Page 81 of The Defiant Wife

It isn't the old spare one.

It's new.

Smaller.

Lighter.

I ordered it two days ago. I don't know why. I spent twenty minutes comparing safety ratings just to find one that would fit her properly, even though I had every intention of never letting her sit on this bike again.

None of it makes sense.

I step toward her and hold it out.

She reaches for it, but her fingers fumble with the strap, her mind clearly somewhere else.

With a quiet sigh, I gently move her hands away.She looks up at me, surprise flashing across her face.

I don't say a word.I simply take the straps between my fingers and lean closer.

The buckle clicks beneath her chin.My knuckles accidentally brush the pale patch of skin along her neck.

She shivers.So do I.For a second, I freeze.My eyes drift down to her lips before I force myself to step back.

Enough.

I throw my leg over the bike and start the engine.The familiar roar fills the quiet night, but for the first time in years, it isn't the thing I'm paying the most attention to.

She climbs onto the bike behind me.

"Hold on," I say over the sound of the engine as I adjust the mirrors.

She doesn't argue. No sarcastic comment. No complaints. No joke.

She simply moves closer.Her front presses against my back as she wraps both arms around my waist. Her hands lock together over my stomach, bunching the fabric of my shirt beneath her fingers.

The contact sends a sharp wave of heat down my spine.

The night air is cold. It should cool me down.

Instead, I feel warmer than I have in a long time.We ride out of the palace gates and onto the empty highway.Streetlights blur into long golden lines as the speed slowly builds.

She doesn't complain.

She doesn't tense.

She simply rests her helmet lightly against my shoulder.

Her grip tightens around me.

Her whole body relaxes against mine as though, for this moment, I'm the only thing keeping her steady.

It's a dangerous feeling.For as long as I can remember, I've believed I don't need anyone.I've always preferred being alone. Silence has never bothered me.Distance has always been easier.

I've spent years convincing myself that emotions only complicate life.

You need logic to survive.

Not feelings.