RideofHerLife (2 page)

Chapter Two

“I’ve never been on a motorcycle before.” Still breathless from the short ride, Lily handed Kyle’s extra helmet over. Standing in the driveway to her house with Kyle straddling the sleek, black-and-chrome machine, Lily suddenly felt a rush of panic flood her system. Apparently it’d been too damn long since she’d spent time with a man. Well before the divorce was final, if she were being honest with herself.

After Kyle took off his own helmet he hung both on the handlebars. His dark hair was mussed. Lily thought it looked sexy as hell. Her fingers practically itched to touch the thick mass.

“Did you like it?”

She snorted. “Are you kidding? I loved it,” she said, giving him nothing but the truth. “It’s exhilarating.”

“And that was just a few blocks. If you want, I can come over after work tomorrow and take you for a longer ride. We can head out to the country. Have a picnic or something.”

Lily mentally ran through some of the dates Ben had taken her on. It was a short-ass list. She couldn’t recall a single date that included a picnic in the country either. Was this guy for real?

“A picnic?” she asked, skeptical. No, cynical was more accurate.
“Really?”

He nodded. “There’s a real pretty park southeast of here.” He told her the name then asked, “Ever been?”

“No, I’ve never been to that one. Usually with my job I travel all over, but never down that way.”

He put the kickstand down, slung his leg—a rather long, muscular leg that had Lily’s heart going all pitter-patter—over the seat and stood. “You’re a photographer, right?”

Hard male flesh aside, Lily asked, “How do you know what I do for a living?”

He grinned. “I might have asked around.”

Rather ominous, Lily thought, grabbing her purse tighter. “Asked around?”

“Lily, I didn’t ride down your street because it was on my way home. I came this way to get a glimpse of
you
.”

She took a hasty step back and nearly stumbled on a crack in the concrete. “Yeah, see, here’s the thing. That sounds creepy.”

He chuckled. And was that a blush? God, he was adorable. “You’re right, it does sound creepy. But I promise I’m not a stalker.”

When he hooked his thumbs into his front jeans pockets, Lily’s knees wobbled a bit. Now that was a good pose, she admitted to her inner wild child. An incredibly sexy, hard-working younger man in worn-out black shit-kickers, and he was flirting with her.

Quickly grabbing onto the thread of the conversation, lest she lose her mind altogether, Lily replied, “Who did you ask? I pretty much keep to myself. I don’t have a lot of friends.”

“Well, one of your few friends came into my shop about a month ago. Someone keyed her car. Anyway, when I noticed her address—a few houses from yours, if I remember right—I asked if she knew you. She did.” He looked chagrined when he said, “It wasn’t too hard to pry some facts out of her. She wasn’t too careful with your privacy.”

Oh, Lily knew exactly which bigmouth Kyle was talking about. “Renee Warner,” she gritted out.

He nodded.
“The one and only.”

Renee was the biggest floozy around. When Lily and Ben were still happily married, way back when, she’d always suspected Renee of coming on to Ben. Lily wondered now if maybe her neighbor had been more successful than she’d originally thought.
The bitch.
“She never mentioned talking to you. I didn’t even know she’d gone to your shop.”

Kyle rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “Yeah, well, she wouldn’t.”

Was that embarrassment? The plot thickens. “Do tell.”

“Uh, she came on to me. She’s not my type though. I tried to turn her down gently.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “Not that it mattered. She turned around and came on to one of my employees instead. In the end, she left satisfied with her car, but little else.”

Lily had the insane urge to track Renee down and give her a swift kick in the ass. Then again, Kyle could date whomever he wanted, of course. Not her concern.
He gave you a ride on his motorcycle, not his body, for crying out loud!
So, in the world of dating, Lily didn’t have territorial rights.

Logical or not, the urge to kick Renee stayed strong and true. With Kyle’s azure gaze boring into hers, she felt compelled to say something, anything. “I bet she was embarrassed, huh?”

“You ask me, she was more pissed than embarrassed.”

The bimbo hadn’t gotten her way.
Shocker.
“
Mhmm
, that sounds like Renee.” Then she recalled what Kyle had said about Renee being a friend. “And she’s just an acquaintance, not a friend. She’s been to a few of our barbeques and birthday parties.”

