He raised his head. “Yeah, the night air is good for you, you know?”

“So, was that like an offer or something?”

“Yeah.”

“Your generosity and verbosity overwhelm me.”

He sighed. “You want to go or not?”

Anything to break the spell of the nightmare. “Yes.”

Minutes later they were dressed and on Theo’s cycle, barreling down an empty early morning highway fast enough to blow the memory of her nightmare straight out of her brain. The cool air infused her lungs and spread a smile over her face.

It was like they were flying—like they were free.

Now Sarafina could see the appeal of motorcycles, whereas before she thought they were only the domain of the crazy, the stupid, or men having midlife crises. On the back of a bike, hurtling through the black, you could find freedom—if only temporarily—from everything behind you.

All the weight on her was gone, eradicated by the force of the road underneath the cycle’s tires. All the pressure of her past—for right now, anyway—had vanished, forced away by the vibration of the vehicle beneath her.

No wonder Theo loved his bike.

Eventually, they came to a park and Theo pulled over, bringing the cycle to a rumbling halt. It had to be around two or three in the morning. Sarafina released her hold around his midsection, pulled off her helmet, and dismounted. The trees stood tall and silent under a night sky strewn with stars. They were pretty far from the light pollution of the city, judging by the beauty of the sky.

“How long have we been riding?” she asked as Theo got off the bike.

“We’re about an hour out of Chicago. I come here sometimes to get away from the city lights. You can actually see some stars out here.”

She looked up at the sky, the slight breeze cooling her head, which had been warmed by the helmet, and rustling the fine hair that framed her face. Sarafina closed her eyes and sank into the moment, letting it fill her up like water pouring into a pitcher.

When she opened her eyes, Theo was leaning against the bike and staring at her. “Do you feel better?”

She smiled and nodded. The rage that had tightened her muscles earlier was absent now. “Thank you.”

He stared at her for a moment, their gazes locking, then he pushed away from the bike and walked into the nearby copse of trees. Somewhere in the distance, a night bird called, breaking the near-perfect silence. “I like it out here at this time of night.”

“You like it because there are no people?” It was an educated guess.

“Yeah, definitely.”

She walked over to stand near him. “Right now, I completely get that.”

They stood in companionable silence for several moments. Finally, Theo spoke. “I love this park. If I ever have kids, I’ll take them camping here on the weekends.”