Chapter 3
three
B utterflies fluttered in Imani’s stomach as she walked onto the elevator. She punched the button for the lobby and leaned back against the wall She wasn’t sure why she was feeling this way. She had playfully texted Kizzie and asked her what Will looked like after the phone call. She told herself it was so that she would know what he looked like. She’d hate to get on the wrong motorcycle and be kidnapped and sold off to God knows who.
Okay, maybe that was being a little overdramatic, but she was sure things like that happened.
Kizzie had replied with a picture of Will and Imani had to admit she couldn’t stop looking at it. Will had piercing blue eyes, thick dark hair, and a shadow of a beard. The man should be on the cover of a magazine. He had rugged good looks and was on the way to get her.
Imani glanced down at her clothing. Jeans and a soft t-shirt with her favorite canvas shoes were as comfortable as could get. She hadn’t been too surprised when he’d texted her asking about a motorcycle. It was nice of him to ask. He and Niko did own a motorcycle repair shop that, according to Kizzie, was the best on the west coast. It had been a long while since she’d been on the back of a bike. An ex-boyfriend of hers had one and there were plenty of days he’d taken her out for rides. Too bad they didn’t last. Curt had been a good guy, but they just didn’t click as well as she wanted. Thankfully, they had ended as friends, but Imani hadn’t spoken with Curt in at least a year.
The door to the elevator opened. She stepped out and began making her way through the hotel lobby. There were plenty of people bustling around. Her company had booked her room at the hosting hotel of the conference. She didn’t mind staying there since it kept her from having to arrange transportation.
Her phone vibrated in her back pocket. Imani pulled it out and glanced down at the message waiting from Will.
I’m parked in the front.
Her heart skipped a beat. She smiled and sent a quick reply.
On my way.
She hefted her purse strap over her head and rested it across her chest. Excitement filled her. She didn’t know if it was because she had a handsome guy waiting on her, or that she was about to get on the back of a motorcycle. Her pace quickened as she navigated her way through the lobby and he inhaled sharply once she arrived at the entrance. The doors automatically slid open.
“Now or never,” Imani mumbled. She slid her suddenly sweaty palms along her thighs. She exited the building and was greeted by the bright sunlight. The hotel was located in downtown San Francisco. Car horns blared, a bus zipped by and there were plenty of pedestrians traveling along the sidewalks. But even with all of that distraction, Imani’s gaze zeroed in on a muscular figure resting back on his motorcycle.
Her heart quickened as she took him in. He had yet to notice her, so Imani took advantage and slid her gaze from the tops of his thick hair her fingers wanted to run through, down to his perfect physique that filled out the t-shirt he wore, to his black boots. Her gaze went back up and was met by his. She had been caught checking him out.
Will’s lips tilted up slightly in the corner as she walked over to him. He openly looked her up and down. She held her head up high and put a little more emphasis on her hips as they moved. There was an appreciative glint in his eyes as she stopped in front of him.
Please don’t let him be an ass.
His good looks could be spoiled if he had an ugly personality. Imani was always willing to give someone the benefit of the doubt. So far, he had her attention.
“Will, I take it?” She arched an eyebrow, not even going to apologize for ogling him for a moment. The man was sexy as hell. How could she not? She hadn’t missed the glances tossed his way from women passing them by. Imani held out her hand and waited.
“In the flesh,” he replied. His larger hand engulfed hers and Imani’s breath caught in her throat at the sensation of his calloused palm against hers. She couldn’t help but imagine what his hands would feel like caressing her inner thighs. She bit her lip and tried to hold back a moan. “If I would have known you were arriving today, I could have picked you up from the airport.”
“Oh, that’s okay. My company took care of it and had a car waiting for me.” She blinked at the huskiness in her voice. She cleared her throat and bit back a chuckle. This man was causing her body to go haywire.
“Sounds fancy.” Will’s gaze dropped down to their hands. Imani hadn’t realized she hadn’t let him go yet. She barked a nervous laugh and released him.
“With everything I do for them, it’s a small price for them to pay.”
It was then he grinned and two dimples appeared on his cheeks. The smile relaxed his face and gave him a young, rugged look that had Imani’s core clenching.
Down girl. What the hell is wrong with you?
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been with a member of the opposite sex. She was going to have to text Kizzie later about how she had been holding out on her brother-in-law. Imani was moments from asking him to forget taking her around the city and take her up to her room.
“I was trying to think of where you’d want to go. Most tourists want to see the bridge. There are a couple of places we could go?—
“Whatever you think is best. I would love to grab some pictures of the bridge, though,” she replied. She inhaled sharply and tried to get her libido under control. She glanced at his motorcycle and felt her heart skip a beat. She was going to be plastered against his back with him in between her legs. She tore her attention from the bike and focused on him. “I’m up for anything you want to do.”
“Is that so?” Will ran a hand along his jawline. His eyes darkened again as his gaze swept over her again.
Imani was dying to know what the man was thinking. The heat in his eyes had her wanting to drag him up to her room.
“If that’s the case I have a few ideas of places we can go.”
He pushed off the bike and took a helmet out of the saddle bags. Once he had helped her put it on, he swung on the bike and motioned for her to join him. Imani straddled the bike behind him and couldn’t help the moan that slipped from her lips. Will was nothing but hard muscle. She pressed her chest to his back so she could wrap her arms around his waist. Her thighs rested alongside his and she couldn’t help but think of being spread out with him thrusting inside of her.
Fuck, I need to get laid.
