this year? I’d like to tell Haven and Cecilia if so. They’ll be thrilled to have you back.”
Haven Wells is Rich’s mother, and Cecilia Westbrook is one of my aunt’s old friends from school. It gives me an idea—one I like very much the more I think about it.
“Yes.” It’s as good a time as any to introduce them to my girl. “When is it again?”
Winnie laughs, shaking her head. “It’s the same date every year, darling. A month from Friday.” She leans back with a sigh. “Your mother always loved the ball. She was a rancher at heart. Your father took her away from that life.”
“I’ll be there.” Slipping a bite of steak in my mouth, I nod. “And I’m bringing a date.”
“A date?” Her eyes widen with delight. “That’s wonderful! Is it someone I know?”
“No.” I take a sip of the heavy red wine. “But it’s someone very important to me.”
“I’m intrigued.” Her lips press into a smile, and she flares her eyes. “Someone I don’t know who’s very important to you? I can hardly wait.”
That makes two of us.
An hour later, I’m pacing my bedroom on the second floor of the family home. My aunt has gone to bed, but I stay here because it’s closer to Lakeside than my downtown penthouse. My blood is hot, and I must see my angel tonight.
Finally, she texts me back. I can be at the corner of Lakeside and Greenbriar at midnight if you still want to meet?
Glancing at my watch, I see that’s fifteen minutes from now. I’ll be there.
I’ve changed into jeans and a navy tee. Grabbing the black leather jacket off the back of my chair, I dash down the stairs and out into the garage. It’s probably eighty degrees out, but the wind and the darkness make it cool. I don’t want to wake my aunt, so I roll my Indian FTR motorcycle out to the end of the driveway before pulling on my helmet and kicking it to start.
It’s a sleek, black machine, invisible in the night, and it flies across the vacant roads, smooth as silk, eating up the miles separating me from my love. Flying in the dead of night to find her has a romance that matches the heat in my veins. I’m half a mile away when I see her standing in the glow of the streetlight, her dark hair swaying in the breeze along with the thin fabric of her skirt.
Hunger blazes to life in my chest. I want my hands under that skirt. I want her body all over mine. I’ve waited so long… She’s so close.
Pulling up to where she stands, I hop off the bike and whip the helmet off my head. “What a shitty day,” I groan, wrapping my arms around her.
“It’s definitely been a whirlwind.” Her cheek presses to the center of my chest. “I didn’t know what might happen next.”
She fits so perfectly against my body. I dip my chin to inhale her fresh scent before leaning lower, capturing her velvet lips with mine—something I’ve wanted to do since I opened my eyes this morning.
I open her mouth with mine, curling my tongue with hers, and a soft noise escapes from her throat. Heat floods below my belt.
“Let’s go.” Taking the spare helmet out of the back compartment, I hand it to her as I replace my own, kicking the engine to life.
She’s at my back, slim arms holding me so tight, and I feel the pressure of her head against my shoulder blade. It’s a sensation I’ve known since we were kids. It’s a sensation I’ve missed so much.
We blaze into the night, gliding over the roads, crossing the miles like water. The Yellow Rose lookout tower is on the other side of town, but at this hour on a Thursday, it’s easy to make good time, and I know the back roads to take.
Stars flood the night sky as we travel farther away from town. They form a ripple of glitter curling through the expanse of inky black under a quarter moon. Lifting my hand off the grip, I cover hers clasped at my waist. She fumbles with my fingers, lacing hers with mine, and I lift her hand to my lips.
We’re almost there, and I can feel the softness of her skin in my memory. When I was a boy, and I’d leave her to go back to Phillips Academy for the school year, I’d dream of her kisses, sweet like