Page 30 of The Side Road (Love Chronicles #3)

TIGER CUB

There was a stillness to the day. An easy golden light brought a radiant transparency to the morning.

In the pristine country air, the rose-madder hues and russet tones of early autumn foliage sparkled.

Snood, returning from his outdoor garden adventures, found a sunlit spot on the floor and rolled around on his back, joyously covering his body in the warm light.

Mia knew how he felt. After the success of the picnic, she wanted their second date to be another biking adventure.

She suggested an outing on the Triumph Tiger Cub.

An activity they would both enjoy. He would ride his bike, and she would hang on tightly.

The Monday lunch menu was important. Oliver appreciated good food.

After a lot of deliberation, she settled on baked snapper with lemon and caper dressing, followed by vanilla panna cotta with raspberry sauce.

This was the perfect balance: not too lovey-dovey or too casual.

The meal would be meaningful, but not ambitious.

That morning, she selected sheer pastel-pink underwear with exquisite hand-embroidered rose buds. The colour would contrast nicely with the pastel blue of the Tiger Cub. Oliver looked like a man who appreciated pink. Over this, jeans, a hand-knit sweater, boots, and her leather jacket.

Oliver arrived with two pairs of motorcycle gloves for Mia to wear. The hard-shell pair was for protection. The soft, silky gloves she would wear underneath to keep her hands warm.

‘My hands get so cold.’ She slipped on her helmet and fastened the buckle at her chin.

‘Tap me on the shoulder if you want me to slow down.’ After pointing out her footpegs, he showed her the side rails to grip, then he jumped on the bike.

She slid onto the pillion seat behind him and found her footpegs.

With one arm around his waist and the other gripping the side rail, she wiggled until she was comfortable.

Their destination was the Flirtation Hill Lookout, where they would see panoramic views over the area, including the Great Dividing Range.

Then they would head to Capertee Valley, where Oliver promised steep sandstone cliffs and an array of bird life, including a lyrebird if they were lucky.

On the way back, they would stop at Ferntree Gully Reserve to view the rainforest of giant fig trees, mazes of entangled roots, and rare rock orchids.

As they rode, Mia took in the passing scenery.

Straw-coloured pastures rimmed with green, hoping to receive more rain.

Dry creek beds and abandoned sheds. Smoke billowed from country farmhouses.

Rolling green hills and the mountains in the distance, thick with gum trees.

There were side roads and dirt tracks that wandered through paddocks.

She had travelled this road many times before, but never on a bike.

It was invigorating. Parts of the landscape felt new and undiscovered.

Two hours later, they arrived back at Mia’s house .

When she took off her helmet, Oliver asked. ‘How was the ride?’

‘Honestly, it was the most fun I’ve had since last Monday, which was the most fun I’ve had all year.

When we went down that dip, all of a sudden it was freezing.

And we came around the corner, and the sun was shining, and it was warm, and I could smell wood smoke from a fire.

It was the best. The best feeling ever.’

He smiled.

‘It’s like having a secret. A secret about life. Like there’s something else, another way to live. Don’t you think?’

He nodded. After taking her helmet, he followed her inside.

The only downside to the ride was that her underwear was strangling her.

The tight elastic cut into her groin and pinched the top of her thighs.

The clip of her bra pressed into her back – the shoulder straps needed adjusting.

The underwire dug into her ribs. Lingerie, she realised, was meant to be removed shortly after it was put on.

‘Lunch is almost ready,’ Mia said. ‘The fish takes fifteen minutes. I need to put the timer on.’ She stepped toward the oven.

Oliver held her back. Opening the oven door, he took the tray out and placed it on the bench. ‘We’re going to need longer than fifteen minutes.’ After he kissed her, he said, ‘Arms up.’

She raised her arms. He pulled her hand-knit over her head.

Then he slipped her bra strap over one shoulder, exposing her breast. With his lips on her neck, he squeezed her nipple between his fingers.

The ecstasy started in her groin. As he nibbled her earlobe, it travelled to her stomach.

She closed her eyes as he pulled the other strap of her bra down.

‘It’s only fair they both get an equal amount of attention. ’

Mia agreed.

A knock at the door.

They paused, his lips on her breast.

‘They’ll go away,’ Mia said.

Oliver ran the tip of his tongue over her nipple.

Mia shivered.

The knock continued. The visitor was persistent. ‘Expecting someone?’ Oliver asked.

‘No. Just…just ignore them. It’ll be a delivery. They’ll leave it at the front door.’ She took his face in her hands, looked into his eyes, and kissed him. ‘Oliver, I’ve missed you.’

Another knock. More persistent than the first. Then her phone beeped. It was on the kitchen bench. Oliver reached behind him and handed it to her.

Mia glanced at the screen; Holly had left a message.