“Good. I had a hard time seeing you confiding deep, dark secrets to a woman like her. She’s not real frugal with other people’s personal information, if you get my drift.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and tried to give him a stern look. Not sure she pulled it off or not, but the effort was worth a B-plus at least. “Which came in handy for you, it seems.”

There was that cute chagrined look again. “Uh, yeah,” he grumbled.

She smiled. Despite how he’d come by the information, Lily found herself unable to be angry with him. “I bet your mom had a tough time staying mad at you when you were little.”

He stepped closer and bent his head. She could smell his breath.
Minty.
As if he’d anticipated a kiss from her and took the necessary precautions? The notion should not turn her joints to jelly, darn it.

“I’d rather not talk about my mom.
Or Renee.”

“Uh, okay.”

“Are you going to let me take you on that ride, Lily?”

The ride.
The picnic.
Right.
Her head was in the clouds.
Your head is in the gutter, big fibber, because all you can think about is riding
him
.
To hell with the picnic.
“It sounds lovely.” There, not a single tremble. Steady as a rock.

His hand came toward her face and Lily froze. When a strong, calloused finger stroked her cheek, she melted. “Give me your phone number.”

Unable to deny him, Lily rattled it off. “I have some things to do tomorrow, like get a rental now that I have no car, but I’ll be free after four-
ish
.”

Kyle nodded. “I’ll come by around four thirty.”

“What do you want me to bring?”

“I’ll take care of everything.” He leaned closer, his lips brushing hers in a soft caress. Lily swayed forward, aching for more.
Aching for Kyle.
Instead, he lifted his head and winked. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Lily.”

“Yes,” she agreed, her voice breathless, “tomorrow.” She watched as he got on his motorcycle and turned the key, the engine rumbling to life. It sounded powerful, dangerous. Like the man sitting atop it. As he backed out of her driveway and drove off, Lily could only stare. She was going on a picnic with Kyle Wolff, a man ten years her junior.
Hot damn.

* * * * *

As Kyle lay in bed, darkness surrounding him, the only thing he could think about was Lily. How she’d looked standing in her driveway earlier in the day, eyes bright with passion, lips swollen from his kiss. Jesus the woman was hazardous to his self-control. Would she have invited him in if he’d stuck around? He hadn’t wanted to pressure her. Lily was all class. Giving her the impression that he was only after her for sex didn’t fit in with his plans. There was more to it than that. In Lily, he saw a woman of substance.
A woman who would challenge him.
She made him think crazy thoughts. Thoughts like making her his—so no other man had a right to look at her with lust in their eyes.

Reaching over, Kyle picked up his cell phone from the nightstand and pressed speed dial two.

“Hello?”

Her husky voice filtered over the line.
Sexy.
Kyle looked at the neon numbers on his alarm clock and winced. It was eleven o’clock at night. Shit. “Did I wake you?”

“Kyle?”

The note of surprise in her voice was of the good variety. Smiling, Kyle stuck his arm behind his head and answered, “Yep.”

“Oh, hi.
And no, you didn’t wake me. I was just laying here going over some photos.”

“
Laying
?” His cock flexed. “Are you in bed?”

She laughed. “Is this one of those
what are you wearing
phone calls?”

Playful.
He liked that in a woman. “Do you want it to be?”

A pause, then, “I’ve never had one of those, so I don’t really know.”

“Never?”

He heard a rustling sound before she said, “Nope.”

Kyle closed his eyes and tried to imagine her surroundings.
Tried to imagine
her
.
The latter was easy. “You’re a phone-sex virgin, huh?”

She laughed again. The sound vibrated through his entire body, sending his nerve endings on a holiday. “I’ve never really thought of it, but I suppose I am.”

“Then allow me to guide you through your very first,” he growled.

“Okay.”

Surprised by her quick agreement, he asked, “Really?”

“Yes, really.
I want to know what I’ve been missing out on.”

Her husband must have been a real ass. “Are you in your bedroom?
In bed?”
Damn, how he wished he could drive to her house and see for himself.
Patience.
She needs time, dickhead.

