Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Her mouth thinned and she glared at him.
She looked all wholesome and pretty and adorable today. She wore a pair of tight, arse-hugging blue jeans, along with a bright white top that had puffy peasant girl-looking sleeves and a—whatchamacallit—poplum? Piplum? No wait, peplum! Right. He’d heard his sister refer to those frilly things as peplums in the past.
A peplum right at her waist, which only served as embellishment for her fantastic butt.
It was cold enough for her to wear a pair of fuzzy gloves and a matching scarf. She had a denim jacket draped over one arm and her tote over her other shoulder.
She was a far cry from the temptress who had tormented him these past two nights. But he wasn’t going to think about that now. And yes, maybe the bike was payback for some of that, but he genuinely wanted her to try it as well. He thought she’d enjoy it.
“You went paintballing, Lizzy. You’re a badass, remember? This will be a piece of cake compared to that.”
She wavered and he could tell that this approach was working on her. She didn’t want to lose those badass bitch credentials.
“What if it rains?”
It was a weak comeback and she knew it. It was a cold but clear late autumn Sunday afternoon. Not a raincloud in sight.
He watched her expectantly, arms folded over his chest.
“I’m doing this under protest,” she grimly informed him. “Rest assured my ghost will haunt yours if anything terrible should happen to us.”
“Trust me,” Gideon implored, his eyes level, his beautiful mouth tilted in a slight smile. Beth sighed and shrugged and his grin broadened wickedly at her reluctant acquiescence. He took her hand and led her to the malevolent monster which hulked menacingly at the curb. The closer she got to it, the larger it seemed—a chrome and blue predator that could roar and growl and spew fire like all other legendary beasts.
Ugh, she was being fanciful and ridiculous. It was just a motorcycle and Gideon seemed confident and competent enough on it.
As she stood beside it, wondering what was next, she felt Gideon’s large hands encircle her waist and hoist her onto the back of the thing. Her thighs splayed embarrassingly wide and she clutched at the seat in front of her to keep from sliding down. She had no clue where to place her feet.
There was a little box attached to the back of the bike, which made her feel a little less likely to fly off the back once they got going. It gave her some measure of comfort.
Gideon, the sadistic beast, was grinning down at her.
“You’re so damned delightful,” he had the nerve to say, before opening the box behind her and extracting a silver helmet. He pointed to a pair of foot peg brackets just above the exhaust valves on either side of the rear wheel.
“Put your feet here,” he instructed, then indicated to a grab bar behind the passenger seat, guiding her hands to it. “And hold onto this in the meantime.” She latched onto it so tightly her knuckles went white. Gideon lifted the helmet but hesitated while he appraised her high ponytail. He looked thoughtful for a moment before tugging her scrunchy off and clumsily retying her hair in a ponytail at the base of her neck.
His grin widened.
“Better,” he grunted, plonking the helmet down onto her head before she could protest. He adjusted the chin strap before removing her tote from her shoulder and dropping it into the empty box behind her. He plucked her jacket from her arm and held it open.
“Put this on.” Beth obediently shrugged into the jacket with his assistance. He was wearing jeans, boots, a dark gray hoodie, and a black leather jacket. He looked effortlessly hot.
He lifted the bigger, metallic blue helmet from where it was dangling from the handlebar and slid into position in front of her.
“Hold on tightly,” he advised unnecessarily, slanting her another cocky grin over his shoulder. His eyes went serious for a moment. “Don’t make any sudden, panicked movements, try to lean in the same direction as me when we’re moving. If you’re uncomfortable for any reason, just give me a thumbs down and I’ll pull over. Thumbs up if you’re alright. Okay?”
She nodded, a little terrified by this sudden no-nonsense attitude. But then the grin was back and he winked at her.
“You’re safe with me.”
She inhaled deeply and nodded. “I know.”
His smile widened and he dragged his helmet on.
He turned and leaned over the body of the bike like a predatory leopard and released the kickstand. Beth squeaked when the bike tilted alarmingly. It was righted immediately, and the engine purred to life. The bike jerked and she squeaked again, feeling terribly precarious in her position. She scooted forward, abandoning the grab bar in favor of his solid body, wrapping her arms around his lean waist until her hands met above his abdomen. She was screamingly aware of the intimacy of this position, his hard butt was cradled between her thighs, her breasts and torso were wedged firmly up against his broad back and her helmeted head was resting against his shoulders.