Page 68 of Tangled Threats on the Nomad Highway
“Doesn’t matter.” Hands on his waist, sheleaned close and rested the side of her helmet against his spine.“Long as I’m with you, I don’t care where we go, Jim.”
Silence spread around them, broken only byvoices in the distance, children shouting as they played in thepark. Tension slowly bled out of his muscles, and her body moldedto his as he took in several deep breaths.
His muttered, “Alrighty then,” sounded loudto her ears. The bike engine started, rumbling noisily as Einsteingave the system a minute to warm up. His hands covered hers,fingers curling around to grip, and he tugged. She released herhold, following his lead, and when he placed them against hisbelly, low, just above his belt, she clutched at the fabric of hisshirt. “Ready?”
Knowing he’d feel the movement, she simplynodded in response to the question called over his shoulder, thentightened her hold as they eased out into the street.
They rode for hours, not dismounting thebike even during refueling, Einstein maneuvering the beast closeenough to the pump to conduct the entire transaction from hisposition between her legs. She liked the intimacy, liked even morehis clear distaste for breaking their connection. Random thoughtsthreaded through her head as the wind and scenery rushed past. Howshe loved that this could become their normal, and how much she’dmissed him helping her in the kitchen, the memory of his mouthagainst hers, chaste today, more erotic only a few weeks past.
Consciously setting aside the tiny bit ofhurt that still hovered in the back of her mind, she focused on thefeel of his muscles underneath her hands. If she wanted him to movepastThe Event,that meant she needed to understand thingshad also happened to him, and she needed to do the same. She’d lainin her bed and imagined his terror as Myrt had described it. Howfrantic he’d been, and the words of blame aimed at himself. Thefarther they rode, the more relaxed she became, making it easier toconsider those terrifying hours.
For Marian, most ofThe Eventwasstill a muddle of dark holes and vague memories, growing moretenuous as time passed. It was as if everything had happened tosomeone else, and Marian had only learned of it through aretelling. Einstein wouldn’t have that same buffer in his mind.Marian wondered if she’d somehow gotten the easier end of the deal,because with the amnesiac features of the drug, so much that shouldhave been scarring was just nonexistent.
It was nearly nighttime when she popped herhead up and looked over his shoulder just in time to see a countyline marker approaching in the bike’s headlight. They were enteringBlount County, and that triggered a tiny memory, something she’dheard from Retro. Holding tight to Jim’s waist, she leaned closeand over the sound of the wind called out, “Where are we going,Einstein?”
His head turned enough she caught the gleamof his eyes from behind his shades. Mouth curved in a relaxedsmile, he said, “Going home.”
A few minutes later, they were off thecounty highways and onto streets leading into a residential area.Marian sat up straighter, looking from side to side. In the rapidlyfalling darkness, she could make out only a few details of thehouses, but they all looked occupied. Lived in, with piles of kids’bikes in the front yards, swing sets in the back, and closeclusters of chairs crowded around firepits. Their speed dropped toa crawl, and she turned to look at the house where they werestopping. There was a pristine yard, well-tended flowerbeds, and atarp-covered vehicle under the carport. It stood in stark contrastto those lived-in homes on either side.
Unsure what they were doing, she didn’tdismount the bike while he parked it as she normally would have,clinging to him like a limpet instead. He didn’t remark on it,simply maneuvered the bike until it was positioned as he wanted,then killed the engine.
Marian’s heart pounded as he lifted a hand,and she placed hers against his palm, accepting the offer ofassistance, which was as second nature as riding behind him hadbeen. Her shoes scuffed swept concrete, and as she removed herhelmet, she gazed around with more curiosity than before, certaintybuilding inside her.He brought me to his home.She justdidn’t know yet what it meant.
Einstein looked around much as she had. Ashe hung his helmet on the handlebar, his muttered, “God, mybrothers,” didn’t make sense, because they were there alone. Mariandecided it didn’t matter when he reached for her, fingers curlingaround her hip as he tugged her close.
He punched a set of buttons on a box nearthe door, the click of the latch loud as it released, and then heled her inside. They paused inside the door as low lights turned onautomatically. He chuckled and shook his head, looking around likehe had outside.
