I’m not so sure about that, she thought, but she didn’t say it out loud. She might be safe with him on his motorbike but the closer she got to him, the more her heart was sliding down the slippery slope of attraction. She seriously could not afford to get caught in the mudslide. She was his hired help, not his girlfriend, and she would do well to remember that.
Dani reached out and took the helmet from Storm’s hand then she followed his example and pulled the strap under her chin and snapped it closed. Then they were ready to go.
Storm flung his leg over the motorcycle and started the engine with a vroom, making Dani jump. He laughed at her. “Hop on,” he yelled over the din, "and hold on tight.”
She plopped her bottom on the seat behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Even with her fright at being on the back of a motorcycle she could feel and appreciate the taut muscles of his abdomen, and the feel of his strong back against her chest was wickedly delicious.
She didn’t even attempt to play modest and maintain some distance between her body and his. She clung to him like he was her lifeline and she planned never to let go.
Storm revved the engine and then they were off, with Dani laughing and screaming all the way out of the parking lot.
If she’d thought being on the back of a motorcycle in a parking lot was scary she got the fright of her life when they hit the road and a car zoomed pass, so close that Dani’s heart leaped into her throat and she couldn’t even scream. “Please, Storm, please,” she whimpered, “This is scary. I want to stop.” This wasn’t Dani the practical, Dani the brave. This was Dani the wimp but she didn’t care if the whole world knew it. She just wanted to get off that motorcycle and on to solid ground. Now.
Storm must not have heard her because he kept on going, slow and steady at first then a little faster until he was keeping up with the rest of the traffic and passing some of the slower cars on the road. To his credit, he did not take the ramp that led to the highway even though that route would have made for a far more exhilarating ride. Instead, he turned off the main road and headed for a side road with just the odd car or van passing by.
They rode for several more miles and with each passing minute Dani’s tension eased until she was pressed against Storm, not out of fear, but simply because she was reveling in this one chance she was getting to hold him close. Finally, they arrived at a wide open field with strips of paved road stretching for miles. It looked like an abandoned airport with runways that now lay bare. It was here that Storm let his baby fly.
Dani screamed but this time it was from the thrill of racing down a runway at full speed, feeling like they were in a plane ready to take off. With her adrenalin pumping, her heart racing and her mouth gone dry, all she could do was cling to Storm and shriek.
When he finally slowed the super powerful machine and pulled it off the runway Dani was panting like a dog in need of water. She slid off the back of the motorbike, unbuckled her helmet and staggered over to the grassy bank where she flopped down.
Storm laughed at her dramatic departure then he set the bike to stand, took off his helmet and went to sit beside her in the grass. He looked like he was trying to seem casual but he, too, was breathing hard.
Dani looked up at him as he leaned over her and she burst out in uncontrollable laughter. She had never felt so exhilarated in her life. This man had scared her half to death and then he had dragged her over the edge, past her fear, and into a daredevil realm that had her wanting more. When her laughter finally died down she was still breathless. “That was the greatest,” she whispered as she stared up into his laughing dark eyes.
But then as she stared up at him something in his eyes changed. The laughter disappeared and he was looking down at her with an intensity that took her breath away.
As he lowered his head, blocking the sky from view, she closed her eyes and stayed still, afraid to move and break the spell.
And then she felt it, his mouth pressing against hers, firm yet mobile, demanding her response.
And she gave it. She responded with an eagerness that surprised her. She must still be high from the ride because, instead of pulling away in shock, she pressed her lips against his and her hands slid up and around his back.
He must have taken that as license to go farther because his tongue teased then probed and then he was plundering her mouth with a fervor that spoke of pent-up passion.
Dani answered in kind, kissing back boldly, giving in to the raw desire that flooded through her. Then she was clinging to him, pulling him into her, drowning in the feel of his rock-hard chest against her br**sts.
When he drew back to look down at her she moaned, wanting more of the same. Her ni**les were hard as pebbles and she could feel a trace of moisture between her legs. Even if she were of a different mind there was no denying it. Her body wanted him. But now he was moving away from her, taking his sweet lips and hard body with him.
Storm moved from over her and sat by her side. When he looked down at her, still lying on her back in the grass, there was a rueful expression on his face. “I don’t know what came over me,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse. “I just had to kiss you.”
Dani gave him a soft smile. “I don’t mind.”
He gave her a real smile then and reached out both hands to her. “Come on, let’s ride some more.”
They stayed at that abandoned airfield a whole hour more, riding and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. There were no more kisses that evening but Dani felt there was a connection between them that was special.
When Storm finally dropped her back at her apartment Dani was exhausted and happy. She couldn’t remember when she’d had so much fun. Over the last four years her existence had been dreary, with her main focus being the care of her younger brother. She’d never had time to go out and have fun. She’d been made a parent at the age of eighteen and had lived a life of responsibility since then.
But this evening Storm had given her back the girlhood she’d lost. She’d been free and crazy and she’d had wild fun and for that she was grateful.
Storm walked her into the lobby of the apartment building then shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket and looked down at her with a grin. “Now it’s my turn to get to know a little about you,” he said. “Tomorrow evening we’ll do something you love. What will it be?”
That took her off guard. What did she love to do? What had she had time to do outside of work? She thought for a moment then an idea flashed into her mind. She grinned up at him. She had the perfect plan. “Let’s buy some fabric and make a quilt.”