21. Mila
21
“Talk to me.” I curl into Reaper, watching the first blush of sunset color the sky. Every time I hear a siren in the distance, I wonder if it’s for us, but it never is. His partly dry t-shirt is hanging over us as a makeshift blanket, but it’s mostly his body heat keeping me warm.
“You okay?”
“Of course not. I'm trapped on a support pillar under an abandoned railroad bridge and my chest kinda hurts. Now, talk to me so I don't think too hard about it.”
He strokes a hand down my back. “Alright, what about? I'm not good at this small talk shit.”
“Tell me something real. Tell me about you.” I trace shapes on his muscular thigh, tempted to work my way higher, but in this situation? As much as the thought is entertaining, I’m a little too stressed for the reality of it. I still feel all mixed up and jittery from the chase and almost drowning.
He’s quiet for a really long time. “I’m one test short of getting my GED. I was gonna do it next month.”
“What? Really?” I sit up and look at him, surprised. “You never graduated?”
Reaper stares at something across the water. He shrugs. “Me and school never really got along very well. It’s not like I decided to drop out. I just spent more and more time doing other shit until it didn’t seem like there was a point in pretending anymore. The people I hung out with weren’t in school either, so it seemed normal.”
“What other shit was there to do?”
“Drink, smoke, fuck… Most of the time we weren’t a problem for anyone but ourselves, but eventually we started stealing cars. We weren’t even selling them or anything, just joyriding.”
“Sounds like you and my brother would have gotten along.”
He laughs. “Yeah, probably. I eventually did some time for it.”
I know bikers are rough types, but for some reason it surprises me anyway. “For stealing cars?”
“Sort of. We got stupid one night and aimed too high. We stole a fucking Porsche. Damn that thing was a goddamn monster. I drove it first, then I traded with Red, one of my friends. He’d had a couple beers, shit, most of us had. There were five of us squeezed in there like sardines, and Red fucking floored it. The road was clear and we were young and fucking invincible.”
He's silent for a bit, enough that I'm sure something horrible happened, but I don't push. Some things shouldn't be rushed. I stroke his leg softly though. I want him to know I'm here, that I'm listening. It helps take my mind off my discomfort.
“He missed a fucking turn. None of us were used to driving something with that kinda horsepower. The tires lost contact, and we just skidded and skidded until we slammed into an electrical transformer box. It was for the street lights, or something. Didn't matter. The whole fucking thing flashed like goddamn lightning, and the next thing I knew the car was burning and my buddies were screaming. I tried to get them out, I really did. Red, he… I think he was dead already. He wasn't moving. I tore open the door and pulled the seat forwards, but then the transformer blew up.” Even through his leg, I can feel his pulse racing. “I got thrown back. Maybe that was a fucking blessing, 'cause when I woke up, they weren't screaming anymore. I was the only fucking survivor. And then the cops came.”
I shift carefully so I can reach up and run my fingers over the rough skin on his neck and shoulder. “Is that where your burns came from?”
“Yeah. I didn't even notice them until later, I was so fucking outta my head. We were just stupid kids. I suppose it could’ve been worse, we did it to our fucking selves, right? We didn’t take anyone else out with us. But none of those kids fucking deserved that, you know? I was luckier than your brother. I sat in for four years, but since I was young and not the driver, I got off easy.”
“Easy?” I whisper and kiss his arm. “Doesn’t sound it. How old were you?”
“Barely seventeen. Mack told you about what he does, right? We met in the same program for teenagers, but I fucked up too bad. Zero spoke up for me, though. It helped me get a lesser sentence.” He sighs once, then is quiet.
“Is that why you're called Reaper? God, are you still punishing yourself for that?”
Just a little chuckle of a laugh. “Yeah, pretty melodramatic, right? I got the scythe on my back the day I got out of prison. One of the guys I was in with helped me with the design. I got it to remind myself, but also because it’s just fucking cool. Mack kept in touch when I was serving time. He started out as a kind of mentor, but after a while we were just friends. Sometimes I think about what my life would be like now if I’d stayed home just that one fucking night. Maybe we would’ve joined the Eagles together, but I’ll never know. Mack sponsored me after I got out. This is my second chance and I’m not going to fucking blow it.”
“You were still a kid. You can’t blame yourself.”
“C'mere.” He pulls me closer, pressing our naked bodies together and pressing his face into the crook of my neck, kissing it softly.
I want to wrap him up and make it all better somehow, but we're naked on a narrow platform in the middle of a rushing river after being run off the highway by people who tried to kill us. It's not my first choice for a place to have a heart-to-heart to get to know each other better, but it's almost peaceful. Romantic might be stretching it.
“I asked Mack to help Danny if we get him out of prison.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Reaper’s breath tickles the little hairs at the back of my neck when he sighs. “He’s going to have to walk his own path at the end of the day, but having someone who gives a shit makes a huge fucking difference. And he’ll have you, too.”
“You mean if we don’t die out here.” I’m mostly joking, but not completely.
“We’re not going to fucking die. If I have to, I’ll try to get to shore,” he growls.
I shudder at the thought of plunging back into the river, and it sets off a hacking cough that tastes a little like mud. “Don’t you dare leave me here on my own.”