Toeing off his boots, he told her, “Ihaven’t been here in years. Last time I was in this room, it was awreck. I’d trashed everything, furniture, cabinet doors—anythingthat could be broken was. Blind drunk and raging. Retro pulled meout of here, and I camped in the clubhouse for months.” Shestumbled out of her shoes, pushing them against the wall as he had.His hand at her waist urged her to walk with him, so she did.Lights flashed into existence as they moved, and he led her througha door into a small sitting room, then via another door and downtwo steps into a much larger living area. “This is all new. A whileback, maybe six months ago—I asked Mudd to get me a contractorwho’d be willing to work with an absentee homeowner. Took the oldbedrooms out, extended the foundation, and made this. It’s not halfbad.” He huffed a soft laugh. “Not too shabby. I like the furniturethey picked.”
Everything was earth tones and neutrals,scattered rugs leaving plenty of slate floor exposed. The couch,love seat, and chair were leather, the furniture dark andheavy-looking, giving an air of masculinity to the room. The windowtreatments were brighter, colored in contrast to the rest of theroom, and behind one set of blinds, she saw a window seat that justbegged for a book, a blanket, and a rainy day.
“This is the first you’ve seen of thework?”
He was still looking around the room as henodded. “Yeah. Oh, I saw pictures of course, but in the flesh?First time.” He tugged her sideways towards a door set in a farwall. “Let’s check out the rest of the work, baby.”
They walked into a short hallway with asingle door at the end and stepped through into a huge bedroom. Thebed was the largest she’d ever seen, but it fit the room well. Toone side of the doorway was what looked to be a closet, and theother had a sliding door that opened into a bathroom. Low lightinghad preceded them here, as well, and she could see as much of thedetail as was needed to know it had a large tub, and a largershower.
“Looks even better than the pictures.” Hisvoice was filled with satisfaction, and she glanced up to find apleased expression curling the corners of his mouth upwards. “Theyfinished a few weeks ago. Just before all the shit went down inBaker.”
The Event.
Pulling her to face him, he bracketed hersides with his arms, fingers finding their way into her backpockets as he tugged her close. “See, I’d been fighting it for awhile, how I feel about you. I’m a stupid asshole, trying to denysomething so beautiful. Still, seems my subconscious knew I’d wantto bring you back here and knew I needed to make changes to be okaywith it. The bedroom I shared with Lauren is gone.” His head jerkedtowards the door leading back to the living area. “It’s not that Iwant to forget her. I don’t, and I trust you to understand what Imean when I say that. I’ll never forget her or my daughter. But…”His chest rose and fell with a heavy sigh. “I think it’s time tofind my way back to the land of the living.”
“You shouldn’t forget them. They’ll alwaysbe part of you.” Glancing from him to the bed and back, she asked,“So the furniture is new, too?”
“Yeah, baby. Nobody’s been in that bedbefore us.” His mouth worked and he swallowed. “And that statementis wildly presumptuous of me.”
“No.” She crowded closer, the hot bar of hiserection pressing against her belly. “You’re not beingpresumptuous. And I think deep inside, you know that.” Her handcurled around his bicep, felt the muscles flex under her hold. “Weboth have ideas about what happens next, I think.” Sliding herother hand up his chest and under his vest, she curved her fingersaround the top of his shoulder and lifted to her toes. “Would youkiss me? Again? Like the first time?”
His head descended, and their mouthstouched, pressed, and moved, a series of tender kisses that fannedthose flames inside her that never seemed to quiet when around him.His tongue laved her bottom lip and she rocked back, heels thuddingagainst the floor. Chasing her mouth down, he pressed inside,gentle touches of his tongue prodding her to respond in kind, untilthey were gasping for air.
“Please.” She panted the plea, eyes openingto slits to find him watching her closely. “Oh, please.”
She shivered with a brief chill as his handsleft her skin, then he shifted, his vest and shirt vanishing likemagic. Welcome heat hit her belly, his hands sliding up and aroundin a single movement, and she lifted her arms as he relieved her ofher shirt.
She bent her head and got to work on hisbelt, leaving it dangling from the loops as she moved to his pants.Hers loosened, and then one of his hands slipped inside the back,large palm curving over her ass as he pulled her against him.
“Einstein,” she complained, then gasped asher bra fell away just as she got the zipper of his pants down.
