“You ready?” he asks with a gruff voice.
He pulls the handle as I say, “I guess,” making me even more anxious.
I never liked the speed these things could handle. It makes me think we’re gonna crash.
“Nothing’s gonna happen, Em. You’re as safe as can be on this baby.” He pats his bike as if it’s his girlfriend.
“Safe?” I repeat, feeling squeamish.
He licks his lips and throws me a glance. “Well, I can’t promise you that you’ll be safe around me.”
Oh, dear lord.
He rides it out of the alley and onto the street. “Hold on tight; it’s gonna be a rough ride.”
Somehow, I feel like he isn’t just talking about the bike.
He pulls the handle and off we go, shooting through the streets like a rocket. I can’t believe how fast it’s going, and at first, I’m terrified. He swerves through traffic, cutting corners when he turns, causing me to cling to his body even more. I think that’s why he’s doing it.
When we’re out of town and on a road much less crowded, he slows down a little, letting me enjoy the slight nighttime breeze. I don’t know where we’re going or how long we’re going to ride, but I have to say that it feels kind of freeing. With the wind blowing in my hair and my hands holding Chris tight, it’s almost as if I’ve had a weight lifted off me.
We ride for miles on a completely abandoned road until the town is far out of reach. He turns right onto a dusty road that’s a dead-end loop. Behind the trees, he stops, and I wonder where we are.
“What is this place?” I mumble.
“This is where I used to train, way back when we were still young. I used to come here every day with my bike and drive around in circles, always trying to increase my speed.”
“Hmm … so this place means a lot to you then.”
“Sort of.” I can hear him smile. “I come here to feel at peace.”
“Oh …” I don’t even know what to say. This must be where he left his demons. Where he tried to focus on the future instead of the past. Always racing toward something good … something better.
I sigh, wondering whether it really goes that deep with him. Maybe I’ve underestimated his empathy and regret.
I step off the motorcycle and take a look around, but then he grabs my arm and twists me around, almost making me fall into his arms. “Don’t go anywhere.” He picks me up, making me squeal, and lifts me over the front of the bike, so I’m straddling him.
“What are you doing?”
He traps me in his arms, still holding the handles as he closes in on me. “Getting you closer to me …” he growls. “Better … but still not close enough.”
He’s so close that I can feel his breath on my skin, his lips curving up, tempting me to kiss him. But then he arches his back, lifts himself up and scoots back on the seat, giving me a little more room.
I don’t know what he wants or what he’s trying to do … I don’t even know what I want anymore. I hate being so confused.
Taking a breath, I lie back on the handlebars and stare up at the sky above. The stars are shining bright, some twinkling more than others are, and I can’t help but feel amazed at how beautiful everything really is. This spot, the world, the galaxy. It’s so quiet, with only crickets chirping here and there, and for a moment, I close my eyes and enjoy the silence.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
I open one eye to see Chris staring up at the sky. “Yeah … it’s amazing.”
“Makes me feel so tiny,” he says.
I smile. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
He smiles back at me. “Heh, guess I can read your mind.”
I shake my head, laughing a little. “Chris … you’re so weird sometimes.”
“Weird … in a good way,” he says, leaning over me. “Don’t you agree?”
“Maybe …” I say. “Why do you ask?”
“I just wanna do what I do best. What I know is right,” he says. “What I know we both want.”
I swallow away the nerves, my body already heating up from his words. God, I don’t understand why he has this effect on me now. It never used to be this way … except back then. Back when we were young and … innocent.
“Chris, I—”
“Close your eyes,” he interrupts.
Despite the fact that I don’t even know why, I listen to him and close my eyes. Maybe it’s the tone of his voice, which is commanding and convincing at the same time. Or maybe it’s my heart, which is slowly learning to trust him again.
He doesn’t speak, and I listen to the calming sounds surrounding me.
But then I suddenly feel his mouth on my neck.
I suck in a breath as his lips leave a warm, wet spot on my skin. Another peck on the other side of my neck makes me hiss. And then another on my chin, making me open my mouth. My brain is telling me to open my eyes, but all I want is to remain in the dark. Not knowing where the next kiss will land makes it that much more exciting and wrong, too. God, this is so wrong … and so right.
I can feel his rugged skin against mine as he brushes along my neck, his hand on my waist as he leans down to press a kiss to my collarbone. Blowing hot breath underneath my shirt, he’s already driving me crazy with just a few kisses. He knows what I like, and he’s using it against me.
“I want you, Em,” he whispers into my ear. “And I know you want me, too.” He suckles on my earlobe and gently nibbles on it, too. My fingers dig into my jeans as I struggle to contain myself. Part of me wants to jump up and run, and another part wants to lie here and beg for his attention.
When he huskily moans into my ear, I’m done for. “Let me give you what you need.”
Chapter 18
Chris
Pressing soft kisses to her skin requires me to control my inner beast. If it were up to me, I’d ravage her right fucking now. But I gotta take it slow, show her what I can do, what I have to offer, so she’ll crave it more than she can handle. I want her to remember what we had, how it used to be, and how much better it’ll be if she’d just give in to me.
Her legs dangling off the motorcycle tighten around me as I press another kiss just above her shirt. I want to rip it off her and strip her so I can feel her body against mine, but I have to contain myself. I tell myself I’ll get her in my bed soon enough; I just gotta take it slower than slow … so slow she’ll be begging me to take her. And when she does, she’ll be mine completely.
“No teasing …” she mumbles.
“No …” I growl. “We’ve waited long enough. No more avoiding. No more hiding. This. Just this. And us.”
My finger trails down her shirt, carefully avoiding her tits, but her chest rises nonetheless. Her body is already responding to my touch, her lips quivering when my tongue drags across her skin. I slowly undo the button of her jeans and tear down her zipper, exposing her pink see-through panties. Just seeing her pussy already makes my cock hard. Fuck, she’s so fucking beautiful and ready for the taking. Just one taste … One taste and I’ll be fucking lost to her forever.
Get it together, Chris. You can do this. Keep your fucking dick in your pants because this isn’t about you.
Her soft moans bring me back to her face, and I press a hard kiss on her lips. When she kisses me back, I only get more excited. Her lips part and my tongue slides in to toy with hers as my fingers crawl into her panties. I can’t stop myself; I just have to touch her. I have to feel her desire for me. When words aren’t enough, soaked panties and scorching kisses should do the trick.
When my fingers reach her pussy, she holds her breath and her eyelids briefly flash open only to close again when I nibble her lip. Her body squirms underneath me as I rub her sensitive clit, which is begging for release. Images of her fingering herself after she saw my cock float through my mind, making me even hornier. I flick her clit faster, moans escaping her mouth as she’s unable to contain her lust. She doesn’t have to, not around me. I know she wants to keep it a secret because we didn’t choose this, and yet it happened anyway.