Trouble With the Curve (Learning Curve #2) Page 3

  “As tempting as it is to change our plans for tonight and spend our evening right here in our little playground, that’s not going to happen. I suggest you get up quick before I start stripping your clothes off.” I smirk.

  “Um . . . it’s pretty hard to comply with that suggestion while you are laying on top of me, Mr. Stone. And you haven’t told me the dress code for tonight, so I may have to strip anyway. Do whatever you need to do, hotshot.” She’s poking the lion in me, wanting me to decide to fuck all the plans and just put the ring on her finger right here in this bed. And she’s so hot doing it that I’m finding it challenging to pull myself away. I wouldn’t hate an evening playing with her body. I nuzzle her neck with my unshaven whiskers as she squirms from the roughness.

  My teeth lightly latch to her soft skin, nipping her gently before I move a few inches off, giving her space to escape. “Jeans, babe. And wear your hair back. We’re taking the bike tonight.”

  She giggles when she moves as I playfully reach for her when she’s out of my grasp, pretending I’ve changed my mind. I haven’t changed my mind, so I don’t pull her back to me regardless of what she thinks. If I had, nothing would prevent me from keeping her in this bed.

  ***

  My Charlie loves being on the back of my bike, and she’s a fucking natural. You’d think she’d spent her life in this position and didn’t get her first ride, in multiple ways, just a few months back. The Charlotte I met back in those days is not the one at my back today. Evil had imprisoned her spirit for too damn long, but when she learned to spread her wings and soar, she did it with a level of intensity and passion I’ve never seen.

  We exit the highway to the backroads. The very same backroads we took the first time she got on the back of my bike. My heart is thumping with fervor, anticipating what’s coming, and I’m a little worried she may feel the aggressive beats through my leather coat where her hands are clasped at my chest, and her perfect little tits encased in her own leather jacket, pressed to my back.

  It’s still light out, but dusk is fast approaching. When I see the red rectangle in the distance, I’m thankful that Charlie’s looking out into the distance over my right shoulder. I slow down as we get closer, which is uncharacteristic for our rides, so she doesn’t miss it even though it’s still distant enough you can’t read it.

  My girl likes to fly when she’s at my back, and the slowing pace and downshifting has her sitting up a little straighter and more alert, trying to figure out why I’m lagging. The red yard sign just off the road staked in the grass has bold white lettering outlined in black, and baseball stitching across the top left corner and the bottom right. When we approach it, I’m driving at a snail's pace before I pull off the road onto the shoulder directly beside it. Under the sign is a galvanized bucket with some sort of bow wrapped around it full of tall yellow buttercup daisies. Thankfully, I had some help in putting this together, or it wouldn’t look nearly as cool as it does.

  The windshield of her helmet is covering her face so I can’t see her expression. In neutral, the sound of the engine is tolerable enough she could say something, and I’d be able to hear her, but she doesn’t. I’ve rested my feet on the ground, balancing the bike between my legs. I flip up the shield on my helmet and do the same to hers, and I find my girl beaming behind it with glassy eyes. She’s still staring at the sign, and as much as I want her eyes on me, watching her reaction as she studies the sign is definitely worth the wait.

  She finally pulls her gaze from the sign to me. This is just the beginning, and her emotions are barely restrained. I give her a reassuring smile and nod to the sign. “So Charlie, you ready for more?” I ask.

  “I love you, Tyler.” Her voice falters, barely escaping as a whisper, as a single tear strays from her eye. Wishing I could catch the tear with my lips and kiss it away, I catch it with my finger instead.

  “More than life itself, buttercup,” I tell her, feeling elated about what’s to come. With a sparkle in her eye and a beautiful smile, I lower the shield on her helmet then my own before we take off on down the road. We’re still moving slower than our normal pace, but now I’m convinced she’s okay with it. Her hands wrap around me, and I feel a little more pressure as she hugs her body to mine.

