And Then He Kissed Me

by Kim Amos

  Alexis’s hazel eyes narrowed. “No, she sets those rules because at my age, she was knocked up. Her parents made her marry my stupid biological father, and she was miserable. And she keeps acting like I’m going to do the same thing, even though I’m not her.”

  From the corner of her eye, Audrey saw Kieran shift, leaning more of his weight on the bike. She could feel his gaze on her, watching. For some reason, it made her feel safer, and somehow stronger. She returned her focus to Alexis, and gave the girl’s hand another squeeze.

  “You, me, and your mom all want the same thing here—for you to have a bright future where scary boys aren’t making you feel frightened. We can all do that if we work together. You agree?”

  Alexis nodded, but fear still shadowed her face. Audrey hoped that the girl’s school counselor would do a threat assessment and then take appropriate next steps based on the outcome—ideally calling Hunter’s parents, and getting their help disciplining Hunter. Audrey figured it would be hard for him to cruise around in his shiny new car scaring Alexis if they just took it away. If that didn’t work, she hoped the school would work with the police.

  Audrey pulled out her cell. “Here,” she said, handing it to Alexis. “Put your number in there. I’m around if you need me, okay?”

  Alexis keyed in the digits. “Thanks, Ms. Tanner. You’re awesome. I wish I could still see you at school. It sucks they fired, like, the one teacher who cares.”

  “Lots of teachers care,” she replied. “Keep me posted after you talk to the school and your mom. Maybe text me?”

  “Yeah. Totally.”

  “Okay. Be safe.” She gave the girl a hug, hoping to reassure her.

  When Alexis closed the door, Audrey exhaled deeply. She took a moment to ground herself—to remind herself she’d done right by her former student. She gazed from the tiny blades of new grass between the pieces of pavement at her feet to the wispy clouds fading into a jewel-blue sky above.

  Hunter had scared them all, it was true, but at least Alexis had told her what was going on. And now, thanks to her prompting, Alexis would tell others, too. With any luck, and with the school’s help, Alexis would be free of Hunter shortly.

  Audrey was encouraged by the thought. Things were on a better path than they had been that morning. And that was something to be thankful for. The shard of fear inside Alexis (and inside herself, if she was honest) would dull soon enough.

  Audrey looked down the sidewalk and found Kieran watching her, his gaze steady, his frame tall and strong.

  Her insides quaked at how his gaze never left her. His stare was unshakable and protective in a way that gave her a deep thrill—at least until she reminded herself that she was probably reading too much into him. Nothing about Kieran was unshakable or steadfast. He was probably just staring at her because she looked like a lumpy mess in all her riding clothes.

  Even so, her heart pounded with every step she took down the sidewalk, until it was a drubbing mess by the time she was once again at his side. Never mind that for all the past hurt that was between them, today he was being downright gentlemanly—or at least his version of it. And never mind that a click was sounding in her brain, a noise like the tip of a branch against glass when the wind blew. Like the sound of something snapping into place.

  No, never mind any of it, Audrey thought. She put her hand on the bike, but looked straight at Kieran. “I think it’s time for that ride,” she said.

  Kieran’s wide mouth broke into a grin. “I’m looking forward to teaching you how to handle this bike.”

  She thought he was going to make a joke—maybe a crack about what she would have between her legs the rest of the day—but instead he brushed a wisp of stray hair away from her face. “I’ll keep you safe, though. I promise.”

  And it was the gentleness of his words, the sweet protection in them, that had her emotions flaming all over again. Her heart hammered a beat she swore she could hear over the rumble of the engine.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Holy Saint Francis of Assisi, Kieran thought as he steered the motorcycle toward the parking lot behind the Elks Club. If Audrey shifts again, I am going to lose it. The press of her body against his was unbearably hot. With every bump or turn, a different part of her connected with a different part of him. The little motions had exposed raw thoughts he knew he had to set aside.

  He was here to give them a date. An afternoon of just being together, getting to know one another. Nothing physical.

