Ride Hard (Raven Riders #1)(35)

They came to a stop sign at the edge of the racetrack’s long driveway, and Dare looked over his shoulder at her. “Wanna take it fast or slow? Your call.”

Something in his eyes made her belly flip. “Fast,” she said.

The corner of his eye crinkled. “Was hoping you’d say that. Hold on tight.”

Dare pulled a left onto the country road that ran in front of the racetrack. They went up a rolling hill, around a big bend at the foot of the mountain, and then hit a long straightaway in the valley beyond. And that’s when Dare took off like a shot.

Haven screamed and then laughed as the bike tore down the road, and she couldn’t stop laughing. Holding on to Dare for everything she was worth, a feeling of elation rolled through her unlike anything she could ever remember experiencing. It was a light, buoyant, expansive feeling that filled her chest with a warm pressure.

And Dare was the one to make her feel this way.

“You okay?” he called over his shoulder.

“More than okay,” she said, grinning. Then she hugged him tighter, her front now plastered against his hard, broad back. “Can you go faster?”

One of his big hands pressed hers more firmly to his chest in answer, and then the bike was roaring down the road, cutting through green, rolling farmlands. The setting was tranquil, peaceful, beautiful, but the ride was fast and loud and a little scary in the same way the roller coaster she’d once ridden was.

Good scary. Fun scary. Do-it-again scary.

The thrill of the whole experience bloomed into arousal for the man she was holding on to. Her nipples hardened against Dare’s back, the friction of their bodies making her breasts achy and sensitive. Her core clenched and tingled from the vibration of the ride and the way her thighs were spread around his. She fought the urge to rub herself against him, to let her hands wander down his body, over his abs and his parted thighs, to that part of him that was most male.

The road became more hilly and curvy, and Dare slowed the bike as they started through the forest cover ing another mountain. A few minutes later, he turned onto a narrow road that was part of a park according to the wooden signs posted here and there. The surface turned to gravel and then opened up into a small empty parking area. Dare pulled the bike to a stop and cut the engine.

“Where are we?” Haven asked as Dare helped her off the bike.

He dismounted and stowed her helmet for her, his gaze running over her face, her hair. She probably looked a mess from the ride. Wisps of hair had been blown out of her braid and hung all around her face. But she didn’t regret it for a minute.

“Someplace . . .” He shrugged with one shoulder, but she couldn’t tell if the gesture was casual or uncomfortable. “Just someplace I thought you might like.”

Well that was unexpected, and really sweet, too. Her heart thrummed against her breastbone, pulsing excitement and nervousness through her in equal measure. They walked side by side down a wide dirt path that opened after just a few minutes to reveal a big dark green lake. A long, narrow beach stretched down toward the left. Sun sparkled off the gently rippling surface, and trees rose up and up majestically to frame the whole scene.

“It’s beautiful,” she said, her gaze drinking in the site. She walked onto the sand, wishing she could feel its softness between her toes. “How did you find this place?”

Hands in his jeans pockets, Dare looked out over the water, his gaze almost distant. “I’ve explored every bit of the area at one time or another, and this is a nice place to be alone, to think.”

And he shared it with her.

Haven nodded. “Do you mind if—”

His gaze swung to hers, intense and penetrating. The request died in her throat. “What?” he asked, voice tight.

She didn’t understand the odd intensity rolling off of him, or the seriousness carving hard angles into his harshly attractive face. “Uh, I just wanted to take my shoes off.”

His gaze flipped down her body and slowly dragged back up. He gave a single nod.

Haven toed off her ratty sneakers, one of the few things she’d left Georgia with, and then reached down and rolled up the denim. The sand was cool between her toes and made her smile. “You should take your boots off,” she said, grinning up at him.

One eyebrow arched up in answer.

“Oh, come on,” she said, planting her hands on her hips. She wasn’t sure why she was poking at him, given the odd intensity he was projecting, except that maybe being playful would make him happier, too.

“I’ll pass,” he said.

Haven shrugged. “Suit yourself,” she said, walking down to the water. At first, she let just the tips of her toes get wet. “When I was a kid there was a river near my house where everyone went swimming. Little schools of minnows would dart around your legs, and it was ticklish. God, I haven’t thought of that in so long.” She stepped in a little further, until the water danced cool and soft around her shins.

When Dare didn’t say anything, Haven glanced over her shoulder at him and found him blatantly staring at her. Feet spread, shoulders tense, arms folded tightly over his chest in a way that made his biceps pop. Like he was there to protect her. And, in a way, she supposed he was.

Which, hmm, was kinda hot.

But a part of her really wanted to crack that hard-edged fa?ade. A mischievous thought flitted through her head, something she never would’ve done before. In her old life, in the life that really hadn’t been living at all. Before she let herself think better of it, she turned on a heel and kicked a little spray of water right at him.