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Sunday, May 24, 2009

Excerpt 2: A Motorcycle Ride For Two


*As promised, here's the second excerpt from my Tuesday release from TWRP, A Summer's Hope:


“These are for you.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, taking them. Her heart tugged and her lips curved as she stared down into their wide, bright faces. “They’re my favorite.”
He smiled. “I was hoping. They made me think of you.”
Awed, she lowered her nose to sniff the blooms. “You got them from Adrian?”
He shrugged. “Only the best.”
She nodded in agreement. “I’ll just set them here.” She put them on a bench in the shade of the magnolia tree, and then faced him awkwardly.
“Are you ready?”
“When you are.”
He held up the helmet. “I have to take precautions. I don’t want anything to happen to your pretty face although it’s a shame to cover it up.”
Her insides turned to dough and her heart pattered giddily as he slipped the helmet over her head. She lifted her chin when he motioned for her to do so.
It took him several seconds to secure the strap. “Feel okay?” he asked when he was done, lifting the visor so she could hear him.
She nodded, feeling nerves jump into her stomach again. “Um, Cole? There’s something you need to know.”
He chuckled as he went back to his bike. “I know.”
She stiffened. “You do?”
He nodded, grinning at her as he strapped on his own helmet. He lifted the visor to speak. “You’ve never ridden a bike before.”
“Is it that obvious?” she asked, rubbing her damp palms on her thighs.
He shrugged, tying the strap under his chin. “Just a little. It’s okay.” He took her hand and pulled her close. She could smell fresh aftershave and the underlying spice of motor oil. It was downright seductive. “Just lean with me into the turns and hold onto me real tight.”
Her knees quaked. “I’m a little nervous.”
He put a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll do fine.” He threw a leg over the seat to straddle it. He gunned the engine and the machine roared to life, stunning her with its raw, wild power. As exhaust smoke tickled her nostrils, she didn’t know if she was really going to be able to go through with this.
He motioned for her to get on.
Now or never. She took a steadying breath, putdown her visor and stepped forward. Gripping his offered hand for balance, she crawled on behind him and put her feet on the passenger pegs. She hesitantly put her hands on his waist and clutched his shirt as he backed out from under the magnolia.
He looked both ways down Scenic 98 then turned to look at her. “You ready?” he shouted.
She nodded and gave him the thumbs-up.
She saw his quick grin before he hit the accelerator. The force of it sent her back. Her heart pounded with terror as she grabbed him around the waist tight to keep from flying off the open seat.

4 comments:

Marianne Evans said...

Amber, great excerpt! Looks like a total winner! Best of success on the release and look forward to reading A Summer's Hope. :-)

Mary Ricksen said...

Ah I remember the days.
My DH took me on my first motorcycle ride and I swear he went fast just to hear me scream.
He still does the same stuff to this day, although not on a bike.
Good luck with A Summer's Hope!

Amber Leigh Williams said...

Marianne, thank you so much!

LOL, Mary! I love this scene because everything that goes through poor Briar's head went through mine when my DH took me on my first bike ride :)

Unknown said...

AMBER--so cute--and sexy. My dh went through a motocycle stage--he and his five buddies. Several times, the wives rode along behind their man--I had my very own helmet. We rode all over the Texas Hill Country--Miles and miles of Texas hills, very popular for motocycle rallies. He still can't resist looking over someone's bike.They all sold their bikes at the same time--a couple a scares put fear into them.Ahh, those were the days!!! We thought they'd never end..nice excerpt. Celia