“Yes.”

“Good. Now, this is the part where you tell me what you’re wearing.” He kept his voice soft, undemanding. “And if it’s an old pair of ripped-up sweats with spaghetti sauce stains, that’s okay. Be honest.”

Several seconds drifted by before she replied, “This is so weird.”

“It’s just the two of us, Lily. It’s okay to let yourself go a little.”

“Then here goes. I just had a shower and my hair is still damp. I’m wearing one of my favorite nightgowns. It’s red and greed plaid. Short, sleeveless and about twenty years old.”

“Comfy, I like that.” He waited a heartbeat before asking, “Bra?
Panties?”

“White cotton panties,” she answered. “No bra.”

“
Mmm
, that’s sexy, Lily.
Very sexy.”

She snorted and for some reason Kyle found the sound as cute as hell. “You wouldn’t say that if you saw me right now. No makeup and an old, ugly nightgown.
Icky.”

“On you it’s sexy, trust me.” He softened his voice, making the moment even more intimate for her. “Does the nightgown have buttons down the front, Lily?”

“Y-Yes.”

Her voice hitched. Kyle’s dick swelled. “Undo them for me.”

“I’ll have to set the phone down.”

“Can you put me on speaker?”

He didn’t hear anything at first. For a frustrating moment Kyle thought the call had been dropped. Finally, she said, “You’re on speaker now.”

“Good,” Kyle murmured, then stayed quiet, waiting for her to do as he bid. Wondering how far she’d go.

“I-I’m done.”

When her voice came over the line this time, Kyle heard the shyness in her tone. He wanted her beyond that. He wanted her to feel, not think. “Spread it open for me, little Lily.
Nice and wide so your breasts are exposed.”

“This feels…”

Her voice trailed off, forcing Kyle to gently prod. “What do you feel?”

“I feel like you can see me.
Even though you can’t.”

“Ah, but I
can
see you. You’re filling my mind with your beauty right now.”

“You don’t even know what I look like beneath the clothes. I could be covered in warts.”

He chuckled. “You’re stalling, Lily. Did you spread the nightgown like I asked?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me what you feel now that your breasts are uncovered.”

“There’s a breeze, coming from the window across from the bed.”

Every protective instinct Kyle possessed went on red alert. “Your window is open?”

“Just a crack.
The curtains are closed.”

He relaxed, but not much. “You shouldn’t sleep with your windows unlocked. It’s not safe.”

“Thanks for the warning, but I wasn’t asleep. I was working. Remember?” He heard a squeak, then more rustling. “There, closed and locked.
Happy, boss?”

“Yes.” Boss; there it was again. “And you called me that earlier today. You know, it’s sort of a turn-on coming from you.”

Her delicate laughter tore at his control. “I was being a smartass, not trying to turn you on.”

“And maybe, since I’m your boss and all, I should discipline you for being so disrespectful.” The image of having her over his knees as he delivered a stinging spanking sprang to his mind. Kyle reached beneath the cool sheets and wrapped a fist around his aching cock. The need to come drove out all rational thought.

“Ooh, I’m so scared,” she taunted.

“Careful, Lily.
I do know where you live, after all.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

Kyle pumped his cock once, twice, before releasing the hard, swollen flesh and sitting up. “Is that a challenge?”

The line went quiet a few seconds. Kyle waited. “I don’t know. Maybe,” she answered quietly.

“No, Lily, no maybes.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you want me there, all you have to do is say the word.”

Kyle heard her curse. “What’s wrong?” Had he pushed too hard? Gone too far?

“My other line is ringing.” She cursed again. “It’s Ben.”

Her ex-husband?
What the hell did he want at this time of night? “Are you going to answer it?”

“Nope.”

She didn’t sound too concerned, which pleased the shit out of him. “I’m glad, but why not?”

“Because I haven’t answered
you
yet.”

He could swear he heard the smile in her voice. Christ she was something else. “And the answer is…?”

“Yes, I want you here.”

Hallelujah! “Be there in ten.” Then he thought of something else and added, “Don’t move, Lily. Stay just the way you are. I’ll let myself in. Understood?”