Sierra panicked as she looked around, but as he continued to expertly maneuver around the trails, she started to relax. And amazingly, she was actually enjoying the ride while she hugged his waist. She became excited every time he sped up or rounded a particularly dangerous looking corner. Within only a few minutes, she was pointing to different areas, encouraging him to drive in one direction or another and she laughed with thrilling exhilaration as he pushed the machine to go faster or climb higher.
Drake wasn’t sure if he would be able to maintain his control throughout the ride. Each time he turned a corner, he felt her soft breast against his back, her soft breath against his shoulder when she laughed and her thighs pressing against his hips. He’d suspected that she would like riding the ATVs, but he’d had no idea how much she’d like it. She was completely into the danger now. And he was both loving her excitement and gritting his teeth against the lust surging through his body with her softness pressed so firmly against his back.
When he felt her grip around him loosen, he knew that it was probably time to stop. She had to be worn out. “Are you hungry?” he asked, turning slightly so his voice would carry above the sound of the engine.
“Starving!” she called back to him.
He nodded, then turned the vehicle towards the south, heading down a barely-there pathway. When they reached his destination, he turned off the engine and let her enjoy the majesty of the view in silence.
“Wow,” she sighed, looking out at the mountains laid out in front of her.
“I know. Pretty amazing, isn’t it?”
He stepped off of the ATV and went to the back, unsnapping some industrial strength hooks on the sides of the machine. The back area of the vehicle was actually a place to carry things and Drake pulled out a bag. Sierra watched, her mouthwatering as he spread out a blanket on one of the warm rocks, then handed her a sandwich and a lemonade. There were also bags of chips and some decadent cookies but Sierra curled her legs underneath her and accepted the sandwich and drink gratefully. “This is delicious,” she gushed as she bit into the tomato and mozzarella sandwich with some sort of spicy, tangy spread. “Who made this?”
“I did,” he replied as if that were the most obvious thing in the world.
She eyed him out of the corner of her eye. “Are you sure you didn’t buy this at some fancy grocery store? Cooking just doesn’t seem like an activity you would enjoy.”
“I love cooking actually. It’s pretty relaxing. My housekeeper continues to find different ingredients for me. I like the challenge of coming up with something interesting to make with each of her finds.”
She wasn’t sure that she believed him, but she didn’t really feel like arguing about the issue on such a beautiful day. “So how long have you owned the house?” she asked, changing the subject.
Drake almost laughed out loud at her. She was sitting near him looking extremely prim and proper, completely disbelieving that he might know how to cook even though he’d cooked her a delicious pasta meal for her just over a week ago. Did she think that had been a fluke?
Deciding to humor her, he said, “I bought the land about six or seven years ago. The house was only finished maybe three years ago.” He’d just have to show her tonight how well he cooked when he had her back at his house. While he watched her and answered her questions, his mind thought about the different things he might prepare for dinner. And all the things he would do to her before and after their meal.
“Why did it take you so long to finish the house?” she asked, wondering if he’d had financial problems after his hospitalization. She couldn’t outright ask him about that though. Not without revealing her connection. Monday, she promised herself. She’d tell him all about her past and her father’s criminal history on Monday.
“Initially, I was wrapped up in a personal project and couldn’t take the time away from that to focus on building this house,” he explained, his mind flashing back to his crusade to imprison the man who had beaten him almost to death. He’d delegated almost all of his duties that year so he could focus only on finding evidence that would put Joe Berutelli into prison. He didn’t want to tell that to Sierra. She looked like she might faint just at being in that man’s presence. He didn’t want her to know that he’d basically put his life in danger on several occasions in order to get back at the sociopath. “I couldn’t find an architect who knew how to do what I wanted to do.” It had all worked out in the end. The man had been murdered after a quick murder trial of his own. That trial had resulted in Joe Berutelli finally been put behind bars without possibility of parole. Drake felt no guilt that the man had himself been murdered in prison by one of his enemies.
That was in the past and he was here with the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life as she sat primly on the blanket across from him, nibbling at her sandwich while he made plans for their night together.
He had a slight pang of guilt over the memory of the woman from the hospital. Once he’d gotten Joe Berutelli taken care of, he’d worked hard to track down the woman who had saved his life. Not just once by calling for paramedics after he’d been dumped in a filthy alley. But throughout his long recovery, he remembered feeling her sit close to him, her hand touching his arm and her voice begging him to fight the pain, to fight and return to the world. Her voice had been vague and her face always fuzzy because of the incredible pain he’d gone through so he never had a very good look at her.
Unfortunately, by the time he’d finished with Berutelli and come back to find his mystery woman, the trail had gone cold. No one at the hospital could give him anything but vague descriptions of the woman. Besides blue eyes and long, brown hair, all they could say was that she was pretty, painfully thin and always looking sad.
Drake pushed thoughts of the stranger out of his mind. He’d searched for her for so long without any trace of her. At times, he thought she might have been a figment of his imagination. He needed to give up the hope of finding her, especially since he’d found Sierra. And there was no way he was going to lose her.
Yes, his luck at finding this stunningly sensuous woman was proof that it was time for him to move on with his life.
Starting tonight. He chewed on his sandwich while his eyes moved over her tiny waist where his shirt was knotted, her long legs encased in those tight jeans that were now covered in dust. Even her porcelain skin looked dusty and darker with flecks of mud splattering her high cheekbones but he thought she looked delicious!