Ah! He was now speaking her language! “Okay, that makes sense to me.”
He shook his head. “Are you really the kind of person who can’t tell the difference between the various motorcycles?”
She shrugged, a twinkle in her eyes because she knew he was teasing her. “Well, I know that some have longer handlebars. And I heard someone say that the best way to find a good barbeque place in Texas is to find the restaurant with the most motorcycles and pickup trucks parked out front. But I’m not the kind who would test motorcycles, nor have I ever been to Texas. So neither of those issues is something I can testify to.”
Lincoln chuckled. “Good enough.” He tossed her the stopwatch. “Start timing me when I pass by the red line.”
He revved the engine and blasted off down the track.
“Can you hear me, Kinsley?” Lincoln asked in her ear.
“Loud and clear, boss,” she teased right back. When she heard his chuckle, she couldn’t help but smile.
“Good. So let me know the timing as I pass by this time. I’m going to do a bit more testing, pushing the bike a bit harder.”
Kinsley didn’t know what that meant. But she obediently pressed the button on the stopwatch when his bike roared over the red line. Then she watched, breathlessly, as he zoomed along the track, seeming to be a blur this time. When he turned into the corner, he leaned the bike into what seemed like a dangerous angle. She held her breath, terrified that something would go wrong, that the bike would slide out from under him and Lincoln would go skidding across the asphalt.
When he came out of the turn, Kinsley released the breath she’d been holding. But he was coming up on the next and…he did it again! Did he speed up as the hour wore on? Kinsley wasn’t sure and she wasn’t doing a very good job of timing the laps. She got maybe half of them recorded, but those times might not be accurate. Every time he went into one of those turns, Kinsley struggled to pull her eyes away from the bike until he was on the straightaway again.
When he finally pulled to a stop and shut off the bike, Kinsley felt as if she might just throw up.
“What the hell were you trying to do?” she demanded, tossing her clipboard and stopwatch down onto the ground. “Do you have a death wish? Is that it? Are you suicidal?”
“I’m sorry?” he asked, pulling his helmet off and looking down at her.
“What are you trying to do?” she demanded.
Lincoln looked at Kinsley, about to blast her for yelling at him when he was only doing his job, making sure that his invention worked and was ready for the next level of testing.
But as he looked down at her, he realized that there were tears in her eyes. Not just that, but she was trembling. Was she…scared for him? It had been such a long time since anyone had given a damn about him that the feeling warmed him right down to his toes.
He pulled her into his arms, holding her against his chest. “I’m sorry, Kinsley. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He rubbed his hand down her back, and stroked her hair. She was shaking so hard, he wasn’t sure how she could stand. Tightening his arms around her, Lincoln closed his eyes, feeling….good. She cared. Damn, she actually cared! It wasn’t love. No, he didn’t delude himself into thinking that it was love. It was just…concern for him. Concern that he might have pushed the bike too far, taken the corners too fast.
So he just stood there, holding her and soothing her. And damn it felt good! Really good. No one had cared about him since his mother had passed away, about ten years ago. It was…strange to know that there was another human being who cared whether he lived or died. For so long, he’d just gone through life on his own terms, never caring about anyone else. Oh, he gave to the charities that he agreed with. But giving a few million dollars to an organization was completely different than caring if someone smiles. Or breathes.
Kinsley cared.
For a long moment, he stood there with her in his arms, savoring her concern. Okay, and savoring the feel of her in his arms, her soft breasts pressed against his chest. He breathed in the sweet scent of her shampoo and let his hands move over her silken skin. But that was all he would allow himself to feel. Anything else would be…bad. Very bad!
“I’m okay,” she whispered into his chest.
Lincoln relaxed his hold on her, but he didn’t let her go. Not yet. And not just because he thought she might still need his support. He held onto her because…hell, because she felt so good. She felt right in his arms. Better than any other woman had ever felt and he was reluctant to let that sensation go.
“Why do you do that?” She asked, looking up at him through damp lashes. Had she really cried for him? Something twisted in his chest and he cupped her cheek as his thumb dried her tears.
“It wasn’t nearly as dangerous as it looked, really,” he assured her, his voice deep and husky.
She shuddered and his arms tightened around her again. “But…the angles you were taking those corners, Linc! They were…!”
“Not nearly as dangerous as they look.” He took her hand and led her over to the bike. “See this? You watched me attach it right before I took off. When I go
