A trickle of sweat ran between Justin's shoulder blades, his breaths wrenching from him as he barrelled through the bushland. His muscles strained beneath his grey jersey, his fingers tightening around the bars as he navigated the gravel track through the brush. He'd traded his Honda in for a Husaberg a month ago but because of all the shit going on with his girlfriend—ex-girlfriend now—he hadn't been able to give it a decent ride until today.
A spur of the moment decision this morning had him throwing his camping gear in the truck and loading his motorbike on the trailer. Once he'd filled his travel mug with coffee, he'd taken off on the one hour drive to Avoca to make the most of his Saturday in the mountains.
Now he'd given himself a good workout some of the tension had finally eased from his shoulders. The fresh air and the challenge of the rough countryside always helped him relax. Justin let out a laughing breath, the sound muffled by his full-faced helmet. He should have disappeared for some time to himself weeks ago. God knows Alicia had made him crave it.
He rose slightly from his seat to tackle the oncoming hill. A branch scratched his shoulder, and rocks and ruts filled the track leading up into dense scrub. He feathered the clutch and maintained the throttle, alternating between watching the ground and checking his surroundings. He hadn't come across any kangaroos or other riders yet but it paid to keep an eye out just in case.
He reached the apex, his heart pounding as he blew out a harsh breath. Justin sank onto the seat and forged ahead, loving the adrenaline rush that came along with the ride. He glanced to the left and noticed another track winding through the trees. His eyes flicked to the right and—fuuuck. A rider came out of nowhere.
His stomach lurched. He braced himself.
His body tensed and he braked just in time to avoid having his front wheel clipped. His heart felt like it was pounding in his throat. He watched the other rider turn in a sharp circle, kicking up dirt and leaves before coming to a skidding halt.
Justin blew out a sigh and hit the kill switch. He removed his helmet and goggles, waiting while the other man did the same—only to find himself staring at a woman.
The first spark of attraction hit him even as he was still trying to catch his breath. Justin exhaled hard and ran a gloved hand through his dark hair as he looked the woman over. Body armour protected her torso while black pants and boots covered her slim legs. Smudges of dirt marred her chin and upper lip; her green eyes were full of surprise as she stared back at him.
"That was...really close," he said. "Are you all right?"
Her shoulder-length blonde hair stuck to the perspiration on her cheek. She let out a shaky laugh and shoved it aside with the back of her hand. "Apart from almost having a heart attack, I'm fine. You?"
He shared the feeling of relief he heard in her tone. "Yeah, I'm good." Justin listened for the sound of other engines but heard nothing. "Where's your group?" he asked. "You're not out by yourself are you?"
Riders generally travelled in groups or at least with a partner. On any other day he would have done the same thing; going out alone meant potentially having to wait a long time for help if you suffered an injury.
She sent him an amused look. "I don't see anyone with you."
Justin flashed his dimples. "That's because I'm a man."
She snorted as her gaze swept over him. "I'm guessing you're a man who can't keep up with little old me."
She lifted her helmet and shoved it back on. As it lowered over her head he saw the playful glance she threw his way; it triggered a surprising surge of heat low in his belly. Before he even had the chance to ask her name she started her bike, gave him a wave with just the tips of her fingers, and sped away.
Justin shook his head in wonder, his blue eyes following her movements. She'd taken their near-miss in stride, recovering quicker than he'd expected. She hadn't tried to shoulder the blame or lay it on him either, knowing it had merely been one of those unavoidable situations.
He couldn't get the stupid grin off his face as he watched her weave through the eucalyptus trees. During the two year relationship he'd just ended, most of the problems he and Alicia had experienced had apparently been his fault. She'd alternated between turning her nose up at his love of riding and demanding he get rid of his bike. It eventually became just one of the many subjects they'd argued about and the bike finally won out over the woman.
Over the past week he'd come to realise the decision had been for the best. Today he felt like congratulating himself all over again.
