“Does that feel OK?” Reed’s voice bleated. There must have been a speaker set in the helmet. I just nodded, too dazed to say anything.
“OK then, Teacup. Hop on,” he added with a flick of his head towards the back, where there was another seat.
“I don’t want to die, you know that, don’t you?” I said, placing my hand on his shoulder.
“You’re not going to die, Storm. Not on my watch.”
My tummy flipped at those words, but that feeling was cut short as I heard a commotion behind me. Twisting my neck, I saw the press appear around the side of the building. They’d followed me. Shit.
“Today, Storm,” Reed barked in a firm voice as he snapped my visor down over my face. After glancing past me towards the people who were headed our way, he did the same with his own: hiding his features.
I didn’t need any other incentive as I moved around his muscular frame, swinging my leg over the seat of the bike and settling myself behind him. He assisted me with one gloved hand.
Reed revved the bike again, the beast of the machine vibrating through my entire body.
As I settled, he twisted his head to one side as he said, “Hold on tight, Teacup.”
Wrapping my arms around Reed’s leather-clad torso, I pushed my entire chest against his broad back. Another quiver of nerves shook me as Reed squeezed one of my hands and placed it in a better position against his body.
After a couple more revs, he lifted his foot from the ground, and we were off: the bike peeled away from the sidewalk with a growl.
Reed took it slowly at first, easing out of the parking lot and past those people rushing towards us. He had to swerve a couple of times so that he didn’t run into anyone as their cameras flashed in our faces.
And then. The world. Transformed.
As we sped down the street, past various stores and cafes, something buried burst to life. It wasn’t because we were moving faster; it was that everythingfeltdifferent. The wind, which began with playful gusts, started to rush past the visor, tugging at my helmet. It forced me to hold Reed tighter.
Fuck this was fun! Scary too, but most definitely, fun.
I was on a motorcycle, on the back of a fucking bike, and it felt amazing. Reed weaved in and out of the small amount of traffic we met, clearly experienced in handling the powerful machine beneath us.
The seat under my thighs was considerably softer than I expected. Leaning further against Reed’s broad back, my stomach was a mix of nerves and something else I couldn’t name.
“Do you think they’ll follow us?” I questioned, hoping he could hear me through my helmet.
He turned his head, “They can try.”
The beautiful metal beast roared like a tiger as Reed changed gears, the road blurring beneath us. Every time we overtook someone, the lines separating the lanes of the street were almost hypnotizing.
The headset crackled again as Reed said, “When we hit the freeway, it’s going to be fast. Are you ready, baby?”
“Do it,” I cried, half giddy.
“Yes, ma’am.”
The wind rushed past us as I clung on. “Lean with me into the turns, OK?”
I bobbed my head, my pulse jolting as Reed expertly steered the bike up and onto Route 138.
His voice suddenly cut in through the helmet again, as we hit the open stretch of road and started to speed up. The water glittered like diamonds in the sun as we approached Newport Bridge.
“If I'm going too fast, tap my stomach, and I’ll slow down. OK?” He lifted one gloved hand and gave me a thumbs up, steering with the other.
“Yes,” I husked.
Lowering his hand, Reed squeezed my fingers again as they rested over his rock-hard abs, which I could slightly feel even through that thick material.
We traveled in silence for a while as I took in the sights. I had forgotten how pretty the views from the freeway were. Just the ocean on either side of us as we approached the toll.
