Griff shook his head and swore under his breath. “Don’t make something out of this that isn’t there, Josie. We’re simply going for a ride.”

I grinned. It was kind of cute to see this big, tough man explaining himself to his aunt.

“I’m not making something out of it, Michael. I just needed to know if you were leaving so I could give you your present before you went.”

He narrowed his eyes on her. “My present?”

“Yes,” she said. “Now don’t go getting annoyed at me, it’s just a little something.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he muttered, and I swore I could imagine him rolling his eyes at her. I bet he did when he was a kid.

She left us for a minute and returned with a small gift. After giving it to him, she squeezed his hand and said softly, “Open it later.”

He nodded, and then placed his hand on the small of my back. “Let’s go,” he said as he ushered me outside. “Just wait near my bike while I grab you a helmet from under the house.”

“You keep a helmet here? What, for Josie to ride with you?”

“Smart ass,” he murmured. “I store some of my stuff here because I don’t have much storage at my place.”

Grinning, I said, “I kinda liked the thought of Josie riding on a motorcycle.”

His hand pressed against my back as he directed me in the direction of his bike. “Go. I’ll be back in a minute.”

It was only a few minutes at the most before he returned and handed me a helmet. “Things you need to know - you can get on once I’m on and have started the bike, keep your feet on the pegs at all times and watch out for the pipes – they get hot – if I lean, you need to lean. And you need to sit as close to me as you can and hold on tight.”

“What if I need to tell you something? You won’t be able to hear me.”

“No, I won’t, so if you want me to stop, you’re gonna have to give me a signal.” He contemplated that for a second. “Just point at the side of the road if you want me to pull over, okay?”

I nodded, but my brain had already moved onto the next dilemma I had. “These things,” I gestured at the bike, “aren’t meant for women wearing dresses, are they?”

His gaze dropped to take in the short dress I wore today. And then he looked back up at my face, and – holy God – he had a smile on his face, a sexy ass smile that did good things to me, and said, “They mightn’t be made for dresses, but I’m sure as fuck not complaining.”

Butterflies took over my stomach. I tried to force them away, because he might be flirting with me but he’d made it abundantly clear nothing would happen between us. But I couldn’t force them away. Griff made me feel something I’d never felt from a man before – alive. And he made me feel good about myself in a way no man had before. If I couldn’t have him in the way I wanted, I wasn’t going to stop myself from having him as a friend.

I pointed at his bike, and said, “Get on before you say something that makes me reconsider everything I’ve ever said about one-night-stands before.”

He smirked. “Bossy…I don’t usually like bossy, but rolling off your tongue it sounds good.”

“Oh my God, if you don’t stop talking, I am going to lose my shit. There’s only so much sexy a woman can handle, Griff, and I’m almost at my limit, because let me tell you, just standing next to you is hard work sometimes, so you can only imagine how hard it is to have flirting from your sexy mouth thrown in to the mix. What the heck was I thinking when I agreed to sit on the back of your bike, with my body pressed as close to yours as you’re telling me I now have to do, and my arms wrapped around you? I’m going to need a medal for this.” And the words just fell out of my mouth. Nervousness always made me ramble, and God how I was rambling now. He’d think I was a neurotic basket case by the end of today.

Full points to him – he processed everything I’d just said, hit me with a smile, and said, “I take it you’re ready to get on the bike now.”

I nodded and a moment later he was on the bike, ready for me. I put my helmet on, got on, and positioned myself close behind him. The dress hadn’t been too much of an issue because it wasn’t a tight one, but I did spend a little bit of time making sure it was secured under my ass and legs. The last thing I wanted was for it to fly up and reveal everything during the ride.

I’d placed my hands on his waist to hold on, but he took hold of them and pulled them right around him so they met in the middle. I figured that when he joined them with a firm squeeze, it meant I should keep them there, so I did.

Then he took off, and an exhilaration I’d never experienced flowed through me. I’d often wondered what it would be like riding on a motorcycle, and the reality of it was a hundred times better than anything I ever imagined. And that was just while we were still amongst traffic in Brisbane. When we finally made it out of the traffic and onto the highway where Griff could go faster, it was even more amazing.

We headed out on the highway towards Toowoomba, and rode for about an hour and a half before he found a picnic area away from the road a little to pull into. I was confused as to why he was pulling over, but I figured he must have his reasons.

He cut the engine and pulled his helmet off, so I removed mine, too. Placing his hand on my leg, he said, “Hop off, sweetheart, and stretch your legs.”