  Taking a deep breath, he concentrated on getting them to the little paved stretch that overlooked the Birch River. It would be the perfect location to teach Audrey the basics of riding a motorcycle. But as the pavement rolled underneath them, his mind was like a boomerang, returning again and again to wondering what being with her again would feel like.

  He’d peel off all her layers of clothing, one by one, in an exquisitely painful march to bare flesh. He would kiss the rounded end of a shoulder, the tip of a finger, the back of one knee—random places because he could. Because he would take his time savoring her. He’d allow his hunger to build until she was stripped naked before him, her hair cascading past her neck and her freckled skin nearly glowing in the soft light. And then he’d place her on her back, lifting one of her long, strong legs and placing it on his shoulder. She would be open to him, her softness his for the taking, and he’d ease himself into her—

  “Hey. The light’s green.”

  Kieran jerked. Audrey was tapping his arm. Ahead of him, the traffic signal had turned, and cars were moving. Behind him, a horn blared. Shaking his head, he kicked the motorcycle into gear and let the spring wind scrub his mind.

  Nothing could happen between them until Kieran came clean. He had to confess the past and tell Audrey the truth. He wanted their hearts and their minds and, hell, even their souls—his dark one and her lovely, light one—to be honest with each other, laid bare and free from the past.

  He picked up speed, and the Harley’s rumble was suddenly like laughter. A deep, resonate chuckle at Kieran’s unrealistic goals.

  He wanted too much. He knew it, and he understood it wasn’t fair to ask Audrey for anything. Why should she forgive him when he’d made such a calculating decision five years ago to choose money over her? And colluding with her sister on top of everything else was going to be a hard tale to tell.

  No, as much as he wanted to, it wouldn’t be fair to give in to his current desire. He couldn’t—he wouldn’t—complicate things with sex before they’d had a chance to discuss why he’d left the first time.

  They were riding over the Birch River now, the dark water sliding past the vibrant green of new leaves and grass along the shores. A cluster of geese rooted for bugs by the banks. Puffy yellow goslings waddled behind their parents, beaks opening and closing to demand food.

  On the other side of the bridge they hit Main Street. Green banners flapped happily on light posts, heralding the arrival of the Asparagus Festival the following week. The fountain in front of the library splashed playfully in the afternoon light. A sign in front of the Rolling Pin bakery announced asparagus donuts for sale.

  Kieran marveled at how picturesque the whole place was. It had been this way five years ago, too, when he’d arrived to find a backroom poker table where he could try to win back money for his mom. And then he’d met Audrey, who had cracked him open, enough so that the darkness inside of him had slipped out. Well, some of it, anyway.

  But not enough so he stayed put and told her the truth.

  After he took the money from Casey, he’d returned to Boston and his mom had started chemotherapy. But the cancer was too advanced, and she was in hospice a few short weeks later.

  After she died and he and Auggie had buried her on a sodden, overcast day in July, he’d left again. He’d intended to ride to the other side of the country—to the sunshine of California, maybe—but in the end he’d only gotten as far as Wisconsin. He had parked himself in Madison and started attending addiction meetings.
Then he sought help with his finances. He started working toward his undergraduate degree at a community college, and got help from a volunteer career counselor creating a sensible résumé out of the fractured pieces of his life.

  When the Harley-Davidson headquarters in Milwaukee asked him in for a job interview, he’d ridden north expecting them to laugh him out of the room. They offered him employment instead, the best gig he could have hoped for. The only thing he could think as he shook hands with his new bosses was that Audrey was still with him—at least the part of her that let good things come into his life. It was silly, he knew, but still. Two weeks with Audrey had changed him. Had changed everything.

  All this time he’d tried to ignore it. He’d tried to pretend that their meeting was just a fluke, and that he would have been able to land on his feet in spite of her. Being back in White Pine, however, made it all too clear. Audrey Tanner was one of the few truly good things that had ever happened to him. This place had happened to him, and so had these people. He liked it here. He liked what it did to him.

