“You can?” Rhys shot a startled look at her. He didn’t think he’d been behaving any differently.
“He’s getting you back on your motorcycle, isn’t he?” Viv smiled and patted his arm.
Rhys was tempted to argue that Scott was really the one who’d done it because Thomas didn’t even know Rhys knew how to ride a motorcycle until Scott opened his big mouth, but Viv would probably find a way to give Thomas full credit anyway.
“Have a good time and be safe,” she said.
“Yes, Mother dearest.”
“Oh pooh!” Viv flapped her hand at him and then headed out the door, leaving Rhys alone with his tumultuous thoughts while he finished checking his bike.
* * *
A little before eleven,Rhys rolled up to the front of his house and revved the engine of his motorcycle, hoping it would get Thomas’s attention. He told himself he didn't want to waste time by turning off the engine and going inside to get Thomas. It had nothing to do with wanting Thomas to see him astride his bike, kitted out with his black motorcycle jacket and helmet.
His ploy worked because few seconds later, Thomas bounded out of the house. He closed the front door and checked to make sure it was locked. When he reached the porch steps, he paused and gave Rhys a once over, his eyebrows climbing, and then his expression turned appreciative, and he fanned himself with one hand. Rhys flipped up the helmet visor so Thomas could see his face, trying to ignore the flutter in his belly that Thomas’s admiration evoked.
“Ready to go?” He retrieved the spare helmet — Andy’s helmet — and held it out as Thomas approached.
“I amsoready to go,” Thomas said with a mischievous smirk.
“Don’t get your engine too fired up,” Rhys said. “My cousin is coming with us, remember?”
“Yeah.” Thomas scrunched up his face, revealing he was about as annoyed by the intrusion as Rhys was. He put on the helmet and fastened it securely without any fumbling, which surprised Rhys.
“Have you done this before?”
“My dad had a motorcycle,” Thomas said. “He took my brother and me for rides when we were kids. I always wanted to learn how to ride myself, and he said he’d teach me when I was older. By the time I was old enough, I was out of the house, and I haven’t had a chance to learn since then.” He ended with an insouciant shrug, but Rhys could see the tension in his body that mentions of his family always caused.
“I could teach you.” Rhys blurted out the offer before he could stop himself, and Thomas’s radiant smile dispelled any regret before it could form.
“I’d love that!”
“Then we’ll do it. But not today,” Rhys added quickly. He didn’t want Scott involved with the lessons, especially since he suspected Scott would use the opportunity to get his hands on Thomas. Not that Rhys cared, but it was the principle of the matter since Thomas was supposed to behisboyfriend. “We’ll just take a joyride today.”
“Agreed.” Thomas swung his leg over the seat and settled in behind Rhys. He wrapped his arms around Rhys’s waist, and the warm press of Thomas’s lean body against his back felt better than Rhys wanted it to. “Are we going to ride the Tail of the Dragon?” Thomas asked hopefully. “I looked it up online last night. It looks pretty cool.”
“I’m a little rusty, so I want to work up to it,” Rhys said. “We might not hit it today.”
“We’ve got time.”
Rhys wondered what Thomas meant by that since his trip was half over, and the remaining days would be somewhat busy because they’d organized a schedule last night to avoid Scott “volunteering” plans for them again, but Rhys didn’t ask any follow up questions.
When they arrived at Scott’s house, Scott was already outside, sitting on the porch steps waiting for them. In the driveway sat a Harley, its chrome gleaming like it was brand new.
“Hi, guys!” Scott bounded over to them with all the enthusiasm of an overexcited puppy. “Looks like it’s going to be a great day for a ride.”
“Yeah,” Rhys said. “Let’s get going. I’ll lead.”
He’d been thinking about where to take Thomas, and he’d decided to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a while. The route wouldn’t be as scenic as it would be in another week or two when the leaves at the lower elevations had fully changed color, but Rhys thought the parkway was pretty any time of year, and the tops of the mountains were already turning bright orange, yellow, and red.
“Be sure to look up,” he called over his shoulder to Thomas as they headed down the quiet street. “The leaves at the higher elevations are already turning because it’s colder up there.”
Thomas squeezed Rhys’s waist tight in acknowledgment, and Rhys could easily picture the excited expression on Thomas’s face, similar to the one Thomas wore before performing a stunt he was particularly looking forward to. Taking Thomas on a motorcycle tour of the area was such a simple thing, but it would give Thomas a lot of pleasure. Rhys tried to tell himself that the satisfaction he felt was over repaying Thomas for the favor of pretending to be his boyfriend, but he wasn’t sure he was buying his own bullshit anymore.
The parkway had a little more traffic than usual, which didn’t surprise Rhys. The leaf peepers cluttered up the roads and filled the hotels for most of October and sometimes a little into November, depending on the weather and how long the leaves clung to the trees. Then the area grew quiet until people started coming to ski.
Some of the cars were moving quite slowly, either because the occupants wanted to gawk out the windows or because the driver was nervous about picking up speed on the winding road. When it was safe to do so, Rhys passed the ones that were going under thirty miles per hour, but other than that, he wasn’t concerned about speed because he wanted Thomas to enjoy the view.
