Now or Never

later, Grayson was blissfully soaking in the tub, the scent of lavender soothing her nerves when her phone vibrated. Derrick’s name flashed across the screen, and she reached for the phone dropping it on the floor with her wet hands. Ugh, she could just get back to him after the bath. She leaned backward and rested her head against the tub. Who was she kidding, seconds later she caved. It was driving her crazy; she wanted to know what he had to say. Pulling herself out of the tub she slipped and knocked her chin on the edge of the tub.
    Seriously! That freaking hurt!
    The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth as she rubbed her chin blinking back tears, and grabbed the phone.
    I changed my mind. I want to see you.
    Grayson decided that a text back would be a better option than calling, after nearly knocking herself unconscious.
    When? I’m kinda busy at the moment. She was trying to play it off that she wasn’t going to jump when he called, but she was dying to see him again. Even as her chin throbbed in pain, he was all she could think about.
    I see. So I guess you don’t want to go hiking?
    She loved to be in the woods. Had she told him she liked hiking? She couldn’t remember. Actually, that sounds amazing. When?
    I’m outside your door.
    What? Give me a minute. I’m in the tub. Grayson grabbed the towel and quickly dried her legs and arms. Thankfully, she had kept her hair up in a bun so it wasn’t wet. She cupped her hands and rinsed water in her mouth to get rid of the taste of blood.
    She pushed through the door and ran into her room to get dressed. She hadn’t thought to bring her hiking boots with her, so she slipped on a pair of sneakers. With a quick glance in the mirror, her chin didn’t look swollen; she turned, grabbed her jacket and strode to the front door. Derrick was standing there with his hands in his pockets looking completely at ease with himself. She wanted to rip of his shirt and pull him into the house.
    “A little notice would have been nice.” Grayson huffed, but quickly softened when he shrugged and said with the faintest hint of a twinkle in his green eyes.
    “I was in the neighborhood.”
    “Uh. Huh.”
    Maybe he wanted to see her again as much as she wanted to see him. That thought was frightening. What the hell could the chances be that she met someone the first day in Tennessee at a coffee shop? It was completely absurd and he was already messing with her plans of being single. Going hiking felt like a date to her.
    “Ready?”
    That’s when she noticed the motorcycle. “You’ve got a motorcycle?”
    “I hope that’s ok?”
    “Of course it is. Ethan used to sneak us around the neighborhood on his when we were younger. He’d push it out of the driveway so my mom wouldn’t hear. It’s been ages since I’ve been on one.”
    “Well let’s rectify that right now.”
    Grayson looked behind her and grabbed her sunglasses off the bookshelf.
    Derrick walked her to the bike and handed her an extra helmet.
    He took a step closer and ran his hand down her arm. “When I was driving home from work I had a sudden flash of fucking you up against a tree.”
    At a loss for words, Grayson just stared at him, praying she wasn’t as red in the face as she felt. OK, so maybe he wasn’t thinking of this as a date. Finally, she recovered and managed to get out. “I’ve never had sex outside before.”
    “Well that’s even better. We’ll have to see how many ‘first’s’ we can cross of your list.”
    Grayson grinned, feeling so turned on by his words, and put the helmet on. It was too big, but she cinched it as tight as it would go. She climbed on back and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her chest pressed against his back. Did life get any better than this?
    Derrick turned the key and kicked the throttle. The bike lurched forward, and Grayson held on tighter pressing her cheek against his back. She felt free and happy with the wind on her face.
    Derrick turned down a long winding road flanked with beautiful golden trees. He pulled off to the side of the road and turned off the engine, she jumped off handing him the helmet.
    “Is this where you take all the girls?” She looked around it was beautiful and quiet.
    “Nope. Only you, Gray.”
    She wondered if they were really going to have sex, or if he was just teasing her. Either way it was nice to be outside, so she decided to just go with it. The cool crisp fall air felt wonderful against her skin. Golden leaves