Chapter Thirty
Judge
I refused to tell River how we were spending our Saturday because I wanted it to be a surprise, and because I was afraid she wouldn’t want to go.
“Uh, I have something for you before we leave,” I said and handed her the two bags I’d managed to keep hidden from her.
She gave me a quizzical look, but took the bags. She reached into the first one and pulled out a pair of leather chaps. “Those go over your pants. You can slide the belt through the loop on your jeans, but you don’t have to,” I explained.
Without uttering a word, she reached into the other bag and pulled out a leather jacket. “I’m assuming you want me to put these on.”
“Yes, and your boots.”
“What if I didn’t bring my boots?”
I grinned. “I know you did because I checked your closet before we left.”
She shook her head and laughed. “I’ll be right back.”
When she came down the stairs in head to toe leather, I damn near dropped to my knees. The leather hugged every curve of her body in the most delectable way.
“I guess I don’t need to ask if I look okay,” she giggled.
“You look fucking hot. Come ‘ere,” I growled and yanked her to me so I could devour her mouth.
When she broke the kiss, we were both panting. “As much as I would love to continue this, I’m starting to sweat in places that shouldn’t sweat.”
With that, I locked up the cabin and we headed to my bike. We donned our helmets and climbed on. “I turned the Bluetooth on so we can talk,” I said and felt her jump behind me.
“Fucking hell, Jonah! You scared the shit out of me!” she yelled and slapped her hand against my back.
I laughed. “Well, it’s about a two-hour ride, so I thought you might want to talk.”
“Works for me.”
We chatted for most of the ride, which surprisingly didn’t bother me. I usually liked to ride listening to nothing other than the wind and the sound of my bike, but I enjoyed having River’s voice fill my helmet.
I pulled into the parking lot of the Harley-Davidson store and announced, “We’re here.”
“You drove two hours to bring me to a dragon Harley store?” she asked.
“Well, that’s up to you. If we keep going, this road turns into what’s known as the Tail of the Dragon, and I want you to ride it with me. But if you don’t want to, we’ll check out the store, grab some lunch somewhere, and go home,” I said nervously.
“What am I missing, Jonah?”
I sighed. I had to be honest with her even if it meant she wouldn’t go. “The Tail of the Dragon features three hundred and eighteen curves in eleven miles. It can be very dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“Do you know what you’re doing?”
“I wouldn’t have even contemplated bringing you here if I didn’t,” I answered honestly.
“Have you ever ridden it before?”
“I rode on the back of my dad’s bike when I was five or six. That’s the only time I’ve been.”
I waited quietly while she mulled it over. I don’t know if she spent all that time thinking or if she was trying to make me sweat it, but finally, she said, “I guess I’ll give it a try, but if you get me killed, I will come back and haunt you any time you’re about to have sex with someone.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “I have no doubt about that.” Once I stopped laughing, I asked, “You ready?”