CHAPTER 44
Cherish the people that you would take with you on any adventure.
Having the woman of your dreams wrapped around you as you navigate the open highway is a feeling unlike any other. With Lily’s hands laced on my stomach, I feel as if there’s nothing I can’t conquer. Her warmth bleeds into me. Anchors me. For the first time in a long time, I feel almost whole.
I’m tempted to keep driving, to keep pushing for days, where it’s just us and the open road. It’s something I could get used to, exploring the hidden gems of the world with her. A new day, a new adventure. Fuck, it sounds sublime. Like a dream I had once and lost, lost along with the rest.
Would she be up for it if our past and present weren’t tying us down?
The way she readily agreed makes me think she would, and I long for a day when my little bird would navigate any challenge with me if we somehow reached a point where our ghosts could be laid to rest and our future stretched before us.
She meets me at the club, and we set out at dawn.
Honestly, when I asked for the date, I expected her to put up more of a fight or batter me with questions. But it’s as if she’s finally letting down her guard, because she readily accepted, which floored the fuck out of me.
It’s progress, a step forward, and there’s something monumental about that.
Getting the opportunity to earn the trust of a woman who’s been through a rough life and protects her heart—reaching a point where she brings down her walls to not only let you see past them, but to also give you a chance to prove yourself worthy and earn possibly more than her trust, maybe even her heart—is everything.
Through the straightaways, twists and turns, as wind whips past us, and the sunshine bears down on us, I tell myself to revel in the moment and be grateful for it.
For one day at least, things are going in my favor.
So I won’t fuck it up. For now, I’ll let the past go and enjoy the present with the woman I’ve chosen to make mine.
When I can, I place my hand over hers, or I palm her thigh to try to convey, through feeling alone, how much having this time with her means to me.
Hours later, I slow as I pull off into a gravel lot. The sole of my boots skates across the dirt as I come to a stop. Lily moves to get off the bike, but I hold firm to her hands on my chest, stealing just a few more seconds of her grounding effect on me.
Then she’s using my shoulders for leverage as she dismounts the bike.
She removes the helmet I loaned her and brushes some of the escaped strands from her ponytail back from her face.
She huffs a second later, pulls the tie out.
After finger-combing it back into submission, she quickly weaves it into a loose braid that hangs over one shoulder.
Tipping the front of her sunglasses down, she peers at me over the top of them. The impact of those forget-me-nots is devastating to my ability to remain calm and collected, and yeah, to my goddamn dick because hello, the sassy look sends a rush of heat straight to my cock.
“Are we stopping to stretch our legs, or is this the place?”
“We’re here.”
I lift my chin towards the east ridges and the path revealed between the pines. After putting the kickstand down, I remove my helmet and gloves while Lily walks around and loosens up her limbs. As soon as I’m off the bike, I do the same.
It’s a good ache—one I know well. Doing it side by side with a woman is new, though, and watching her bend and stretch as she takes in the view and our surroundings sends my thoughts into unsafe territory.
I imagine all the ways I want to get lost with her in those woods. Kissing her against a tree. Picking her up and having a wild-as-fuck romp in the wilderness. A dozen different scenarios fly through my head.
So I turn, adjust my stiff dick, trying to put distance between me and my depraved mind.
When I’m somewhat more clear-headed, I face her and crack my neck, then twist to do the same to my back.
When I’m rewarded with audible pops, Lily makes a face—an adorable one where her features pinch together.
Then she turns and motions to me. She wraps her arms around her chest.
“Help me pop mine. I can never do it by myself.”
Well, fuck.
Cautiously, I wrap my arms around her. Lily’s gaze darts up to mine, and she gives me a knowing smile. Because yeah, I’m stiff and the matter’s only getting worse as I press more firmly into her. Partly her fault, because she’s wearing skin-tight jeans and a see-through red crop top.
We’re not perfectly aligned—but the subtle difference of her smaller frame against my larger one—appeals to me.
Looking down, I meet her eyes. “You sure?”
