Page 38 of Forgiveness
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Maggie
“We’re almost there,Duchess,” Flux shouted from in front of her as his Harley chopped through the hot, dry air the next day.
Riding on the back of the motorcycle, every noise was amplified and drowned out at the exact same time. The wind whipped tears into Maggie’s eyes, and her hair tangled against her face as the desert landscape blurred past. She clung to Flux’s hard, gorgeous body beneath his token black T-shirt, and every bump sent her hands scrambling, loosening them a fraction. Her heart jumped into her throat, and more than a few times she’d groped for a makeshift handhold and had found her palm tightening around his dick through the rock-hard bulge in his jeans.
Maggie loved the feeling of Flux’s body tensing beneath her fingers whenever he moved to maneuver the bike, or when her hands wandered over his shaft. It was almost as if he and the bike were one and the same. If someone had asked her, Maggie wouldn’t have thought she was missing out on anything by not riding a motorcycle, but as her body molded to Flux’s and the scent of sage and sweet earthiness wrapped around her, she knew she would’ve been wrong. The most intense nature hike of her life, the closeness to Flux, the speed of the bike … all of it was more exhilarating than she could’ve ever imagined.
Every one of her senses was on overdrive. It was a more intimate experience than anything she had ever done—pretty similar to flying on the back of a galloping horse, only faster and with twice the adrenaline. Maggie held her breath and clung to him as they took a hairpin turn, and it seemed like his wheels had left the road. Her laughter erupted out of nowhere, and the wind ate it as soon as the sound came out.
No wonder Flux lived for the ride. She understood him better now than if he’d ever tried to describe his love of riding with words. It was similar to the way Maggie would get lost in her horse, ducking and weaving, executing each small movement with a precision that made everything else in the world disappear, yet she was still aware of her surroundings.
At that moment, the feeling of flying was insanely amazing and something she would never forget, and she was thrilled they were sharing it together.
Her mouth went to his ear and her teeth toyed with his earlobe before her tongue licked the slightly salty skin of his neck. Flux threw a sharp look at her over his shoulder, and the heat in his eyes made her shiver and giggle. Maggie rested her head against his back and, once again, watched the world fall away into a smear of colors and shades: red, pink, brown, and green. Her heartbeat echoed through every inch of her body, and her thoughts were lost to everything but the moment.
“Are you ready?” Flux shouted, his voice falling away as soon as he spoke. “Hold on tight, Duchess.”
Her hands clamped tighter around his waist until her fingers ached, and then Flux did something that made the bike roar and shoot forward like a bullet. The sudden increase in speed made her cry out as her stomach dropped, and it felt like she was a kid again on one of the free-falling rides at an amusement park. A million tiny pinpricks of fear rushed through her body, and Maggie was acutely aware of her mortality and testing fate; nonetheless, she felt free.
When the motorcycle took another sharp corner, Maggie’s fingers scrambled again, but that time they dropped down onto Flux’s hard bulge. She smiled and squeezed—three quick teases and he squirmed against her touch.
“Fuck.”
Maggie felt, rather than heard, the rumble in his chest.
“Watch it, Duchess. I’ve got to concentrate and you’re making it fuckin’ hard.”
Maggie smiled and leaned in closer to his ear. “That’s not the only thing I want hard.”
Flux threw her a heated stare then slowed the speed down a few notches. They were climbing, and soon pine trees replaced the desert’s rock formations, and the hot air morphed into clear coolness. Flux turned down a small road, and fifty yards later, the bike stopped and he killed the engine. The quick shutdown left a void of sound in her head. For a few seconds, all she heard was ringing in her ears when Flux dismounted and offered his hand. Their fingers interlaced and his simple touch drew desire tight in Maggie’s belly and clouded her head with a lust that nearly made her clench her thighs together. Her eyelids fluttered and she licked her lips, feeling out of place to have both her feet back on solid ground.
A lush forest of trees surrounded them, and in the distance, hundreds of saguaro cacti looked like miniatures in a Southwestern diorama. A flush of pleasure and a heady rush of excitement made Maggie squeeze Flux again in a tight hug from behind.
“You like it?” he asked gruffly and opened one of the containers behind the seat.
“It’s beautiful.” She pointed at the compartment. “Is that the trunk?”
Flux chuckled and took out a blanket. “Yeah, but it’s called a saddle bag. I fuckin’ love it up here, and I wanted to share it with you.”
When he moved around her, she scooted to get out of his way, and they ended up doing a small dance as they both went in the same direction. Laughing, Flux took her shoulders and gently planted her in a spot opposite from him. Maggie’s cheeks warmed and she looked away. Since they’d hooked up, everything was hot and heavy and so good between them, but it seemed right to her that they still had their little awkward moments: the small blips across the radar so it didn’t exactly feel like a perfect romance novel. If it was too good, Maggie would second guess herself into screwing it up. She smiled as she watched him close the compartment.Even when things aren’t perfect, they’re so much better than I could ever imagine with anyone else.
Flux held out his hand and she tucked hers into it, following him to a grassy patch with a scenic overlook. He unfurled the blanket and shook it out before he walked over to a shaded spot under the trees and spread it. She stared at it, admiring the burgundy and rust-colored Navajo designs.
“Are you coming or what?” he asked with a wink.
“You’re such a romantic.” Maggie rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner, then chuckled when Flux threw her a hard expression. She ambled toward him, and he caught her arm and yanked her flat against his body. “I was just playing around, big guy. No need to get bent out of shape.” Maggie suppressed a giggled.
“Uh-huh.” His hands wandered from her hips to her ass, where he squeezed gently then slapped her right cheek hard enough for her to jump. “Looks like I’m gonna have to teach you a lesson on manners.”
Tingles ran down Maggie’s spine and she kissed the side of his neck. When her lips found his pulse, she ran her teeth over the skin, admiring how his heart rate skittered and then skipped before raging forward again. She loved the effect she had on him. It was proof that she was beginning to break down the many walls he’d constructed around his emotions.
Still gripping her ass, Flux sat down and Maggie toppled along until she straddled him to regain her balance. The thrumming vibrations from the motorcycle still pulsed through her muscles, and her flesh felt like a live wire beneath his touch as he gently brushed back a rogue bit of hair on her cheek.
“You’re fuckin’ gorgeous, Duchess.” His intense stare bored into her.
Maggie looked down and hid her face as a telltale blush crept up her neck and into her face. The way Flux complimented her was so real … somatter of fact, and none of that kiss ass, want-to-get-in-your-pants crap she’d heard from most guys. Maybe it was because Flux was so sincere that embarrassment swept over her more times than it ever had with any other man.
