So, yeah. If an online dating service matched Rita up with a Jasper Ellis type, she would consider suing them for false advertising. To put it bluntly, he was walking, talking sex. Kind of like a younger, more realistic, twice-as-magnetic version of Matthew McConaughey. Rita was a little surprised that a mob of women wasn抰 sprinting after the motorcycle as they cruised back toward Hurley. None of those women would be a social maladroit without a pinch of color in her wardrobe. Most likely, they hadn抰 threatened him with knife violence, either.
Between her thighs, his hips shifted just a fraction and she almost laughed at the way her body reacted. Warmth trickled into her stomach on cue, and she fought the insane urge to rub her stiffening nipples against the sun-heated back of his leather jacket. Honestly, the man must have trouble just walking down the street without being propositioned. She hadn抰 been propositioned in梕ver.
Definitely not each other抯 type.
They were almost to town when Jasper slowed the bike to a stop at a red light, the engine purring beneath them. Their eyes met in the circular rearview mirror. 揧ou抮e thinking awfully hard back there.?
Rita hid her surprise in a shrug. 揑 was wondering why there抯 a stoplight here when I can抰 see another car for miles.?
He cast a glance in both directions as if the thought had never occurred to him. 揧ou reckon I should go through the red light??He revved the bike抯 engine. 揟hink about it hard, now. You and I would be fugitives from the law. The Bonnie and Clyde of New Mexico. It抯 a big decision.?
This man was ridiculous. 揅lyde was impotent.?
揥as he??Jasper twisted his upper body around, appearing genuinely perplexed. 揌ow did he keep such a beautiful woman around without all his parts working??
揑 don抰 know. Charisma??Rita stared with impatience at the still-red light. Leave it to her to broach the subject of erectile dysfunction within five minutes of meeting revamped McConaughey. 揂re we almost there??
揂nother mile or so.?His hips turned on the seat, scooting her thighs a little wider, making Rita all too aware of the intimacy of their position. 揑抎 like to know your name before we get there.?
Rita ordered herself to stop comparing the color of his eyes to the sky outlining him. 揥hy is that??
揝o I can introduce you properly to Stan, our mechanic,?he explained in a patient voice. 揑抎 like to say, 慡tan, meet so-and-so.?Instead of 慡tan, this is some nameless woman I picked up.?It doesn抰 have the same ring.?
Rita sorely regretted taking this ride. Jasper Ellis was turning out to be anything but predictable or typical, and she didn抰 like having her theories disproved. It was like sprinkling nutmeg on eggnog, then taking a sip and finding out you抎 used chili powder instead. Why should this man who could wink a woman into the sack also have a personality? 揜ita.?
揜ita,?he repeated, although with his accent, it sounded more like Ray-da. 揑 like that. Rhymes with cheetah.?
The light turned green and they starting moving before she could respond. There were two conflicting sides of her. One wanted this damn ride to be over, so she could send Jasper on his way and stop worrying about his refusal to be categorized. And the other side sorely regretted that the ride was coming to an end. The scent of his worn-in leather jacket teamed with the waft of diesel was pleasant. More than pleasant. The helmet strap beneath her chin was soft, like warm fingers encasing her jaw. Rita didn抰 do outdoor sports, but being on the back of a motorcycle hadn't filled her with terror as she might have expected. When she considered it might have something to do with the steady energy of the man holding the handlebars, she shook her head to clear the thought.
Hurley sneaked up on either side of them, small but efficient. A hardware store, a diner, a bakery. Green, leafy shrubs and ice plants gave the town a well-kept feel, the residents clearly taking pride in the community抯 appearance. Its vibe was so far removed from the dusty two-lane highway they抎 just come from that Rita felt like she抎 been transported into an alternate universe. There were two convenience stores on either side of the main street, which was actually named Main Street, both with signs outside boasting deals on produce, the prices so reasonable compared to San Diego that she almost fell off the bike.
Several people waved at Jasper as they traveled through town, sending Rita shrinking down into the seat to avoid scrutiny. Had any of them seen her online disgrace? Not for the first time, it occurred to her how hilarious she must look on the back of a certified-cool-guy抯 bike. They probably thought he抎 lost a bet or something.
Rita felt Jasper watching her in the rearview and ducked her head, grateful the drone of the engine prevented conversation. Finally, at the edge of town, they pulled into a garage. A man in coveralls set aside his newspaper and rose to meet them as they parked. 揝houldn抰 you be sitting down to lunch with Rosemary??
Jasper held out a hand to assist Rita off the bike, sighing when she climbed off without his help. 揑ndeed I should, Stan, and I expect to catch some serious grief over my tardiness. But I had reason.?He gestured to her. 揟his here is my friend, Rita. The rest of her group is stranded out along Highway Sixty, just east a few miles. Would you mind giving them a tow in??
揧ou betcha,?Stan said, donning a baseball cap he tugged from his back pocket. The older man looked flat-out excited to have something on his agenda. 揚leasure to meet you, Rita. I抣l have them back in a jiff.?
Rita walked toward the shade provided by the garage, joined by Jasper a moment later. They watched Stan pull his tow truck onto Main Street without speaking, and then they were alone. Without the hum of the bike抯 engine, the silence made Rita jumpy. What, was she expected to carry on a conversation now? 揟hank you for the ride. I don抰 need you to wait with me.?
She could tell he抎 been expecting her to say that. 揟hat wouldn抰 be very gentlemanly of me.?
揃ut your grandmother is waiting for you.?
Jasper leaned up against the concrete building, crossing one ankle over the other. 揑抣l admit I抦 feeling pretty guilty about that. Feeling hungry, too. But I抳e weighed the pros and cons of the situation carefully, Rita. And I think a few more minutes talking to you is worth the added guilt and possible starvation.?
揥ho even卆re you??
Chapter Five
Jasper kept his smile in place, although that question梂ho even卆re you?梙it a little too close to home. If Rita knew how many times he抎 asked himself that same thing lately, she would also know he didn抰 have an answer. He kind of appreciated her confusion, actually. At least she hadn抰 written him off as the town manwhore everyone knew him to be.
There was no rule saying she had to write him off, either. What if梩o Rita梙e could be Jasper, the decent soul and sparkling conversationalist? Standing right in front of Jasper was a woman without any preconceived梠r hell, conceived梟otions about him, and he couldn抰 recall the last time that had happened. Maybe he could find something out about Rita, before Rita found out the worst about him. Lord, the possibility made him feel lighter than he had in years.
She was hiding something梞aybe a lot of somethings梪nderneath her attempt at a bad-to-the-bone appearance, which she didn抰 pull off by any measure. Couldn抰 pull off when her gaze was so skittish, so梔efenseless. It was compelling, really, to watch her try so hard to act indifferent to him when she was clearly anything but. She was daring him to give up and go away. A handful of years ago, he would have. He would抳e swaggered away and found the next, easy conquest. That抯 what had landed him in his current position of Hurley抯 resident tramp.