  Falling in love with Charlotte wasn’t a choice for me. It just happened, and so far, it’s been an adventure of many ups and some downs, but it’s our adventure. It’s just fucking starting, and it’ll be my mission to keep this adventure on track until the day I take my last breath of air.

  I GRASP HIM TIGHTLY, wanting to be as physically close to him as possible. When Ty said we were going on a date, I expected it would be fun. Dates with him are always great, and I’ve come to expect them to be fun. This. I never expected.

  We make a turn onto another two-lane backroad, less traveled than the first, and dozens of red signs and buckets of yellow buttercup daisies fill my view of the distance. I feel giddy, sitting up straighter as Tyler slows as we approach the first set. He sits up as well, and I can see his excitement in his posture.

  We creep along at a snail's pace as Tyler zigs toward the first sign. He doesn’t stop, but he slows enough so I can easily read it.

  Driving a few yards, he zags to the opposite side of the road as another sign approaches.

  I can barely contain the squeal of excitement as he drives toward the next.

  I’m not even sure air is passing through my lungs as he takes off a little farther down the road toward the bulk of the red signs. As we approach them, he slows again, this time down to a crawl in the center of the road. The signs are on both sides of the street, and I already know I’ll be asking to drive up and down this street many times so I can make sure to take in every single one. Taking the cue from Tyler when I see him do the same, I lift the windshield on my helmet as we approach close enough to read them.

  I laugh like a fool when I read that one and bend forward just in time to catch Ty’s trademark side-smile. The signs go on forever as I continue to read them, squeezing him across his shoulders in an embrace I can’t seem to release.

  So true—nothing’s better than ballpark hot dogs or caramel apples. My God. How did he pull this off without me knowing?

  No words can express the way this surprise has made me feel. Nothing even close to this amazing has ever happened to me—FOR me. Ugly tearstains undoubtedly streak my face, but they are the happiest tears anyone could imagine. I thought I loved this man with every ounce of my soul, and I couldn’t love him any more, but I was oh so very wrong.

  I’ve missed so many along the drive, which panics me a bit when we reach the end. Ty flips his shield down, motioning for me to do the same before he drives off speedily once I comply. I try to squeeze him and yell for him to go back, but he only nods, tipping his head toward the road in front of us. I figure since he’s ignoring my request, it’s not in the plans, but I intend to come back as soon as the sun comes up tomorrow in my car and with my camera. I need to document this.

  Floating on cloud nine, I think about my night so far. Those signs. Just wow. I’d never be able to choose which one was my favorite. I loved them all. It’s beautiful to see love through someone else’s eyes, and that’s exactly what Tyler just gave me. I try to recall them all, giggling to myself.

  I remember that one. The funny thing is that although I’ve never said those words to him, I feel like he does that. I never dreamed I’d ever love someone like Ty. But more than that, in my wildest dreams, I never dreamed someone like Ty would ever love me. I really am the luckiest girl in the world. No matter where life takes us, I know we’re going to be just fine.

  The bike slows as we approach some property out in the middle of nowhere. The land feels surrounded by miles of stained wood fencing with what appears to be gas lanterns hung sporadically on the fence line at the front of the property along the street. Beyond the fence, I see huge majestic trees lining each side of a packed dirt driveway.

  Ty makes a wide turn to go down
the driveway to who on earth knows where, and my heart literally aches with anticipation. I’m really not sure how he could possibly make this night any more incredible or more memorable. Most of all, I’m not sure I can take any more of his amazingness.

  He’s driving extra cautious on the dirt road, which is shockingly smooth for an unpaved surface. In the distance, I see an old wooden barn beautifully lit up with bulb lights hanging from the trees and on poles around it. Then I see more red signs as we approach, but before we’re close enough for me to read the signs, he pulls off to the side and parks.

  Once he’s switched the engine off, Tyler moves quickly, taking off his helmet and climbing off the bike. He hurriedly removes my helmet as well, after reaching for my hand to help me off the bike.

