Page 50 of Shadow's Surrender
Chapter Eleven
Adrenaline shot throughScarlett at the roar of the engine, and she tightened her hold on Shadow as they rode down the street. At first she was terrified, but little by little elation overcame her fear, and she opened her eyes and saw the trees, buildings, and people whizz past her as they headed out of town.
When they reached the outskirts of the county, Scarlett pried her face away from Shadow’s back and tipped her head back slightly, loving the way the wind whipped around her.It feels like flying!She’d been on this road many times, but on the back of the bike she could see everything more vividly. Holding on tighter, she watched pine and evergreen trees rush past. The streams that zigzagged through the valley looked like thin silver ribbons, and the wildflowers were a burst of kaleidoscopic color. It was awe-inspiring … andfreeing.At that moment, she understood why Shadow loved to ride. Overcome with emotion, she kissed the back of his neck and then squeezed him tighter. He glanced over his shoulder and locked gazes with her for a split second, then he shifted his eyes back to the road.
Another motorcycle passed them in the opposite direction, and the biker lifted his hand in greeting. Shadow did the same, and a warm feeling spread through Scarlett. Since Warren had told her Smokey was in an outlaw motorcycle club, she couldn’t get it out of her head, and had decided that maybe she should end her liaison with Shadow. Her parents would be flipped out enough if they just knew she was fucking one of the workers, but knowing he was a member of the Insurgents would throw all kinds of drama into the pot. So she’d tried real hard not to look at him while he was working or to bring cool drinks down to the construction zone, and she’d succeeded for the most part, but it had proven to be one of the worst weeks of her life. Then Scarlett bumped into him in the elevator and all her self-control, all her pats on the back for resisting him, crumbled the minute he took her into his arms.
I’m crazy about him, and I don’t care whatanyonethinks. This ismylife, dammit!She snuggled her face against his white T-shirt and inhaled the scent of him: leather, soap, and his aftershave, which had a hint of darkness—something spicy yet dangerously seductive.
The bike veered to the right, and for about a mile they rumbled and bounced over a dirt road until Scarlett thought her teeth would shatter. Then the bike stopped and Shadow kicked the stand down, then he held out his hand to help her off the bike before he swung his leg over.
“That was fantastic!” She clapped her hands. “I felt like I was flying. It was so liberating.” Scarlett looked at him and he gave her a soft smile.
Shadow leaned back on his heels, his intense gaze boring into her. For a long second a tenderness crossed over his face, then it was gone, and she wondered if she’d imagined it. Scarlett had never seenthatlook before and it made her feel all soft and mushy inside. The silence hanging between them magnified the cicada’s group chorus. The smell of earthy, musty wilted green odors and the sweet fragrance of pine swirled around her. From the corner of her eye she could see butterflies flitting from flower to flower, their colorful wings outshining the hues of the mountain irises and columbines.
Scarlett ran her fingers through her windswept hair, pulling through the tangles.
“I guess you should’ve used my bandana to wrap it up.”
His deep voice startled her, and she cut her gaze to him.
“I guess so,” she said. “Are we going to the lake?”
“Yeah.”
He walked over to Scarlett, then cupped her face and kissed her. It was a whisper-soft brush of his mouth, but she shivered at the contact. He threw her a wicked smile, then turned around and pulled out a blanket from a compartment on the back of the motorcycle. He clasped her hand and squeezed it. A small smile curved her mouth, and she leaned against him as they walked forward.
The sun bounced off the lake, making it look like molten silver. A large fish leapt through the air and landed back into the water, creating hundreds of ripples that milled out and scattered over the lake’s surface.
“Let’s sit here under the shade.” Shadow opened the blanket and spread it out on the grass.
Scarlett sat down—legs crossed and each foot placed on the opposite thigh—and ran her hand over the soft cotton cover.
“It’s been a long time since I came here,” she said. “I forgot how beautiful it is.”
“This and Hanging Lake are where I go when I need to get the fuck away.” Shadow sank down next to her. “Not many people come here; it’s not flashy enough for the tourists, which suits me just fine.”
She smiled and gazed at the reflection of the mountains wavering on the water. “I can see why you come here—it’s so peaceful. When things get too crazy, I love to swim. The water always relaxes me and takes me away.”
He cocked his head and caught her gaze. “I didn’t know that.”
She pulled at the grass. “I didn’t know about this.” She waved her arm around. “I guess there’s a lot we don’t know about each other.”
Shadow nodded, then gave her a small kiss on her cheek. “I think we should change that.”
“Me too,” she whispered.
The branches of the trees creaked in the soft wind.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked looking over at him.
He lifted his chin.
“Okay … uh … Are you in an outlaw club?”
“Yeah. Does that scare you?”
Shrugging, she pulled harder at the grass. “I don’t know enough about those clubs to know if I should be or not.”
