Off Limits by Delilah Wilde Read Free Book Online Page B

bike like that, like the bad boy he was, thrilled me. Sitting behind him felt like playing with fire, but I did it anyway and after putting on my helmet.
     
    "That's my girl," he said, starting up the death machine.
     
    "I'm not your girl!" I shouted, but the engine was so loud that he didn't seem to hear me. Either that or he didn't want to hear me. Suddenly we were hurtling forward and I was screaming at the top of my lungs. The bike was so fast, so loud, so dangerous. All I could do was clasp Nate tightly and trust that he would get me to our destination in one piece. That was the other scary thing. I hadn't asked where we were going.
    We rode through street after street together. Some of them were familiar to me and some of them were strange, areas far too classy for people like us. I was broke as shit and Nate, despite being insanely wealthy, didn't seem to quite fit the mold of the upper class business man. I saw people shooting us dirty looks as we sped past them but for once in my life I didn't care. By the time Nate Parked the bike right next to the beach, my fear had disappeared and the adrenaline was pumping inside me. I tore off my helmet.
     
    "Aw, why'd you stop?" I asked and Nate laughed, taking his helmet off and looking back at me.
     
    "Because we're here? Fuck Ruby, I can't figure you out. One minute you're yelling at me for making you ride on the back of my bike and the next you're yelling at me for stopping. I can't win," he scolded, though he was smiling. I watched him get up and hang the helmet off of the bike handles, so I did the same.
     
    "So, what did you take me to the beach for? What kind of platonic fun will we have here?" I asked. Nate ignored my little jab and pointed to a restaurant on the edge of the beach.
     
    "You see that? That's my restaurant. The first one," he looked down at me, "How would you like a free Italian dinner?"
     
    I shrugged, trying to seem casual though it sounded like an incredible offer. Otherwise I'd be having oatmeal for dinner again. It couldn't hurt to say yes, could it? I had already ridden on his motorcycle without incident. Maybe we really could have a great friendship together.
     
     
    Nate
     
    By the time Ruby and I finished our dinner, the sun had set and the beach was deserted. She had been very sweet and shy, obviously not wanting to order anything too expensive. The thing is that that really isn't an option in my restaurants. I eventually convinced her to order what she wanted and she enjoyed a delicious salad, squid ink pasta and tiramisu for dessert. She relished every bite of food and thanked me profoundly for treating her. She obviously didn't eat very well at home, though I wasn't sure how she could on an artist's salary. I was glad to see her look so happy as we left the restaurant.
     
    "Wow, the beach is totally empty," she said, as we walked alone the sand, "and it's still so warm. I bet the water feels incredible right now."
     
    "I'll bet it does," I said, "But you can't see anything."
     
    The two of us had had a few beers after dinner and I could see that Ruby had loosened up considerably. She didn't walk. Instead, she skipped alongside me and couldn't keep a smile of her face. She wasn't drunk, not by any means, but certainly a little bit tipsy. It was adorable and made me want to kiss her more than anything. But I had been banned from that. For a while we didn't say anything, she just sang softly as I walked and she skipped. Then she stopped in her tracks and looked at me.
     
    "Nate," she said, giggling, "Nate, I have an idea."
     
    "What?" I asked. She giggled a little but more before finally answering me.
     
    "We should go skinny dipping together!" she exclaimed. The words confused me but as I tried to argue with her she began to strip off, "I bet the water is so nice."
     
    "But Ruby, I thought we were being strictly platonic?" I asked. She rolled her eyes at me as if I had just said something incredibly stupid.
    "We are, silly. I