  “Ty . . . what’s going on? What are we doing here?” I ask as he pulls me along with my hand clasped firmly in his own, not slowing at all. The grin across his face is contagious, and I can’t help but smile with him, even in my confused state. But what in the hell is happening? What is this place? I don’t even know where we are, but if I were going to guess, I’d guess heaven.

  As the signs come closer, Ty slows his stride and pulls me to him to wrap his arm around my shoulder snugly. As we approach the first sign, his head tilts down to look at me, and I can’t take my eyes off what’s in front of me.

  I hear music playing all around us. Tyler’s lips touch my forehead and stay there as I read the words on the group of signs surrounded by yellow buttercup daisies.

  His lips leave my head, and silently, with a little tug, he begins to walk me around the gardens of the barn. I quietly read the signs as the tears fall freely from my eyes. I don’t even bother to hide them or wipe them.

  I’m not sure if my body is in complete shock and causing me to lose the ability to speak or what, but I’m speechless. We linger, walking connected together silently. I don’t want this to end. I want to live connected to him, feeling more loved than ever, surrounded by his signs with words and buckets of daisies.

  Love plus. He thought it was silly when I first told him. He teased me. Now, he agrees with me, or at the very least, he’s willing to embrace my corniness. He’s definitely giving me Love+, but at the same time, Tyler Stone is giving me everything.

  I turn to look up at him. The second our eyes meet, I fling myself into his arms. He easily catches me, and my lips crush against his as I dangle in his arms. With our touching foreheads locking our gaze, we say so much in the silent communication of our eye contact. When I finally find my voice, I say the first thing that comes to mind and the only thing that needs to be said.

  “I love you, Tyler Stone, more than life itself. I can’t wait to marry you!”

  With frenzied efforts, our mouths take control, devouring one another as we stand in the gardens next to the barn. My legs wrap around his waist, and I struggle to keep myself from ripping his clothes off right here, surrounded by his incredible words and his beautiful flowers. The need to feel closer to him and connect our bodies in every possible way overwhelms me. Is this even real?

  “BABE, I’VE BEEN PLANNING my speech for weeks. I can’t believe you’ve agreed to marry me so easily without even hearing it.” The proud yet cocky grin cemented to my face is unmistakable.

  Charlie’s brow lifts inquisitively. “Oh Tyler Stone, you’re full of surprises tonight. Since you mentioned it, I guess I’m not quite convinced yet. So let’s hear it, hotshot.”

  God. I love this girl so much more than the words I’ve prepared and been practicing for this moment could ever define. But if she wants the speech, she can have it along with anything else it takes for her to let me put the ring burning a hole in my pocket onto her finger. She slides down my body to stand in front of me.

  I planned to take a knee for this, but I refuse to let her out of my arms while she’s looking at me the way she is right now. Looking down at the sweet smiling face of the girl of my dreams, I know her eyes, sparkling with still more unshed tears, warm parts of my soul I’m not sure existed before she came into my life. She couldn’t be more gorgeous, even with the wet tear trails on her cheeks.

  Now it’s time to do what I came for, and I’m going to start by telling her a story she knows but from a very different point of view. This could be interesting.

  “The day I decided to impart a life lesson on the most deliriously beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on was the day my life changed forever. I didn’t plan to find you as I was riding my bike out of the field lot after practice. For a reason I’ll never really understand, you caught my eye from a distance long before I could really even see you clearly, but I couldn’t drag my eyes away from you. Maybe it was way you looked, or maybe it was just simple curiosity? So focused, you were completely in your head and closed inside your own little world, wearing your earbuds. You never looked up from the damn pavement in front of you. I watched because I was waiting for you to look up. When you ran right into the intersection without pausing or making sure you weren’t running into the path of a passing car or truck, it pissed me off.” I pause, making sure she knows the scowl I’m sporting is for that.

  Charlie is shocked as her realization of what I’m confessing begins to set in. Then her look ungracefully shifts to something else entirely. Before she can say anything, I shake my head, nodding off the questions I know that are lingering on her tongue so I can continue.

