Page 28 of Marcus: Sins of the Father

“You’ll love it. There’s nothing like it. Although—” His eyes sweep over me. “You’re gonna need a warmer coat.” He walks over to a row of hooks on the wall and grabs a worn leather jacket. Returning, he holds it up, ready to help me slip it on. “This is my old one.”

I shrug out of my faux-fur, and slip my arms inside the sleeves of his. It has a quilted lining, and I’m taken back by how heavy it is as Marcus pulls it up over my shoulders and turns me around to fasten it up.

“Don’t want you getting cold. The wind can be wicked.” He steps back. “It looks good on you.”

I run my hand over the leather. It’s big, but I like the way it feels. It’s like I’ve got a part of him. Like maybe I’m his. “I love it.”

“You can keep it.”

My eyes meet his. “Really?”

“Sure. Come on.”

Marcus holds a helmet out to me.

I take it and connect the strap under my chin while he turns the bike around.

He fires it up, and the low rumble fills the garage. I climb on behind him and wrap my arms around his waist, feeling his rock-hard abs beneath my hands. I press against him, and feel his warmth against my chest.

“Mmm, this feels right. Wind in my face, and a beautiful woman wrapped around me.”

I smile as he starts to pull out. Billy opens the gate when we approach, and I wave as we pull through.

We ride down the road and make several turns, finding our way onto the freeway. Marcus twists the throttle, and the bike surges forward, the wind whipping around us. It’s exhilarating. After a while, he slows and exits, making several turns until I see we’re on La Honda Road. It winds and curves as it climbs upward. The foliage seems to thicken the higher we go until suddenly we seem to be surrounded by trees climbing high above us. Redwoods stretch towards the heavens like giants. The tree-line disappears almost as quickly as it unfolded as we crest the top. Descending on the western side, we pass through the line of redwoods and a misty haze that seems to blanket the other side. We’re surrounded by nature, and then suddenly there are cars everywhere along the shoulder, apparently overflow from the parking lot Marcus turns the bike toward.

A restaurant comes into view. Alice’s.

He parks, and we both climb off. “This place has some great food.”

“Ah, now all the cars make sense.”

The wooden building stands in a clearing surrounded by tall trees. It’s not anywhere near large enough to hold all the people who belong to these cars, but a big deck wraps around it like it’s an island. With a roaring fire blazing in a fire pit, and several tall heaters placed around the tables, the diners don’t seem to mind the chill in the air.

We somehow manage to snag an empty table when a group leaves, and Marcus passes me a menu.

I crack it open. “What’s good?”

“Everything. Breakfast is great. They also have amazing burgers and barbecue, but we’re a little early for that.”

A waitress hustles over with a pad and takes our order. After a few minutes, she returns with my plate of blueberry pancakes and some kind of scramble for Marcus, along with the mugs of steaming coffee we both ordered. “Enjoy.”

I take a bite and moan. “Dear God, this is so good.” The blueberries burst with flavor.

“Well damn, if it makes you moan like that, I need a taste.”

I stretch my fork across to his open mouth, dripping some of the syrup as I do.

“Mmm, that is good.”

Instinctively, I reach out to wipe the syrup away with my finger. As I pull away, he grabs my hand with reflexes that startle me. Then, staring into my eyes, he takes my finger into his mouth and licks the syrup off. It feels so sensual the crowd around us fades away.

“Delicious.”

I draw my hand back, breaking the moment, but the tension between us has definitely increased a few notches.

“So, how’d you like your first ride?”

I can’t keep the smile off my face. “It was amazing. That last road was gorgeous, and it felt so freeing, winding along it.”

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