Sand Angel Page 0,51
and began to walk, she inhaled a breath of relief. “Stupid sonofabitch. That could have been nasty.”
A roar of an engine made her turn in her seat. Connor and his dark-haired friend pulled up beside them in a rail and stopped. She was thankful that Kari wasn’t with them. Zoë really didn’t like that woman. Especially the hungry way she looked at Drew.
“Let’s go,” Drew said, reaching for his helmet. Josh seemed to have the same idea as he reached for the key to start his vehicle.
Connor grinned, crawling out of his sand rail and making a direct path toward Zoë. “You gonna try it?”
“No,” both Drew and Josh chimed in unison.
The heat of embarrassment crept up her neck. They didn’t have confidence in her. “Maybe,” she said just to needle Josh and Drew. They both had the good sense to remain quiet. Zoë didn’t know what the big deal was. Perhaps Josh didn’t remember that she had climbed this hill before, or maybe he hadn’t been present. She really couldn’t remember at the moment. Either way it hurt and made the I’ll-show-you attitude within her begin to rise.
“Think you can make it in a rail?” Connor’s friend asked, a provocative smile on his handsome face. The man didn’t look as good as Drew did in his lime-green getup, but he filled out a pair of riding pants quite nicely.
“A rail?” Now that was a challenge. Zoë had never attempted this hill driving a rail. She’d seen it done—knew it could be done. That really was all she needed as she swung her leg over her quad. “Guess I could give it a try.” She grabbed her headgear and headed for the vehicle.
“Zoë?” Concern laced her name as Drew climbed off his bike.
Damn. Did he have any idea how much she needed him to trust her? She had made him a promise to think before she acted. She stopped and thought about the probability of success. Yep. She was confident she could accomplish the task—well, almost. One never knew absolutely until they rested at the top of the mountain. One thing she knew for sure—she was going to have fun trying.
Zoë slipped behind the wheel of the rail, pulled her seatbelt tight and then looked over to the man sitting in the passenger seat. “Going for a ride?” She fastened her helmet, drew her goggles on.
He grinned, held out his hand. Their gloved hands met and they shook. “I’m Dane Glover, and I’d ride to the moon and back with you.” He shifted his goggles in place and reached for the oh-shit bar in front of him. “Go, darlin’.”
Ahhh… Just what she needed—a sweet-talking devil by her side. Not to mention two angry ones watching her every move. She wanted to say, “C’mon, boys, a little support here”, but she knew it was useless.
“Hold on.” She turned the key, revving the engine. With an eagle-eye, she gauged the run she would need in order to reach a speed so that at the steepest point the engine wouldn’t cut out and slow her approach. Sure that she knew what she was doing, she whipped the rail around. She glanced over at Drew. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was frowning.
As she positioned the sand rail and slammed the gas pedal to the floor, a rush of adrenaline coursed through her veins. It was the most awesome feeling, some would say better than a climax, but of course they hadn’t slept with Drew. The rail cut through the sand like butter. Dane was laughing, she felt her smile widen. They were going to make it on the first attempt. Two-thirds of the way up they hit virgin sand, a soft spot that had never been ridden on. The vehicle’s tires spun, digging into the sand, but not gaining traction. They began to skid. Zoë didn’t fight the inevitable. They were going down.
The sensation of falling out of control was a high of its own. Heart racing, she glanced at Dane and he macho’d up a weary grin. Zoë didn’t push her luck, applying just enough brake to slow the descent, too much would swing the rail around and they would surely roll. When they rested at the foot of the mountain, Drew, Josh and Connor were there to meet them. Connor was in hysterics—the same couldn’t be said for Josh and Drew.
“Let’s go, Zoë,” Drew demanded, reaching for her. She dodged his grasp. If she were a man, it