Carried Away: A Small Town Romance (The Moore Brothers Book 2)

by Brooks, Abby

  “You bet your sweet ass I’m afraid.” Ellie put her hands on her hips and sat back on her heel. “Those things are dangerous.”

  “Yes…” James drew out the word and gave her a wickedly sexy look. “But that’s why they’re so fun.”

  “Apparently you and I have different definitions of fun.”

  “I seriously doubt that. It seems like you and I are pretty in sync so far.”

  Images of the kiss assaulted her thoughts, again. His fingers clamped around her wrist. His hand pulling back on her hair. His tongue roving her mouth, setting her body on fire. Yeah, she’d say they were pretty damn in sync.

  James held the helmet out towards her. “Come on, trust me. I’m a really good rider. And I’ll start out slow, I promise.”

  She stared at the helmet in his hand, a heavy black thing with a tinted visor and chin straps dangling, the little metal bits clinking together one of the only sounds in the quiet restaurant. Ellie looked from it to James. “Have you had anything to drink today?”

  He sighed and dropped his arm, letting the helmet bounce off his thigh. “Not one drop.”

  She stared at him for a long time, watching frustration etch away at the good humor on his face. “It’s not that I don’t trust you,” she said, feeling bad for putting up such a fight. “It’s just…”

  “I get it. Motorcycles are dangerous.” He rolled his eyes. “But you know something? It seems to me like you make all your decisions based on what’s responsible rather than what’s fun. Let down you hair. Walk on the edge. What’s the point of living this life if you’re just safe and practical and bored all the time? Sometimes you need to scare yourself to shake things up a bit.”

  For once, Ellie didn’t immediately say what she was thinking. She pondered his point. Considered telling him that she would rather be alive and bored then dead on the street. But the rigidity of her routine kept rearing its head and silencing her. She hadn’t realized it, but she was bored. She got up, went to work, juggled her bills, maybe talked to Tessa, then went to bed and repeated it all.

  Every.

  Single.

  Day.

  She hadn’t realized it, but the whole reason she had started surfing the online dating site wasn’t because she was really hoping to find love, but more because she was hoping to shake some things up in her life.

  She took a deep breath. “You promise not to go too fast?” James smiled and Ellie immediately felt better. His smile was contagious. Warm and happy and genuine and she wanted to make him look like that more and more often.

  “I promise. I’ll start out slow.”

  There was a glint in his eye, this little glimmer of excitement, like he was about to let her in on some clandestine secret. She balled her hands into fists and then released them, rubbing her hands against her shorts. James led her outside, waited as she locked up, and then handed her the helmet as they walked towards the bike.

  “Do you have anything to tie your hair back with?” James asked her as she eyed the helmet? “Your hair might thank you if you can braid it or something.”

  So much for the extra time she’d spent shaping her curls this morning. “I always keep a hair tie in my purse.”

  She dug around amongst the months of old receipts and empty gum wrappers she always meant to throw out as soon as she got home and found a black rubber band. It would be nice if she had a mirror to make sure she wasn’t making a disaster out of her hair, but she settled for using her reflection in the window to separate her curls and braid them together. She slung her purse strap across her body and turned to James for approval.

  Something warm softened James’s eyes. “You look nice like that.”

  Ellie blushed. She never wore her hair back. Parasite Steve had always told her she looked like a Chia Pet because of the way the curls broke free and gathered around her face.

  “Thanks,” she said, patting her hair, automatically checking for frizz. The helmet squeezed her head a little and pressed her earrings against her neck. She reached up into the thing and tried to rearrange them, but it was awkward, working blind and feeling like Darth Vader. Once her ears were comfortable, James helped her hook the chin straps and then showed her how to operate the visor.

  The helmet made it hard to hear him, muffled his voice and somehow, that made her all the more nervous. James slid the key into the ignition and Ellie put a hand on his arm before he could turn on the engine. “Anything I should know?” she asked.

