Chapter 123

I hate to admit that I consider his offer. I’m still pissed at Archer, and therefore am feeling reckless. That, and I don’t particularly want to run the whole way back to the Pyramid. Frankly, my legs already hurt like hell.

And, though I’m even less inclined to admit this: Beau looks really good sitting on that motorcycle. He’s wearing a tight black leather jacket and an even tighter pair of pants.

With the visor down, he looks like a mystery man. The kind who might roll up to a fancy party and no one would stop him. They’d all be too curious to turn him away. Who is that man? Who cares! Look at his ass in those pants!

He dips his head back, and I know he’s offering me the open spot behind him on the motorcycle. I’m already holding the helmet. All I would have to do is put it on.

Archer would hate it. So would Neil.

To hell with both of them.

Steven’s watching Mia tonight. Why can’t I cut loose and have some fun? Beau doesn’t want me. I’m in no danger here. We can just admire each other’s bodies, hopefully not talk at all, and chase hell for a while.

“What do you say, Nanny?” Beau says, baiting me. “What to live a little?”

Oh, hell with it.

I put the helmet on and crawl onto the back of the motorcycle behind him.

“Hold on,” Beau says.

I gingerly place my hands on his sides.

He laughs. “You’re going to fall off like that. Hold on properly.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” I say.

“Not as much as you will,” he says, throwing it right back at me. He grabs me by the wrists and yanks me forward until I am fully pressed against him back. Then he wraps my arms securely around his waist.

“Hold. On.” It’s an order this time.

Before I can argue again, he opens the throttle, and the motorcycle zips forward, 0 to 60 in breakneck speed.

Instinctively, I clutch him tighter. He laughs as he pushes the bike faster, until the street lights are nothing but blurs and the world is moving too quickly for me to see anything.

I slam my eyes closed for a moment. It’s clear Beau isn’t heading straight back for the Pyramid. I have no idea where he is actually taking me. I should be nervous about that, probably.

But the thing is… I’m not.

This is an adrenaline rush. If he loses control, if he crashes… well… he might walk away, since he’s got his wolf and everything. Me, meanwhile, wolfless, likely wouldn’t get up from that.

It should bother me. It does, in a way. I definitely don’t want to die today.

But it also feels… exciting. Thrilling in a way I have no experienced in a long time. It’s so much like the rush of a fight.

Danger is addicting. It fills me up and spills out of me. It makes me want more.

So I open my eyes. I force myself to see as much as I can, to take in as much of this moment as I am able.

I don’t want to forget this feeling. I want to live in the now.

I feel Beau cheer where my hands grip onto his chest. So I fill my lungs and do the same.

I shout as loudly as I can. The wind and the roar of the motorcycle swallow the sound.

Quickly, we are out of the city. We’re moving at breakneck speeds through a forest, and then up a mountain. But Beau doesn’t stop there. He pushes the bike forward, fast, faster, until we crest the mountain and come back down the other side.

He finally slows as we approach a sleepy little town with only one streetlight. There are two buildings at the light. One is a gas station. The other a walk-up ice cream shop with a slew of picnic tables out front. The ice cream shop is shaped like a giant banana split.

Beau turns into the ice cream shop.

For a small town, the place is hopping. Maybe this is the only bit of fun for miles around. Beau cuts across the parking lot and parks right up front, on the grass. It’s not a parking spot but no one seems to really care.

We both get off the bike and he hangs our helmets onto it. Then he tips his head and starts toward the order window. I’m still confused why we’re here, but I follow.

My throat is a bit sore from all the yelling. I wouldn’t hate some ice cream. But patting myself down, I realize…

“I don’t have my wallet,” I whisper to him, a bit embarrassed.

He looks at me, then throws his head back and laughs. “Just tell me what you want, Nanny.”

I don’t like him paying for me. It feels too much like a date. Though, I quickly remind myself, this is Beau. The guy is as likely to catch feelings for me as a rattlesnake would. There’s no reason to be embarrassed.

“A chocolate cone, please,” I say. “Small.”

Beau orders two. When they are ready, he hands one to me and keeps the other for himself. Together we find an empty picnic table and sit down.

“Sorry not sorry for the wild ride,” he says.

“It’s fine,” I say. I don’t want him to know how much I enjoyed it.

He seems to know anyway. He smirks at me. “When I saw you sneak out, I figured you were tired of being cooped up.”

“I need to work out,” I say, then look guiltily at the ice cream. I shouldn’t be eating this. But I can’t throw it away now. Beau bought it for me. How much of an ungrateful bitch would I be to just toss it in the trash? Plus, it would be such a waste…

Ice cream shouldn’t be wasted.

“You shouldn’t overdo it.” Beau shrugs. “Life’s about balance.”

“Says Mister Overindulgence himself,” I grumble.

His smirk turns into a grin. “So judgmental tonight.” He doesn’t seem upset by it. More, amused. “Maybe what you need, Nanny, is a bit more indulgence in your own life.”

“My life is fine,” I say.

“Oh?” He licks at his ice cream cone. “Absolutely nothing missing, huh?”

I quickly glance away. I don’t want to answer that. Then I realize, I’ve been rude this whole time. I haven’t even thanked him yet. For the ice cream, or for the ride. That’s not likely what he’s talking about, I doubt he even cares at all. But I still feel like a jerk for not acknowledging it.

“Thanks,” I say. “For this.” I motion toward the ice cream in my hand, but I mean more than that. I hope he can tell. I really don’t want to have to vocalize further.

He shrugs. “Eat your ice cream before it melts.”

That’s a good idea. I carefully bite off the top swirl of my ice cream.

Beau’s already made a good dent in his. He’s using his tongue to lick long steady strokes up the side of the ice cream. When he gets to the top, he swirls his tongue in a small circle.

My mind goes blank, my own ice cream forgotten.

Good Gods.

That tongue.

He holds my gaze as he does the process over again. He makes more small circles this time, and I’ll I can think about is that tongue tracing those same circles around my –

I abruptly stand.

Beau lazily looks up at me. It’s worse now, because he’s watching me through his lashes.

If I was standing… If he was on his knees between my legs…

Beau points at my uneaten ice cream. “Aren’t you going to finish that?”