  “It was my public service duty to help and possibly keep you from becoming a victim of a terrible accident later, so I handled it. At first, your response was funny. I scared the crap out of you. Then somewhere in the time between me scaring you, you calling me a fucking asshole, and you marching over to my bike and staring me down with that sexy ass feistiness out to play, it happened. I was captivated, more lost for you than I even knew at that time. I could have been struck by cupid’s arrow, but . . . I’m pretty sure it was witchcraft. I was captive to the spell, and you were bound to me unquestionably. You triggered my instinct to give a fuck, and the more I tried to fight the urge to care, the more I needed your presence.”

  Even held snug in my arms, I find myself on the receiving end of a glaring Charlie, but I’m okay with it. I was expecting that during this part, but this is really just the storytelling part.

  Charlie never realized I was the one on that bike that day, and even though I could have clued her in, I didn’t. We had other shit we were dealing with. I’m not surprised she never figured it out, though. The helmet and tinted wind guard hid my face, plus she was lost in her own head before I surprised her. Then bring in the adrenaline pumping through her as a result of being scared, and it would have made recognizing the details of my bike a stretch for anyone. She was overall clueless about motorcycles, on top of even that, so she didn’t have a chance. Nowadays, that’s a different story. She’s hooked.

  If I’m being honest, though, I liked having that part of our history as my own little secret until now. But now I want her to have it too. This part of our story is as significant to me as ‘Once upon a time’ is to the start of any fairy tale. Charlie knows I’m in deep with her. What she doesn’t realize is that I fell that deep the moment my eyes found her hours before she thinks we met.

  Even with the daggers my girl is attempting to stare at me right now, she’s putty in my arms. She can let her feistiness out to play all she wants. I can take it, and I actually like it. Her feisty side turns me on in a big way. But exciting me equally is the fact that I’ll finally be able to finish that lesson I started in the parking lot. This time, I’ll use a more effective and memorable tactic, just for good measure, of course. I make a mental note. A couple of good swats the next time I have her naked, bent over, and ass up should do the trick.

  “Are you kidding me right now, Ty? You’re Mr. Attention Seeker . . . the asshole on the motorcycle who almost gave me a heart attack by revving the engine to scare me? That was you? Is that really what you’re telling me, Tyler Stone?” she asks; long pauses linger between each questio
n as she attempts to control her tone, only the annoyance riddling her voice easily betrays her façade. It’s cute, and even with the effort, it’s hard to contain my grin from growing sizably. I nod my acceptance, quickly wanting to move on and finish my speech before she has second thoughts and decides to take back her earlier answer.

  “Let me finish, buttercup. You can yell at me and do your best at kicking my ass later, preferably with my cock planted deep inside you. You can decide that later. Anytime after I finish my speech will be fine with me really. I’m flexible, and flexibility is one of the keys to a successful marriage, just so you know.”

  No matter what—ass kicking and yelling guarantees make-up sex, and that means rolling in the sheets for a while and lots of orgasms. Yes, I’ll gladly welcome whatever ass kicking she can come up with for that result.

  I wink, and her eyes widen instantly as she glares at me, indicating my added commentary is not entertaining her.

  “Oh. My. God. Just wow. How romantic? This proposal is sure going to hell in a handbasket fast, hotshot. Hope you have a plan to turn this around before I commence the yelling and ass kicking. I have no idea how you’ve managed to turn the perfect proposal we had going into a train wreck? Remind me why I wanted to hear your speech again?” she asks, but it’s not a rhetorical question. Then she begins whispering under her breath, “Hmph. Note to self; skip the special Tyler Stone speeches in the future at all costs, in lieu of his perfect words printed on signs. Signs are good. Speeches, not so much.” I’m inches from her, so I hear her note to self clearly and laugh softly. Our gaze still attached, I know she loves me. If she’s taking note to avoid my speeches in the future, that means we have a future, and she’s already sealing the deal. I hold back the urge to pump my fist in the air and just hold her a little tighter instead.