Page 89 of The List
“Put your left foot on there, grab my shoulders, and swing your other leg over.” They were simple directions, but she hesitated as if she was about to perform brain surgery. Cross didn’t rush her. If this was what she needed, then he’d wait. He just wanted her on the back of his bike.
Chapter Sixteen
Hannah’s gonna kill me.
It was the one thing she’d made Addison promise not to do. She hadn’t even hesitated to agree at the time. The whole idea was preposterous. Addison on a motorcycle? Never.
Look at me now.
Anyone who saw her would confidently claim, “first timer.” She knew she was showing all the obvious signs. She was holding on to Cross as if he were her lifeline.He kind of is.She spent the first fifteen minutes with her eyes closed. If death was near, she didn’t want to see it coming. Dramatic?Yes.Her reality?Again, yes.This wasn’t her thing. She’d never once wanted to ride on a motorcycle. But as they rode, she gained a little more courage and pried open her eyes.
It was kind of cool as in aface your fearstype of way. There was a certain adrenaline rush, much like when she went skydiving. Her stomach flipped over the bumps, but feeling the wind on her face was a bit freeing. She was far from comfortable and relaxed, but after a while, she could appreciate the appeal and understood why Knox loved it. And Cross. A few times, he dropped his hand to her calf, caressing her leg. It was probably meant to put her at ease. It had the opposite effect, and she shouted in his ear, “Please use two hands to ride.”
She couldn’t hear him laugh, but his body shook against her chest, and to her relief, he put his hand on the handlebar.
By the time they reached their destination, she was eager to get off the bike. Not because she was scared, but her ass started to ache. When she got off, she stretched her legs and glancedaround. The dirt patch where they’d parked wasn’t a formal parking lot, but it was clear many had made use of it.
“Where are we?”
Cross got off his bike and made his way toward her, grabbing her hand. He led her through a small opening in the brush. It was a short walk until it opened up to a small clearing only big enough for a few people. She gasped when she looked out over the ridge. Addison released his hand, walking out to the edge. The view went on for miles, a gorgeous untouched canvas of land filled with trees.
She glanced back, “Well, damn. This is amazing.”
Cross smiled. “Thought you’d like it.”
“You come here a lot?”
“Not anymore.” He glanced over the ridge. “It was Knox’s favorite spot. Every time we came back from a run this way, he always had to stop. It was like an unwritten rule. If you took this route with him, you’d be stopping.”
“I can see why.”
Cross slowly nodded, peering over the ridge as he lost his smile. They stood in silence for what felt like forever. But it wasn’t the awkward kind. It was peaceful.
“Don’t have anything of Knox’s.”
The statement came out of nowhere. As his closest brother, he should have a piece of Knox to remember him by. It was sad to think, Cross didn’t have any type of souvenir to commemorate their friendship.
“Why not?”
He shrugged, staring off over the ridge. “The club kept his helmet and patch. Cleo got the rest. It’s the way we do things.” A small smile played on his lips. “But I got this.”
And maybe you get something else, Cross.
A thought popped in her mind. A beautiful gift, if she could pull it off. She’d make the call to Danny and see if she could getKnox’s bike shipped out to Killcreek. It was probably going to cost a lot of money, but Addison was determined. Cross should have something of Knox’s.
“Thanks for bringing me here.”
Cross walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her stomach and pulling her back against his chest. This was special, not only for its beauty but the symbol. It was Knox’s favorite spot and she got to share it with Cross. She caressed her fingers over his wrist and guided his hand up to lay flat over her heart.Just the three of us.
Addison had no idea how long they stayed standing but it was long enough to catch the sun begin to set.
“Time to go.” He whispered in her ear.
They headed up the path and when they got to the bike, he handed her the helmet. Addison wasn’t ready for this day to end.
“What are you doing tonight?”
He glanced over, smirking. “You.”
