Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Tara

This was crazy.

I never did things like this.

I loved it, though.

The second I had sat on the bike behind Red, something had clicked.

Obviously, I was attracted to him, but it was more than that. It just felt right. Even though my heart was racing and I was slightly afraid of being on the motorcycle, I felt safe with Red.

My front was pressed against his back, my arms wrapped around his waist, and my legs molded to his.

"This is incredible!" I shouted over the engine"s roar.

"Hold on, baby, it only gets better." He dropped his arm down and laid his hand on my leg. We accelerated around a turn, and trees flew by in a blur. The world rushed by us, and I couldn't help but marvel at the freedom and openness.

The wind tousled my hair, and the warm sun beat down on us.

It may be February, but this was Florida, where it was more than comfortable to be on the back of a motorcycle.

The road stretched out before us as Red headed out of town.

Miles passed by as the sunset and we cruised through the Florida countryside.

We rolled back into Coral Cove, and Red pulled into The Watering Hole parking lot. He parked in front of the bar and killed the engine.

Red gracefully got off the bike and helped take the helmet off my head. "Is there a reason why you weren't wearing a helmet?" I asked.

He hung the helmet on the handlebars. "Precious cargo gets the helmet, baby," he explained.

I rolled my eyes and placed my hand in his that he held out to me.

"I didn't want you to stop," I called.

"Yeah, you say that now but I'm sure your ass is numb, and you're gonna be bowlegged for a bit."

"I'm totally fine." He pulled me off the bike, but my feet didn't touch the ground; at least, it didn't feel like they did.

I collapsed into Red's arms, and he pulled me to his chest. "Easy, baby," he chuckled. "You gotta get your legs back under you."

"I take back wanting to keep riding," I mumbled. My cheek was plastered against his chest, and my arms held onto him for dear life. "Is this normal?" I worried out loud.

Red chuckled. "Yeah, but I might have pushed your first ride a bit too far. I enjoyed having you wrapped around me."

"If my butt wasn't so numb, I would totally be swooning." I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that a man like Red wanted to spend time with me, let alone have me wrapped around him on his motorcycle for two hours.

I enjoyed the hell out of it, but my head wouldn't let me truly believe he had liked it, too.

"Besides the numb ass, you like riding?" he asked.

I tipped my head back and smiled. "Even if I get a numb butt every time we ride, I would still love it. I totally see the appeal."

"Good." He brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "You think you can make it into the bar, or am I going to have to carry you?"

"Uh, I should be good, but you might want to spot me just in case."

"Got it, baby." He kept his arm wrapped around my waist, and we headed into the bar. I had been to The Watering Hole a couple of times before with Kelly, but it wasn't a usual place I hung out at. We had come here because we heard they had killer fried pickles. My living room was more my style.

There were quite a few people at the bar, and all of the surrounding tables were full.

"Over there," Red ordered. He walked to the side of me, his hand on the small of my back, and we squeezed in at the bar. Red stood closely behind me, his front pressed against my back and his arm possessively around my waist.

He leaned down, his lips at my ear. "What do you want to drink?"

I turned and looked up. "Uh, I drink wine coolers, Red." A giggle escaped my lips. "I'm not much of a drinker." There was no point in acting like something I wasn't. I had been to The Watering Hole before, but it was for their food. "But the deep-fried pickles are good," I chirped.

"Baby," Red drawled. "You just get better and better every minute I'm with you."

The bartender made her way over to us.

"What can I get you two?" she asked.

"Tito's and cranberry, water, and fried pickles to go," Red ordered.

The bartender nodded and got to work on our drinks.

"Water?" I asked him.

"Don't drink, baby. Been sober for a couple of years," he explained.

"I brought you over a beer," I groaned. Only I would bring a sober person a beer.

"You didn't know. Now, if you would have known I didn't drink and still brought over beer, we would have had a problem." He tightened his arm around me and squeezed. "You're good."

"Tito's and a water," the bartender called. "You want me to drop those pickles now or wait, Red?" she asked.

The bartender saying his name surprised me.

"Give us a few minutes and then drop them," Red ordered.

My eyes fell to the bartender. I hadn't really noticed her before since I had Red pressed against my back, but now I looked at her.

She was pretty. More like hot. She had bright red hair half pulled up on top of her head, a tight black cropped tank top, and I couldn't see her pants, but I was sure she was wearing cutoffs. She smiled friendly at me and pushed my drink toward me. "Enjoy, honey."

I slapped a smile on my face and grabbed my drink. Red grabbed his water, then turned me so my back was to the bar and kept his arm around my waist. "I can read your mind, baby," he muttered softly.

I tipped my head to the side. "Really? What am I thinking?"

"Why did the bartender know my name?"

I quirked my lips. "Can you really blame me for wondering how a bartender knows your name when you just said you were sober?" I didn't want to sound jealous, but he had read my mind.

Red sipped his water and leaned forward to set the glass back on the bar. "Probably has something to do with the fact I own this place."