‘I should…’ Mia opened her phone. Reading the message, she blinked several times. ‘Oh dear.’ She took a deep breath. Hooking her finger through her bra straps, she slipped them over her shoulders.

‘Is everything okay?’ Oliver asked.

She pulled on her jumper. ‘We have a visitor.’

Oliver looked down. His erection was sizeable.

Mia followed his gaze. ‘Sorry,’ she gasped.

‘You get the door. I’ll sort this out.’ He headed for the bathroom.

When Mia opened the front door, Holly was standing on the stoop.

‘I couldn’t find the spare key. It’s not under the mat,’ Holly said.

‘I moved it. It’s under the bay tree. Are you okay?’

‘I’ve had better days. ’

They embraced. Mia felt like a life raft.

Holly’s overnight bag was on the ground. Mia picked it up. ‘Come on,’ she said. Holly followed her into the kitchen. Oliver joined them.

Holly looked from Oliver to Mia. ‘Ah, I’ve interrupted. I’ll come back later.’ She reached for her overnight bag.

‘You’re not going anywhere. Sit down, I’ll make you a coffee. Piccolo?’

‘Cappuccino.’

Mia raised an eyebrow. It was a bad sign.

Holly dropped her bag. It landed with a thud. Her eyes welled. ‘I can’t do it. I’ve left him.’

Oliver scratched his head. ‘I should leave you two alone.’

‘No!’ Holly yelled. ‘Please, it’s fine. Stay.’

Snood wiggled his way over to where Holly sat and placed his head on her knee. She rested her hand on his neck.

‘I thought things were improving.’ Mia packed the coffee powder into the portafilter.

‘Did you? Did you really?’

‘No. But…’ Mia caught Oliver’s eye and pointed to the wine bottle.

Oliver understood. He poured a glass of wine and handed it to her. She took a large gulp.

‘We never talk. I don’t think that’s healthy. And when we do talk, we’re arguing. Yesterday was the final straw.’

Mia handed Holly a cappuccino. She sat down beside her friend and held her hand. ‘What happened?’

‘We were in the car, driving home from town, and he refused to wear his seatbelt. He said seatbelts weren’t safe, so he didn’t have to wear one.’

‘Did he say why they weren’t safe?’ Mia asked.

‘He said in an accident, they cut a person in half.’

They both turned to Oliver .

Oliver raised his hands. ‘It’s the law.’ It was a good non-committal response.

‘Honestly, he gets his information from right-wing internet websites. But that’s not the worst. Last night, I cooked dinner – roast chicken.’

‘Holly makes the best roast chicken,’ Mia told Oliver. ‘She stuffs lemon and garlic under the skin. It’s next level.’

‘I didn’t do that this time,’ Holly said. ‘Because I was tired.’

‘Of course,’ Mia said. ‘Busy on the inside making a baby.’

‘That’s right,’ Holly agreed. ‘Anyway, when he got home from work, he said he didn’t feel like roast chicken, and he ordered a pizza.’

‘You can stay as long as you like.’ Mia patted Holly’s hand.

Again, Oliver topped up Mia’s wine because her glass was almost empty. She appreciated his attentiveness and thought he might be reading her mind.

‘I’m going to go,’ Oliver said. When both Holly and Mia objected, Oliver insisted. ‘You two need to talk.’ This was true.

Mia accompanied Oliver to the front door. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

‘Next time,’ she said. ‘Or maybe you can get away early one morning for breakfast. That’s code for sex – but I’m also offering food, a warm bed, and a handsome Labrador.’

He smiled at her. ‘I can make that happen.’

As she watched him leave, she studied his walk, which was more like a saunter. The comfortable way he got on the bike, relaxed but incredibly sexy. The way he rode, with one hand casually resting on his thigh. Leaning on the door frame, she sighed, then turned around and headed back inside.

Joining Holly in the kitchen, she said. ‘I care, I really do, but my underwear is killing me. I’ll be back in a minute. ’

Underwear off, sweatpants on, Mia could finally breathe. Live and learn, she thought. On their next ride, she would wear a loose-fitting garment made from a natural fibre. Something soft on the skin, like mercerised cotton or merino wool.

In the kitchen, Holly was picking at the salad. Mia put the fish in the oven. ‘Fifteen minutes,’ she said.

‘There can’t have been many nuns living here,’ Holly said as she studied a piece of carrot. ‘It’s not that big. Perhaps they bunked in together. Do you think they were lesbians?’

‘I wouldn’t like to speculate.’

After tearing the end from a breadstick, Holly said. ‘Can I ask, how’s the sex going?’

Mia hesitated. ‘You know I’m not one to kiss and tell, and it’s early days, but it’s hard to put into words.’

‘Great. Bad. Painful. Boring. Weird,’ Holly offered, finishing the bread.

Mia looked at Snood. ‘Transcending.’

Holly paused. ‘You’re having transcending sex with your motorbike boy?’

‘We need to stop calling him a boy.’