If just the action of sitting behind Will on a motorcycle was causing her libido to go wild, she was going to have to do something about it. If she couldn’t have him, then she had one of her battery operated friends in her suitcase up in the room.
The bike’s engine roared to life. Imani’s grip tightened on him. He patted her hand with one of his before he guided the motorcycle out into a lane. The gentle vibrations of the bike were not helping her calm her damn body down. She was strung tight. Will increased their speed and began navigating them through the streets.
She didn’t know where they were going, and at the moment she didn’t care. All she was thinking about was how she was going to invite him for a little more than a fancy dinner party.
And from the way he had looked at her, she was sure he had the same thing on his mind.
W ill held out his hand and helped Imani off of the bike. She had a wide grin on her face that was infectious. She had said it had been a while since she had been on the back of a bike, but he couldn’t tell. From the moment she had slid on behind him, all he could think of was her. From her large breasts pressing against his back to her thick thighs resting along his. It had been hell on his concentration. He was lucky he hadn’t crashed them into the back of a car.
“I had forgotten how much I love riding,” she gushed. He reached out and assisted her in taking the helmet off of her head. She immediately reached up and began smoothing down her hair.
“You’re a natural,” he said. “You seemed pretty comfortable behind me.” He coughed to clear his voice. He tore his eyes from her and busied himself with putting the helmet away. He had been attracted to her voice on the phone, but seeing her in person had awakened something else inside of him. He wanted her in a way that was foreign to him. He shook off the notion. She was only here for a short period of time. Maybe they could have some fun while she was in town and that could shake this deep lustful feeling he had for her.
“I mean, it’s been a while. My ex had a bike and we would spend a lot of time out riding,” she replied.
Jealousy reared its ugly green head inside of Will’s chest. He didn’t like the thought of her riding with another man. He rubbed his hand over his face and motioned over to the small beach near the parking lot where he’d brought them.
“You can see the bridge from here. I’ll take you closer if you want, but I thought this would be a good place to start off,” he said. They made their way over to the edge of the lot where a short stone wall divided the lot and the sand. The Marina District was a nice area that always attracted locals and tourists to visit, but couldn’t wait to take her over to the attraction that was across the street.
“Wow. This is a great view of the bridge,” Imani gushed. They stood near the wall and looked out over the bay. There were plenty of people in the area taking advantage of what the area had to offer. From where they were they could look out across the water and see the entire Golden Gate Bridge off in the distance. Imani brought her phone out of her purse and began snapping photos.
They walked down the few steps that took them to the small span of a beach. He leaned back against the stone wall and patiently waited as she snapped a few photos of the area. He tilted his head and studied her. Her bright smile did something to him.
“Here, allow me,” he said. He pushed off and walked over to her.
“Really? Thanks.” Her grin grew wide as she handed him her phone. It wasn’t often he took pictures, but he didn’t mind. It had been a while since he had gone around his city to enjoy it. Since he’d lived here his entire life He could admit he took San Francisco for granted. He chuckled as she posed and snapped a few photos of her with the bridge in the distance behind her.
“Where we’re going is actually across the street.” He handed her back her phone. She nodded and joined him as they walked back up the stairs and began on the path.
“Where are we going?” Imani asked. They came to a crosswalk and he pointed towards a building.
“Over there. That’s the Palace of Fine Arts. I hope you enjoy artsy stuff.” His voice grew gruff. He probably should have asked. Some people didn’t appreciate or enjoy the arts. He had always had a soft spot for historical art stuff. When he was a kid he loved when his school would take them to the art museums. He had made mention once to his father that he liked looking at the old artwork and his father had laughed at him
“Art you say?” Alex had barked a laugh. His blood shot eyes landed on a young Will of nine years old. Will swallowed hard and wished he could take back what he’d said. He’d come home from school excited about their field trip they had gone on. Will backed up as his father stood from his recliner. He should have just gone into the bedroom he’d shared with his younger brother Niko. His heart began to race as he watched his father reach for his belt.
“Um, never mind, Papa,” Will whimpered.
“Those teachers are trying to make a sissy out of my boy,” his father growled. He advanced on Will who had tried to turn and run, but had been too late.
Will blinked back the horrors of his childhood. He didn’t want to go down that road. He and Niko had escaped that life. If it hadn’t been for their love of motorcycles, they might not have made it.
“I’ve heard of that. I’m so excited you brought me here. It was actually on my list of places to try and visit.” Imani smiled. Will relaxed just a little and smiled back. The pedestrian light turned, giving them permission to cross the street.
“Well, if that is the case, let’s go.” Will reached out and took her hand in his. He wasn’t sure why, but he did. He tried to tell himself it was the gentlemanly thing to do while they made their way over to the other side of the street. Imani didn’t pull away from him once they had arrived. They walked down the street toward the entrance of the venue. They would start outside and tour the breathtaking architecture and scenery. “You’re in for a treat.”
This was one of Will’s favorite spots to come and visit. Some days he’d come just to walk around the outside through the trails to take in the magnificent architecture that represented ancient Rome. With the large stone columns and arches built around a stunning lagoon, one could forget they what time period they were in. Will glanced over at Imani again, unable to stop sneaking peeks at her. She met his gaze with a smile and moved closer to him as another couple made their way down the sidewalk toward them.
“Thanks for bringing me here,” she said as they approached the entrance. Her eyes widened as the sight of the first columns came into view. Pure awe and wonder was reflected in her expression. Will remembered what it was like the first time he’d come here. He had felt the same way. Her lips curved up into a sexy grin as he began to lead her down the first path.