I wasn’t sure why, but hearing those words made me happy.

“So what’s on our agenda today, Liv?” He propped his hands behind him on the grass as he looked at me expectantly.

“Our agenda?”

“Well, the way I see it, we’re both free today. So why not be free together?”

I stared at him, shocked by his boldness.

“I—” I was about tell him off, but something stopped me.

“What?” He smirked. “Do you have plans? Are you one of those girls that spends your free afternoons doing nothing but shopping and spending your fiancé’s money?”

“No,” I retorted, offended that he’d even think I was a girl like that.

He smiled in amusement. “I didn’t think so. I think you’re more of the adventurous type.”

“Actually, I don’t think I am.”

“I think you are, Liv.”

Before I could protest and disagree with him, he grabbed my hand and pulled me up from the lawn.

“Come on.” There was an excited gleam in his eyes as he led me away from the “Rocky Steps.”

“Where are we going?” As much as I tried to resist, I felt a thrill of excitement run through me.

“We’re going for a ride.” He looked over at me, his eyes dark and mysterious, and I felt my heart pound a little faster against my chest.

Before I could ask what exactly he meant by that, he stopped in front of it. I let out an audible gasp when I realized what he meant.

There parked before us was a sleek, black Harley Davidson bike.

I shook my head in protest. “I…I should get back home.”

“Okay. Then let me take you home. I promise I won’t go too fast,” he coaxed as he watched me intently.

I looked at him and then at the bike, trying to decide what to do.

Suddenly, he grabbed my waist and pulled me against his chest. He leaned up against my cheek and whispered in a husky voice, “Live a little, Liv.”

To my surprise, something about his words and the dangerous look in his eyes stopped me from objecting further. Against all rational thought, I felt myself nod in agreement. I wasn’t sure why, but there was something about his spontaneity, that made me feel more alive than I’d felt since I’d awoken two weeks ago. Instead of everyone else who seemed to dance around me and treated me like a fragile piece of glass—an object that was about to break at a moment’s notice, Ethan was the only person that seemed to not give in to that pattern. He didn’t treat me like an injured bird that needed to be protected. Instead, he pushed me to the limit and treated me like a strong and fearless person.

“Feisty, honest, and adventurous.” His disarming, crooked smile sent a shiver down my back and I felt my body tense with anticipation. Then he tapped his hand on the motorcycle chair, motioning me to sit down.

I looked at the small seat hesitantly, and instantly felt nervous. That’s a small seat for both of us.

“Come on, Liv. Life’s waiting.” He flashed me a dangerous smile and I swallowed hard.

I gingerly moved my leg over the seat.

“That’s one lucky seat.” He raised his eyebrows and eyed my legs as they straddled the seat.

I looked at him in disgust. “You’re such a—”

“—An awesome person?” He finished my sentence with a devious smirk. “You’re abso-fucking-lutely right.”

I glared at him and was about to get off the bike.

But he stopped me and his face softened. “Please don’t be like that. I was just teasing you.”

He put a motorcycle helmet over my head and secured the strap under my chin. Our eyes met and I was surprised by how warm and kind his brown eyes were at that moment as he stared at me. He gently brushed a wisp of loose hair from my face. “Ready?”

I looked at him as panic set in. I’d never been on a motorcycle and the thought scared me.

He flashed me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

I couldn’t explain why, but I believed him and my body relaxed as I felt the engine rev to life.

CHAPTE R FOUR

The wild blasts of wind hit my face at high speeds, assaulting my numbed cheeks. My stomach lurched with every twist, turn, and dip the seat under me forced me through the violent ride. My tiny hands gripped tightly onto the metal as I squeezed my eyes closed, wishing for the second we’d stop and be safely back on solid ground. I knew that I was screaming, my mouth was dry as gushes of air blew into my open mouth. Why did I agree to go on this roller coaster ride? I asked myself as I wondered how much longer this ride would be. I’m only nine. I don’t want to die!

But somehow I knew that I should open my eyes and face my fear. I clutched at the metal bars tighter as I willed my eyes open. I gasped as I saw that we had just reached the top of a loop and braced myself as the roller coaster flew down the steep downward track. But this time, I forced myself to keep my eyes open.

As the roller roaster plummeted down the loop, my body heaved upward against the bars that secured me against my seat. I screamed, but this time, they were screams of exhilaration and laughter as I flew through the air. This time, instead of a sickening lurch in my stomach, I felt an intense rush of adrenaline surge through my body. The feeling was incredible! For the first time, I couldn’t think about anything else but this moment—not the tension at home, not my father’s drinking, not my mother’s secret crying behind closed doors. For the first time, all that mattered was the incredible high of this moment. For the first time in months, I felt free.

“Liv, can you hear me? Open your eyes. It’ll make it better!” His voice brought me back to the present as the flashback faded into the background.

I felt the wind blowing past us as the bike zipped through the street. I realized that I had my eyes closed tightly as my arms gripped around Ethan’s muscular body for dear life.

“Open your eyes,” I heard him say again.

I felt the same lurch I’d felt in my flashback, and I realized that he was right. When I opened my eyes, I realized we weren’t going as fast as I’d thought when my eyes were closed. We were flying through a wide, busy street, weaving effortlessly through the early rush-hour traffic, but I noticed that Ethan made sure we kept a fair distance from any cars.

“Atta girl!” He met my gaze through one of the rear-view mirrors on the bike. “It’s not as scary if you can see where you’re going.”

“You’re right. Thanks.” The nauseous lurch in my stomach was gone. Instead, I felt the same rush of adrenaline course through me that I’d felt in my flashback on the roller coaster. I felt free.

As my body began to relax, my mind registered other things. My hands could feel the muscular frame of Ethan’s hard body under his leather jacket. I could smell the intoxicating mixture of his aftershave and masculine scent as my face nestled against his shoulder. I felt the powerful vibration of the bike as my legs straddled tightly against his backside. I was immediately turned on and began to wonder how it’d feel to be touched by this dangerous and exciting stranger. I wondered how it’d feel to have his hard, naked body wrapped around me, on top of me, inside of me.

“Are you having fun?” His words broke through my fantasy, causing me to grow hot with embarrassment and shame for what I’d just been thinking.

“Yeah,” I managed.

It wasn’t until then that I started to take in our surroundings and noticed that we were in a neighborhood that I didn’t recognize at all. The houses were smaller and the streets were busier than the pristine, opulent houses that lined the neighborhood that Connor and I lived in. How long have we been on this bike? I live less than a mile from the museum. It should only take a few minutes to get back to my place.