He chuckles, but it sounds tired. “I’ll do my best. I’d hate to leave you with only Mack and Scrapper as options.”
“Exactly. I’m getting used to having all of you around. All for one and one for all, right?” I stroke my fingers through his hair, smoothing out a knot. “I’m sorry I dragged you guys into this with me. I keep thinking about Mack and Scrapper. What if they?—”
“Stop. You didn’t make us do anything we didn’t want to do. We know better than you what people are capable of, and they’re big boys, they know what the fuck they’re doing. Whoever ran us off the bridge was focused on you and me.”
He sounds so confident that it's difficult not to believe him. But still…
“How are they going to find us? What if we're stuck here until we?—”
Reaper shuts me up with a kiss. His hand slides from my waist, up my chest and onto my neck where he holds me gently in place. “Baby, I know you feel like it’s you against the world, but have a little faith. The Screaming Eagles will turn over every stone in the whole damn state if they have to.”
I nod, snuggling into him.
“You getting cold?”
With his warm chest at my back, it isn’t too bad, but having him close feels so good right now. “Maybe a little? Maybe you should warm me up?”
“Oh? How do you propose I do that?” Something nudges me from below and I know where both of his hands are.
I shift my hips a little, rubbing against what can only be his hardening cock. “We need to keep moving, right? Physical activity? Raise our heart rates?”
“I think that’s a really good fucking idea.” He slides a hand over the insides of my thigh until he cups me. Strong fingers curl in towards my center. In a throaty voice, he whispers, “I love how slick you are for me.”
Tilting my head back onto his shoulder, I grab his free hand and place it right on my breast. “I must be crazy. You're not going to let us fall off, are you?”
“You're safe with me, girl. I'm gonna make sure you're anchored good.”
I arch into his touch, and his cock slides over my slit. All it takes is a little adjustment and then he’s pushing in, spreading me open. I gasp as his bare cock slides deep. “Wait.”
“You okay?” He stays completely still, though I'm sure it's killing him not to move.
“Yeah, fine. Just hold me for a little, let me feel you in me.”
With one arm across my chest, cupping my breast, and his other wrapped around my waist, I feel so secure. He captures a nipple between his fingertips and plays with it. When he tugs, it reaches deep into my core setting off an answering flash of heat. I lift my hips, riding him slowly. He groans and meets me halfway, thrusting up as I slide back down.
God, that's nice.
“Fuck, girl, you’re gonna be the death of me.” He pinches my nipple just hard enough for me to squeak in surprise. It didn't hurt. Not really.
“Better me than hypothermia,” I tease.
“Don’t make me fucking spank you.” His grip around my waist tightens, helping me up… then he drops me. I'm so surprised by the sudden lack of support that I slide all the way right back down to his thick base. The moan that slips out of me comes from deep in my throat.
“Again,” he hisses, and lifts me again. I'm ready the next time, but I just let myself drop anyway. The slow, agonizing slide upwards, followed by the sharp drop to take me from empty to completely filled in an instant, has every pleasurable neuron in my body firing all at once.
We fall into a rhythm that has my legs burning, but he doesn’t seem to mind as it takes more of his strength to maintain the pace. I can hear his breath come faster and harder, and his heartbeat thuds against my back. We moan together, the sound drowned out by the rushing water.
He lets go of my breast, only to slide his fingers down to tease my clit while he keeps lifting and dropping me. I press back against him, and close my eyes tight, letting all the sexy sensations wash over me. Sometimes, the spray kicks up from the river, scattering cool droplets all over me and giving me chills before the air dries them. It makes me tingle all over, and I’m panting in his lap as I ride his cock.
We move faster and faster, grinding against each other towards our inevitable release. My mind blanks, instinct taking over, driving me closer and closer until I can't hold on any longer. “Reaper,” I gasp out loud and then it hits me.
I grab his thighs for support, digging my fingers into his hard flesh as my spine arches and my head tips back onto his shoulder. His arms lock me in place, making sure I don't launch myself into the river as I come. I can't help struggling against his hold, just to feel his strength, to feel him hold me back as I explode around him. I go so tight that I can feel the steady thrum of blood squeezing through his cock. I release with a scream and he drives himself up into me, forcing me to keep coming and keep coming until I finally slump against him, exhausted.
“Fuck,” he hisses and yanks himself out of me.
A couple quick strokes with his hand, and my belly is spattered with hot, slick liquid that splashes all the way up to my breasts. His teeth pinch the side of my neck lightly and Reaper groans from the depths of his soul. I slide my fingertips through the mess, spreading his cum on my skin, then look right at him with a grin.
“I definitely don’t feel cold now.”
He laughs quietly. “Good. I should’ve asked before… I’m clean, I swear. I never take chances, but you made me fucking crazy. I didn't know if it was okay to finish in you.”
I lean in to kiss him. “Me neither. I trust you, but for the record, I have an IUD.”
“In that case…” God, he's still at least at half mast, and he positions me so he can shove his cum-slick cock right back up into me. I draw a sharp breath. “Then I'm gonna keep this inside you for as long as I can.”
“Mmmm,” I moan softly. “Okay.”
I doze in his arms, feeling far from cold.