Come To Me (Dare With Me #3) - J.H. Croix Page 0,2

help, Charlie very well may have ended up facing traffic, which could’ve been a disaster.

“Got it,” Diego said into his phone. “I’ll be back soon.”

Lowering the phone, he glanced over at me. His helmet was resting on his lap. Dear God, he was just all man, sitting on that motorcycle in faded jeans and that leather jacket.

“Is Charlie all safe and sound now?” he asked.

I nodded because it was all I could manage. My brain cells had imploded just looking at him and words required too much effort. I watched as his eyes scanned the barn and the adjoining pasture before circling around to the small house across the grass on the other side of the gravel area.

I’d lucked into this job and rental. The owners had moved away and needed someone to take care of the horses. There were four horses, two of which they owned. They rented out stalls for two other horses. I got paid to take care of the horses, and I got to ride one of them myself. The house rental came as part of the deal at a very reduced rate. All in all, this gig made it possible for me to make the leap in moving to Alaska and bought me time to get my yoga teaching business off the ground.

When I’d won an all-expenses-paid trip to Alaska and fallen in love with it, I wondered how I could make it work to live here. This situation gave me a soft landing.

“Beautiful place,” he commented.

Just beyond the house was an opening through the trees that offered a view of the mountains and the sparkling harbor in the distance. “Hard not to have a beautiful view here,” I replied.

His eyes crinkled at the corners with his grin. “Very true.” He glanced to the mountains before bringing his gaze back to me. “I should be going. I suppose I might see you in yoga class sometime.”

“Come as often as you like.”

His mouth kicked up at one corner. “Now, Gemma, are you scolding me for not being a more consistent student?”

The teasing hint in his tone sent a wash of heat through my body. I felt my cheeks getting hot and shrugged. “Of course not. I know you guys come because Daphne and Cammi talk you into it,” I said, referring to the respective girlfriends of two of his friends.

Diego threw his head back with a laugh. “Maybe so, but I always enjoy it when I’m there.”

Chapter Two

Diego

Gemma Marlon stood in front of me, her fingers rubbing the hem of her T-shirt with one hand while she held the strap of her riding helmet in the other, swinging it lightly. She seemed a little nervous. Considering how she set my nerves alight and the sizzle of chemistry between us, I wondered if that had her unsettled.

That chemistry created a fizzy sensation inside with raw desire sizzling through my body. I’d met her when Flynn had dragged a few of us with him to yoga class when Daphne wanted him to go.

Considering my friends here were like family, I gamely went along with him. I thought I’d have to suffer through it, but there was no suffering involved. The second I clapped eyes on Gemma, I didn’t want to leave. She was a quirky kind of beautiful with a sensual, throaty voice that nearly undid me. I didn’t think she meant for me to be so turned on in every class that it was an act of will to keep my body in check.

She let go of the hem of her T-shirt and lifted her hand to sift her fingers through her ruffled curls. She had rumpled honey-gold curls. They fell to her shoulders, making me want to brush them away and dust kisses on her neck.

I paused, taking the moment to absorb her. She had big brown eyes paired with her curls. Despite the cool Alaskan summer, her skin was sun-kissed, like honey. She was on the short side with a toned body that was somehow inviting and curvy at the same time. She’d fit nicely behind me on my motorcycle, her thighs curving around mine. I’d wanted to spin around and kiss her senseless.

We stared at each other for several long seconds, and I marveled that she was comfortable with the quiet.

After a moment, she added, “I bet you get to see the best of Alaska.”

I’d actually lost the thread of our conversation. “What do you mean?”

“Because you fly, so you get to see everything