Chapter 56

Quentin

She looked at me like she was both turned on and aghast that I'd ask that of her. But when I pulled up her shorts and zipped her up, she let me.

I unlock the door, then kiss her one last time, before I turn her around and urge her forward. I keep my arm about her shoulders as I guide her back to the show. As soon as we enter the hall, applause greets us. She blushes, and I savor her pleasure. I don't take my gaze off her features as she thanks everyone for coming and supporting her art.

Then she turns to me and whispers, "Thank you," before going up on tiptoes to kiss me. Damn, it promptly gets me hard, and when she tries to pull away, I grasp the back of her head and deepen the kiss. By the time I release her, she's wearing that dazed expression I know so well.

There's clapping—from her friends, and whistles—from my asshole nephews—all of which I acknowledge with a wave. She looks like she wants to slap me, then kiss me, all of which I have no problem with. Then she shakes her head and kisses me again, hard. She pulls away, this time, before I can band my arms about her waist.

I wait until the round of congratulations dies down, then whisper, "Ready to get out of here?"

She lets me lead her out of the art gallery, past the waiting crowds and my nephews—minus Ryot, who I haven't seen since our fight—and out onto the sidewalk. When she sees my restored Indian Four parked on the road, she stops.

I walk over to the bike and pat her broad gas tank. It's a classic. One I found for a steal and restored. When I ride, I switch off the thinking part of my brain and allow my subconscious to mull possibilities. And my life is filled with so much potential. When I stepped down as CEO it was the most liberating feeling in the world. It felt like I'd been given a chance to start all over again. Being married to the love of your life will do that to you too. I feel like I've been given wings. I want to fly and soar and explore new horizons. I want to do everything I'd dreamed of but kept putting off. I need to personify this first-day-of-the-rest-of-my life feeling. Which is why I decided to eschew my fleet of cars and take my bike to Raven's showing. Then, there was the hope that she'd agree to be mine fully and I could take my wife for a ride and show her off to the world. It seems more in keeping with this new phase of my life, which is why I opted to ride it here.

"Ooh, a bike?" Her voice is half-excited, half-apprehensive.

"Like what you see?" I grab the helmet from the rack and hold it out.

"Really?" She looks at me with doubt.

"Trust me?" I scan her features. "Do you, baby?"

"Of course, I do," she says without hesitation, and my heart grows so big, it feels like it's taking over my body. She slides the helmet on.

I clip the buckle under her chin, making sure it fits snugly, before I don my own. I straddle the vehicle and kick-start it in one stroke.

She slides up the screen of her helmet, her eyes wide with surprise. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone start a bike this way."

"It's vintage"—I point a finger at her—"and don't say it's like me."

She laughs. "It's definitely more macho to use a kick start than a button start, I'll admit."

"Hop on, baby, let's go home."

When she mounts the bike, I coax her closer, until her crotch is pressed against my butt, and her knees hug the outside of my thighs. She locks her arms about my waist, and when her breasts push into my back, the tension in my body drains away. Having her with me makes everything about the world right. I throttle the bike forward, and she tightens her hold on me. As I weave through the traffic with the wind rushing by, she relaxes by degrees.

"Wow, this... is cozy," she giggles. Her voice comes over the Bluetooth headsets fitted in the helmets. There's a note of nervousness in her tone. Also, a thread of arousal which pleases me no end. I allow myself a small smile.

"Hold on baby, it's about to get cozier."

I rev my bike, and when the vehicle leaps forward, she squeaks and tightens her grip about my waist. "Lean into me, baby," I urge her.

When I take the next turn, she follows my direction and allows her body to flow with the momentum. "Good girl."

I sense her body shudder, then she pushes her breasts into my back and a groan rumbles up my throat.

With the wind blowing past, and her arms about me a sense of contentment descends. This is better than a dance, and almost as hot as making love. By the time I park in front of my townhouse, the crotch of my pants is tented. The fact that her fingers were less than inch from brushing my cock on the journey over, didn't help matters. She slides off the bike and hands her helmet to me. I lock hers and mine back in the rack, then lock my fingers with hers. "I fucking love you."

She laughs. "We should go on a longer drive if that's all it takes to get that admission from you unprompted."

I wrap my fingers around the nape of her neck and pull her close. "I've never loved anyone as much as you; not even my own son. Does that make me a bad father?"

She cups my cheek and is about to reply, when I shake my head. "Don't answer that. It took my realizing he"s not mine to love him completely. Perhaps, it's when we"re about to lose the things we take for granted, we realize their value?"

"You'll never lose me."

"I promise, I'll be there for you. I will not make the mistakes I made the first time around. I'm going to spend the rest of my life making it up to Felix. I'm going to make sure I'm a better father to our child. I'm going to spend every breath I have left worshipping you the way you deserve to be."

"Oh, Quentin." She steps between my legs and kisses me deeply, and I let her. I let her tease my lips apart and thrust her tongue inside my mouth. I relish the way she digs her fingernails into my shoulders and how she presses her breasts into my chest as she melts into me completely.

When she pulls away to stare into my eyes, I slide a strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you, Raven."

"I love you, Q."