Sand Angel Page 0,65

it hit the ramp. In mere seconds she was airborne.

Josh’s sharp intake of breath echoed Drew’s own. Instead of soaring across the trailers as they expected, her lithe body parted from the dirt bike, hands gripped tightly on the handlebars, her legs extended above her head as she performed the death-defying Kiss of Death. Within seconds she landed the bike atop the first trailer, racing down the roof.

“StopStopStop,” Josh ground through clenched teeth.

There wasn’t time to say a prayer, it happened so quickly. A flutter of apprehension tightened in Drew’s stomach. The bike came to a screeching halt. He stared at her bike’s front tire hanging slightly over the edge of the trailer. Another inch—

Drew gulped down a much-needed breath.

“I’m going to kill her,” Josh growled even as relief crept across his face. “She played us. Knew damn well we thought she was jumping both trucks and trailers.”

That was Drew’s woman. Unpredictable—and he loved her.

Slowly she eased her bike backward down the roof of the trailer, and then she gassed it. Easily, she cleared the distance between the two semis, soaring over the last one to land on the top of the ramp and race down it.

When she rolled into the pit area, Drew was waiting for her with open arms.

Zoë was riding high on the adrenaline of the night. She had signed autographs earlier, but several more people approached her. While she spoke to a couple of hopeful young girls dreaming of riding, she marveled how different this event was to previous ones. Before, she couldn’t wait to get out of the stadium and start partying, but tonight she had Drew beside her. All she wanted to do was share a glimpse of her life with him.

When she glanced over her shoulder at him, pride glimmered in his eyes. But what was more important was that he had faith in her. She could have eased his anxiety by telling him she’d done the act with the semis multiple times and that she wasn’t stupid enough to try to jump both trucks, but she needed him to believe in her…and he had.

“Baby, it’s getting late,” Drew whispered in her ear.

He was right. They had plans to meet at her parents’ house after the exhibition. It was already pushing ten and she still needed to take a shower and change her clothes.

While Zoë signed two more autographs and made her apologies, Drew retrieved her bike. She picked up her gloves and stuffed them in her helmet and moved quickly to his side. Several more people stopped her, congratulated her on a great show. Fifteen minutes later they were finally headed out of the stadium and into a starlit night. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky as they crossed the parking lot toward her rig.

“It’ll save time if I shower here instead of at your place,” she said, lowering the ramp to her toy hauler. Drew rolled the bike up the ramp and she followed, switching the light on.

“Go. I’ll lock everything down. Unless you need some help?” The roguish grin he flashed her sent her spirits sailing. She loved this man.

“Mmmm…sounds inviting.” Without delay she began to unsnap her boots. Next to go was her jersey. As she dropped her pants, she heard Drew raising the ramp. The shower door groaned as she opened it and then turned on the water. She didn’t wait for the water to warm. She walked beneath the spray and let the cool water cover her. In short order she had her hair washed and was rinsing off. After grabbing a towel off the rack, she dried off, wrapping it around her, before she pushed open the bathroom door and entered into darkness.

“What the heck? Drew?” Zoë wondered if the generator had quit, but she heard it switch on. A small scratching noise startled her. She jerked her attention to where it came from. The scent of sulfur rose, followed by a bright flame.

Drew had struck a match to light a candle sitting on her counter. When he moved to the one positioned on the table, she noted he wore not a stitch of clothing. A smile touched her lips. She inhaled the warm fragrance of cinnamon as it filled the trailer. Through the dimly lit room she saw rose petals sprinkled on the counter, the floor, all over everything.

Candles and rose petals. How romantic. She had stopped being a girly-girl some time ago, but she had to admit this thrilled her to the core.

Shadows