All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [131]
"Sure of what?"
"How I feel."
She drew in a sharp breath at the desire that flashed in his eyes. She was afraid of what he would say and even more afraid of what he wouldn't say. "How do you feel?"
"Come with me, and I'll show you."
"With you where?" she asked in confusion. "Can't you just tell me?"
"Nope." He turned and started jogging back the way he'd come, pausing halfway down the street. "Are you coming?"
"I'm coming." She had no idea what he was up to, but she knew she had to find out.
* * *
"Are you ready?" Dylan asked.
Madison stared at the man who'd appeared on her doorstep. Her first thought was that he had to be an illusion, because it had been three weeks and she hadn't seen or heard from him. Now he was standing here, talking to her as if she should know what he was talking about. And she didn't know. In fact, she couldn't even concentrate on what he was saying. She was too caught up in how tight his blue jeans were and how good he looked in his black leather jacket and how much she'd like to run her fingers across his broad chest.
"Maddie?"
"What? What are you doing here?"
"I came to take you for a ride."
"Why would I want to go for a ride with you?"
"Because you do," he said simply.
She frowned at that, hating the fact that he was right. The man had completely blown her off. She should do the exact same thing to him. But she was curious ... "Where are we going?"
"I'll show you." He handed her a helmet.
"I'm mad at you. You haven't called. You refused to work my party—which turned out to be a tremendous success, by the way. You would have gotten a lot of business. And now you just show up and expect me to hop on your bike and go God knows where. Do you think I'm completely crazy?"
"Yes. And so am I. Are you coming or not?"
She thought for ten long seconds. Dylan turned to go, calling her bluff. "I'm coming," she said. "This better be worth it."
Chapter 21
Cole hadn't said a word on their run, but it quickly became apparent to Natalie as they passed by the Marina Greens, the Palace of Fine Arts, and the St. Francis Yacht Club that they were heading to their usual spot at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. When they reached the end of the path, they stopped and stretched, taking a few deep breaths of air as they looked at the bridge towering above them and the sparkling blue water flowing beneath it
"I missed this, too," Cole said with a wave of his hand. "This is my city, Natalie."
She smiled. "I know."
"I didn't appreciate it until I left."
"Sometimes it helps to get perspective."
"Exactly. You know, I was sitting in a tank in the desert, and I started wondering what had happened to the parking meter increases in Union Square. I didn't even want to cover them in the newspaper and suddenly they wouldn't leave my head. I realized that what's important is relative to where you are, what you want, and what you need. I know now that I want to continue the tradition of the Parish family newspaper. I want it to be even bigger and better than it was before. I want the people of San Francisco to have all the information that they deserve to have, whether it's local news or world news."
"I'm sure your parents will be happy to hear that."
"I told them last night, and they were happy." He paused, smiling at her. "My mother is doing better than I thought after everything that's happened. She even started cleaning up Emily's room."
"That's a big step."
"She said she spoke to you before I left. She wanted you to persuade me to stay, but you refused to even try."
"She's right," Natalie admitted. "I wanted you to go. I wanted you to have a chance at your dream."
"Did you want me to come back?"
She could tell by the look in his eyes that he was asking her more than if she wanted him to return to San Francisco. How could she tell him that she wanted him back? She'd put her heart on the line before, and he'd stomped on it. "You always have more questions than answers, Cole."
"That's the reporter in me." He looked around, as if he were