Ready to Fall by Olivia Dade Page B

meeting his eyes. Her head turned to the side, and she stared at her bike.
    He waited a moment, but she didn’t say anything. Didn’t look at him.
    â€œI shouldn’t have done that,” he added. And God knew it was the truth. Now that he’d tasted her and felt her soft body against his for a second time, letting her go was going to hurt even more. Fuck, right now he wanted her more than his next breath.
    But if he didn’t plan to try to change her mind about Ulysses, he had no right to be touching her. No right to lead her on in any way.
    And he didn’t want to compete with another man for her affections. Did he?
    He frowned. No. Of course not. He was still recovering from the pain of having a woman he loved choose another man over him. He had no desire to repeat the experience.
    She hopped down from the front of her SUV, yanked open her car door, and reached inside. When she reemerged, she was clutching her purse in her hand. After a moment of fumbling, she held out a bank envelope to him.
    â€œYour money,” she said.
    For the first time since he’d known her, he couldn’t read her expression at all. Her face and eyes were opaque. Emotionless.
    He waved off the envelope. “You don’t need to—”
    â€œTake it. I know how to ride my bike now. And that means my pursuit of Ulysses begins the day after tomorrow. So thank you, Chris. Our lessons are over.”
    Reluctantly, he took the packet of money from her hand. She immediately went to her bike and bent to pick it up, obviously planning on putting it back in her car.
    â€œWait!” He didn’t even know what he was going to say. Only that he had to stop her from leaving.
    At the moment he spoke, the sky over the battlefield exploded in pinwheels of color. Thuds reverberated through his body. He saw Sarah jump at the sudden concussion of the fireworks, just as he did.
    â€œHappy Fourth of July.” He meant it. Sarah Mayhew was a wonderful woman who deserved love and joy in her life. Even though the thought of her finding that love and joy with another man made his stomach churn.
    â€œHappy Fourth of July,” she repeated in a flat voice. Then she turned back to her bike and lifted it.
    â€œSarah.” Desperate, he tried to think of some reason she should stay that wouldn’t involve more kissing. “You should make one more lap around the parking lot. Just to be sure you’re ready for the retreat.”
    Don’t go , he thought. Please, just give me five more minutes with you before you leave .
    She pursed her lips in irritation. “You’re very thorough.”
    He could barely hear her comment between the blasts of fireworks, but it didn’t sound like a compliment.
    â€œFine.” She set the bike back down and shoved up the kickstand with her foot. With the ease of two hours’ worth of practice, her right leg swung over the frame. She settled into place. With one smooth motion, she put her feet on the pedals and started her loop around the parking lot. This time, she went a lot faster.
    Eager to be rid of me , he thought.
    She’d made it most of the way around the circle and was heading back toward him when a particularly loud concussion ripped through the sky. The grand finale of the fireworks, he figured. For just a moment, he turned toward the battlefield to catch a glimpse of the show.
    Then he heard Sarah give a short, piercing scream, one that cut off abruptly. His heart stopped at the sound, and he started running toward her even before his eyes even registered that she was no longer on her bike.
    Instead, she was sprawled in a heap on the pavement, her limbs arranged carelessly. Her body seemed tiny, a small patch of paleness against a wide expanse of dark pavement.
    No helmet , he thought in panicked fear. Fuck, she never put her helmet back on for that last lap, and I didn’t remind her. Didn’t notice .
    By the time he dropped to his knees