Justin noticed the mystery blonde had already become a mere dot in the distance. He snapped from his thoughts and jammed his helmet back on. If he let her get too much of a head start he'd lose her for good.
And something told him he shouldn't let this one get away.
* * * *
It was a full two hours later when they made it back to the small parking lot adjacent to the campground. No other vehicles had arrived in the time they'd been gone and his tent still stood alone beside the creek. It looked as if he'd have the place to himself tonight, which suited him just fine. The warm days and cool nights of early summer made it one of his favourite times of year.
He cruised across the asphalt and glanced over his shoulder, giving his new riding companion a wave to indicate she should join him. She responded by sending him a hand signal he didn't understand. While he was still trying to figure out the meaning behind it, she rocketed down the road that led away from the mountains.
"What the..." Justin assumed she'd hang around for a while once they got back to camp. He frowned as he watched her go, wondering if he'd somehow imagined the connection developing between them. After he caught up to her earlier, the lead had changed constantly for the remainder of the ride. He'd heard her whoops of laughter and felt the heat in the quick glances she'd thrown his way. The last couple of hours had almost felt like a strange kind of foreplay—for him at least.
He jumped from his bike and wheeled it over to his tent. Justin tried to push her from his thoughts, but when he'd lowered the kickstand and dropped his helmet on the camp chair, he could still hear her engine echoing in the distance. He worked his gloves off and considered the idea of going after her, if only just to ask for her number so they could ride together again.
Jesus. He scrubbed his hands down his face and laughed at himself. Enough of that crap.
After he'd downed a bottle of Gatorade and taken a break for a while, Justin stripped down to his grey boxer briefs and wandered barefoot over to the creek. If there were no other campers around he always washed off the dirt of the day whenever he came here; it beat spending the rest of the weekend covered in a layer of sweat and dust.
He climbed down the embankment, dodging twigs and rocks as he made his way to the water's edge. He stepped in, savouring the cool relief on his toes. Smooth pebbles pressed against the soles of his feet as he waded into the middle, heading to the spot where he knew the water level reached his upper thighs.
His attention lingered on a dragonfly hovering over the surface. With no breeze blowing through the trees or bird sounds nearby, the stillness made him feel surprisingly alone. He sank into the water and ducked his head under, figuring the feeling would pass as soon as he settled in at camp and opened his first beer.
Justin held his breath and raked his hands through his hair, washing the dirt from the back of his neck. He rubbed the stubble on his jaw where the dust always seemed to get caught after it snuck under his helmet.
When he'd run out of air and places to clean, he pushed upwards until just his head and chest emerged from the water.
A soft shuffling sound drew his attention. He glanced up at the embankment, expecting to see birds rifling through the leaf litter. What he actually found had him sucking in a breath. A now familiar pair of killer green eyes stared back at him from an amused, freshly-scrubbed face.
"Lucky you surfaced," she said. "I was just about to jump in and give you mouth-to-mouth."
She came back. The relief that travelled through him surprised him. Her blonde hair was damp and pulled it into a bun on top of her head. She'd changed into a red shoestring tank that hugged her breasts and a short khaki skirt that sat low on her hips.
Justin gave her a wry smile. "Lucky me. Where'd you go?" he asked, already fairly sure of the answer.
"I live in town," she said, confirming his suspicions. "I wanted to go get cleaned up and come back in my car. Didn't you see my hand signal?"
"Yeah, I got it. That twirling motion followed by the finger jab made perfect sense."
She planted her hands on her hips. Her eyes narrowed but he caught the gleam of humour in them. "What's your name, funny guy?"
"Justin," he said. "What's yours?"
"Hannah."
It seemed strange continuing on the conversation while she stood up there and he remained partially submerged down here. He found the idea of her sliding in beside him appealing, but didn't like the chances of that since she'd obviously just showered. "Well, I'm coming out, Hannah, so you might want to turn away."