  James grabbed both her shoulders and held eye contact with her, his dark eyes soothing. “Most important, hold on tight. Hug me and don’t let go.”

  Well, you can bet your sweet ass I’ll be okay with that, Ellie thought. She nodded as he told her not to fight the lean when they turned, nor to help with the lean, just to keep her body pressed to his and to move with him.

  “Also, after I park, don’t get off the bike until I offer you my hand. Other than that, just relax and have some fun!”

  He swung his leg up and over the bike, flipped the kickstand up, and offered Ellie his hand. Using the foot pegs designed for the passenger, Ellie climbed up onto the tiny seat and took a minute to get herself adjusted, both unnerved by how much the bike shifted as she wiggled and pacified by how James seemed totally able to control the movement. He turned the key and the engine didn’t roar to life, not like the big black and chrome monstrosities she associated with biker gangs. The Ducati purred, quiet and powerful and so eager to hit the road.

  Ellie wrapped her arms around James’s waist, mindful not to let her helmet bounce into his, and he rolled back on the throttle twice, revving the engine. The bike shifted as he put the thing in gear, and she had a split second of complete terror and regret before he ever so smoothly rolled them out onto the road. He maneuvered them through the quaint streets that the locals called downtown Bliss, obeying the posted speed limit of twenty-five miles per hour.

  The bike did lean as they took the corners, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as she expected and her fear began to dissipate. In fact, she started to feel pretty damn powerful sitting on the back of that bike, clutching James’s waist. She caught their reflection in the shop windows and couldn’t believe that chick she saw was actually her.

  He came to a stop at a light on the outskirts of town and turned to her. “So what do you think?”

  “It’s not scary at all! And it’s so cool, feeling the breeze, and hearing the engine and the sounds of the road.”

  “Here’s the thing. We can turn off here and head straight to the beach and start wandering the Shrimp Fest, or, we could take a slight detour and I can take you for a ride with higher speed limits, if you’d like.”

  “That sounds awesome. Do you mind?”

  “Let’s see, do I mind taking my bike out for a ride with a hot chick on the back on a gorgeous September day?” James turned around as the red light turned green and Ellie readjusted her grip on him as he rolled through the intersection and turned away from the beach.

  As soon as they got out of downtown Bliss, James unleashed the bike, rolling back on the throttle and working through the gears with his foot. Wind raced past Ellie’s body and she plastered herself to James, mimicking the way he leaned into the turns. The sea sparkled away to her right and the sun beamed down from the sapphire sky, warming her skin and the wind just blew right on past her head, taking her worries away with it.

  All too soon, she realized that he was heading back to town and that the ride would be over before she knew it. A surge of disappointment surprised her. Up to this very morning, she would have laughed at anyone who tried to tell her she would find herself on the back of a bike, let alone actually enjoying it. As they got closer to Shrimp Fest, the sidewalks and streets became more populated with people heading in the same direction. She caught quite a few stares and couldn’t keep from smiling.

  Who is that girl perched on the expensive Italian bike with her arms wrapped around the sexiest guy in town? Oh, that’s right. It’s Ellie Charle
s. By the time James found a parking space, Ellie was completely sold on the whole motorcycle experience. She waited for him to put the kickstand down and turn the wheel to the side before he offered her his hand. Clutching it tightly, she swung her leg over the bike and hopped off. James managed to make getting off the bike look as sexy as humanly possible and expertly removed his helmet while Ellie fiddled with the clasps at her throat.

  “Here,” he said, and tucked his helmet under his arm. “Let me help.” His fingers brushed her jawline as he undid the straps and another surge of adrenaline went twittering through her bloodstream.

  As soon as she could, Ellie slid the helmet off her head and smoothed her hair. “That was so amazing!”

  “Yeah? You like that?” James asked as he took the helmet from her and fastened it along with his to some pegs under the seat.

