Page 7

If I hadn’t been here tonight…

Don’t fucking go there.

You were. She’s okay. Limp dick can slither off under whatever mediocre rock he crawled out from under.

My hand rests on the small of her back, suddenly needing to touch her, to remind myself she’s okay, and I don’t fucking know why.

We aren’t together.

Something oily gnaws at my gut at that thought of that cunt touching her, and I can’t fucking calm my brain as I guide her over to my bike.

“Nice wheels.” She’s impressed, and I like that she is.

“You know how to ride?”

She snorts. “Nope.”

Good. That means I can show her. “As a passenger, you got the easy job. Just hold on and don’t fall off.”

She stares at the chrome before looking at me. “You want me to get on the bike?” There’s no fear there, just curiosity.

“It’s the only ride I got, babe.”

“I can grab a taxi.”

I seize her wrist before she can run. Her eyes snap to mine, and for a second, she lets me see beneath the cocky, sharp-tongued mask.

Just a second, but it’s enough. There’s vulnerability in her eyes. And something far more dangerous.

Hope.

She wants me. This . She’s just scared.

My thumb slides back and forwards over her skin, as if it has a mind of its own, as if I can calm that cornered animal inside her. “Babe, it’s Saturday night. Taxis will be hard to get. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Her bottom lip slides between her teeth, a nervous tick maybe. It makes me want to wrap my arms around her and hold her close.

“Okay, but you’ll have to tell me what to do. Despite all my rebellions growing up, I’ve never been on the back of a motorcycle before. My mother will be so disappointed.”

She says it with a wonky grin, but her tone is just cutting enough that I see the wound she’s trying to stem.

Fuck her mum.

“I’ll show you,” I assure her.

I unlatch my helmet from the clip on the back. I don’t take my eyes off her as I slide it onto her head. It wobbles a little, not tight around her face, but it’s better than nothing.

“Do I look like a biker?” Her smile fucking floor me.

I mirror it. “You look fucking better than I ever could in that thing.”

The helmet doesn’t hide the pink staining her cheeks, or the dazed look in her eyes. Has no one ever complimented her?

I reach for the chin strap, glancing between it and her as I adjust it to fit her. She’s no longer smiling, and her breathing is coming faster.

“Don’t sell yourself short, Dash. You’re unjustly attractive in everything you put on.”

Her words are dynamite and it takes everything I have not to tear that helmet off her and kiss her until she’s gasping my name.

“I guess we’re both too fucking pretty for our own good,” I murmur, grabbing the front of the helmet to check it’s secure enough to protect her brain if she comes off the bike.

The electricity crackles between us, stronger than it had been at the party. Thicker and hotter. I want to slide my tongue into her sassy little mouth and make sure the only word she remembers is my name.

“I guess so.”

I rap my knuckles against the plastic, giving us both a moment of reprieve to breathe again. “You feel good in there?”

She looks fucking adorable in my hoodie, which swallows her, bare legs, high heels, and my helmet. None of it is suitable riding gear, but she’ll be safe behind me. I won’t let anything happen to her.

“Yeah, I’m good,” she says. “It’s heavy.”

“I’ve got a big head,” I joke.

“What about you? What are you going to wear?”

The question blindsides me. I can’t remember the last time anyone ever gave a fuck about me and my safety. It’s a small thing, but it feels like she handed me the universe on a silver platter.

“I’ve been riding a long time, babe. I know how to stay safe.”

I talk her through how to get on the bike, and how to ride behind me. She listens intently, and there’s a little flush of excitement in her cheeks when I’m done.

Every part of me is hoping she loves to ride, so we can do this again. Because I have the feeling once she’s behind me, I’m going to want her there as much as possible.

I swing my leg over the bike, settling until I’m comfortable. Then I look over my shoulder at her.

“Don’t laugh if I do this wrong. Also, I’m not sure how to do this without flashing my underwear at you.”

“No complaints here if you do, babe.”

She rolls her eyes, but there’s a flash of pleasure behind it.

“Okay, so… like this?”

She places a foot on the peg and kicks her leg over the back. If I had a different vantage point, she would have flashed me her pretty pussy, and I scan the street quickly to make sure we’re alone.

She sits behind me and then shifts until her body is flush against my back. My brain detonates.

It’s been a long time since I had a woman riding behind me—too long—but fuck me, it feels good.

Fucking focus, Dash.

I clear my throat as I pat her thigh. “You good?”

She makes a sound that sounds like a ‘yes’, so I start the engine. My Harley rumbles to life, vibrating beneath us, and she lets out a squeal that has me grinning.

Then we’re moving, and her arms become bands around my waist.

And I want to keep her there forever.