  The only question was, did anyone else feel the same about him?

  Most importantly, did Audrey?

  * * *

  Audrey leaned in closer to Kieran, her face inches from his. She could turn and kiss him, she realized, placing her lips on his wide, wonderful mouth, but she held back. Right now, she was actually interested in what he was saying.

  “The bike has to be in neutral before you can start it. And this light here says whether or not that’s the case.” He pointed at a small indicator on the motorcycle’s dash, to the right of the speedometer.

  Audrey followed the motion of Kieran’s hand, noting the thick, dark-red hairs that covered his forearms and faded to a light blond on his knuckles. Past the motorcycle and down a gentle slope, the Birch River splashed by. The Elks Club parking lot was empty, save for the two of them, and Audrey found herself delighted by the quiet, private lessons.

  “How do I get the bike in neutral, then?” she asked, peering at all the instrumentation.

  Kieran grabbed the left handlebar. “You press this lever in. It’s the clutch, and that will let you shift gears. But the gearshift is down by your left foot. So you have to press the clutch with your hand, then use your foot to shift. Does that make sense?”

  Audrey glanced at Kieran’s thick-soled black boot, which was hovering over a small lever near the kickstand. “I sort of wish it were an automatic,” she replied.

  “It takes some getting used to, that’s for sure. But you’re smart—you’ll learn in no time.” He winked at her, and her skin heated at the unexpected compliment.

  “The brake is on the other side of the handlebar,” Kieran continued. “When I was first learning how to ride, I grabbed the brake instead of the clutch.” He grinned, showing his even, white teeth. “It didn’t end so well.”

  “When did you learn?” Audrey asked. “Who taught you?”

  “Tim O’Donnell,” Kieran replied, his green eyes sparkling with the memory. “His brother would ride his bike down to Finnegan’s bar, and Tim and I would steal the hog once his brother was inside. Tim had an extra key, and we’d be gone for hours while his brother was getting sauced. It was months before we ever got caught. We had a ball.”

  “Where was that?” Audrey asked, realizing with a sinking feeling that she didn’t even know where Kieran had grown up.

  “Southie. Er, South Boston officially, I guess.”

  “Do you miss it?”

  “I miss my mom, mostly. She died a few years back.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Do you have any other family?”

  “My brother, Auggie. He’s a police officer. My dad, I don’t talk to. He lost a lot of money gambling when we were growing up. It’s part of the reason—”

  Kieran stopped suddenly. The only sound was the wind rustling the leaves on nearby trees.

  “Part of the reason what?”

  Kieran shook his head. “I’ll tell you, I will, but not now. Today, we’re going to get you on this bike, and we’re going to have fun, and that’s all there is to it.”

  Audrey opened her mouth to protest, but Kieran shook his head. “Nope. No arguments. Now, look over here on the right side of the bike. That’s your rear brake. So you’ve got two brakes total, okay? One on the front, that you engage with your hand, and one on the back, where you use your foot.”

  Audrey let Kieran redirect the conversation, in part because she wanted to believe that he really would tell her about himself later.

  A warning flared in the back of her mind. Careful, it signaled. If she got to know him, really know him, she might develop feelings for him all over again. Feelings that went well past raw physical desire.

  So instead she focused on the bike. For the next twenty minutes Kieran instructed her about how to engage the clutch, when to use the front brake and when to use the back brake, reminded her to check her mirrors and always wear a helmet, and to “ride like you’re invisible and they’re drunk.” When he finally let her hop on the bike and start it up, her head was swimming in details. How would she know what gear she was in? What if she let out the clutch too fast? What if she hit the gas too hard and did a wheelie? Or, worse, what if Kieran’s bike tipped over with her on it?

  “You’re in neutral now,” Kieran said, putting a strong, steadying hand on her shoulder. His touch was firm, reassuring. She relaxed slightly. “And you need to shift to first. So pull the clutch in, and then shift down to first gear.”