  “Oh hell yeah! You can pick me up on the bike anytime you want.” Without thinking, she threw herself into James’s arms and reached up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek, the rough stubble on his jaw grating against her lips. James ran his hand up her back and cradled her head, turning his face to capture her mouth with his own. He pressed her body into his, the hardness of his muscles contradicted by the soft warmth of his kiss. For a minute, Ellie forgot to breathe. Forgot where she was. She melted into him, safe and secure in his arms.

  “Sorry,” she breathed when he released her. “I got carried away.”

  James pressed a kiss into her hair and nuzzled down to whisper in her ear. “Don’t apologize.” For a tiny heartbeat of a second, Ellie thought he was going to say he liked it. That he liked her. That he liked her kisses as much as she liked his. But then he finished his thought. “Now’s the time to get carried away. Pour it on, people are watching.”

  Ellie swallowed and forced a smile. That’s right. All of this was still fake. And if she couldn’t get that through her thick skull, she was going to end up very hurt at the end of this whole deal.

  “Besides,” he said as he threaded his hand with hers. “I liked it.”

  11

  The Shrimp Fest was comprised of booth after booth of food and more food, a few crafts, some beer, and music. James led Ellie through the crowd, his arm around her shoulder holding her close. They got their fare share of questioning looks and raised eyebrows as people caught sight of them. Ellie wasn’t sure if it was because they were surprised James was out with a woman who wasn’t a one-night stand, or if it was because they were surprised James was out with her. Either way, she decided not to care. Today was all about letting go and having fun.

  “Hungry?” he asked as they neared lines of picnic tables set up near the band and dance floor.

  Ellie’s stomach growled loudly as the scent of fried fish and shrimp, crab and lobster mingled with the scent of the sea. “Very.”

  “What do you like?”

  Ellie pretended to consider. “Ummm…” She tilted her head to one side and pursed her lips. “All of it.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you what. You take a seat right here, and I’ll go grab us something to eat.”

  Before Ellie had a chance to respond, James disappeared in the general direction of the food. Ellie took a seat at one of the empty tables and entertained herself by people watching and tapping her foot in time to the music coming over the speakers near the empty stage. The band wouldn’t show up until later in the evening.

  James reappeared a few minutes later with two trays laden with food and his brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law in tow. “Look who I found,” he said as he put the trays down in front of Ellie. “You know Ian and Juliet, don’t you?”

  Ellie smiled. “I sure do.” She stood and offered her hand to Ian, who stood just slightly taller than James, but had the same dark hair and eyes as his younger brother. “It’s good to see you again,” she said to Juliet, nodding. James sat across from Ellie at the table while Ian and Juliet greeted Ellie and then joined them at the table.

  “I grabbed a little of everything for you,” James said, waving a hand over the trays.

  “This can’t be all for me!” Ellie laughed and shook her head. “You guys will have to help me.”

  Juliet ran a hand through her long, brown hair and gathered it all over her shoulder. “The provider gene runs strong in the Moore men. You have to be careful, because if you’re not specific about what you want, you’ll end up with more than you can handle.”

  “You say that as if it’s a bad thing,” said Ian, raising an eyebrow. “I’m sorry my desire to satisfy your every need is such a burden.”

  Juliet blushed and reached across the table to grab Ian’s hand. “Nothing about you is a burden. Nothing.” The look she gave him was so intimate and so filled with love that Ellie felt as if she was interrupting a private moment.

  She turned her attention back to the piles of food on the table. “You’re planning on helping, right? You know I can’t eat all this.”

  “Oh, don’t you worry. I’ll help. Don’t think for a second I’d leave all this for you to do by yourself.”

  They laughed and talked while picking over the food. Ellie had met Juliet at Good Beginnings when Julz first moved to Bliss. They’d had a couple conversations since then, but today only proved Ellie’s sneaking suspicion that she really liked the woman. She could see the two of them ending up as good friends, if things worked out. And the love Juliet had for Ian was unmistakable.

