Page 60 of Between Now & Heartbreak

“It’s not a horse. Stop stalling.”

He grabs my purse and drops it into a small compartment where he got the helmet.

He swings one of his long legs over and holds a hand out for me to take. I stare at it.

“Just swing a leg over, your skirt will hike up, but the worst they’ll see is your thigh. I can go the back way to my place, not through town.” He says when he sees the horror cross my face.

Mollified and also worried that he’s going to get sick of all my weirdness about being seen with him.

“Thank you, Carter.” I smile and slip my hand into his.

I manage to climb on and my thighs are spread so wide that it’s slightly uncomfortable. But even if it was painful, I’d suffer through it to have this strong, hard body nestled against mine like this.

“Wrap your arms around my waist and hold on.”

I’ve just gotten settled behind him when he pulls away without any warning. A whoop of surprise turns into a wild laugh as the wind goes from nonexistent to gale force.

I let my head rest on his back and close my eyes.

I don’t need to see where we’re going, I canfeelit.

The wind is like a caress. The machine vibrates between my thighs and his muscled torso flexes and stretches under my hands.

I wish I could take this helmet off and let my hair fly.

“This is living free,” I yell and hold on tighter. Not because I feel unsafe, but just because I want to be as close to him as possible.

His left hand strokes up my thigh, and closes over my hand.

We ride like that for the short ride back to my house.

When I step off, I’m tingling and grinning so wide, I can’t even pretend to have any chill about it.

“Oh my God. Carter, I want to ride one of those everywhere. Why do people bother with cars?”

He laughs and takes the helmet I just took off.

“Well, it’s not so great when it’s raining. But yeah, there’s nothing like it. Come inside. Let’s go in and get you fed.”

16

CENTER OF A LIE

CARTER

I came hereon a bit of a wild goose chase, looking for answers to questions I’m not sure I care to know the answers to anymore. After today, I’m sure that my time here is probably going to end sooner than I expected.

There’s just one loose end left to tie up. And so far she’s been an expert at evading my subtle advances.

But I’m not giving up.. Because, I’m pretty sure that if there’s an “it” person for me, it’s Beth.

I remember when my father sat me down in front of the piano and started teaching me scales. It was an effort to find something to channel all of the nervous energy I carried as a kid.

It was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard. Sitting there, the cool ivory keys moving to my command, it was the first time in my life that I’d ever felt in control of anything. It centered me. I practiced relentlessly. Everyone thought it was the perfectionist in me. But really, it was just the only time my mind was still.

But there’s no music more resonant than what Ifeelaround Elisabeth Wolfe. In the rhythm of her breathing, in the way the air around us moveswithus, I feel the swell and roll of the notes as melodies and hooks form in my mind.

Beth’s fingers snap in front of my eyes.

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