Free Escape by M.K. Elliott

then,” she said. “After all, this is my first time.”
    “So I’ll be your first.”
    They stared at each other, the obvious connotation joining them in a heated moment. The faintest hint of a smile played on his lips, but his dark eyes read something deeper, something more intense.
    Rudy patted the space behind him. Lucy gave a thankful prayer that she had chosen to we ar shorts instead of her usual favored skirt, and climbed on behind . She pulled on the helmet he had given her. The helmet fit snug and tight around her head, almost pressing on her skull. It was a strange feeling to be so confined, but she was glad to be wearing it instead of doing what many of the tourists did and race around unpro tected. Motorbike accidents made up the largest category of tourist s ’ injuries.
    Of course Rudy wasn’t a tourist; he was practically a local .
    She hid her smile against his back as she wrapped her arms around his waist. His stomach rippled hard beneath her hands and the warmth of his skin radiated through his t-shirt.
    “Ready?” he asked her over his shoulder.
    “As I’ll ever be.”
    He kicked the bike to life and the engine roared around her ears. Rudy put the bike in gear and slowly let out the clutch. As soon as the bike started moving , Lucy instinctively held on a little tighter. S he was so aware of his body and her own , she couldn’t relax against him and she held her body stiff and upright.
    Quickly, the bike picked up speed and they rode back up the hill and away from the resort. Lucy wondered where they were going. Rudy had told her they were going diving, but she couldn’t help notice he didn’t have any scuba equipment strapped to the bike.
    They raced across the island, the steady thrum of the bike beneath her . She leaned with Rudy as he artfully gu ided the bike around potholes and t he sun warmed her back.
    Would she ever want to be anyone else in the world?
    They didn’t head through the middle of the island, toward the port, but instead seemed to follow the coast road around the island.
    After twenty minutes, they drove down a hill toward a tiny deserted cove. Pure white sand edged the cove and a small wooden dock stretched out into the ocean. At the end of the dock, a white, fifteen foot motor boat lifted and dipped with the gentle swell.
    The question was in the widening of her eyes, but of course Rudy couldn’t see it. Was he going to take her out on that? Just the two of them?
    Excitement bubbled up inside her. The presence of the boat might be a coincidence, but she d oubted it. The bay was deserted .
    She couldn’t help her body pressing up against his as they rode down the hill, toward the ocean.
    How it would feel being so close to him if clothing didn’t separate their skin?
    The ingrained scent of the ocean clung to him and his dark hair was shorn close to his nec k, and she knew it would feel a soft beneath her fingers. Something inside of her seemed to soften and it was all she could do to resist pressing her lips against the muscle where his neck met his shoulders.
    Rudy pulled the bike to a standstill and climbed off. She followed his lead, hoping he wouldn’t read her thoughts in her eyes.
    “What are you waiting for?” he asked her, gesturing down to the boat. His smile was wide and white in his suntanned face.
    “Are you kidding me? Are we going on the boat?”
    “Sure. I wasn’t going to make you swim out to the reef.”
    Lucy raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure it’s safe taking me back out? Have you put out a warning to the coral?”
    “The coral will be fine. I’ll make sure I give you my full attention this time. I promise you, I won’t let anything happen.”
    “And if it does?” she pressed him.
    “It won’t.”              
    They smiled at each other for a moment and a frisson of excitement raced through her stomach. Lucy wasn’t stupid. She knew what that look meant.
    They walked up the dock to where the boat waited for them. The