  As the sun began to dip towards the sea, setting the sky and the water on fire with an explosion of color streaking across the horizon, the band finished setting up and began playing. James stood and reached for her hand. “Dance with me.”

  “You don’t have to ask me twice,” Ellie said as she untangled herself from the picnic table.

  “I think you missed the part where I wasn’t asking.” James smiled and led her off towards the dance floor and Ellie could have sworn she heard Juliet muttering something about a bossy gene.

  She lost herself in the music, in James’s eyes and his lithe movement. He could really move for such a muscular guy. When she asked him about it, he credited the martial arts training for helping him learn to be quick on his feet and then swept her up and swung her around, her feet sweeping along behind her, before he put her back on the ground and dipping her backwards while she laughed and shrieked.

  “Strong and fast,” he said. “All the better to keep my opponents on their toes.”

  “Is that what you’re doing to me?” she asked as he set her back to rights and the music ended. “Keeping me on my toes?”

  His lips tightened into a thin line and his eyebrows clenched together. “You’re not my opponent, Ellie.” The band started playing a slow song and James pulled her in close. “You’re my friend.” He rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone and for whatever reason that little bit of skin on skin contact ignited her desire for him. She pressed her cheek to his shoulder to hide the blush that spread across her face

  “I like being your friend,” she murmured, her lips brushing his collarbone. Was it her imagination or did he sigh a little at the whisper of her breath against his throat? Pull her a little tighter? She looked up and found him staring down at her, eyes hooded and burning with desire. She licked her lips, her focus darting from his mouth to his eyes and back again. God, she wanted him to kiss her.

  “Ellie?” he asked, her name a low growl in his throat.

  “Can I kiss you?”

  “You don’t have to ask, you know.” Ellie swallowed. “Kissing is part of our deal.”

  “Right. I remember. But I want to kiss you. Not fake girlfriend Ellie, but the woman I have in my arms right now.”

  Every ounce of good sense she had in her head went on high alert, warning her that she needed to stick to the agreement and not get things muddled between them. “I’d like that very much,” she said, her mouth paying no attention to her head.

  James kissed her and it was slow and warm, his tongue flicking against her lower lip, almost a caress. His gentle mouth c
ontradicted the hard stone of his body and Ellie sagged in his arms, opening herself to him. She grazed his lip with her teeth and he growled in appreciation as they swayed in time to the music.

  The kiss ended before the song and James stopped moving but didn’t let her go. Ellie didn’t want him to stop. She wanted him to press his lips to hers again. Wanted him to run his hands along her body again. Wanted to feel the corded muscles in his arms and shoulders jump and bunch beneath her hands. Her desire pooled between her legs and James pushed his hips forward, the evidence of his own desire pressing firmly into her stomach.

  “God, I want you,” she murmured, looking up at him, not even caring that her mouth was busy operating without permission again.

  James pressed her body into his, grinding his erection into her. “The feeling is mutual.”

  She wanted to slide her hand into his pants and run her fingers across his dick, feel it jump to life in her hand. She didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing that she was in public and couldn’t act on her desire. The band had started playing again and all around them, couples danced and laughed, but still, James didn’t let go. Didn’t look away. It was just his eyes on hers and her body against his and the beat of the music entwined in heaving chests and the rhythmic rush of the ocean.

  Finally, James blinked rapidly and licked his lips. “Ready to go?” he asked.

  For once, Ellie’s mouth didn’t know what to say. No, she didn’t want to go. Not if it meant their time together was over. But yes, if he was going to take her somewhere quiet, somewhere they could be alone, then yes, she was all kinds of ready for that.

  Not knowing what he meant was torture, but she nodded, not wanting to put any pressure on him. “If you are,” she finally managed.

  “Fuck yeah, I’m ready.” He took her hand and weaved through the crowd, a guided missile intent on his target. Doubt and lust fought a gruesome battle.

  He’s ready to leave because he’s mad at you for kissing him!