Watching her cross the driveway with purpose in her eyes made my heart skip a beat. God, I wanted this woman. I wanted her in my life, at my side. Forever.
I had to look away and get on the bike first before she caught me watching.
“How do I get on?” she asked when she reached my side.
“Put your left foot here and swing your leg over the seat.”
To my disappointment, she mounted without touching me and settled onto the seat with a soft bounce. She apologized and shifted her weight as Winifred started her car and pulled down the driveway. When Michelle still didn’t touch me, I glanced back.
She had a death grip on the bar behind her.
“Are you sure you can hold on like that?”
She nodded without looking at me. The blush she wore had me inhaling the rich scent of syrup-soaked pancakes. I loved knowing what that smell meant. She was feeling the pull. And based on her averted gaze and grip on the bar, she was trying her best to ignore it.
I hesitated a moment, trying to think of something to say to get her to hold me instead of the stupid bar. Winifred’s words had me closing my mouth. I wouldn’t rush Michelle. I’d give her some time.
I put on my sunglasses and handed a pair back to Michelle. I was confident she wouldn’t need a helmet or other gear. My reflexes were too quick for anything to happen to her even if I somehow managed to dump the bike. But the glasses would help with the wind, which I couldn’t do a thing about.
She kept her center of balance as I pulled down the driveway and followed Winifred onto the main road. My hope that she’d change her mind and hold onto me withered after she tucked her hair into her shirt at the first stop sign.
Frustration had me taking off again a little faster than I should have. Her gasp and laugh, though, let me know it was all right, and I opened up the throttle.
When we caught up with the car, Jim stuck his hand out the window to show me the digital camera. I passed Winifred and let him take a picture. I really wanted to know how Michelle looked behind me.
A few minutes later, I turned onto the graveled lake entrance. The county kept the place nice even though not many people came to use the beach. When we reached the parking lot, I didn’t miss Michelle’s quiet “wow” or the excited exclamations from the boys in Winifred’s car as we parked.
“Did you like it?” I asked, turning to look at Michelle.
Her gaze met mine as she nodded, and I really hoped that meant she’d touch me on the way home.
I kept the bike steady as she got off and listened to Aden ask Jim about the water. Was it like a bathtub? Did they have to use soap? Were there toys they could use?
The questions had me doubting the kid had ever gone swimming before. And, the way Liam stared at the water, I began to suspect they’d never even seen a lake in their lives.
Michelle didn’t seem quite as awed as she walked with them to the water’s edge. Her bothers stomped in to their ankles and just stood there. She tested the water and backed away.
“We need to show them how to have fun,” Jim said.
I wholeheartedly agreed.
“Chicken?” I said.
“Oh yeah,” he said with a devilish grin.
* * * *
Liam and Aden were naturals at the game of chicken. What brothers weren’t good at pushing each other around? Jim watched me closely, waiting for me to look away so he and Aden could push their advantage. I tended to look away a lot. Michelle was on the blanket. Winifred had given her a magazine, but I could tell Michelle wasn’t reading it. She was watching us. But, was she keeping an eye on her brothers or was she looking at me?
The last few times I’d looked up and caught her gaze, she’d blushed. I was fairly certain that meant she was looking at me.
My attention wandered back to the beach and the blanket. She’d kept her shorts and shirt on but I was positive she wore her suit underneath. Maybe I could convince Liam to—
Liam’s weight shifted under Aden’s sudden attack. I braced my feet in the sand, but could feel the boy was going over. So I leaned us to the side and kept his head above