Born to Be Wild by Patti Berg Read Free Book Online Page B

accepted. Now, can we get going? I’ve got other business to take care of.”
    She almost growled in annoyance. Typical man! He hadn’t really accepted her heartfelt apology, he just didn’t want to hash it over until they had the whole ridiculous incident cleared up. If this were a real relationship she’d insist they talk about it until they were both blue in the face, until he could laugh at it. But this was merely a business relationship. She’d said she was sorry, she’d meant it, and now she had to move on and just make sure he’d cater the wedding on Saturday.
    “We are still going to your place, aren’t we?”
    “That’s the plan.”
    “Good. Then let’s get going.” She flipped down the visor and wrapped her arms around his waist as he revved the engine.
    “So,” he said, twisting around again and hitting her with his intense brown eyes, “are you going to lean with me, or against me?”
    “With,” she conceded, now that their discussion had gone full circle without resolving anything. “But could you please do me a favor and give me a warning when you’re about to do something rash? That way I can close my eyes. I know that won’t make it hurt any less when we crash, but at least I won’t see the ground when I hit.”
    oOo
    Max seemed to take a special delight in finding roads that twisted and turned, and hitting ruts had to be one of his favorite pastimes. It didn’t take long for Lauren to tire of squeezing her eyes so tight they watered, and after their seventh or eighth death-defying feat, she found that leaning was far more exciting than she’d imagined.
    She’d never admit it, of course, but Max would have to be deaf not to hear her laughter as they sped past cars and semis. She’d never admit, either, that she secretly wished she wasn’t wearing a helmet, because she wanted to feel the wind whipping wildly about her face. She was a lady, however, and ladies didn’t do such things.
    All too soon the motorcycle slowed when Max turned onto a street lined with small, older homes in varying degrees of disrepair. The purple stucco house with screaming yellow trim was fairly interesting, as were the loud sounds pulsing from one of the many vehicles in the driveway, on the lawn, and lining the curbs. The house next door had wrought-iron bars on the doors and windows plus a high chain-link fence surrounding the entire yard. And then there was the vicious-looking dog running back and forth, barking up a storm.
    She had the distinct impression that she wasn’t in the best part of town.
    “Excuse me, Max,” she hollered through the helmet, tapping him on the shoulder as she leaned close. “Are you sure it’s safe for us to be here?”
    He merely tilted his head toward her, grinned, and waved to a bunch of guys heading the opposite direction in a low-riding, beat-up black Cadillac.
    Perhaps she should close her eyes again, she thought, but Max took another turn without slowing down, and she forgot her worry when the giddy exhilaration tumbled through her stomach.
    No sooner had they turned the corner than they entered a completely different world, where sprawling houses sat far back from the palm-lined lane. Their expansive lawns were neatly trimmed, with banana trees, ferns, and bird-of-paradise rimming each home.
    Max waved at an old gentleman standing in one front yard watering his plants and, good heavens! he was doing it in the nude. Perhaps this wasn’t the best of neighborhoods after all.
    Her shocked but curious stare stayed fastened on the naked man until Max turned into the next driveway and came to a stop alongside what appeared to be the largest house on the block. The brick front had been painted white, the trim a dark forest green, and the sun glinted off the windows. Where the other homes had subdued, well-maintained landscaping, this yard was lush and wild. The banana trees, the ferns, and the bird-of-paradise seemed taller and fuller than any she’d ever seen. Pink,