“I think you’re wrong about yourself, X—Xavier.”
I stumble over his name, remembering the command he gave me earlier to call him by his full name. “You’re a good man.”
“You say that now because you don’t know me, but I know me, and I’m speaking from experience.”
I take a deep breath and shrug. “Guess you’ll have to prove me wrong then. I’m an excellent judge of character. I know a good person when I see one.”
He chuckles. “Are you always so positive?”
“Are you always so negative?” I fire back automatically.
“You know what they say about a positive and a negative together, don’t you?” Xavier teases as he grabs the handlebars of the bike and throws his muscular leg over the seat. Immediately my eyes are drawn to the way his jeans hug his legs, distracting me from the question he just asked. All I can think about is how powerful and strong he must be.
Before I know it I begin undressing him with my eyes, wondering if sex with a man like him would be as great as I’ve read about in books and seen in the movies I’ve snuck around to watch.
He smirks and hands me a helmet. “Looks like science is correct. They do attract.”
Blood rushes to my face as I realize he’s caught me staring at his crotch and I’m not sure how to respond. It’s not like I can deny it or anything.
I want to die.
I take the helmet from his outstretched arm and plop it on my head. “Where are we going?”
Xavier reaches over and buckles the strap under my chin, his fingers feathering across my skin. “I would say back to your place, but I doubt you’d let that fly, and quite frankly, I’m not up for being turned down again today.” I raise an eyebrow, and his lips pull into a lopsided grin. “That’s what I thought. Hop on, beautiful, and I’ll take you somewhere special.” He holds out his hand. “Trust me?”
“Yes.”
The answer slips out in a low whisper. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help this overwhelming feeling of safety I have when I’m with him. Like he can save me from anything. After all, he’s already proven that he can.
I slip my hand into his. “I trust you.”
That cocky grin of his turns into a full-on, heart-stopping smile. “Good.”
He gives no further explanation of where he plans on taking us, just grips my hand tight as I swing my leg over the bike and squish my body against his. My thighs wrap around his hips, and he positions my hands so I’m practically bear-hugging him. My fingers trace the hard muscle beneath his t-shirt and my entire body tingles.
I’ve never in my life been this turned on by a man. There’s something about him that makes me crave to be wild and out of control. He’s like freedom, wrapped up in one sexy package. A package that has me thinking about doing things that I shouldn’t.
My breasts press firmly against his back, and my nipples pucker beneath my blouse as they rub against the thin pieces of material that separates our skin. I close my eyes and snuggle into him tighter.
“Hang on tight, babe.” Xavier fires up the engine and the bike roars to life as he pulls out of the lot.
The entire machine vibrates beneath us as we zip through the streets of Detroit and adrenaline flows through my veins as I press tightly against Xavier. This is the first time I’ve ever been on a bike, and the ride is exhilarating and sensual all at the same time. I’ve never been offered such a dangerous ride before, not that I would’ve been brave enough to ever go, but I didn’t hesitate for a second before hopping on this bike with Xavier. He seems like he knows what he’s doing, so I trust him.
I’ve never felt this wild and free—like I could do anything and everything. My first day out on my own, and I’m already breaking every one of Father’s rules. I’ve never felt so alive.
When we stop at a red light, Xavier drops his feet off the pegs and onto the ground, balancing our weight with ease. He takes the opportunity to rest his hand on top of mine as they cling to his chest, and his thumb rubs over my fingers, causing butterflies to go crazy in my stomach. The small movement feels affectionate, like he’s reassuring me that I’m safe with him. It’s almost enough to make me not care that I still don’t have a clue where he’s taking me.
Almost.
I should have demanded to know where we were going instead of being a lustfully blinded twit, willing to go anywhere with a sexy stranger.
The light switches to green, and he puts his hand back on the handlebars, sending us forward in a blur once again. I’m not sure how long we ride, but it’s long enough for me to relax and feel somewhat comfortable on the bike, comforted by the continuous purr of the motor. I lay my head on his shoulder and snuggle closer to him, inhaling the spicy scent of his cologne mixed with some sort of soap and something distinctly male. As if it’s even possible, smelling him turns me on even more.
Before I know it we are just outside the city and pulling into one of those all night diners. Xavier backs the bike into an empty space and cuts the engine. I slowly peel myself off of him, and he twists, extending his hand to help me off the bike.
He reaches for the strap under my chin. “First ride?”
I reluctantly nod, unable to lie because I’m terrible at it. “Yes. How could you tell?”
He lifts the helmet off my head and chuckles. “I think the claw marks etched into my ribs are a telltale sign.”
I cover my mouth with my hand as a gasp escapes from me. I knew I was hanging on for dear life at some point, but he didn’t let on that I was hurting him. “I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you bad?”
Xavier shakes his head and a strand of dark hair falls across his forehead as he lifts his shirt to assess the damage. My eyes zero in on the washboard abs on full display in front of me, each muscle clearly defined and very…lickable.
Oh, Lord. Did I just think lickable? Who am I? I’ve never in my life referred to a man as lickable before. But in all fairness, I’ve never had a man like Xavier flash me his unbelievably ripped body before either, so I’m going to chalk it up to unexplored hormones.
The urge to run my fingers along his skin pushes me forward a step. I bite my bottom lip as I trace the angry red marks just above his stomach. I swallow hard. His skin is even softer than I imagined.
“We’ll have to work on relaxing your grip a little, but it’ll get easier every time we do it,” Xavier says, breaking me out of my lustful daydream.
I jerk my hand away from him and he pulls his shirt back down before shoving himself off the bike. “You think we’ll be doing this again?”
He smiles as he straps the helmet to the handlebars. “I think we will. You and I are going to be great friends. I already know it. And friends hang out with each other all the time.”
“Friends?” I question, trying not to sound let down by the idea of only being Xavier’s friend. “What makes you think we are just friends?”
He raises a thick eyebrow and smirks. “Come on, Anna. You’ve made it perfectly clear that I’m not your type, and that you’re never going to sleep with me, so I’ve come to accept that. I’m happy to play the friend and protector role while you find your footing here. Detroit’s a tough city. It’ll eat a girl like you alive if you don’t have someone watching out for you.”
“And why would you be willing to do that for me?”
“I guess it’s because I haven’t met someone as sweet as you in a long time, and I would like to see you stay that way. You need a guy like me around to keep all the assholes away,” he replies matter-of-factly.
I fold my arms over my chest. In just the short time we’ve known each other he believes he can read me just like that? Maybe he needs a curveball thrown his way. “Maybe that’s why I came out here—to get mixed up with the wrong kind of man and make a few mistakes.”