Chapter 2
Arden
Arden knew Club Delight.
Of course, she knew Club Delight. It was known for being a very specific kind of club—the kind that catered to queer kinksters with Little leanings—and though she’d never played there herself, she’d done odd jobs for the owners Koa and Briar on a number of occasions.
She took another look at the woman on the side of the road.
Waif-like, with bouncing baby-pink curls, Teddy smiled anxiously at her.
“Your Koa’s cousin? Or Briar’s?”
Teddy was quiet again, clearly registering the fact that Arden knew the club. Knew what the club provided.
“Briar,” she whispered.
“I travel around a lot,” Arden explained, “help out queer businesses all over the state, so I’ve been to Club Delight, and I know your cousin well. She’s a smart businesswoman.”
The smile that flashed across Teddy’s face this time was anything but anxious.
“Briar’s the best. She said that if I ever wanted a place to stay, I could go to her.
My family are fine, but they’re a little narrow minded.
I was hoping that Cristina and I would settle down together…
” Her smile dimmed for a moment as her voice trailed off.
“It sounds that going to visit Briar then, even for a short while, is an excellent plan. It’s a day’s ride from here though, especially as driving at night across these highways isn’t the safest bet. You comfortable on the back of a motorbike?”
Wide eyes met hers and Arden had to bite back the term of endearment that came to her lips. The poor woman had just had a breakup and was trying to get somewhere safe. The last thing Teddy needed was to be hit on by the person giving her a ride.
“You’d really drive all that way with me?”
Arden would have driven Teddy to the moon and back if she kept looking up at her with those dusky brown eyes. “Sure. I was planning on heading back that way in a month or two anyway, so it’s no problem for me. You’ll have to wear a helmet though, and do exactly what I tell you.”
“Of course!” Teddy’s face was suddenly serious. “I’m very good at following instructions; I blame my tism.”
“Your tism?”
“I’m autistic,” she explained sunnily. “And one of the ways it rears its head is through a strict adherence to the rules. So any rules you tell me for riding on the back of your bike, I’ll follow.”
She wasn’t joking, Arden could tell. Damn, she was cute.
“Well, you’ll have to wear a helmet, and borrow a leather jacket, at the very least. I’d rather you were protected, in case you came off.”
Teddy nodded, her brow furrowed in concentration, like she was taking notes internally. “Helmet, jacket, don’t come off. Got it. And where do I hold on?”
Arden eyed her smallish form. “You’ve got two options: you can hold onto the grab bars, or you can hold onto me.
” She ignored the tiny squeak that Teddy emitted.
“Either works, but holding onto me is probably safer—it’d make sure that you keep your weighted centered, and you’d move more easily in sync with me and the bike round corners.
But honestly, do whatever you feel the most comfortable with. ”
She knew what she’d prefer—and she wasn’t lying when she said it was the safer option—but Arden wanted to be comfortable.
“I think I could hold on to you,” said Teddy in a small voice. “If that’d be okay?”
“Of course it would,” said Arden. “Now, if we want to make good time, I’d suggest we set off sooner rather than later.”
Teddy nodded. She slipped her bag into the top box at the back of the bike, shrugged on Arden’s spare leather jacket, and giggled as the helmet came down upon her head.
“You’ve got your phone on you?” asked Arden.
“Uh huh.”
“Drop Briar a text now, to let her know, and mention my name too.” She showed Teddy her driver’s license and got her to take a picture of it.
“There’s no signal though.”
“There will be as we drive through towns. Send the message now, and let her know that we’ll stop and do a check-in as soon as we can. It’s important that someone knows where you are and who you’re with.”
She hadn’t meant to sound like she was telling Teddy off, but the other woman’s face fell a little.
“I’m not cross,” she said. “Just want you to feel safe with me, and I know that if someone I knew was in this situation, I’d want the person they were travelling with to do the same for them.”
Teddy nodded slowly, and sent the photo to Briar. She then looked at the bike. “I just, get on?”
“That’s right,” said Arden, and tried to ignore the way that her heart beat that little bit faster as she settled Teddy on the back of her bike.
Then she was swinging her leg over the seat herself.
When two arms snuck around her waist, she almost jumped, but feeling Teddy press up against her, holding on like Arden was her lifeline, calmed something inside her that had been jittery ever since she’d left home ten years ago.
That was foolish, it shouldn’t make the slightest bit of difference, and it hadn’t any of the other times she’d had a woman on her bike. But this time… this time something felt right.