Page 41 of His Red Carnation

As soon as we exited the lobby, I noticed a huge Harley Davidson parked off to the side, with a guy sporting an eager smile next to it.

“Mr. Holt,” he greeted Callan, handing him the keys.

“Thanks, man. She’ll be ready for pickup tomorrow morning.” Callan took the keys, and the guy nodded at me before heading back into the lobby.

“This is forus?” I asked, excitement bubbling up.

“Yes, baby. Here.” He opened a compartment in the back of the bike, revealing two helmets. “Put this on.”

He handed me a sleek black helmet and quickly put on his own. My heart raced as I watched him get on the bike. How did he somehow get even hotter? I fumbled with my helmet and slid it on, grateful I had put my hair in double French braids. I swung my leg over the seat behind Callan, wrapping my arms tightly around his strong body.

“Hold on and lean into me. Grip my body with your thighs. You should be used to that by now, baby,” Callan teased, and then the engine roared to life.

My heart raced with excitement. I had never been on a motorcycle before, and the excuse to hold onto Callan in public elated me. I wondered if he did that on purpose. Plus, we had the luxury of anonymity with our helmets on. It was perfect.

I clung to Callan as he accelerated, heading off into the open road. My cheeks began to hurt from how much I was smiling.

“You okay back there, baby?” he shouted over the roar of the engine as we stopped at a red light.

“I’m fucking fantastic!” I laughed, running my hands over his chest.

“Careful, baby. We might need to make a pit stop if you keep touching me like that.”

I laughed as he accelerated with the green light. I was elated, surprised by how I reacted on a motorcycle with a hot guy—how typical was that? But there was a good reason for it; it was exhilarating, fun, and undeniably hot.

We weaved through traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge, approaching the northern tip of San Francisco known as the Presidio. I was in awe, gazing out at the Pacific Ocean, almost feeling emotional. I could already tell how stunning the views from the hike would be. We pulled into a parking lot with a few other vehicles and a sign that read Bay Area Ridge Trail. Callan cut the engine and lifted his helmet, turning his head to look back at me.

“How was the ride?” he asked, resting his hand on my thigh.

I pulled off my helmet, revealing the huge grin on my face. “We need to do that more often.”

Callan grabbed his backpack and stored our helmets before guiding me onto the trail, as if he knew exactly where he was going.

“I did some research. This trail is moderately strenuous, but it’s secluded.” He shot me a mischievous grin. “You ready for a workout?”

My heart skipped a beat; his deep voice and the way he side-eyed me made me want to strip naked and pull him into the woods. “Let’s do it.”

I kept my head down as we passed a couple of groups of people who seemed unfazed by us. Callan glanced around as we slowly walked uphill, then took my hand, giving me a sly smile.

“This is truly my happy place, Sloane. Being in nature, with you, all alone. Fuck, I never thought I’d say shit like this, butyou bring it out of me, baby.” He chuckled, looking almost embarrassed as he laughed to himself.

I smiled down at the dirt trail and squeezed his hand. “I like when you tell me how you’re feeling. Sometimes I feel like I’m into you more than you’re into me,” I admitted quietly.

Truthfully, it hurt when he continually tried to push me away. Callan stopped and turned toward me.

“I’m sorry, baby. You have no fucking clue how much I love you. It’s terrifying. I’m just trying to get used to all of this.” He lifted my chin with his free hand, forcing me to look up into his eyes.

I smiled as I met his nervous hazel-green gaze. “We need to stick together—we need to be strong together. We have to be 100% sure of this, because if it ever gets out, it’s going to be tough. I’m scared too. I love you so much it hurts.”

Callan’s eyebrows twitched as he seemed lost in thought. “You don’t seem scared, Sloane. You’re so fucking tough. You could easily bust my balls if you wanted to.” He laughed.

I giggled, but then my expression shifted. “Iamscared, though. You’re so unsure about all of this. I don’t want you to flee,” I confessed, feeling my face fall into a frown.

He looked genuinely hurt, his brows furrowing as he looked down at me. “Fuck. It’s not that I’m not sure about this, Sloane. I’m just as scared that you’re going to flee too. Everything good that’s happened in my life has gone to shit, and it’s always been my fault. I don’t want to fuck this up.” His voice strained, and his eyes were wide with uncertainty.

I looked down at the ground, searching for my next words. “You keep saying you’ve made bad decisions in your life. Your substance abuse—is that what you’re talking about? Because we’re all human, Cal.” I looked back up at him. “Addiction is just like any other disease.”

He licked his lips and lowered his eyes. “Yeah, but it’s the shit I did when I was drinking and on drugs. I don’t remember half of it. I was told I did horrible things, but I can’t tell if it’s true or not because I was too fucked up.”

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