Page 31 of Rush
He laughed softly. “You’re welcome.”
Stepping inside, I flung open my suitcase and rummaged around in the pile of underwear and socks I’d shoved into the bottom. To my utter horror, I’d packed my black one-piece with the cutout sides.Great.
Ducking into the bathroom, I put on my bathing suit and pulled on a pair of heavy jeans over the top. Throwing on a light top, I finished off the ensemble with some ankle boots. It was a little hot for summer, but it would protect me if I fell off the back of the beast downstairs. That totally sounded like a euphemism, and I squirmed at the thought.The beast downstairs…
Oh, God, Jade. Get a grip!
When I emerged, Ryan flung me a light motorcycle jacket.
“Can never be too careful,” he said. “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“Don’t sound so enthusiastic.”
“This is really scary, Ry,” I murmured. “Free falling? It’s worse than number five on the list.”
“The unknown?” He tilted his head to the side. “You’re more worried about falling than the greatest mystery on the planet?”
“Yeah. I know what’s coming at the end of the falling part.” I slapped my hands together. “Splat.”
“C’mon,” he said, picking up my bag. “Take the bull by the balls, J.”
Downstairs, I stood beside the Harley and studied the chrome and black with an air of trepidation. People rode these things for fun? I was sure it was handy when it came to parking in the city, but on the highway with a semitrailer right up your ass? Uh…
Well, it was bucket list week. Do or die or die doing…
Ryan folded our stuff into the saddlebags at the back before straddling the huge machine. Gesturing for me to climb on, I tentatively settled on the seat behind him, allowing him to guide my feet into the right position.
“Hold onto me,” he said, donning his helmet. “Follow my movements, okay?”
Yanking the open-faced helmet over my head, the monstrous sound of the Harley roaring into life was dulled, much to my relief. I was the kind of person who plugged their ears when a herd of the wild beasts drove past.
Wrapping my arms around Ryan’s waist, I was overly aware of how close we were…and how hard his abs felt under his T-shirt. He’d left his jacket open, so my hands slipped inside easily in their search for something to grab hold of. My legs slid next to his, my crotch rubbing on his ass, and my breasts were squashed against his back. Yeah,super close.
Ryan steered the motorcycle off the footpath and onto the street, and we were off. We weaved through the city traffic, turning heads as we passed, and soon we were merging onto the West Gate Freeway on our way around Port Phillip Bay toward Geelong.
I clutched onto Ryan tightly, resisting the urge to squeeze my eyes closed. We dipped around corners, coasted past trucks and cars, and the further we went, the more comfortable I became. He was a really good driver, taking things slow to compensate for my fear of falling and scraping across the bitumen.
When we finally took the exit toward the water park and stopped at a traffic light, Ryan reclined back and grasped my thigh, giving me a reassuring squeeze.
“You doing okay back there?”
“Yeah,” I said, leaning my chin on his shoulder. “I’m okay.”
“Not far now.”
We took off once more, crossing the city of Geelong before arriving at the Adventure Park. Colorful water slides and rides towered over the car park as we gathered our things and walked toward the entrance. My knees wobbled as we went, my body feeling rubbery after the ride over.
Inside, we split up, getting changed out of our clothes and into our bathing suits.
Emerging from the change room, I spied Ryan waiting for me. He was leaning against the wall, wearing nothing but his swimming trunks. Every woman who passed him stared open-mouthed, even those who had children and husbands in tow. I couldn’t blame them. I was staring, too.
“Hey,” I said, approaching him. “Nice six-pack.”
He pushed off the wall, his gaze dropping to my body. I could’ve sworn his breath hitched, but I wasn’t certain. Ryan Harper, pro-MMA fighter, interested in me? Fat chance.
“Hey,” he replied, grinning. “I never realized how pale you were. Need some sunscreen?”
