Talking Dirty with the CEO - By Jackie Ashenden Page 0,43
like…being with you.”
Oh man, it was pathetic to be fishing like this. Even more pathetic to feel such satisfaction with her answer.
Unease shifted inside him at the thought.
Christie gripped the handlebars of her bike. “What about you?” she asked, glancing back again. “Why did you want me to come with you?”
The unease deepened. Which was odd because he’d never found the truth difficult before. But he made himself say it because she deserved it. “Because I like being with you, too.”
Her expression lit up. “Well that’s good. Bike riding must be sucky with someone you don’t like.”
“Yeah, it is,” he agreed. “Very sucky.”
They stared at each other a long moment. Then Christie looked away again, down at herself. “So, okay, where the hell do I put the player in these stupid clothes?”
Yeah, a change of subject was good. No, it was perfect.
“I’ve thought of that.” Out of his backpack, Joseph found the armband he used when listening to his own player.
“You’re really quite handy, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I’m a regular Boy Scout.” He wrapped the armband around her slender forearm. “Be prepared, that’s my motto.”
“And mine is ‘never let the bastards grind you down.’” She grinned at him, warm and open and generous.
The tightness in his chest became even tighter.
“Come on, Love Machine,” Christie said, sticking the earbuds firmly in her ears. “I’ll race ya.”
…
Christie had no idea how long she had been riding. It felt like forever. Her legs were heavy iron bars that wouldn’t do what she told them and worse, every time she stopped, she felt dizzy and wanted to puke her guts out.
But even though going for a bike ride had sounded like the worst idea ever in the history of worst ideas, it was made easier by the cool music player Joseph had given her. She was dying to get home and play with it some more, but in the meantime there was the new Plague Dogs album and that just rocked.
It was a small thing, but she’d been so touched he’d thought of her. Her musical tastes were kind of extreme and not everyone got it, but the fact that he’d taken the time to ask her meant a lot. More than it should, if she were honest with herself.
In fact the only thing she really had issues with were the bike pants. They hugged her body, showing just how narrow she was, how she had no womanly curves to speak of. The only reason she’d kept them on was because Joseph couldn’t seem to stop looking at her legs.
Up ahead, Joseph waited for her astride his bike. He wasn’t even breathing hard. But his bike shirt was dark with sweat and she could see the glisten of it in the hollow of his throat. Sunlight filtered down through the pines of the forest around them, dappling his body with light and shadow, accentuating the classical planes and angles of his face.
Waiting for her, all sweat-sheened and glistening, he looked like an advertisement for very expensive aftershave.
Too out of breath to say anything, she just about fell off her bike when she stopped, only just managing not to tip over when she put her leg down and pulled out her earbuds.
Joseph surveyed her. “You look like you’ve had enough.”
“Oh no…I could go…for another…couple of…hours,” she replied sarcastically, in between gasping breaths.
He laughed. “Don’t worry, there’s another ten minutes of this trail and then it’s downhill all the way from there.”
“That’s what you said half an hour ago.”
Grinning, Joseph pushed himself back on his bike. “But this time I mean it.”
She took a deep breath, glaring at him as he pedaled up the curving trail. He was beautiful to watch, all long, hard calves, powerful thighs, and tight buttocks.
To take her mind off the screaming pain in her legs, she imagined him in the form-fitting suits that Olympic bikers wore. And then she imagined slowly unzipping him from it. Distracted, she almost didn’t notice when she arrived at the top of the hill, just as he’d promised.
He glanced at her as she pulled up beside him. “You know for a couch potato gamer girl who hasn’t been on a bike since she was ten, you’re doing very well. What makes you think you’re useless at physical stuff?”
Christie wiped the sweat off her forehead. “My older brother can do every sport known to man. And do it pretty much instantly. Me, not so much. I kind of sucked at everything. I mean, it took me three weeks