirled around on the rock, making his breath catch in his throat.
“This summer,” she said, pointing a finger at him, “we’re jumping. Or I am anyway. You can suit yourself.”
“If you jump, I’m jumping with you.” In the meantime, he was just glad to be back on semi-solid ground with her. He wouldn’t put it past her brother to come back from the grave and give his sorry ass a ghostly kicking if he ever hurt her.
She shimmied down the rocks ahead of him to the path below. “Thanks for bringing me,” she said when he’d joined her.
“I have a feeling you’re going to make me regret it.”
She grinned at him over her shoulder. “Oh, I fully intend to.”