Page 9 of Riding with the Bad Boy

Rocco

Shit.I slammed my hand against the steering wheel. I was completely fucking this up, but I couldn’t help it. I didn’t mean to push her buttons, but damn it, I wanted answers. I needed answers. Didn’t I?

We never agreed that we would stay together forever. It wasn’t like we were in a relationship. Granted, I hadn’t slept with anyone other than her since we started up, but I don’t think she knew that. It wasn’t something I advertised. I liked the player image that I cultivated. In truth, I could count the number of women I had ever been with on my hand. I might need both of them, but I knew guys who had lost count, and that wasn’t me.

Memories of another woman, my first love, walking out on me invaded my mind. I still questioned what I had done wrong. She hadn’t told me either. All she had said was that this wasn’t what she wanted anymore, and left. She had packed her things, forgotten to kiss me goodbye, and moved on as if I was nothing more than a passing acquaintance and not the man she had repeatedly talked about spending her life with. She was why I kept my heart to myself. She had taught me a valuable lesson. You can’t get hurt if you don’t let anyone in.

So why was I working so hard to keep Danni in my life?

I knew from the beginning she would walk away at some point, but from the moment I saw her after she moved to BlissHaven, I knew I wanted her. I had never wanted anyone so bad in my life, but while she might not believe it, she was a forever kind of girl. She was the one that men fantasized about, searched for, and committed to. She was the full package. Sexy, smart, funny, and as loyal as any woman could be. Just the fact she was traveling down to some small ass town for a sister who she rarely saw and never mentioned was a testament to that. If there were any woman I might believe would stay, it would be her.

But I couldn’t take that chance. Not again. I had been destroyed before. I wasn’t sure I could survive that kind of heartbreak again.

Maybe she was right. I should let her go. It was obvious the thing she didn’t want to tell me was that she was done with me. She didn’t want me anymore. Fuck, just the thought of it still hurt, but not as bad as before. Better to cut my losses and put a stop to all this flirting. She made her decision. I wasn’t that much of an ass that I couldn’t respect it. All I had to do was be nice, but distant for the next few days, and that would be it. Plain and simple.

CORK ME WINERY ANDDistillery was far nicer and way bigger than I thought it would be. It wasn’t as big as our family winery, but for the size of Oakcrest Bay, I had expected something smaller.

Not that the town was tiny in any way. It actually looked bigger than Heartland Falls and Bliss Haven, but that could be because it was filled with different wineries that had such large acres of land. It was also had the same hills and valleys that populated my hometown with the exception of there being as many mountain peaks soaring in the air.

I had heard that they had a beautiful historic district in the heart of the town, but I wasn’t sure the RV would fit down thestreets or that there would be parking. We also were only here for the one night so it didn’t make sense to take the chance. As much as I wouldn’t mind taking a look, it was probably better to stick to the winery section of Oakcrest Bay.

I turned down a paved road that disappeared under my tires. With one more turn, I was on a dirt road that tilted upward and was surrounded by vines. I could see the top of a stone building up ahead, but that was about all I could make out.

I looked over with a smile that died quickly as I took in Danni’s empty seat. It had been three hours since she went into the bedroom and disappeared. Once again, I was struck by how easily not having her with me dimmed some of my excitement for being here. I wanted to see her smile at the view. Her excitement at the idea of spending the night here. I was acting like we were in a real relationship.

If that were the case and things were different, I’d make us dinner. I wasn’t the best cook, but I could hold my own, especially on a grill. We would take some time to go into their tasting room for a glass or two of wine before buying a couple of our favorite bottles for later.

We’d come back and sit outside as the sun set over the mountainside. I wasn’t sure if we would be able to see the ocean from here, but it wouldn’t matter.

After dinner, we would get settled. Maybe watch something on television before climbing into bed and making love. That was a future I had envisioned when I first thought about buying an RV and a motorcycle. I had thought I would be doing it with another woman, but now it was like all I could see was Danni’s face. All I could feel was her hand in mine. All I wanted was her body next to me.

What the fuck was happening? I sounded like I did when I was twenty and still believed love was something I was destined for. I knew better now. Besides, I had decided I was going to letthings be. Danielle wanted space, and I would give it to her. It was the least I could do.

The bus took up just about all of the back row of parking spots. I was sure that they had a specific space designated for stays like this, but I was going to have to go inside to find out where.

“This is breathtaking.” I hadn’t heard Danni move, but she was standing behind the front cab.

“I know.” I looked back and saw the smile I had been missing not five minutes ago. She looked down at me, and I swear something jumped inside me. The excitement that had been missing returned and pushed at my chest, begging to get out.

I turned off the RV and stood. My knee cracked from an old injury, and I rubbed the side of my leg. Tomorrow, I’ll have to pull over a couple of times to stretch my legs. If I didn’t, I’d be too sore to test out the bike I was planning on looking at in Missouri.

“Are you okay?” She put her hand on my arm. “Is it your leg?”

“It’s not a big deal.” I didn’t like talking about the injury that took away any chance I might play in the hockey league and destroyed my world. It was in the past, and there was no need to dwell on it, but I had mentioned it to Danni once before when we were talking about the pain of our past.

“You should have stopped more.” Danielle scolded. “Just because you have this thing doesn’t mean you can’t pull over at rest areas. No one says you have to go inside and pee.”

“I stopped to get gas.” I reminded her.

“Yeah, those ten minutes of standing still really were a game changer.” She rolled her eyes.

“Did you come up here just to bust my balls or pick another fight with me?”

“No.” The shock in her voice was evident. “No,” she repeated, softer this time. “I just...” She stopped herself from continuing.“I care about you, and I want you to take care of yourself. That’s it. Sorry if it sounds like I’m giving you grief. You’re a grown man. You can do whatever you want.”

I took note of the soft pink in her cheeks and the way she was diverting her eyes. Did she just admit she still cared about me? That same excitement as before tugged at my chest, but I tapped it down. I told myself I was going to let her go. I couldn’t go back on that promise so fast. I had to try to keep it at least twenty-four hours.

“I need to go inside to find out where we will be staying.” I let her know. “Did you want to come with me?”

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