Coming Home (Norris Lake Series) Read Free Page A

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    The next day I came home from my statistics class and saw the two ninja bikes out in front of my condo, again.   It was a two story condo above a one story condo.  My downstairs neighbor was also a graduate student who was working on a nursing degree.  In fact most of the people in the condo community were escapees; graduate students who were lucky enough to live off campus who had tired of living so close to the University of Tennessee and the constant campus nightlife. 
    The living room, kitchen and dining room were all one long room about 60’ by 50 foot.  On the front of the condo was a small porch but the back had a large wooden deck which overlooked a dense cope of woods.  As I walked through the door, I was not surprised to see my blind date sitting in my living room in my favorite tan leather recliner watching television and drinking a beer. 
    I dropped by backpack on the counter which divided the kitchen from the dining room and opened a cream colored refrigerator to get a diet coke, ignoring the intruder for the moment.  Looking around, I noticed my roommate was missing but heard voices upstairs.  They were noises which suggested that I shouldn’t make my way up there to find out what was happening. 
    “What are you doing here?”  I asked.
    “I stopped by with Mark to visit Sherry.”  I stared at him as I leaned on the counter.  He set his beer on the nearby coffee table.  He leaned forward in the chair and turned off the television with the remote control.
    “Truce?” He said.  “We got off on the wrong foot, Red.  Let’s at least be civil given Sherry and Mark are together.” 
    “I can be civil but don’t expect anything more,” I replied a little sullenly and without much conviction, not sure if I had it in myself to be civil to someone who was so arrogant and self-centered. 
    “You want to go for a ride?” Ben asked.  “Sounds like they just got started and are going to be a while”. 
    My weak spot is motorcycles so I barely hesitated since I hadn’t been on a ride in years.  I mean, it’s just a motorcycle ride.  What could happen?
    “I promise to be good”, he reassured me.
    I shrugged trying to be non-chalant. “Sure. Why not?” 
    Moments later, I mounted up behind him, wrapped both arms around his waist and we drove off at breakneck speed the wind wiping around us.   I pulled him closer as I held on for dear life.  I tucked my hands into the pockets of his black leather jacket and he put one hand down against my thigh pushing the inside of my leg against the outside of his.  We flew winding through downtown Knoxville and then out of town north on 65 exiting at the Clinton exit only to end up near Norris, Tennessee. 
    Winding up the road next to the Clinch River below the dam, the water’s depth was measured in feet and you could see the black rock of the river bead.  Trees lined both sides of the road creating a dark, green, comforting canopy over the quiet road.  A brown grist mill with a large paddle wheel whipped by on the right.  Miles later he slowed the bike.  We stopped along the river and got off.  The cool breeze of autumn blew in the sweet smelling scent of woodsmoke from the surrounding the area.
    We pulled off our helmets and then sat on the bank of the river and talked finding we had more in common than I would have ever thought.  We liked the same movies and books.  We had similar dreams.  He loved my red hair, freckles and green eyes putting on an Irish brogue and calling me “Red”.  
    As the late afternoon waned into the evening, we regretfully climbed back on the bike and headed back for Knoxville.  Arriving at the condo, we found that we had it to ourselves and a note on the counter told us that Mark and Sherry had gone to a campus party and not to expect them back that night. 
    Our lips touched again that evening with a flare igniting passion that could not be extinguished.  Naked and sweating, hours later, I