Page 38 of Flash

Lewis throws his head back and laughs. “Good point. There,” he says with satisfaction as he places the flower on the short bookshelf right in front of the window. “Ready to go?”

Ready? I’ve been ready for weeks.

LEWIS

The vibration of the motorcycle makes my ass cheeks go numb in a matter of minutes, but it’s a small price to pay for the rest of the experience. The smells of leather, lavender, and motor oil fill my lungs, embedding themselves onto my brain, forever to be associated with Arrow. The seat on the Harley is actually surprisingly roomy, but that doesn’t stop me from pressing my entire body up against his back, wrapping myself around him and gripping his t-shirt. Since he gave me his helmet, his silver hair dances in the wind.

My cock stiffens against the curve of his ass, and if it weren’t for the visor covering my face, I might not be able to keep myself from dragging my tongue over the side of his neck just to taste his skin again. Maybe that’s allowed though. This is kind of a date, after all, and he did bring me an orchid.

My heart thunders against Arrow’s back as I press myself even closer, glad the helmet hides my huge, giddy smile, even though he wouldn’t be able to see it right now anyway. Trees and open fields blur past us as we fly down the quiet back road to Belland. I tighten my grip on his t-shirt, feeling the heat of his skin under my hands, his leather jacket open and flapping in the wind just like his hair is.

We cruise past the sign welcoming us to Belland and he slows our speed as we cross into the town limits. It’s a medium sized town, just like Fall Crosse. Unlike Fall Crosse though, Belland draws tourists and lands on every ‘small towns you don’t want to miss in Wisconsin’ list thanks to the picturesque park right in the middle of town and the quaint shops lining the square around it. The sidewalks are fairly busy with people enjoying the last few weeks of summer, walking hand in hand and eating ice cream cones like they were paid by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism to recreate the pictures in a travel brochure.

We roll to a stop at one end of the park. It takes me a few seconds to actually unwrap myself from around him. If he asks, I’m definitely going to pretend it’s because I was scared and not because I want to wiggle under his jacket and rub myself all over him while I nuzzle his beard and purr like a cat. For sure don’t want to do that. Okay, maybe I want to do it a little.

He brought me a flower. I’m entitled to get a little swoony and stupid over a man who brings flowers. Is that all it takes to break down my defenses and gain unfettered access to my heart? It certainly would seem so, and I would love to be madder at myself about that, but Arrow is making it really hard to remember why I should be.

When I manage to let go of him, Arrow scoots forward, giving me space to awkwardly climb off the back of the bike using his sturdy shoulders for balance. Once my feet are on the ground, I tug the helmet off while he gracefully slings his leg over the Harley and dismounts. I run my fingers through my hair to try and unflatten it, then set the helmet on my seat. Just like he did the day he pulled over to help me, he shrugs out of his leather jacket and hangs it on the handlebars. I notice the emblem on the back again, and something tickles at the back of my mind. It’s just a wisp of a memory I can’t quite grab before it’s gone, like almost remembering something from a dream.

I dart my tongue out to wet my lips and find myself moving closer to him without meaning to. He holds my gaze, the humor in his eyes melting into liquid heat. My hands seem to have a life of their own, reaching out and gently pushing up the bottom of Arrow’s t-shirt, my thumb grazing the warm skin underneath as my fingers wrap themselves around his clothes again, this time without the excuse of needing to hang on. The corners of his lips twitch like he’s holding back a smile, and he ghosts his hand up my arm. I shiver with the goose bumps that rise under his touch.

“Hey, this is only a trial date, so you should probably keep it in your pants,” he says solemnly, but he presses himself into my touch, immediately contradicting himself.

My mouth falls open and I bark out a laugh. “I had better keep it in my pants, Mr. Pinned-me-to-the-wall-and-shoved-his-tongue-in-my-mouth?”

A taunting smirk spreads over his lips as he brings his mouth closer to mine. “That was before. I’m trying to make a good first impression here. I promise I’ll keep my tongue to myself.”

“Don’t you dare.” I close the inch of space between us, devouring his lips and licking my way into his mouth.

Arrow wraps his arms around me and meets the kiss with deep, hungry strokes of his tongue in return. My cock stiffens against him, and a hot shiver rocks me.

“We’d better stop before we get kicked out of the park.”

I laugh and break the kiss, nodding in agreement and using my hand to wipe the dampness from my lips.

“Good point. Let’s get tacos. This place is incredible, you’re going to love it. I’m not kidding when I tell you they have the best tacos I’ve ever eaten.”

I slide my hand into Arrow’s uninjured one without thinking and start towards the food trucks. It only takes a few steps for my brain to catch up with my body. I stiffen and stutter a step, loosening my grip on his hand, but instead of pulling away, Arrow tightens his fingers around mine and falls into pace beside me.

There are a few taco trucks parked around the square, interspersed between burger trucks, kebabs, and one place called Send Noods, which is all pasta. But nobody throws a taco together like Bas does. At least, no one in Belland does.

He’s leaning out the window of his truck as we walk up, a serene smile on his lips, his dark, curly hair flatted under a hair net, a dimple indenting his left cheek. His eyes light up when they fall on us.

“Straight as an Arrow,” he says, holding his fist out to Arrow for a greeting bump. “And Huey Lewis and the News.” He fist-bumps me too.

I look over at Arrow who gives me a sheepish smile.

“I might be a bit of a regular here too. You seemed so excited to bring me, I didn’t want to ruin the fun,” he explains, then turns and nods to Bas. “Hey, Bas, how’s it going?”

“Another day in paradise,” he declares, drumming his hands on the metal counter and winking.

I glance between the two of them, hating myself a little for the way I assess their smiles. They’re friendly, but are they too friendly? Have they fucked? Do they want to? It wouldn’t be the first time exclusive didn’t mean exclusive, and it definitely wouldn’t be the first time a guy made me feel like a complete idiot. My fingers twitch around Arrow’s, and without hesitating, he uses his grip on my hand to pull me closer. Then he lets go of my hand and puts his arm around me.

He looks at me like Bas doesn’t even exist, like I’m the only person in this whole park, and my heart skips a beat.

“What do you prefer, Tater Tot, chicken or beef?”

My cheeks heat and I flatten my lips to fight off a laugh. “Chicken.”

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