He inclines closer, gently shifting his hands from my hips just above my thighs, pulling down the hoodie. I take my hand away from him. Uncertain, clasping them on the leather between my legs. His chest hovers alarmingly near and the cigarette scent envelops me like a fucking blanket. His thighs press against mine.
He makes sure the bike is in neutral, he checks that the fuel is turned on. Sets the kill switch to the run position and places his right foot firmly on the kick-start level. Holds the front brake for stability. I swallow. With determination, he slams the pedal down using his foot. Slightly poised on his feet, the bike doesn’t start at his first kick, so he adjusts the throttle and tries again. I swallow. Again. My whole body is moving at his commands.
As the engine starts, the quiet street is filled with its roar. He tweaks the throttle to keep it running smoothly, letting it to idle for a minute, for the engine to warm up. He settles, chest against my backbone. His tattooed hands grip the handlebars, anchoring me between them. My eyes wander over the intricate designs painting his skin.
"What do they mean?"
His jaw grazes the arch of my neck, just above my shoulder.
"What do you think they mean?"
I angle my head, and the helmet is resting against his cheek. "Well… the ‘I bite’ and bat tattoo is about being a vampire, right? The other ones can mean anything… or nothing." I return to my initial position, looking at the empty street in front of me. Hands weave through my hair, right under the helmet. His fingers dance along the strands, untangling knots with a delicate caress. He starts to split it into three equal sections.Is he braiding my hair?
"What are you doing?"
He switches back and forth between the right and left parts over the middle until he gets to the ends of my hair. When finished, he tugs the whole braid into the hoodie and I can feel it tickling my spine.
"I don’t want your hair flying into my mouth while we ride."
He slowly eases the clutch while twisting, sending power to the rear wheel, preventing stalling. With every effort, the veins on his hands protrude through the tattooed skin. They make me want to reach out and touch them with my fingertips.What? No!
The bike kicks off, and his body feels like a load on my spine as he leans in. My cheeks are burning. I sense I’ll need the Moon’s magic and my Cone’s strength to kill him.Why is my body burning? Because he is cute, ok? Now shut up.
"Eyes up." I see him checking out my legs while I get off his bike. The hoodie is over sized on me, but it won’t shield my long stockings as I lift my leg and he spots the lace.
"I like lace."
I take off the helmet and give it to him.
"I didn’t ask."
As I walk to the shop, I can sense his eyes on me, which puts a playful smile on my lips. My hand flips the key in the lock and I turn my head to see if he is coming inside. His strong scent hits my face. He stands so close that the coolness of his half-dead body mixes with the warmth of mine. He puts a cigarette between his lips.
"You know that it isn’t helpful, right?"
"It halts my craving." His voice issues from his mouth, in the breach between his lips and cigarette.
"Craving what?"
"You."
I twist my body, directing my gaze upward to him. A sly smirk dances on his lips, at the right corner.
"Fuck you!"
He lifts his hand just above my shoulder and retrieves the key from the door, nudging it open.
"I am wearing rose."
"I sensed that."
"And?"
He leans closer, drawing the cigarette from his mouth and wafting the smoke into my face. "And? Did you assume that laying wild roses on our resting places was going to stop us from rising as vampires again?"
CHAPTER 3
She exhales the smoke that fed her lungs. Irritated, turns around, her braid swatting into my chest, and walks into her shop. "Asshole!"
