Could you get high from the thrill of a ride? Because she felt a little bit high right now. Her body was buzzing like she’d just come off the stage after an exhilarating performance. They were at a scenic overlook that also seemed to be the entrance to a nature park. The coastline had risen, and she could see the ocean crashing against the base of the cliffs.
Anna guided them to the far end of the lot, pulling into a spot without any cars nearby. She rolled the motorcycle to a stop and planted her right foot on the pavement. Then the engine went silent. Eden’s ears rang in the absence of its steady roar. Her heart was beating way too fast, and she was breathing hard.Wow.
Anna turned her head and gestured for Eden to take her helmet off. She glanced over her shoulder first, trying to make sure no one was paying attention, but it was hard with the helmet blocking her peripheral vision.
Anna shifted in front of her, and Eden was suddenly very aware that her arms were still wrapped tightly around Anna’s torso. She could feel Anna’s chest rise and fall with each breath, and she seemed to be breathing pretty hard too. Eden felt a burst of warmth through her system, centered low in her stomach.
What was the matter with her? Was she actually getting aroused by a ride on a motorcycle? God, she really did need to get out more often. She needed to get laid, not that sex had ever been all that exciting for her.
Her arms were still around Anna, and now she was thinking about sex. Eden yanked her arms back, doing her best to put a little space between them, but the slant of the bike kept her hips pressed firmly against Anna’s.
Still aroused.
Eden took off her helmet and practically leaped off the bike, and then she groaned because, God, her thighs hurt from gripping the motorcycle. She was going to be so sore at rehearsal tomorrow. She really hadn’t considered that.
“You okay?” Anna asked. She’d taken her helmet off, too, and was smoothing out her ponytail as she watched Eden.
“Yes.” Eden’s voice sounded weird. Hoarse. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I’m great. That was amazing.”
“Oh good.” Anna looked relieved. “I got worried for a second the way you jumped off. Thought maybe you hated it.”
“No, not at all.” Eden’s breath was almost back to normal, although she still felt a bit wobbly on her feet. “I just needed to stretch my legs.”
Anna nodded as she swung off the bike herself. “Yeah, I forgot to warn you about that. You’ll probably be sore tomorrow.”
Eden looked past Anna at the waves crashing at the bottom of the cliff. Her heart felt light. Her whole body felt light. She smiled as she met Anna’s eyes. “Totally worth it.”
Anna sat on her back patio later that evening, grateful Zoe was out. She wasn’t ready to talk about her evening with Eden yet. No, she just wanted to sit here and bask in the memories, because it had beenperfect. So perfect. Too perfect.
Roaring up the Pacific Coast Highway with Eden’s arms around her had been highly arousing, but Anna could keep her hands to herself. There was no way she was going to let her attraction ruin their buddingfriendship, because she enjoyed every moment she spent with Eden. She couldn’t even explain it. They just clicked. They had fun together, whether they were choreographing a performance, sharing lunch on the patio, or riding on Anna’s motorcycle.
Eden sometimes seemed melancholy when she wasn’t performing, like she was going through the motions. But tonight she’d looked alive in a way Anna hadn’t seen before, brimming with energy and joy. Anna would do anything to see that look on her face again.
With a happy sigh, she unlocked her phone and began to scroll through her notifications. There were a lot tonight, and most of them seemed to be coming from Twitter. People were reacting to several black-and-white photos of her and Eden, the pictures Paris had shared from their rehearsal.
They’d been careful not to make it obvious that they were rehearsing a duet together, so in the first photo, Anna was looking on as Eden sang. The second photo showed Anna singing, with Eden visible in the background, and in the final photo, they were hugging. All three filled Anna with warmth and happiness. The black-and-white filter gave the photos an artful touch. Anna wanted to frame them and put them on her wall. Maybe she would.
Her fans had gotten pretty excited when she shared the selfie from their lunch a few days ago, so Anna was curious to see how Eden’s fans felt about these, since they’d been posted to her social media accounts.
@QueerCat918: THEY ARE SO CUTE OMG I AM DECEASED
@EdensGarden565: Yasssss queens! Ur gonna slay, can’t wait until I see u in Vegas
@HexMeAnna: OMG Anna!! I know #gaypanic when I see it
A close-up of Anna’s face was attached from the photo where she was watching Eden perform, andoof, the longing on her face was painfully obvious. Her cheeks burned. She kept scrolling, surprised by howmany usernames she recognized, her own fans commenting on Eden’s post.
An alarming number of them were convinced Anna was swooning over Eden. They’d even dredged up an old YouTube clip from one of Anna’s first interviews after she was cast onHex High, in which she gushed about Eden and alluded to Eden being her celebrity crush. Thank God Eden didn’t read the comments on her social media, or Anna might never be able to look her in the eye again.
@peanutonthebutter: I’m calling it. These 2 are 2 cute not to date #Edanna
@KatieCat1989: #Edanna omg they’re so cuteeeeeeeeeeeee
@adoringanna_x: SCREAMING IN #EDANNA
@HexMeAnna: The way Anna’s gazing at Eden – my heart! #Edanna
@chelseexxx: I SHIP THEM SO HARD #EDANNA
