Chapter Twelve
He led her towards his motorcycle. He had it cleaned and lubricated and had gone for a test drive yesterday. It was still in perfect condition.
He handed her a helmet and fixed his own too. Then climbing onto his motorcycle, he sat waiting for her to sit. She climbed onto it behind his back, straddling the motorcycle. She sat keeping a good amount of distance between themselves when Dustin turned around and caught hold of her hand. He placed it around his torso,"Hold me," he insisted. When she kept her hold, he started his motorcycle and rode at a steady pace.
The wind swept through her hair and she felt carefree and happy. She could feel his rippling muscles beneath her palm, the heat seeping through his thin tee shirt onto her palm.
"Where are we going Dustin?" She asked, panicking to see that he had taken a detour from the path that led to her house.
"Just wait and watch," He answered, excitedly. He looked at her through the rearview mirror and grinned. What was he up to now?
They rode through a clear path that wound through grassy slopes with bluebonnets swaying in the evening breeze. The sun had set but the lights from either side of the road illuminated the area nicely. The moon seemed brighter than usual as it watched them from the clear sky.
"Are you kidnapping me?" She asked, looking around.
"It sounds like a good idea," he answered, chuckling. Jade loved his happy, infectious mood. It seemed like old times when they were younger. What she would give to see him this happy always. His mood caught on and she felt excited too.
After riding a little, Dustin led her to a clearing, where the sound of gurgling water caught her attention. Looking ahead, she saw a beautiful small brook of shallow clear water, illuminated by the motorcycle headlights.
She gasped at the beauty of the place. It was just a stone's throw away from the main road. There were big clean boulders around and it looked kind of an ideal place to sit around and have a moment of quietness.
Dustin parked the motorcycle and got down, helping her get down too. He led her to a boulder and sat down watching the clear water under the dazzling moonlight. Their legs brushed as they sat beside each other inhaling the fresh air and the feeling of each other's company.
"Why do you love me, Jade?" He asked her, staring at her creamy complexion which shone under the moonlight, her hair that cascaded down her back like spun gold. He couldn't remove his eyes from her face. Not that he wanted to.
"I don't know. I just do," she answered, almost in a whisper, her eyes looking away from his.
"Thank you for everything that you did for me and granny," he said, picking up her hand and kissing her knuckles. She shivered at the gentle kiss.
She looked into his eyes and saw his dark, intense stare that melted her inner resolve of not allowing him to kiss her. In fact, she wanted him to kiss her. They stared at each other like two tortured souls trying to get their moment of happiness with each other.
"I missed you Jade. I missed you very much," he whispered as he lowered his head. "Please don't deny me. I can't control myself anymore."
Jade's hands went around his neck to caress his hair at the nape of his neck. "Tell me what you want, Jade," he asked, his voice thick and husky.
"Kiss me, Dustin," she pleaded. It didn't take him a second and his mouth claimed hers in a searing hot kiss. This wasn't just a hungry kiss. It was branding. Like he was marking her as his. They kissed each other, forgetting the world around them, forgetting everything but each other.
When Dustin's mouth left hers to press a kiss on her neck, she closed her eyes and trembled like a leaf. His arm went around her, pulling her close.
"You have grown really ravishing," he commented, with a wink. His roving eye taking in her entire body.
"Shut up, you perv," she said, blushing and smacking his arm.
"What? It's the truth. Don't you like mine? I worked out only for you," he said, pulling up his sleeves and flexing his biceps to show her.
"Big deal. Every Tom, Dick and Harry has it," she said in a bored tone.
"Oh really? How many guys have you dated behind my back?" he asked, green with jealousy as he clenched his teeth.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" She teased and he stared at her.
"You've become bolder. I like it. I really like it," he confessed, with a grin.
"Granny told me you witnessed the murder. What were you doing here so late at night Jade? It could have been dangerous, you know, " he told her and she looked at her hands, unable to decide whether to tell him about her notebook.
"I lost something that night at your house, so I came back to get it," she confessed. She couldn't tell him about the notebook.
"Is this what you lost that night?" He asked, staring at her for her reaction as he pulled out her old, worn out notebook from his chest pocket. Jade gasped seeing her notebook after eight long years. All this time he had it with him?
She stared at him speechless. When she came back to her senses, she said shyly, "Yeah."
"It was my only companion for the last eight years. It made me feel that I was close to you. I slept with it and woke up with it, " he muttered as if in.a daze, staring at the notebook. When he looked up at her, she was lost in their chocolate brown depths. They held so much pain and something else which stirred her soul. She touched his cheek and he leaned into her touch.
"It's all over now, Dustin. I'm with you, am I not?" she comforted him. He closed his eyes and nodded.
"Don't leave me, ever, Jade, " he pleaded.
"I won't. But if I don't go home now, dad will start hunting for me with a gun," she said and he laughed.
"You're right. Let's get you home now," he said and they got up and climbed into the motorcycle.
They reached her house and he turned off his ignition. "Give me your car keys. I'll fix your tyre and have your car delivered here," he said. Jade handed him her car keys.
"Thanks, that would be a great help," she admitted.
"When is your work starting tomorrow?" He asked her.
"At 11 o'clock. Why?" She asked curiously.
"I'll come at 9 o'clock to pick you up. Spend some time at the restaurant. Granny misses you," he coaxed.
"Ok," she agreed and he grinned.
"Do I get a good night kiss?" He asked, hopefully.
"No, dad's watching us, " she told him and his eyes widened.
"Oh, where is he?" He whispered.
"You go now, please, " she pleaded.
"Ok. Be ready," he said and sped away. Jade grinned at his adorable ways. She would have kissed him good night but with her father watching them from his bedroom window, it wasn't a good idea. She would now get ready to answer her dad. Hope he isn't too mad at her.
