“Hmm . . . yeah,” Sarah answered dubiously, but she didn’t push the issue. “Did you put this bike together yourself?” she asked curiously.
“Yep. I wanted to. I wanted to make sure it was safe.” He released a silent sigh of relief that she’d dropped the piano subject. Unfortunately, he knew he’d been nailed, but she’d let him off the hook.
Sarah stopped staring at the bike and lifted her gaze to his face. Dante froze as he saw the tears in her eyes, and felt his heart speed up as she curled one hand behind his neck and pulled him down for the gentlest, most tender kiss he’d ever experienced.
“That makes it even more special,” she told him softly. “Thank you.” Gripping the handlebars, she asked excitedly, “Can I try it?”
“Wait a minute,” he ordered, pulling out the safety equipment he’d purchased with the bike. He adjusted the lightweight helmet on her head, laughing as it squashed her curls and sent them protruding out of the sides of the helmet. He made her hold out her arms and legs as he put on knee and elbow pads. “Okay,” he said warily, allowing her to swing her leg over, wondering if there was any other protective gear he could have gotten her.
He showed her how to brake the bike, the most important skill as far as he was concerned, and how to balance herself. Honestly, he’d wanted to put training wheels on the bicycle, but he thought that was a little overkill. Now he almost wished he had included them. He was having visions of Sarah battered and bloody on the ground from a nasty fall, even though he knew he was being ridiculous.
“I’m staying with you, so don’t pedal too fast. And don’t hit the brakes too hard or you could go flying right over the handlebars,” he warned anxiously.
“Doesn’t it make more sense to go faster? It’s simple physics, really. If I’m moving at a higher rate of speed, the bike should become more stable,” she said thoughtfully.
Dante watched the concentration on Sarah’s face and grinned. He should have known she’d be calculating some mathematical formula for staying balanced. “Not too fast,” he instructed. “Mount up.”
Sarah used the pedals to slip onto the seat, finding a comfortable position for her hands on the handlebars as he held her steady.
“Okay, start pedaling,” Dante coached, keeping a grip underneath the seat and next to the handlebars.
She was a fast learner, and started out a little wobbly, but Dante found himself running along with her after a few false starts. He had her get used to the brakes, letting her bring the bike to a stop every time they reached the end of the driveway.
“I think I can do it,” Sarah told him confidently, her face glowing with excitement as they stopped at the end of the driveway after several trips back and forth. “You can let go this time.”
I can let go?
That thought rankled, even though Dante was pretty certain Sarah would stay upright. “We’ll see.” Her face was still shining with excitement, glowing like a child’s who was learning to ride for the first time. Dante had never seen her look more beautiful.
She pushed off and got herself seated, and Dante ran along with her for a short distance before letting go. “Don’t forget to brake,” he bellowed, running alongside of her now.
A startled look appeared briefly on her face as she realized he wasn’t holding on anymore, but then she whooped, “I’m doing it myself!”
She was, although Dante stayed close enough to react if she started to go down. He watched as she pedaled faster, and then started to ease on the brake to stop near the garage.
“I did it,” Sarah said breathlessly as she lowered her feet to the ground. Clambering off the cycle, she engaged the kickstand and threw herself into Dante’s arms, peppering his face with kisses as she bounced around in his arms jubilantly. “That was incredible.”
Worth every damn moment I’ve been sweating out her safety.
Dante was still watching their surroundings, but her happiness had been worth his stress, and having her delectable body bouncing against his was a definite bonus.
“I’m making you the best dinner ever later tonight,” Sarah told him excitedly.
Dante wanted to tell her that any time he ate at the same table with her was an incredible dinner, but he wouldn’t argue. His skills in the kitchen sucked, and Sarah was an incredible cook. The very best part of having dinner with Sarah was seeing her beautiful face as she sat next to him at the table. It was weird how fast he’d gotten used to not eating alone, to having her there every evening. Probably because he loved having her near him so damn much.
“It’s starting to get dark. You ready to head inside?” he asked her reluctantly, wishing he could capture her joy and hold on to it forever. This was the way he wanted to see her every single day.
“Yes,” she agreed readily, elevating the stand on her bike carefully and pushing it into the garage as though it were one of her most prized possessions.
Dante watched as she carefully removed her gear and stored it in the pouch on the back of the bike.
“Thank you,” she told him sincerely, reaching for his hand and entwining their fingers together when she joined him outside again.
He had to swallow a lump in his throat the size of Alaska. He’d never had a whole lot of tenderness in his life, but this woman was making him crave it from her.
Dante shrugged. “It was just a bike ride.”
“It was a whole lot more than just you teaching me how to ride a bike and you know it,” she replied quietly.