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  “Each to their own, I guess. Hey, maybe after the game we can take our bikes out on the I-87 and let them clear their lungs. What do you say?”

  “Honey, I’d love nothing more than to see you straddling one of those machines while you make me eat your dust, but why don’t you just ride with me like we planned? I even stopped on my way over and got you this.” He climbed off his bike and rested his helmet on the gas tank then unclipped a spare from the back bar and held it out to her. “And I got you insulation.” He unzipped his jacket and pulled out a sleek, pearlescent green and black leather jacket that he knew would look good on her. Couldn’t go wrong with colours that matched her eyes and raven hair.

  She ignored the jacket, but studied the matching helmet doubtfully. “Very nice, but it might not fit.”

  “Sure it will, unless your head has gotten bigger in the last ten years. My old spare used to fit you just fine.”

  Julia handed back the headgear with a snort and muttered, “We’ll see.” Then she removed her baseball cap and braided her long hair as he watched, thunderstruck.

  Her movements were drawing her already tight top even tighter over her perfect breasts. He couldn’t ‘LOOK UP!’ if his life depended on it, but he could look down. Oh yeah, he could certainly do that. He could look down at her now exposed midriff; adorned with a simple, silver belly ring that he wanted to tease with his tongue. At her denim clad thighs and long, long legs that he yearned to feel wrapped around his flanks. At her simple back and white All-Star canvas shoes.

  He chuckled at that last bit.

  All-Stars? Were they an expression of Julia’s game-day sense of humour, or just a choice made for comfort? He didn’t care. She looked as amazing in sneakers as she did in sky-high heels. She’d look even better barefoot. Better still completely naked, spread out on satin sheets with his mouth working between her thighs.

  God, that visual was all kinds of stimulating.

  He felt his blood march south to a steady cadence and his jeans grow tight. Thankfully his brain still had enough left-over circulation for him to appreciate that Julia would probably take serious offence at the party happening in his pants and he lowered her jacket and helmet to cover up.

  Once she was done she noticed him giving her the slow sweep and sent him a withering look. “Eyes up, Soldier.”

  Aw Fuck. His X-rated thoughts were probably written all over his face.

  Reaching out without breaking eye contact she snatched up her helmet and tried it on. “Fits fine,” she said stiffly, and flipped down the visor.

  “Jacket too,” he said sweetly, handing it to her.

  Without so much as a thanks she put on the jacket and zipped it up then waited for him to get on the bike. Not a simple matter when you didn’t want to draw attention to a raging hard-on that was pleading to be readjusted.

  “Just a sec,” he mumbled with a pained smile, turning away from her to put on his own helmet and surreptitiously rearrange his junk. As soon as the pressure was relieved he mounted his bike. “Right. Let’s go.”

  She used his shoulder as leverage and climbed on, her legs hugging him securely as she settled. However she did not press up against him, as he now realised he’d hoped she would. To add insult to injury she slipped her hands behind her and held onto the back bar.

  “You comfortable?” he asked with pretended nonchalance. The feel of her inner thighs hugging him was making him harder. Their jeans did nothing to shield him from her heat. Heat he longed to feel without the barriers of denim.

  “Very. Let’s go.”

  At first he simply went with the traffic but it got a little congested so he decided to take an alternate route. It was longer but he’d be able to pick up some speed. When he started weaving through the cars Julia placed her hands on his sides and eventually moved up against him. It felt fucking incredible. Her front pressing into his back was heavenly torture and he wished that neither of them had thought to wear jackets. Her body heat would have felt amazing coupled the feel of the wind on his skin.

  Next time, he promised himself.

  *

  Julia couldn’t stop herself from bolting off the bike the moment Michael parked it at the stadium. Being so close to him had played havoc with her hormones. More than once she’d needed to remind her hands not to sneak under his jacket and over the ridges of his abdominal muscles. Not to wander under the fabric of his t-shirt for a better and more complete feel. The man was built. Oh Lord was he built. She’d been unable not to construct what she knew was an accurate visual when his muscles bunched and stretched through the worn leather of his jacket as he effortlessly manoeuvred the bike. Feeling both Michael and the machine between her legs had turned her on like nothing else.

  “Come on,” he said, taking her hand and setting off fireworks in her belly. “You want some popcorn and a drink?”

  “Yeah sure,” she managed with a strained smile. “Small, tub with double butter and chives & cheese seasoning, and a beer.”

  He gave her a scorching look. “Woman, you are dangerously close to making me fall in love with you.”

  In love with her... Yes please. Wait. NO!

  She’d believed it was a possibility once, but he’d proven her wrong. She would absolutely not allow herself to hope for the impossible this time around. No way. She was older and wiser now, and damned if she’d let herself forget the harsh lessons Mike had taught her about getting carried away by naïve fantasies.

  Rather than show him how his words affected her she gave him what she hoped looked like an amused grin. She was going to play things cool. They were friends now. Just friends.

