I do as I’m told, too conscious of how his shoulders feel through the thin fabric of his t-shirt.
“The pipes get hot. Don’t rest your legs against them.” He starts his engine, revving it twice. “Wrap your arms around my waist.”
I hesitate, and he twists his head slightly. “Not a request, dove.”
That stupid nickname makes my heart misfire, and it only worsens when my forearms circle his torso, flattening my front to his back.
He twists his head again, and it’s closer now that my face ispressed against his shoulder blade. “Scared?” He asks huskily, barely audible over the sound of the engine.
I swallow thickly. “No.”
A smile spreads across his face, and it scares me a lot more than anything this bike could do. A smile like that from Jensen Hayes is deadly.
Chapter Eighteen
Hayes
12 years ago…
“Liv!” I shout across the parking lot when I see the familiar brown ponytail bouncing up the steps towards the school.
She whips around at the sound of my voice, searching through the other students to find me. She’s always had a way of sensing me.
“What are you doing here?” She looks stricken, glancing around as she jogs up to the no-parking zone where I’m leaning against my dirt bike.
“I haven’t seen you in almost two weeks. I was starting to forget what you look like,” I smile easily at her, but my cheeks grow heavy when she doesn’t return my enthusiasm.
“I’ve been busy.”
“Too busy for me?”
She huffs a curt breath. “Believe it or not, Hayes, I have a life outside of you.”
“Ouch.” I rub my chest, and she squeezes her eyes shut in regret.
“I’m sorry. I’ve just been stressed with school stuff and getting all of my college applications submitted by thedeadline. I’ve been here more than I’ve been home.”
“You could’ve called me. I’d come sit with you, or help you fill out forms.”
“I know, thank you, but I have a friend helping me. They’re in the same boat, getting college apps in.”
They.So it’s a guy friend. A guy who is smart like she is. Going to college like she will.
“My mom’s been asking about you. My dad will be out of town next week, and she wanted to have you over for dinner.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve been swamped with this stuff.” She waves distractedly at the high school building.
“Right, I get it. I’ll let her know, we can wait a while.”
“Okay, thank her for the offer for me.” She finally smiles at me, but it’s softer than normal, and doesn’t feel as familiar. “I’m glad you’ll have a week off from dealing with your dad, though.”
For a moment, we stare at each other because minimizing my terrible relationship with my father to that singular sentence feels… Wrong. “Yeah, me too.”
She takes a step back and nods, starting to turn away from me.
“You know I’m always here for you, Liv. For anything, no matter what.”
Another soft smile stretches her cheeks. “I know.”
