Page 24 of Dash

“No, you’re going to wear it,” he states as he walks over to a toolbox. He picks up what looks like a seat. I watch nervously as he takes a little plastic section off the back of the bike.

“What are you doing?” I question as I watch him clip the black little seat onto the back of the bike.

“This,” he raises the piece he just removed from the bike, “is a no-ho,” he states.

“You’re joking?” I ask, and he shakes his head with a smile.

“Nope.” He pushes down on the seat, and I hear it click. He turns to face me as he taps it. “Come on.”

I stay standing where I’m at. “I’ve never been on a bike before.” And I’m totally rethinking it now.

“Here.” He places his hand in his pocket and removes some earbuds. He then takes my phone from my hand and plugs them in. He pushes a few buttons and then smiles when he is satisfied. “There’s only a few things that you need to know.” He looks up at me. “Just follow my lead.”

“How do I do that?”

“When we take a turn, lean into it with me.” I nod as if I understand what he means. “You won’t be able to hear me because of the helmet and the earbuds, but I will reach back and tap your thigh when I want you to hang on. Feel free to use your legs. You can tighten them against mine as tight as you want, it won’t hurt me.”

“Won’t I be hanging on the entire time?” I ask as I start to panic. I look over to the bike. “What else am I supposed to hang on to?” I ask nervously.

He places his hand on my shoulders. “Calm down. It will only take you a few minutes to get used to it. And once that starts to happen, you will loosen up and relax. You won’t hang on as tight. But there will be times when you will have to hold on tighter than others. I’ll let you know when those times are.”

“Okay,” I say as I swallow.

“No worries. I won’t do any wheelies with you on the back.”

“Wheelies?” I squeak. “You do wheelies? On that?” I ask wide-eyed.

He chuckles. “You’re cute,” he says before he leans in and gives me a soft kiss before he pulls way. He picks up a jacket off his bike and hands it to me. “This is a mesh jacket. It has holes for it to breathe, but it has pads in it in case we go down.”

My legs start to shake. “You’re not helping.”

“It’s just a safety precaution. I want you to be safe.” He places it on me and then puts my phone in an inside pocket, before zipping it up. “Put these in your ear but don’t turn the music on yet,” he orders, and I do as he says.

I stand back and watch him as he places his jacket on and straddles the bike. He fixes his phone to the music he wants and then starts up the bike. It causes me to jump. “Come on.”

I walk over to him, and he turns his body to look over his shoulder at me. He takes my helmet from me. “Place your left leg on the peg,” he says pointing to it. I do as he says. “Now place your left hand on my shoulder and lift yourself up.” I place my sweaty hand on his shoulder as he says and lift myself up. He holds the bike up as my right foot finds the other peg.

He leans over and hands me the helmet. “Don’t be nervous. I would never put you in harm’s way,” he says softly before he grabs my left hand and brings it around to his face. He gives it a soft kiss, and then lets go of it.

I quickly put my helmet on and fasten it. I reach up from my earbuds and press play on the cord. Music blares so loud I cringe.

I sit there and wait for my ears to adjust to the screaming of some guy I’ve never heard before when I realize we haven’t left the garage. Why haven’t we left? Am I forgetting something? I have my jacket on. I have his helmet on. My music is playing. He said he would signal to me. Do I need to signal to him?

I lean over and place my right hand on the cool tank. And with my left hand I tap him on his shoulder, hoping that does the trick.

The engine revs up, and then he pulls out of the garage. The first five songs that play in my ear, I am a terrified mess. I hold my eyes tightly closed, and I squeeze him to the point he probably can’t breathe. But he’s right, every second that goes by, I get more comfortable. Every turn he takes, I lean more into him instead of trying to fight it. I just have to remind myself that he is the expert, and this is my first time. He knows what he’s talking about.

I let my arms loosen, and I take in a deep breath. I smell him. The smell of him lingers in the helmet that I’m wearing, and it makes me smile. I close my eyes and feel the wind blowing on my skin through the jacket. It’s an amazing feeling to know that there’s nothing between you and the road. It feels as if I’m flying.

He doesn’t take me far. Maybe ten miles on the highway and then he exits. But he gets right back on and heads back in the direction of his house. By the time he pulls up in his driveway, my legs are tingling from the roar of the bike underneath me. And my mind is full of nothing but him from smelling him in the helmet.

He pulls into his garage, and I slide off the back awkwardly but manage not to fall over. My back hurts from leaning over. My hands hurt from holding myself up while leaning over. And the inside of my legs hurt from straddling the back. But I know what can fix it. Him.

I rip his helmet off my head and unzip the jacket as he removes his helmet. I walk over to him and pull on his arm, spinning him to face me. I unzip his jacket quickly and then shove it off his shoulders as my lips land on his. He doesn’t even try to stop me as his hands find their way to my hips. He pulls me into him roughly, needing me as much as I need him at the moment.

CHAPTER TWELVE

DASH

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