  She let out the clutch slowly, just an inch, and the bike started to roll. Her heart rolled along with it. “Is this normal?” she asked nervously.

  Kieran walked alongside the slowly moving bike, laughing. “Don’t panic. It’s fine. Now, pull the clutch back in, and shift to first.”

  He let go of Audrey, who instantly missed the pressure of his hand. She tried to remember the steps. Think, she commanded her rattled brain.

  She pulled the clutch back in. Nothing happened. What was next?

  “Shift with your foot. First gear. Press down.” Kieran walked alongside the bike, watching her.

  She did as she was told, and Kieran clapped. “Good job. Now, give the bike a tiny bit of gas and let out the clutch slowly. Nice and smooth, like I showed you.”

  Biting her lip, Audrey concentrated on letting out the clutch with her left hand and giving the bike gas with her right. Easy, easy…

  The next thing she knew, the bike was rumbling to life and she was moving—actually riding a Harley—across the parking lot. She surprised herself with an ecstatic whoop. It felt amazing! Incredible! So freeing! She glanced down at the speedometer and laughed out loud. She was barely going five miles per hour.

  At the end of the parking lot, she turned the bike gently, back toward Kieran. He was smiling broadly. She braked like he’d showed her, using her foot. When a hiccupping sound started in the engine, Kieran called out “Press the clutch again!” With her left hand, she engaged the clutch and the shuddering stopped. The bike purred underneath her.

  “Well done,” Kieran said as he approached her. His eyes squinted as he grinned.

  Audrey laughed again—an ecstatic sound. She couldn’t wait to do all this again, to go faster next time, and race down open roads.

  “Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.” Kieran winked, and a sharp pang of affection nestled just underneath Audrey’s ribs.

  “Was that more poetry?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Frost. Two roads diverged in a wood and I—I took the one less traveled by. Seemed about right, since you looked like you might ride off and leave me. Leave everything, maybe, since you were having so much fun.”

  Audrey blinked at him. That was exactly how she’d felt. And here he was, putting her emotions into verse. Her stomach twisted in a way she couldn’t explain.

  “How do you know those poems?”

  Kieran shrugged, staring at the rumbling bike. “A cousin came to visit us
when I was about ten. She was in college—the first of anyone in the extended family to go—and she was studying literature. She left behind this book of poems, and I nicked it.”

  “You stole your poetry?”

  He grinned. “I said at least thirty Hail Marys in repentance.”

  She could imagine his fingers sliding along the glass rosary beads, quick and smooth. “To be fair, I read that stolen book cover to cover, and memorized nearly every single poem. Just because I liked the sound of the words.”

  He was so casual, so offhand about being a rough-and-tumble kid who discovered he loved poetry. The idea of this tender-hearted boy growing up memorizing a stolen book of verse was enough to have Audrey’s whole body trembling.

  “Did you have a favorite?” she asked.

  Clouds drifted overhead as he gave the question some thought. “Probably Coleridge. The things he imagined were so incredible. Fantastical and so beyond anything I’d ever dreamed at that point. I mean, a poor Boston kid reading about Kubla Khan? I found out later that Coleridge had an opium addiction. So maybe that explains where his mind was.”

  He grinned and the joy in his expression made her muscles weak.

  “Now, enough Frost,” Kieran said, oblivious to the emotional tides threatening to sweep Audrey away. “One more time around the parking lot. Go on, then.”

  Audrey did as he asked, and the poems were forgotten in the rush of riding the bike again. She felt as if she was cutting through the spring day, slicing it open and experiencing it in a new way. Good heavens, no wonder men chose Harleys as their go-to in a midlife crisis. The machines were downright liberating.

  The thought reminded her suddenly of her business plan for the dealership. Since she hadn’t exactly been able to present her idea to Kieran at the Wheelhouse, she figured there was no time like the present.

  “I loved that,” she said after she’d come to a full stop again. “And I bet I’m not the only lady who would be at home on one of these bikes.”

  “Definitely. They’re built for men and women.”