Page 102 of The Quarterback Sneak

If only he knew what a stupid question that was. I can feel his body everywhere, and it’s having an adverse effect on my panties. “Yup,” I quip, tightening my thighs around him.

He squeezes my hands. “Okay, so I’m going to assume that you’ve never been on the back of a bike since Jamie is the only other guy you’ve dated. The most important thing you need to know is that when I move, you need to move with me. You’ll get an urge to counter my movement but don’t. Just relax and let me do all the work.”

“Where are we going?”

“Do you trust me?” he asks as his thumb runs across my palm. I scratch along the fabric of his white buttoned shirt, and his muscles contract under my touch.

“With my life.”

“Good to know, Honeycomb. I know you’ll love where we end up.”

He revs the engine, forcing me to hold him a little tighter. “Here we go,” I singsong, and close my eyes. My stomach lurches when the bike moves, and I don’t open them until we’re on the highway. Resting my head on his back, I close my eyes and let the calming rhythm of his breathing relax me.

As the cool air skates across my body, I can’t help but feel a strong sense of freedom. Flying down the highway in a tattered dress, I feel unrestricted and realize that I’m happily trusting Zach with my life.

I squeeze his torso, and he takes one hand off the handlebar to squeeze my hand in reassurance.

As he pulls into Vista Point, I gasp at the beautiful view. The city lights twinkle under a deep purple and blue sky.

“I’ve never seen something so beautiful,” I say as he pulls my helmet off. Without asking, he strokes my hair, setting it in place.

“Then you’ve never looked in the mirror.”

I blush at the compliment and don’t address it. “How did you find this place?”

Grabbing me by the waist, he pulls me into a bridal carry and drops me onto a bench overlooking the view. Sitting next to me, he loosely drapes his arm over the back of the bench. “I found this place last year when I took the wrong bus home one day and got stuck here until my mom could pick me up.”

“How long were you up here?”

“Long enough to watch the sunset.”

“That sounds very romantic.”

Zach chuckles, shuffling closer. “Trust me, it wasn’t. It was like ninety degrees that day, and I’d skipped the shower after football because I was late.”

“You in need of a shower sounds hot.” I look him up and down, and the grin on his face falls.

“I guess I owe you an explanation?”

“Not really. We aren’t really together, and Tiff told me a lot, but if you want to explain, I won’t stop you.”

Zach grunts. “Firstly, you’re delusional if you think we aren’t together, Honeycomb.” He drapes his arm over my shoulder, kissing me on the cheek. “It’s you and me against this crazy school, this crazy world if you’ll have me.”

He raises his hand, bringing it to my chin, coaxing me to look in his direction. Saying nothing, he dips down and places his lips against mine. Once again, my whole body ignites without my consent.

When he pulls away, I inadvertently moan and scrunch my face. Opening my eyes now would be too depressing because then he’d see the heady desperation in my eyes.

“Tiff’s my cousin.” It’s a simple statement, but it takes me a little while to comprehend since I’m still reeling from our kiss.

“I know.” Finally, I open my eyes. His thumb gently caresses my cheek, warming me even through the cold, crisp air.

“Yeah, Tiff mentioned she told you our secret.” He wets his lips, prompting me to do the same, tasting him. “I’m sorry I waited so long that she told you instead of me. I didn’t know how to explain it without ruining what we have.”

What do we have?I fight back the urge to ask that question, patiently waiting for Zach to finish.

“I didn’t say anything initially because I thought you wouldn’t help me with the bet, and I needed the money. It was all I focused on to start with. But then things started to get complicated.” He raises his hand, waving it between the two of us.

“In what way?”

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