flip-flop. “I’m to bring you home where you belong--and to protect you. Oh, yeah. Your father sends his love.”
Jo slammed open the phone booth door. It banged into Conley’s elbow.
“Ow!” He rubbed his elbow and cast an irritated glance her way.
“Sorry.” She rushed over to the waiting Harley.
“I’ve got to get a helmet. I’m tired of bugs in my teeth.”
Jo folded her arms across her chest. “She makes me so angry.”
“Your mother?”
She nodded. “She doesn’t listen. She can’t see past his suave exterior. My mother thrills over the fact I lived in a two million dollar house and drove a BMW. I wore designer clothes and had a live-in nanny.” She kicked at a can on the sidewalk. It clattered into the gutter.
Conley stepped closer to her and she shrugged him off. “Don’t touch me. You’re always touching me.” She regretted the words the instant she saw his face fall. She reached out to him. “I’m sorry.”
He held his hands up and stepped back. “I’m fine with it. I’ve always been a little too personal with people. Getting into their space.” He handed her the helmet. “We need to go. It’ll be dark soon, and we’ve got a lot to do.”
“Conley, I…” she stopped as he held up his hand.
“Don’t, Jo. I’m fine. Really.” He mounted the bike. “Let’s go.”
“Conley, there’s something you should know. Something that would explain why…”
“Later.” He looked around them, motioning to the throngs of people milling around the sidewalk. “This isn’t the place for personal revelations.”
She nodded and placed the helmet on her head. Sighing, she slung her leg over the bike and scooted into place behind him.
###
Ouch . Conley’s heart plummeted to his stomach. I touched a raw nerve there. A bit surprised that it bothers me so much. He revved the bike into gear and squinted against the sun’s painful glare off the asphalt. He slowed and pulled alongside the sidewalk next to a motorcycle apparel store. “Stay here.”
Jo nodded and kept her head down.
He returned ten minutes later and handed Jo a fluorescent pink helmet with an amber-colored face plate. “No hard feelings?”
The smile on her face when she removed the black helmet lit up his world.
“This is the gaudiest thing I’ve ever seen.” Jo laughed.
“Yeah, but isn’t it fun?”
“Glorious.” She donned the new helmet and pulled down the face plate. “How do I look?”
“Like a true biker chick. Now for some indecently short shorts and a halter-top and you’d really look the part. Not to mention the coronary you’d give your parents.”
She laughed again, low and throaty. His heart pounded against his ribs.
He donned the black helmet and popped the motorcycle in gear. He drove down the street toward an inexpensive hotel he’d stayed in on a previous trip to Las Vegas. He steered the bike beneath the overhang of the pink salmon colored Spanish style building. After securing the motorcycle, he loosely held Jo’s elbow and steered her inside.
“One room,” Conley told the desk clerk. “We’re getting married.”
The clerk looked up impassively and handed them a room key. “Everybody does. Do you want the room by the hour or for the night?”
Jo’s
Jo slammed open the phone booth door. It banged into Conley’s elbow.
“Ow!” He rubbed his elbow and cast an irritated glance her way.
“Sorry.” She rushed over to the waiting Harley.
“I’ve got to get a helmet. I’m tired of bugs in my teeth.”
Jo folded her arms across her chest. “She makes me so angry.”
“Your mother?”
She nodded. “She doesn’t listen. She can’t see past his suave exterior. My mother thrills over the fact I lived in a two million dollar house and drove a BMW. I wore designer clothes and had a live-in nanny.” She kicked at a can on the sidewalk. It clattered into the gutter.
Conley stepped closer to her and she shrugged him off. “Don’t touch me. You’re always touching me.” She regretted the words the instant she saw his face fall. She reached out to him. “I’m sorry.”
He held his hands up and stepped back. “I’m fine with it. I’ve always been a little too personal with people. Getting into their space.” He handed her the helmet. “We need to go. It’ll be dark soon, and we’ve got a lot to do.”
“Conley, I…” she stopped as he held up his hand.
“Don’t, Jo. I’m fine. Really.” He mounted the bike. “Let’s go.”
“Conley, there’s something you should know. Something that would explain why…”
“Later.” He looked around them, motioning to the throngs of people milling around the sidewalk. “This isn’t the place for personal revelations.”
She nodded and placed the helmet on her head. Sighing, she slung her leg over the bike and scooted into place behind him.
###
Ouch . Conley’s heart plummeted to his stomach. I touched a raw nerve there. A bit surprised that it bothers me so much. He revved the bike into gear and squinted against the sun’s painful glare off the asphalt. He slowed and pulled alongside the sidewalk next to a motorcycle apparel store. “Stay here.”
Jo nodded and kept her head down.
He returned ten minutes later and handed Jo a fluorescent pink helmet with an amber-colored face plate. “No hard feelings?”
The smile on her face when she removed the black helmet lit up his world.
“This is the gaudiest thing I’ve ever seen.” Jo laughed.
“Yeah, but isn’t it fun?”
“Glorious.” She donned the new helmet and pulled down the face plate. “How do I look?”
“Like a true biker chick. Now for some indecently short shorts and a halter-top and you’d really look the part. Not to mention the coronary you’d give your parents.”
She laughed again, low and throaty. His heart pounded against his ribs.
He donned the black helmet and popped the motorcycle in gear. He drove down the street toward an inexpensive hotel he’d stayed in on a previous trip to Las Vegas. He steered the bike beneath the overhang of the pink salmon colored Spanish style building. After securing the motorcycle, he loosely held Jo’s elbow and steered her inside.
“One room,” Conley told the desk clerk. “We’re getting married.”
The clerk looked up impassively and handed them a room key. “Everybody does. Do you want the room by the hour or for the night?”
Jo’s
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