Copper (12 page)

The promise caused Marla to shiver.  Her body was reawakening too.  “Hurry back,” she called to his retreating figure. “I feel adventurous. I want to try something new.”

Copper was back in under a minute.  “That statement brings to mind all kinds of wicked things I could do to you,” he promised.  He stood by the edge of the bed and tangled his hand in her hair.  “I’ve got plans for that luscious mouth of yours.” 

He spent the next couple of hours showing her exactly what he meant. Even though she was tired and suffering from sore muscles she didn’t even know she had, Marla loved every second of it.  She couldn’t wait to recharge her battery and try to top their hot night of passion as soon as possible.

EIGHT

The low murmur of voices filtered around Marla.  She bit into a crispy piece of bacon and pretended to be listening to her sister.  She wasn’t exactly trying to ignore Copper, she was just too nervous to face him. She woke up alone that morning, so she didn’t know what kind of mood he was in after their hot night of sex.  Copper, Natalie, and Chrome were already seated around the table when she made her way to the kitchen ten minutes earlier.

She was too embarrassed to look at Copper, so Marla couldn’t tell if he was actively trying to avoid her or not.  Truthfully, she didn’t know how to act around him the morning after their passionate interlude. The whole situation was awkward for her. Unfortunately, she wasn’t getting any kind of clues from the pensive man sitting across from her.

“Earth to Marla!”

“Huh?”  She whipped her head around to face her sister. 

A big smile brightened Natalie’s face.  She laughed and shook her head. “I called your name three times.  You’re so lost in thought you’re oblivious.”

“Sorry, Natalie, I guess I didn’t get enough sleep last night.”  A snort and a couple of chuckles interrupted any other explanation she might give.  Marla knew she was blushing.  As much as she hated the telltale sign of embarrassment, there was nothing she could do about it.  It was hard to hide her embarrassment as fair-skinned as she was. 

She managed to steal a glance at Copper from beneath her lashes. His blue eyes were fixed on her face. She could feel the heat in her cheeks and knew she turned even redder. “What were you saying?”

“I was just wondering if you had any plans in mind for today. I know you like to explore surrounding areas and take lots of daytrips during your summer vacation.”

“With everything going on, I haven’t thought that far ahead,” she admitted.

“I’m taking Marla to Galveston,” Copper informed everyone.

“Oh,” Natalie gave both of them an interested look.

“This is the first I heard about it,” she felt compelled to explain to her sister.  Her gaze locked with Copper’s heated stare. “I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before,” she confessed.  “But I’d love to give it a try.”  Marla couldn’t hide the enthusiasm in her voice. 

“You’re going to love my ride, darlin’.  I’ll make sure to take it nice and slow for your first time.”  He winked at Marla and gave her a slow toe-curling kind of smile.  

A slow heat started in her belly at the thought of spending the day with Copper on his bike.  Relief warred with the warmth of desire at the realization that he wanted to spend time with her.  She’d been more than a little afraid that he would shuffle the responsibility of her safety to one of the other men after their wild night of passion.  The fact that he wasn’t going to shove her off onto someone else made her smile a lot brighter. 

“Want to join them?” Chrome asked Natalie. 

Marla watched several different emotions flicker across her sister’s face at the invitation. “No thanks.  I don’t want to be in the way,” she finally said.    

“I could do with a decent ride today myself.  It’s a scenic route, I think you’d enjoy it.”

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to babysit me. Marla, have fun and stay safe.  I’m going to relax and catch-up on some reading.” She quickly exited the room and disappeared out of sight.

Chrome sighed and let out a harsh explicative. “I can’t seem to do anything right when it comes to that woman.”  He stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Marla and Copper alone.

The tension left behind made Marla uncomfortable.  She pushed back her chair.  “Um, I’m going to go change clothes.  I don’t think a sundress and flip flops are ideal attire for the back of a bike.”

“As cute as you look, I’ve got to agree with you.  Jeans and a sturdy pair of shoes, preferably boots would be a better choice.” 

“I’m in luck. Natalie thought to bring my favorite pair of cowboy boots when she did that run to the apartment. I wear them with sundresses sometimes in the summer.”

