Page 29 of Royal Rebel

“You should see yourself.”

“I wish I could,” I admit. I’ve never felt so free in my life.

“You can.”

Stealing a glance over to where he’s sitting, I see that he’s gotten his cell phone out and is taking either video or a picture of me.

I keep making laps around the track, until there’s almost no gas left in the tank.

“Do you wanna refuel?” he asks.

“No, I want you to drive.”

“Are you sure? This is supposed to be completely about you.”

I reach over, taking his hand in mine. “This is about us. Just like everything else. There’s no more you or me, Tristan. There’s an us. If I’m having fun, I want you to have fun.”

“Twist my arm,” he teases.

We switch seats and I get comfortable watching him. I love seeing him in his element. He grips the steering wheel with sure hands. In this position I do the same thing he did for me. I reach over, grabbing my cell phone, taking pictures of him. I hope my face was as animated as his is.

When we come to a stop, I reach over, grabbing his hand. “Thank you, Tris, for the perfect birthday present.”

“I know you, huh?”

“You know me.”

And that’s the best thing ever.

CHAPTER 16

AMELIA

The wind beating against my body as we drive up the coastal highway feels better than I ever imagined it would. In my previous life, I never would have thought I’d enjoy this. I tighten my arms around his waist, holding on—not because I’m scared—just because I want to be closer to this man. My man, who makes my heart flutter. However, I’m beginning to realize I like doing most of what Tristan likes doing. It’s almost as if he knows me better than I seem to have known myself, my entire life. He gears the bike down, tilting his head back.

“There’s a lookout point up ahead, we’ll stop for a few minutes, if that’s okay with you.”

“Okay,” I agree, yelling over the sound of the engine.

We’re going the opposite direction of the first time we went for a ride, and I kind of like this route a bit more. As we ride along the ridge line, I can see more of the ocean because of the higher elevation. The farther we get from the house,the water is slightly choppier. It looks like we may be in for a stormy afternoon, which isn’t unusual for this time of year. Getting to the lookout point he pulls us to the side and parks the bike. There’s only one other car there, so I feel safe enough to take the helmet off, as does he. It’s cold enough so that I can see my breath, but with the amount of clothing I wear to keep me safe, I’m plenty warm.

“You want to take a look?” Tristan asks as he gets off and then puts his hand out to help me.

“Yeah, I’d love to.”

We hang our helmets and he grabs my hand again. “There’s a little food hut down the path here, along with a picnic area. It will be cold, but we can take a break before we head back.”

“Sounds great to me.” I hold his hand tightly as we take the rock steps, getting closer to the ocean. I can hear it louder as we descend. “I’ve never known these parts of our country before,” I admit as we get down to where the packed sand makes it easier for us to walk.

“I have to admit, I like this being my own personal playground.” He grins as he puts his arm around my neck. “If the rest of our country knew about how beautiful this little spot on the map is, it wouldn’t be a safe place for us to come. There are hidden treasures in plain sight everywhere. It only depends on how closely we want to look.”

The bright passion is right there in his eyes, and I wonder if he’s talking about this spot of land, or me. I don’t want to break the spell, so I search for something less serious to say.

“Then let’s keep it just between us,” I joke, causing him to laugh.

Walking up to the food hut, we peruse the menu postedon the side of the weathered building. I’m a woman who likes her food, and many of the dishes written on the side sound amazingly good. At the same time, I’m also aware that I have to wear a dress—two actually—very soon.

“Mr. Tristan.” The young girl running the register smiles brightly at him. If I had to guess, I’d say she’s a teenager and totally smitten with the man I’m about to marry. “What are you doing today?”

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