Page 41 of The Magic of Discovery
“What can I say? I think they’re sexy, but the men who ride them are even sexier.” She winked at me, and I groaned internally.Thank god she’ll be sitting behind me. I can regain some self-control then.“Well, hop on behind me, and we’ll see if I can continue to impress you tonight, sweetheart.”
Her eyes twinkled at the nickname that had tumbled from my mouth without my permission. She was the sweetest person I had ever met, so at least it was fitting. Pulling the bike upright, I swung my leg over and held it steady, pointing out the footrest for her.
“Oh wait, can you put this on your back? It’s not heavy. I just want you to be able to hold on safely,” I asked, slipping the backpack off of my shoulders. Nodding, she reached out and took it from me, sliding it on her curvy body and tightening the straps a bit before holding my arm and hopping on the seat behind me.
“This feels different from Cam’s,” she nearly whispered, uneasiness lacing her voice.
“Well, this bike was built for speed. You have to lean forward instead of sitting upright. Press your chest completely flush against my body and give me your hands,” I directed, taking hold of her wrists and pulling her closer. Her arms wound around my waist, her breasts pressing tightly against my back. Now I was pretty sure the guys told me to bring the bike because they knew I’d blow my nuts off in my jeans before we even made it to dinner.Bastards.
“Like this?” she breathed, her cheek resting on my shoulder blade.
“Perfect. Let’s do this,” I grunted, needing to move so I could focus on something other than the goddess wrapped around me.
I pressed the ignition button, and the engine roared to life, causing her thighs to tighten as her heartbeat raced. Just as I pushed the bike backward, I finally picked up on a single emotion, and although it was small, I breathed a sigh of relief.Desire. Red hot. Dropping a hand to her knee, I gave it a squeeze.
Preparing to head out, I looked around to make sure Maven wasn’t lurking somewhere. There was a tiny cottage along the back of the property, and my eyes widened when I saw a woman standing in the front window, the curtain pulled back.I’m such a fucking idiot.
The desire I’d picked up on hadn’t been from my goddess. No, it was coming off of this witch like flames. Her eyes widened when she saw me, and the desire quickly changed to amusement. The curtain closed, and I gunned it down the driveway.Is her beloved grandma a pervy old witch?
I’d scoped out the area for a nice place to take her. I didn’t want any distractions, just the two of us getting to know each other. Feeling giddy,again,I drove us about ten minutes outside of town where there were some small mountain ranges. It was pure luck that I’d found it, the perfect place.
At the base of this mountain, there was a small river with a couple of little waterfalls. Hoping she hadn’t seen it before, I pulled the bike off the side of the road, steering it down a dirt path that led to the forest that expanded before us. The path narrowed once we hit the trees, a bit overgrown from lack of use. Letting the bike roll slowly to a stop, I killed the engine, and the sounds of nature took over.
She slipped off the seat behind me, and I turned around to find her gazing up at the mountain. Hooking my fingers through the strap at the top of the backpack, I lifted it off her back and slid it on my own.
“I could’ve carried that,” she told me, eyes still locked on our surroundings.
“I’ll be damned if the woman I’m taking out is going to lift a finger. I already feel shitty that you had to wear it on the way out here.”
Tearing her eyes away from the view, she looked up at me and reached out to intertwine our fingers together.
“Who knew you were so romantic?” she murmured.
Well, I sure as hell didn’t, but it seemed like Saige liked my romantic side, and that thought had a surge of warmth spreading through my chest, so I hoped I kept it up. Her smiles, her happiness, her laughter, I wanted all of that tonight. All of this was all new to me. I’d never had an official relationship; the closest thing would be my arrangement with Sloane. I did love him, and I’d do anything for him, but he’d never expressed a desire to take our casual relationship to the next level, which was why his recent mixed feelings had been confusing as hell to me. He was jealous, extremely so, and that was an emotion I had never picked up on from him. I wasn’t sure how to process that, and I was willing to bet that he wasn’t either.
My mind was turning into a little bit of a battlefield because I was struggling with the fact that Sloane didn’t seem to be a fan of Saige, and for whatever reason, that hurt me. There was just something about her that pulled me in and refused to let me go, and Sloane was deluded if he didn’t think that I felt the same way about him. I couldn’t give him up; I would never want that. I needed to talk to him sooner rather than later because I wanted them both, and I would find a way to get what I wanted.
Shaking off those thoughts, I brought myself back to the glorious woman who was here with me now instead of dwelling on the grumpy bastard I had waiting at home. Rubbing my thumb over the top of her hand, I smiled at her. “We have to walk for about five minutes, and then we can eat.”
“It’s beautiful out here. There’s a state park about ten more minutes down the road. I’ve been there a few times, but I never thought to just park on the side of the road and go scouting on my own.” Saige laughed at the end of that thought, and I glanced at her from the corner of my eye as she took in everything with her big green eyes, not paying attention to where she was walking. She struck me as the kind of woman who would rather experience the journey versus sticking to a map or any sort of plan.
“I wanted to find the perfect place. I like finding things that nobody else pays attention to, places that haven’t been trampled by thousands of feet. There’s something calming about a spot that you can be alone in, the view unseen by others. I spend a lot of time looking for quiet, and I’ve gotten pretty good at finding it, at least in nature.”
Squeezing my hand, she seemed lost in thought for a moment.
“Thank you for sharing this with me, Fischer. From what you’ve told me, I know that you don’t get much alone time. I’m happy you decided to share some time with me tonight.”
Flicking my gaze to her again, her eyes were now locked on the ground in front of her, a shy smile gracing her mouth, and my blood warmed at her declaration. Little did she know, when I was with her, it felt like I was alone, but not in a shitty way. In a way, being here with her allowed me to beme. To feel what I wanted to, knowing that my emotions weren’t being manipulated by anyone else’s. She made me feel normal, and it was quickly becoming addicting.
The sound of rushing water drifting through the pine forest caught my attention. “Ah, here we go. I’ll get everything set up!” I announced, dropping her hand and striding over to a large open spot just off of the water.
Opening my bag, I pulled out the large quilt I’d packed and laid it out on the grass while Saige grabbed one of the corners and helped me to lay it flat. “This place is amazing, Fish. I can’t believe this is here, so close to everyone, yet nobody knows about it. The water is so clear, too,” she observed as she leaned forward and dipped her fingers into it.
“Uh huh,” I mumbled. I wasn’t looking at the water; my gaze was locked onto her ass as it stuck up in the air.By the moon, I can only imagine how glorious it looks naked.
She pushed herself back and sat down with her legs crossed. A grimace flitted across her features, and concern struck me as I reached for her. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” she squeaked, a blush tinting her cheeks, “just a little, um, sore.”