“Speaking of your apartment, no one’s been there for a couple of days.  It’s probably a good idea to swing by and take a look.  You can pick up a few changes of clothes if you want. And I can look for any signs of an intruder.” 

Marla hadn’t even thought about that possibility. She shuddered.  “I’ll meet you in the garage where you store your bike in fifteen minutes.”  She chewed on her bottom lip.  “Better make it twenty.  I want to check on Natalie.”

Copper stood and walked over to Marla. He used his arms to trap her in the chair.  Bending down, he claimed her lips with his. Both of them were breathing hard when he finally tore his mouth from hers. “Don’t keep me waiting too long. I’m going to give you the ride of your life.”

“You did that last night.”  Marla didn’t mean to speak the teasing words out loud.  But the smirk Copper gave her told her she did. “Um, I’ll just go change now.”

She slipped out of the chair and tried to hightail it out of the room.  Marla only took two steps before Copper wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back flush with the front of his body.  She let out a startled yelp, looked over her shoulder, and gave Copper an accusatory stare. 

He nuzzled the side of her neck with his lips and caressed her abdomen and sides just below her breasts.  “Remember what I said, woman. Don’t keep me waiting.”

Marla held her breath, waiting for his hands to stray just a little higher.  When they didn’t and he stepped away from her, she turned and ran off in a huff.   She was laughing before she got more than halfway up the stairs.  Copper was always doing the unexpected.  And she loved it!

She changed clothes, checked on Natalie, and joined Copper outside in under fifteen minutes.  He was leaning over the huge motorized hunk of metal he called a bike when she walked up. Its size alone was enough to intimidate Marla. Luckily, she had something to distract her.

The pair of well-worn denims he was wearing was stretched taut across his gorgeous backside. Marla had a perfect view, and she stopped to admire it for several seconds.  Her admiration quickly turned to embarrassment when Copper glanced over his shoulder and caught her staring.

“Hey,” she managed to choke out.  “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” she said once again eyeing the huge bike. 

“Don’t look so worried. I know you’re a bike virgin.  I’ll take it easy on you the first time,” he promised with a big grin that showed his perfect white teeth. 

“Oh, Lord,” Marla said, fanning herself.  “It’s really hot out here.”

Copper gave her a look that said he knew exactly what was causing the heat, and it had nothing to do with the Texas summer sun.  His gaze roamed over her body. He took his time looking her up and down.

When he was done he tossed her a lightweight leather jacket.  “Wear my jacket.  I know it’s going to be large on you, but you’re going to need it.  The wind will be whipping around us once we get going on the highway.” He held out a helmet. “You’ll need this too.” 

She quickly slipped her arms inside the jacket, but she eyed the white and pink helmet without attempting to take it. “Where’d you find that?”

“We keep a few extras in the garage.  Sometimes customers want to do a test run and for whatever reason they don’t have a helmet of their own.”

Marla shrugged, “makes sense.” She took the helmet and put it on. “I never figured you for the pink butterfly type,” she said with a laugh.   She hated the thought that it might belong to Copper, because he was in the habit of offering rides to a large number of women.

He stepped closer and helped her adjust the helmet.  “This one happens to be brand new.  I just took it out of the box.  He touched the black microphone that rested near her mouth. I just paired your Bluetooth motorcycle communications unit with mine.  We’ll be able to hear each other over the roar of the motor if we need to talk.” 

“I was wondering about that.  Knowing I can talk to you in some way other than hand signals and rapid taps on the shoulder is a relief.”

“I wouldn’t consider taking you out without a way for you to communicate how you’re doing. I love riding, and I want to do everything I can to make sure you love it too.  By the way, if the helmet is comfortable and you like the style, it’s all yours.”

Marla lightly chewed on her bottom lip.  “I don’t know.  It seems like a waste.  I don’t own my own bike, so even if I enjoy our ride, I may never have the opportunity to do it again.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem as long as you’re hanging out around here.”  He flipped up the visor of the full face helmet so that he could look her in the eyes.  “After last night, I don’t plan on letting you go anytime soon. So you might as well get used to being on the back of my bike.”