  “Because I like beer when I’m watching a ball game? You’re too easy, Winthrop.” Yeah, she was playing ignorant too, but she couldn’t dare encourage him. He would eat her alive if she did. Mmm, eat her alive... now there was a thought. Shit! She had to get it together before she did something stupid. She yet again reminded herself that she and Mike were just friends. With no benefits.

  “Well that too. But I was referring to the popcorn. That’s how I like mine. Remember how we were only allowed plain-salted as kids because your dad was worried about the potential adverse effects of artificial flavourings?”

  “Yeah I remember. Those were tough times. You’d better get your own popcorn. I’m not sharing.”

  “Not even if I order an extra large one?” he asked with big, innocent eyes.

  She laughed softy, fighting to keep her composure. “Nope. Not even then.”

  By the time they took their seats, the stadium was alive with pregame energy, but all Julia could focus on was the nervous energy turning her insides into one big knot. Michael was clearly trying to be sociable and engaging, but all she could think about was how good he smelt — soap and leather — and how well he wore his well-worn Levis.

  So much for just friends. She was a hormone fuelled lunatic and her brain was turning into mush.

  Thankfully when Michael turned the conversation to the upcoming game she finally found herself begin to relax. Even hormones had to take a backseat to baseball.

  They both still supported the Yankee’s even though he now had a soft spot for the LA Dodgers whereas she had always dedicated her second spot to the Mets. They argued about which All-Star team would win and placed a wager. She was behind the American League and he was backing the National League. She felt pretty confident about her choice. Although both sides were equally matched in many aspects, her team had Davis starting the game and Rivera on board as the likeliest closer. Rivera was looking good despite the knee injury he’d suffered early in the previous season. He was cool under pressure and a great strategist. Plus the fact that this was his final season would no doubt motivate him to give his all and then some.

  “So what are the stakes?” Michael queried just as Davis took position after the opening ball. “I’m up for anything within reason.”

  She didn’t even have to think about what she wanted. “I get to ride your bike back home an
d you get to hold on like a girl. She purrs like a kitten and I’m eager to feel how she performs under my control.”

  “Jules, I don’t know. She’s very light on the clutch and she responds with a surge of power.”

  “Then I guess you’d better hold on tight. What do you want in the unlikely event that you win?”

  He laughed, as if his victory was a sure thing. “I’ll tell you after I win.”

  “No, now.” There was no way she’d let him blindside her now that they were safely ensconced in the friend zone.

  “Fine. If I win we have a completely honest talk. You answer any questions I ask and I’ll do the same.”

  “Seriously? Of all the things you could ask for you want to talk?”

  Rubbing the back of his neck as though he was relieving tension he broke eye contact and looked over the field. “What I really want is you in my bed, but I somehow don’t think you’d agree to that.”

  For just a second those pesky hormones reared their evil heads and started a full-body happy dance, but she locked them down. Higher thinking was back in control and it was back to stay. She’d put both her base instincts and Mike in their place.

  With that in mind she leaned into him she whispered, “Maybe I would.”

  His eyes were back on her in a heartbeat. “Really?”

  “Hell no!” This time she laughed openly.

  “You are a cruel woman,” he grumbled.

  “Actually I’m a smart woman. Back to our wager: When and where will this talk take place, should you win, that is?”

  He turned back to the game. “Tonight, after we’re done here. You can pick the place, provided it’s quiet and lends itself to talking.”

  “What if I want to go out and celebrate after my victory?”

  “Then you better hope you win, babe.”

  ***

  Chapter 7

  The game was nail-biting in places but Michael realised as the fifth inning completed that Julia was going to win their bet. The score was sitting at two - nil and chances were pretty much non-existent that the National League would come through. The American league was determined to shut them out.

  As the KissCam theme blared over the speakers Julia shouted, “I’m soo going to love taking you on a ride, pretty girl. Can’t wait to show you what your bike can really do.”

  “Down Tiger, game’s not over yet. And for God sake, show a little graceful sportsmanship.”

  “Ooh someone’s a sore loser.”

  He couldn’t help but grin as she elbowed him in the ribs. “And you’re a bad winner.”

  Suddenly the Kiss Cam was on them and the crowed was starting to chant. Julia looked up at the screen then directly at the camera and shouted, “Hell no!”

  He turned directly to the camera and mouthed, “Game on.” Then pulling Julia to her feet he dipped her and planted a big, long smacker on her lips. It wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a joke, but his insides caught fire and his whole body screamed for more. She tasted like beer, butter and chives, but so did he. The kicker was that she tasted like something else too. It was the flavour of nostalgia. A ten-year-old dream that as only sweeter because of its endurance.

  He still loved Julia, maybe even more than before.

  It was only because he could now see it clearly, and where it would lead if he played his cards right, that he released her with a satisfied laugh.

  The crowd cheered and she stared up at him, looking totally unbalanced. But there was also awareness in her eyes. The awareness that there was a chemistry and history between them that wasn’t going to be denied this time. This time they would follow it and see where it took them.

  As the camera moved on she pulled him back down and hissed, “You are such an ass.”