My jaw dropped, and I almost dropped my drink. "Shut up," I hissed.

Red chuckled. "And Angela is my sister."

"Oh my god," I groaned. Thank god I hadn't let my jealousy get the best of me and been snotty or glared at Angela. Now, that would have been bad. "That is not at all what I thought you were going to say."

Red chuckled. "I know, baby. I bought this place about ten years ago. Became a raging alcoholic, quit cold turkey, and now I reap the benefits of the drinkers without being one," he explained.

"That's impressive to own a bar and not drink," I pointed out. "If I owned this place, I would swim in wine coolers."

Red shrugged. "I'll get you a pallet for your house."

"Stop," I laughed. "I drink maybe once or twice a month when Kelly comes over for dinner. I think a six-pack is more than enough for me. I was joking." I already felt like a bit of an ass for drinking in front of Red after he told me he was sober. Though he wasn't acting like it was a turnoff or it bothered him.

"What about you?" he asked. "What do you do?"

"Oh, uh, well, I'm a travel agent. I get to plan great vacations and have other people actually go on them," I laughed.

"Nice, baby. That seems like a pretty cushy job." He winked. "I mean, you've got time to sunbathe topless in between calls."

"Ha, ha," I drawled. "It is pretty nice, and yes, if I do have time, I like to get some sun." I glanced away. "Sometimes topless."

Red grunted but didn't say anything.

I looked around the bar in a different light now that I knew Red owned it. It was your standard bar with a beachy theme. Hell, everywhere in Florida seemed to have a beachy theme. "I like this place," I mused. "It feels like a bar, but not one of those bars that give off a we-don't-want-you-here vibe."

"Sounds like you've been to some shitty bars, baby. I wouldn't have money if we acted like we didn't want customers."

I shrugged and sipped my drink. "Probably."

"You got five minutes until your pickles are done," Angela called. "You on the bike?"

"Aren't I always?" Red asked.

Angela shook her head. "First date and you throw her on the bike."

"I loved it," I blurted. I turned in Red's arms and smiled wide. "I mean, I still can't feel my butt, but it was amazing. I'm Tara, by the way." I knew her name since Red had told me, but she didn't know mine.

Angela eyed me closely. "Angela," she replied.

"Knock it off, Ang," Red called.

Angela glanced at Red and shrugged. "I was wrong."

"Yeah, you were," he grunted.

I had no idea what they were talking about. Had I blacked out and missed a chunk of conversation?

"I'll wrap up your food for the bike. Give me two minutes." She turned on her heel and headed to the kitchen.

"Finish your drink, baby."

I took a sip and turned back to Red. "Do I want to know what you two were talking about?"

Red shrugged. "I mentioned you to her."

"Mentioned me how?" I questioned. God, I hoped he hadn't told her about me being topless.

"Just that you locked yourself out, and I helped you."

I raised my eyebrows. "Did you mention what I was wearing?"

Red smirked and shook his head. "Nah, baby. That"s just our little secret."

Thank god. "So what was she wrong about?"

Red shook his head. "Nothing. Just Angela being an annoying little sister."

"And here you go," Angela called.

I turned, and she set up a plastic bag with two Styrofoam containers in it on the bar. "That's a lot of pickles," I laughed.

"I hooked you up, honey." She winked and grabbed Red's half drank water.

I chugged the last of my drink and gently set it on the bar. "Thank you. That was almost as good as a wine cooler."

Angela laughed and shook her head. "Totally wrong," she mumbled. "Have a good night, you two."

Red grabbed the food with one hand and threaded his fingers through mine with the other hand. He gently pulled me through the maze of tables and people and out to his bike.

The sun was fully set, and the lights of downtown Coral Cove shined. "Is riding at night as much fun as during the day?" I asked.

Red handed me the food and worked on putting the helmet on me. "Different kind of fun, baby."

I smiled wide. "I can't wait."

"We got dinner. We can't do another long ride unless you want to eat cold pickles."

I shrugged and held up the food. "I have an air fryer we can heat these up in."

"Crazy," he muttered. He grabbed the bag from me and managed to fit the containers in the saddlebags.

"Those things are like Mary Poppins' bags," I laughed.

"No clue what you're talking about, baby." He stood and climbed on the bike.

I slid on behind him and instinctively wrapped my arms around his waist. "You've never seen Mary Poppins?" I asked.

"That on the Motor Channel?"

"What? No," I laughed. "It's a children's movie."

He started up the bike and kicked up the kickstand. "You ready?" he called.

"Are we going home or for a ride?" I asked.

Red shook his head and backed up the bike. "What do you want, baby?" he called.

I wanted never to leave Red. I didn't want this night to end. I leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "I'm not very hungry for food."

His body shifted back to me, and he turned his head. "God dammit, Tara." His eyes connected with mine, and something shifted between us.

I knew this night would end, but that didn't mean Red and I were going to end.