When we got to my Harley, I picked up the extra helmet and handed it to Serenity. “Need help?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
I took mine off the handlebar and put it on, attaching the chin strap. She looked up at me and smiled. “I’m ready.”
I checked her chin strap and gestured to my Switchback. “Let me get on first, then you can slide your leg over and sit behind me.” She nodded and I mounted the bike, straightening it as I kicked the stand free. I held out my hand to her. “Need help?”
Even in the moonlight, determination burned bright in her eyes. She took my hand and lifted her leg onto the seat right behind me. I helped her up, and the second her body molded against my back the wolf in my soul howled. I closed my eyes for a second, drinking in the feel of her soft breasts pressed into me. Damn it. I ached to pull her around in front of me and lose myself in her, to claim her as my own.
This overwhelming need was new for me. Fuck, I’d never wanted anyone so bad.
She wrapped her arms around my waist and found the pegs for her feet. “Okay, I’m ready.”
I’d never been more ready in my life. I adjusted myself in the seat, but there was no way to stop my jeans from crushing the hell out of me. I fired up the engine and patted her calf. “Hold on, Sweetheart.”
She might not be mine yet, but her laughter in my ear as we rolled onto the road most definitely claimed me as hers. I took her on the back roads to my place, roaring through the valley. Sedona had a light ordinance in place for businesses and the streets. No neon. It was a destination for stargazing, and the stars were giving us a show tonight. The sky was clear, the moon glowing, and a canvas of a million lights twinkled over our heads.
I pulled over near bell rock, planted my feet on the ground to keep us upright, and killed the engine. She rested her chin on my shoulder and her voice filled my head.
Why are we stopping?
I reached back running my hand along her thigh. “Just wanted to watch the stars for a minute instead of the road.” I took off my helmet and twisted to look back at her.
Her cheeks and nose were red from the wind and her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. She took my breath away. “Is something wrong?” she asked out loud.
“No.” I shook my head. “You’re just so damned beautiful.”
She reached up to caress my cheek and leaned forward to brush her lips to mine. I needed her closer. I lifted her and brought her around me to sit on the flat top of the gas tank. This position made her taller than me, and I tipped my chin up, loving the way she slid both hands back into my hair. Our tongues tangled in a slow delicious exploration.
I unfastened the chin strap of her helmet as I fed on her lips. When I lifted it free, she rested her forehead on mine and whispered, “You make me feel alive.”
I shifted in my seat, desperate to relieve the pressure in my jeans and chuckled. “You’re making me feel things too.”
She grinned, but this was a new one. Her lips were swollen from hungry kisses, and her eyes shone with desire. This smile was just for me, and I fucking loved it. This wasn’t the weakened waif I’d helped carry into Asher’s place.
This was Serenity. My mate.
I hung her helmet off the handlebars and ran my hands up her thighs as I stared up into her eyes. “I’ve been dogged by bad luck most of my life, but it all brought me here, to this moment.”
“Look out.” She kissed me and whispered, “I could be your worst luck yet.”
“Not a chance.” I winked.
She laughed and turned to look up at the stars, her voice taking on a wistful tone. “I come with a lot of baggage, but you make me forget.”
I squeezed her legs and waited for her to look down at me. “From the second I touched you and my wolf howled, I knew nothing was ever going to be the same for me, but when you woke up and we talked…” I shook my head, struggling to find the right words. “You’ve opened the door to a life I never realized existed.”
Telepathy?
I chuckled and lost myself in her eyes as I answered silently. Connection.
She searched my eyes as I whispered, “I’ve wandered through life, bounced around without a real bond to any place or anyone. Then I found you.” I paused wishing I had words to tell her what I’d been feeling. Finally, I whispered, “I didn’t realize how lost I’d been.”
Hearing the words out loud struck a chord in me. I’d sat through hours of therapy and never figured it out until this moment. I’d always yearned for this connection with someone, but I’d been so afraid it would be taken from me, that I never tried.
I reached up to cup her cheek. “I’m going to fight for you. Whatever we have, whatever it becomes, I’m not going to let anything take it from us. Fuck bad luck.”
A single tear rolled down her cheek. “I never imagined someone like you existed.” She kissed me, her words warming my lips. “I’m going to fight too.”
Her fingers tightened in my hair as I fused our lips together. I couldn’t get enough of her, couldn’t get close enough. We clung to each other under the stars. Two lost souls, lost no more.
I ran my hand up her back, my fingers sliding under her shirt. Her skin was so soft, warm, and if I didn’t have her naked soon, I was going to lose my mind.
She broke the kiss, breathless, and the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. “Take me to your place.”
“Good idea.” I grabbed her helmet and helped her back to the ground. Leaning over with her made my thighs ache. I’d been so wrapped up in my desire for her, I hadn’t noticed how much balancing the weight of the bike had taxed my legs. Werewolf strength or not, my Harley was a solid seven-hundred pounds.
She climbed on behind me and this time I took the straight shot to my apartment. No more stars, no more words, only Serenity.
Preorder:
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MCJ93KT/
KOBO – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/sedona-serenity
B&N – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sedona-serenity-lisa-kessler/1137979940?ean=2940162647614