Page 69 of Forged in the Fire
My thighs wrapped around the outside of his hips.
That strange sensation between us whipped so fiercely I could hear it in my ears.
It was a buzz that both incited and calmed.
Every muscle in his body was rigid.
Hard and packed.
And I knew when he kicked the stand and swiveled the bike around and started us in the direction of the gate that I should be terrified.
I guess that I hated myself a little bit that I wasn’t.
FIFTEEN
SILAS
Late afternoon lightspilled from the vast blue sky, blinking down through the leaves of the trees that grew so high against the road that they nearly touched overhead.
Beneath it, it felt like we might be traveling a passageway of peace.
The roar of the engine and the vibration of my Harley rolling through me like comfort.
A familiar caress for a hardened man.
All except for the fact that Brinley’s hot body was tucked tight against mine.
The woman had her arms locked around my waist and her shallow breaths were panted at the side of my cheek.
Scent of her all around.
Lulling me into a calm that I hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
I knew better than to fall into the false security of it, though.
In my world, you didn’t get complacent. When you did, you ended up in a shallow grave somewhere deep in the forest. Nothing to show for your life but the bones pirated by the scavengers that sniffed out your decaying flesh.
Besides, this wasn’t a joy ride.
This was business.
Duty.
I had something significant to protect, and I wasn’t about to botch this job by getting stupid.
I kept the throttle steady as we rode by the industrial buildings near the property before Deer Creek Lane curved left and the road gave way to the family neighborhoods that hugged each side of the road.
My bike rising and dipping over the humps.
Brinley’s arms cinched tighter when we hit the height of each one, and I could only imagine her belly was plunging and soaring.
Both exhilarated and afraid.
I could feel each emotion radiate from her.
This ferocious woman with the faintest traces of vulnerability hidden right below the surface.
I slowed as we came to the T and made the right onto Crimson Creek Blvd, the main drag that cut through the small town.