Her grin turns wicked.
“Course. Wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t. Now stop being a baby, and do me.” She laughs at this.
It’s quite possible I’m not the only one with sex on the brain.
I lift her easily and jar her enough that her back does indeed pop.
She lets out a relieved sigh, and her grin stays firmly in place when I release her.
She bends over one hip and then the other.
She even plays it up, fucking taunting me with her body, and it takes everything in me not to reward her behavior with a smack to her gorgeous ass.
After facing the mountains, she crosses one arm in front of her, holds on to it, and turns. Then repeats it in reverse.
“It’s beautiful here. What’s this place called?” She lifts her sunglasses to the top of her head, and her gaze travels over the meadow before us and up the mountainside. The sunlight plays over the tops of the trees, lending deeper contrast to the places it doesn’t penetrate.
“Sunrise Valley.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Because the people who know of it don’t share it. It’s the only way it stays this way. Otherwise, it’ll become something else.”
She thinks about this for a moment and nods. “I can see why.”
“The trails are amazing here. Full of wildlife too, so be careful and pay attention to your surroundings.”
“Sir, yes, sir.” She salutes me, and it’s at this point that I’m certain I’ll be leaving my handprint on her ass by the end of the day because it looks as if her attitude is out in full force.
Chuckling and shaking my head, I go to my saddlebag and get our supplies. The backpack is stuffed to the gills, and it’ll be heavy, but I didn’t anticipate all the shit she’d want to bring. Buying a bigger bag for our next date is at the top of my to-do list.
When I’m ready, I don’t ask. I take her hand in mine and pull her after me as I start the trek to our destination.
As we walk, I ask all the safe questions.
They might seem to be insignificant details about her, where she’s traveled before, where she’d like to go, what she does in her free time, but they’re not.
She tells me about the girls she teaches at the studio.
I take note of anything she reveals that makes her light up.
I stay away from any topics that would get her guard up and shut down the steady flow of conversation between us.
There’s over an hour of hiking, some bird-watching, and moments where we pause our journey to observe deer and a few critters making their way across the forest.
At one point, Lily asks me to stop and digs through the bag I’m carrying so she can use her inhaler. She tells me about her asthma, and it checks out with everything I researched about it online, with a few added details.
It must help, because her breaths, compared to before, are quieter.
My fingers itch for a pen. My hands ache to hold the notebook hidden at the bottom of my bag.
The need to jot down everything I learn about her rides me hard.
However, that would only reveal what I’m doing.
I’m learning. Analyzing. Tying threads. Gathering breadcrumbs and piecing a puzzle together, what’s been left unfinished too long.
The lake and waterfall, when we eventually get to them, are breathtaking.
It’s not as big as I imagined, but still majestic.
Moss-covered rocks surround it on three sides.
The water is a dark green in the deeper parts and more teal in the shallower areas, where sand-colored rocks can be seen under the surface.
The air is fresh and clean up here, and the temperature is somewhere in the mid-70s.
A perfect day for a hike with a slight breeze, which has helped to keep my sweating to a minimum.
“Wow. It truly is gorgeous here.”
Goose nods as he sets down the backpack. Then he rolls his shoulders and stretches his back again. Black sunglasses cover his eyes, but I can see that his face is a little pinched.
“You all right?”
“Yeah, a bit of a headache. But it’s not bad. I’ll take something for it in a minute.”
“I’ve noticed that you’re doing better with them lately.”
He gives a grim smile. “New medication. I finally visited the doctor and checked into my options.”
“You did?”
He shrugs. “Yeah. Bodie’s been hounding me for a while. And the headaches had gotten to a point that I just couldn’t take anymore. So, in a way, it was the only thing I could do.”
“You don’t seem happy about it.”
He shakes his head. “It’s a stop-gap, is all. The meds help, but they’re not a cure, and my body is going to adapt to them sooner or later, and I’ll be back to searching for a new way to cope with the pain.”
“So it’s just a pause button on the pain?”
“Yeah, which is all I can hope for at this point.”