“As we’ve already established, I like you that way.”
She sighed and pulled herself closer, her chest, belly, and hips tight against him, not to mention her thighs straddling his so that it affected her breathing in a way she couldn’t blame on the running. Her arms encircled his lean waist, her fingers brushing up against his ridged, perfect abs.
“You know, Mariposa Canyon is a virtual biological wonder this time of year,” he said casually.
Mariposa Canyon was a hidden meadow about two miles from there, hidden because the only way to get there was by four-wheeling in, over natural hills and through crevices, making it a perfect balls-to-the-walls quad course. The canyon wasn’t a “biological wonder,” it was a four-wheeling gift from heaven.
He flashed her one of his wicked grins over his shoulder. “As a biologist,” he said solemnly, “you’d probably want to take the long way to your place, maybe take just a quick drive-by through the canyon to make sure you aren’t missing anything good.”
She couldn’t think of a single thing that could improve a shitty day more than being beneath the wide, expansive sky, surrounded by the majestic, glorious peaks, with 686 cc’s between her legs and the hottest guy in the universe to hold on to…“Well, if it’s not too much trouble,” she said demurely, making him burst into laughter.
God, she loved his laugh. It made her laugh, too, and she felt it bubble out of her with sheer joy, which backed deliciously up in her throat when he hit the gas. In three minutes they were off road and heading toward Mariposa Canyon, and then they were at the top of the basin, looking down at it.
“Hold on,” he said, and they leapt forward, for a minute completely airborne as they flew down the hill.
Her heart landed in her throat, in a very good way, in the best roller-coaster kind of way. Manzanita bush and wild growth whipped past in a blur as TJ followed the line of the trees straight down. She found herself screaming in delight, probably making him deaf, and she didn’t care. She leaned with him into the turns, her hands gripping him for all she was worth. Beneath her palms she felt the tight, hard muscles in his abs work as he maneuvered them up and across the steep, spine-tingling moguls.
“Crash, and I’ll kill you,” she yelled in his ear.
“You’re safe with me.”
“You’re the one without a helmet. It’s your thick skull that I’m worried about-”
She broke off with another little scream as he took them off a sharp cliff, then up and over the dirt moguls, through the brush and mud. She was still grinning an hour later when he pulled up to her place.
She slid off, pulled off the helmet, and eyed the bike. “Your bike’s all muddy now.”
“It’ll wash.”
“I guess since I enjoyed the ride so much, and we’re making such a concerted effort to be friends and all, I could offer to help.”
His eyes went all smoky. “What would you be wearing for this bike-washing event?”
“Oh my God. Are you going to turn everything back to Naked Friend?”
“Yes. But I’ll settle for a bikini top and short shorts friend.”
She couldn’t help it; she laughed again and turned to head inside, then found herself being slowly pulled back into him. “I don’t have any short shorts at the moment.”
He turned her around to face him. “You can owe me. Listen, I was actually hoping we could talk.”Uh oh. His solemn expression sank in and her smile faded. “Just what I need. More talk, more trouble.”
“I’m sorry about causing you trouble,” he said quietly, all humor gone. “But I’m not sorry I went with you to Desolation, or that I learned what the problem was between us.”
She closed her eyes. “TJ.”
“In fact, we should work on that problem. I could fix it, if you’d let me.”
“Really?” she asked curiously. “How?”
He was quiet a moment. Lifting his head, he ran a finger over her shoulder. “By making a better memory.”
“Is this because I told you it was fine?”
He grimaced. “I’d like to think I’m not quite that Neanderthal.” He paused, then gave her a small smile. “But fine sucks, Harley.”
“We were teenagers.”
“Sort of my point. I do better now.”
She laughed softly and shook her head. “The Wilder ego,” she murmured. “Needing to be the biggest, the baddest, and the best in everything, especially bed. Nothing personal, TJ, but I’d rather have sweet, steady, and stable.”
“Like Nolan.”
“Like Nolan.”
“Then why did you cut him loose?”
“I told you, he-”
He just looked at her, and she let out a breath. Right. She could have turned that around-if she’d tried hard enough.
“But that’s not what I wanted to talk about,” TJ said quietly. “Can I come in?”
Had she ever been able to refuse him anything? “Yeah.”
CHAPTER 18
Harley unlocked her door, went directly to the kitchen, opened her refrigerator, and frowned in disappointment.
TJ stopped at her table and looked at the maps she had spread out there. “So you’re going to fill this out?”
She went utterly still for a beat, suddenly realizing what was with the maps-the employment application. And her pro/con list of his and Nolan’s qualifications. Embarrassment and horror filled her as she whipped around and leapt toward him. “Give me that.”