Page 2 of Flash

“That’s fine. Thanks.” I hang up and tilt my face towards the sky. I close my eyes and another raindrop hits the bridge of my nose. It rolls down one side while another few paint my forehead and cheeks. I guess I should start walking before the rain really starts coming down.

The roar of an engine tears through the quiet of the afternoon, sending a few birds scattering from a nearby tree. I push my fingers through my damp hair and look in the direction of the sound. Maybe I won’t have to walk after all. If I can manage to look pathetic and non-threatening enough, I might be able to hitch a ride with whoever is coming over the small hill. Shouldn’t be hard considering I weigh about a hundred and ten pounds and couldn’t intimidate a kitten if my life depended on it.

Still, I put on a sunny smile and prepare to wave them down. The roar grows louder until a man on a motorcycle comes into view. My heart jumps and I hesitate for a second. What if he’s one of those macho, homophobic biker dudes? Should I risk it? Before I can decide, he slows and pulls off to the side, rolling to a stop right behind my useless heap of a car.

He plants one foot on the ground and kills his engine. I drag my gaze over him, starting with the way his jeans cling to his thick thighs like a second skin. There’s a hole just above the knee that offers a little peek at the skin underneath and a flash of dark hair. In spite of the heat, he’s wearing a leather jacket, unzipped, offering a delicious view of a low-slung tank top underneath with a faded Nine Inch Nails logo on it, his man cleavage on full display with a generous smattering of dark gray hair dusting his pecs. I lick my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. At least if he murders me, I’ll die doing what I love: drooling over a man who’s clearly nothing but trouble.

He tugs his helmet off and my breath catches. Holy mother Mary and little baby Jesus, this man. He’s a certified silver fox, with a beard to match and a smolder in his steel gray eyes that makes my knees weak the second they lock onto me. I try to cover my gasp with a cough, but the twist of his lips into a cocky grin is a sure sign that I’ve failed miserably.

“Having a little trouble?” His voice is a deep rumble, the human equivalent of the roar of his engine, sending a shiver down my spine and a vibration through my chest.

Breathing? Yes. Taking my eyes off of him? Also, yes.

He nods towards my car, snapping me out of my horny stupor with the reminder of why I’m standing here on the side of the road to begin with.

I lick my lips again and nod.

“It’s hot,” I say, then cringe. “My car, I mean. It’s, um, smoking.” I glance at the hood which doesn’t have any traces of smoke left, and I wince again. If Rowan were here right now, he’d be laughing his ass off at me. I only get stupid around hot guys when it’s been too damn long since I’ve gotten laid.

Sexy motorcycle dude swings a leg over his bike to dismount. He sets his helmet on the seat, then shrugs off his jacket and hangs it from one of the handlebars. His arms bulge with muscles, one of his biceps covered with colorful ink. I open and close my mouth, trying to form words. Any words would be good. Other than ‘fuck me,’ because frankly that might be a little forward.

“Want me to take a look?” he offers.

“Fuck me,” I answer. His eyebrows jump up and my face heats. “I mean, thank me. Thank you. For taking a look.” I gulp under his intense gaze, the smirk growing on his lips. “At my car.”

Yeah, I’m definitely going to have to start walking. Directly into traffic would be ideal.

ARROW

And here I thought this afternoon was going to be dull. I was on my way to meet the guys and probably spend the rest of the day fucking around with our bikes, maybe taking a ride if the rain fucked off eventually. But, shit, helping a stranded motorist in need is a side quest I can get on board with. The fact that he’s cute as hell doesn’t hurt anything either.

I hold his gaze for a few more seconds, enjoying the feeling of heat and excitement expanding inside me, pulsing from my chest to my cock as the tasty blond treat in front of me licks his lips for what has to be the tenth time since I rolled up.

“I’m Lewis, by the way.” He introduces himself with a confident smile that’s at odds with his previous rambling and blushing. “And I swear, I’m not usually this stupid. It’s just been a long fucking day.”

I nod and smile back at him, a few raindrops pelting my exposed arms and chest, picking up speed from the light drizzle I was riding through just a minute ago.

“You can call me Arrow.”

“As in ‘straight as an arrow?’” He cringes at his own joke and drags his hand through his increasingly wet hair, pushing the white-blond mop off of his forehead.

“Absolutely,” I say solemnly, watching a flicker of disappointment flutter over his features. “Fun fact though, arrows aren’t that straight, and neither am I.” I wink and Lewis’s mouth falls open with a breathless laugh.

The guys have been giving me shit lately for an unprecedented celibate streak, and they might be right. If a little flirtatious banter is making my heart beat out of my chest, it’s long past time for me to dust myself off and get back in the game.

Lewis opens his mouth to say something else, but before he can, the skies open up and the drizzle turns into a full-on downpour.

“Oh shit,” he gasps over the roar of the rain.

I duck my head, for all the good that will do, and stride forward, closing the space between us in just a few steps. Lewis’s eyes widen as I back him towards the car.

“Get in.” I pull open the nearest door, which happens to be the back seat, and nudge him inside.

He doesn’t argue, just scrambles in and slides across the seat to make room for me to dive in after him. The rain pelts the car, creating a drumbeat on the roof and blurring the world outside. I shake my hair like a wet dog and Lewis shrieks, then laughs.

“Dude, you’re soaking the inside of my car.”

“Dude,” I mock, dragging my gaze over his tight white t-shirt, see-through now and clinging to his body. “The inside of your car is already soaked.”

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