Chapter 9 #2
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 everything felt different.
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.
After he’d slowed the bike and paid the passage, we set off again. “Are you good?”
“Yes, this is amazing.” I cried, loving every minute.
My initial nervousness had diminished, replaced by a growing sense of liberation. The world felt vast and open, stretching out before us, making me feel like anything was possible. I closed my eyes for a moment and enjoyed the raw power of the wind and the relentless hum of the engine beneath us.
As Reed accelerated again, my stomach rolled, but not from fright, from giddiness. “I take it this is your first time on the back of a bike?” he shouted, his voice breaking in and out through the headset.
“Yeah,” I shouted back.
“See, I always said I’d have all your firsts, Storm Summers.” The memory of Reed telling me that the night he took my virginity came rushing back.
“I remember.” For years, I had played that expected part in high school. Cheer Captain equated an easy girl, when the truth was the opposite. Although he didn’t know it, Reed was the only man I had ever been with.
We both then went quiet again and enjoyed the ride.
It was fast and unhinged, and I loved it.
The way we threaded in and out of traffic: I felt like I was soaring up and into the air.
At one stretch of road, Reed leaned forward towards the front of the bike, and I followed him, clinging on as adrenaline powered through me.
‘This is what life is all about,’ I thought, feeling the happiest I had in years.
Reed drove us to Taylor Point in Jamestown.
There was a quiet, small beach there. It was a place we had visited so many times together.
A sweet, hidden-away gem, where the air was fresh and the views breathtaking.
We’d talked, made out, and even fought there.
I remember one fight when I’d heard that Reed had made out with a freshman behind my back.
Turned out it was one of those silly games at a party, but I’d forced him to make it up to me.
Just like I always did. In those days, Reed had been much easier to manipulate.
I swallowed down that lump of guilt I always felt when I remembered how I’d treated him.
As we climbed off the bike and removed our helmets, I glanced out at the ocean. It was a stunning day, and I realized it had been ages since I’d been so close to the coastline.
“Well, that wasn’t easy,” Reed said, dashing a hand through his mussed-up locks.
I smiled, handing him my helmet. “Really? But you ride like you’ve been doing it for years?”
He raised his eyebrows as he hung both our helmets on the handlebars of the bike. “I didn’t mean that. I meant riding a bike in leather pants with a boner. Uncomfortable as fuck.”
I chuckled as he adjusted his junk and shook one leather-clad leg. I noted he even wore motorcycle boots.
“You didn’t just say that,” I replied with an eyeroll, attempting to straighten my helmet hair.
He just grinned and lifted the seat of the bike, cutting me a look. “Leave it, you look fine. The windswept look suits you.” I stopped messing with my locks and dropped my hands. “Anyway, the hard cock is your fault for pressing those gorgeous tits against my back.”
I rolled my eyes as he turned away, pulling out a backpack from the hidden storage box on the bike. He slammed the seat down. “Come on.” I fell into step beside him as we started to walk down the embankment towards the sea.
With a nudge of his elbow, he said. “So, you enjoyed the ride?”
“Most definitely.”
“I knew you would,” he added with a smug expression.
“I’m glad you told me to wear pants,” I admitted, grasping his arm to steady myself as my heel hit a knot of grass.
Reed shot me a smirk as he assisted me down the hill and onto the flat, my boots sinking into the sand. “I did toy with the idea of not telling you.”
“Yeah, so you could have a good laugh at seeing me trying to climb on a bike with my skirt around my waist?” I said with an accusing eye as we made our way towards the rocks where we usually set up camp.
Turning to face me, Reed dropped the bag and squatted down to go through it. “Oh, I wouldn’t have been laughing, Storm.” The look he gave me was wolfish.
With another roll of my eyes and a ‘pervert’ comment under my breath, I dropped to my knees and started to help Reed take out the picnic he had prepared.
He cut me a look, a lock of hair falling against his brow, giving me the urge to brush it back with my fingertips. “You know, there’s a good reason you should date a biker, right?”
“And what’s that?”
Reed gave me a cheeky look, which took me back to the days when we were teens. “You get to ride two things.”
His comment forced a laugh from my lips.
“There she is. That’s the smile I remember.”
I wasn’t sure what I’d expected the date to be; we just arranged to meet outside the hotel. This was so much better. I felt a twinge of guilt that, while we had shaken off the national press, we had also ditched Mary-Jane and Daniel.
We rolled out the large picnic blanket he had brought. I removed my boots and then helped Reed take off his. We both enjoyed the sand between our toes, and paddling was a must after we ate. At least it used to be.
I slid my coat off and tried not to swoon as Reed stripped off his leather jacket. He wore a black Nine Inch Nails tee, and it clung to his chiseled abs with sweat. The muscles in his neck flexed, dragging my gaze up to his new tattoo there.
“Do you want help to remove those?” I said, nodding innocently towards his leather pants.
Reed’s face lit up as he said in a joking voice, “We’ve not even finished the first course yet, and you’re already trying to get in my pants?”
“Very funny.”
“It’s fine. I only have my boxers on, and I doubt you’re ready for that just yet.” His mouth still curved with the promise of sin.
“You may be right,” I replied with a grin. I was wearing a baby pink tee with my jeans (Reed’s favorite color on me). I could see he was pleased as he passed me a paper plate.
The setting was perfect, and for the first time in weeks, I felt relaxed.
The soft waves from the sea rolled gently against the shoreline, giving off an extra sense of calm.
Shuffling back on the blanket we had laid out, I leaned against the rocks.
The picnic he’d brought consisted of a packet of brioche rolls, some sliced ham, and a couple of bottles of water, but it was perfect as usual.
“Do you want me to whip you up one of my specials?” he asked as he opened the packet of meat and picked up a roll.
I smiled, “Please.”
“One slice or two?”
“I’m feeling adventurous, so I’ll say two.”
As Reed made up our sandwiches, I stretched my legs out, watching his profile as he concentrated.
Being in his company felt so natural. I’d never been so at ease with Jasper.
Everything felt so right with Reed, and I knew that I would never feel the way I felt about him with anyone else.
Finding each other again seemed so meant to be, and so why was I still running away?
Reed was a success in his own right now.
Did Jasper still pose a threat if I were to call the wedding off?
You made a promise to your family, a commitment.
As I glanced across at Reed, I realized that this was how a real man treated a woman. The meals I had shared in fancy restaurants along Newport’s shoreline were shabby in comparison. With Jasper, it felt like I was living my life in survival mode, but this, this seemed like a better way to live.
As I bit into the sandwich, I closed my eyes, savoring the taste. How could something so simple taste so good? After swallowing, I asked. “Why are you being like this?”
“Like what?” he questioned, shifting sideways, his leg skimming mine.
I turned my body closer towards him. “Nice, romantic even.” I thought back to how he’d been with me that first day back.