The intense look on his face caused Marla’s heartbeat to skyrocket. A small kernel of hope sprouted inside her and began to grow. “Even after Rob’s been dealt with, and it’s safe for me to go back to my own place?” she whispered.

“Even then,” he said. His voice was filled with conviction. “We still have a lot to learn about each other, and I want to know it all, feel it all, and experience it all with you.”

The hope inside her blossomed to completely overtake all other emotions.  “Just so you know.  I’d like that a lot.”

“The open road is waiting for us. Let’s ride!” He blew her a kiss and used a finger to tap the visor on her helmet closed. 

Marla watched him swing his leg over the bike and settle onto the seat.  She gave the small passenger seat a dubious stare.  She took a deep breath and emulated Copper’s move.  She pressed her knees into his side and tightly wrapped her arms around his chiseled middle.

“Stay nestled close just like you are now and hold on tight,” he warned. “You have to trust that I know what I’m doing.  I’ve been riding bikes since I was old enough to remember.  It’s the one thing Mercury, Steel, and I got from our paternal grandfather before he passed away.”

“You make riding a motorcycle sound so easy.”

“You’ll catch on in no time.  I promise you’ll love it.  There’s just one more thing,” he warned. “I’m going to lean into sharp curves. I need you to go with the flow. Follow my body and the natural movement of the bike.  If you freak out and fight me by moving in the opposite direction, it might cause us to crash.”

Marla gently bumped the front of her head against his shoulder twice and let out a groan.  “Great, I’m really freaking out about this ride now,” she told him.

“I’ll start out slow so that you have a little time to adjust to the feel of the bike under you.  But once we get through town and out on the freeway, I’m going to open up the throttle, so be prepared.”

The ride was exhilarating.  Her heart raced, and adrenaline coursed through her body as they flew down the fast lane of the freeway, passing car after car. The rush of wind was invigorating and probably addictive.

Copper was a confident and skilled biker.  She never once felt afraid or uncomfortable riding behind him.  She loved the freedom being on the back of his bike gave her.  It somehow seemed liberating to race down the road without being surrounded by a steel framework separating you from the rest of the world.

She spent most of the ride tucked in as close to Copper’s solid body as she could get.  Riding on the back of his bike was a great excuse to cuddle as far as Marla was concerned.  About ninety minutes later, the beautiful island of Galveston came into view.  She relaxed her grip when Copper slowed the bike and eased away from him enough to enjoy the passing scenery. 

“There’s a state park not too far from here,” she heard Copper say through the Bluetooth. “You want to park the bike and check out the beach?”

“That would be great,” she enthusiastically exclaimed. “Natalie and I usually come here four or five times a year to explore. It’s a great one day retreat.  I never get tired of the sand, surf, and sun!” 

About five minutes later the bike was parked, and Copper held out a hand to help her off.  Marla removed the helmet and jacket she was wearing and gave them to Copper.  He removed a couple of bottles of water from the saddlebags on the back of his bike before storing her things inside. 

“Good thinking,” she said taking an offered bottle.  She took a couple of sips of the refreshing liquid before stepping forward. Her legs felt rubbery, and she wobbled.   “Wow. I felt fine during the ride, but I have a feeling that muscles I didn’t even know existed are going to be screaming in the morning.”

“I know what to do for that,” he told her with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

“Really,” she was intrigued and couldn’t wait to hear what he suggested.  “Do tell,” she urged him with a breathless smile. 

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her neck. “How does a full body massage sound?”

“Absolutely divine, you sure know how to spoil a lady,” she told him.

Copper’s arms tightened around her. “Not really.”

“It sure seems that way to me. I think most women would find a bike ride, walk on the beach, and the offer of a massage very romantic.”

“Don’t go ruining my reputation,” he growled. “I don’t do romantic walks on the beach, and I’m usually the one getting the massage,” he smirked.

Underneath the gruff words, Marla thought she heard a hint of vulnerability.  She was beginning to believe that her rapidly developing feelings were not one-sided.  She wondered how much he would admit if she pushed him just a little bit more. “What’s today all about then?”