  Yeah, he was, but he was her ass if she would have him.

  Feeling lighter and more hopeful than he’d ever felt in his life he gave her a playful elbow bump and whispered, “Don’t pretend you did not enjoy that taste of butter as much as I did.”

  In response she grabbed his popcorn and started munching away. He didn’t mind in the least. He’d stopped snacking on it when he realised that she’d finished her own container.

  When Mariano Rivera came onto the field at the bottom of the eighth, an inning earlier than expected, Michael couldn’t help but cheer. So what if he wasn’t backing the American League tonight. Rivera was a legend and he deserved tribute. Every single All-Star stayed back so that he could have his moment, it was something special. This was one of the crowning highlights of the game even if it wasn’t active play.

  Julia, who was cheering and clapping as wildly as he was, swiped a tear form her eye when they took their seats and whispered, “This is the true magic of baseball, witnessing a moment like this with someone who get’s why it’s monumental. Thank you so much for bringing me.” She took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

  Michael was so thrown by her sweet words that he battled to focus as Rivera further decimated the National league with a series of spectacular cutters.

  Not even when Prince Fielder roused the stadium with his leadoff triple did he manage to get his head fully back in the game.

  He was dying to tell Julia how he felt, and it took all he had not to blurt out his feelings after the game ended and fireworks erupted in the night sky. It was even more of a battle when she laced her fingers though his and said, “Time for me to savour my victory. Let’s go.”

  God almighty, Michael thought as Julia straddled his bike and winked at him. She looked damned fine on there and he was going to get to sit behind her and wrap his arms around her. He wasn’t even nervous about her handling the machine. She’d always been a natural and he knew she would adjust to his bike just fine. Besides, any woman who could control a superbike would manage a midrange sport bike just fine. So yeah, even though he had lost the bet he was winning the grand prize. There was nothing he wanted more than to have an excuse to hold the girl he’d loved fearfully as a boy, the woman now loved completely as a man.

  “Hop on, sweetheart,” she said just before she brought her helmet over her head.

  He climbed on behind her and held back, placing his hands on the rear bar as she had. Though it took more willpower than he would ever admit, he even kept some distance between their bodies so that she could focus on the road. Pity it didn’t shield him from the feel of her ass between his legs. The contact was making him want to feel the rest of her. Take his place inside her body. Ask for a place inside her heart.

  Just a few minutes into the ride he gave up the physical part of his fight and eased into Julia’s back. He even reached under her jacket and ran his fingers over the smooth skin on her abdomen. Now and then he brushed over the belly ring and felt her muscles tense in response. Yes, it was stupid and dangerous considering that she needed to focus on riding the bike, but he couldn’t help himself.

  He was so lost in the sensations and sweet torture of slowly exploring those few inches of her skin that he didn’t realise where she was taking him until she pulled into the underground parking at her apartment building.

  She came to stop in what was obviously her own designated parking area and knocked her helmeted head against his own even as she flipped up her visor so that he could hear her say, “I think we need to have that talk you wanted. Now get your fucking hands off me and get off so that I can dismount before I drop your damned bike.” Her voice was stony at best. She was pissed off.

  He wasn’t worried. She just needed some time to get on the same page he was on and realise that they were finally at the perfect place in their lives to be together.

  But considering that she clearly needed to still keep some distance as she came to terms with how she obviously felt about him, he decided to play dumb.

  He climbed of the bike and hoisted it onto its centre stand while she was still on it then walked over to her bike for a better look. It was all black and so damned sexy that, picturing her on it, he got even harder than he already was. If
it weren’t a single seater he would have lost himself in fantasies of what they could do on it. Still if he took the seat and lifted her onto the gas tank, facing him....

  “Mike! Stop salivating over my bike and get in the damned elevator!”

  He turned to face her and realised that she was at the lift, holding the door open.

  The seconds it took for them to reach the eighteenth floor dragged by in silence. He didn’t talk because he needed the time to sort out how to tell Jules that she had always been the one. On her part it was probably more the seething-anger variety that came from denying your feelings.

  ***

  Chapter 8

  Julia felt utterly shaken and vulnerable as she walked into her apartment and offered Michael a drink. They were clearly attracted to each other, but it wasn’t enough. She wished it could be because she desperately wanted a repeat performance of his kiss, and judging by the erection he’d been sporting on and off all night, he obviously wanted way more than a kiss. Sex with a man like Mike would probably be utterly mind-blowing, but what she felt for him had always run so much deeper than the physical. In light of that there was no way they could ever be anything more than friends, and if she was being totally honest with herself, they probably couldn’t be friends either.

  “Sure,” he said, completely and infuriatingly relaxed. “You got beer?”

  It was a testament to the strength of her willpower that she didn’t snap at him again. Instead she smiled politely and led the way to the bar in her games-come-TV room. “Yep, Heineken okay?”

  “It’s weird,” he commented, looking the room over. “This space is definitely a chick’s den, but seeing a pool table, foosball, and dart board is unexpected.”