Page 48 of Through The Woods

It was Charm’s turn to laugh. “There are—for me. Motorcycles turn by leaning, so lean the same direction I do. The best way to do that is to look over my shoulder in the same direction as the turn—your body should always be in line with mine.”

My mind went haywire during the last part. He wasn’t smiling though, so a ‘that’s what she said’ joke would’ve probably been in poor taste. Probably.

C’mon, Neve.

Think of mangy dogs and elementary school signage.

“Anything else?” I choked out.

He nodded. “Yeah. If I brake suddenly, use the footpegs to keep from sliding into me. And if you see animals, tap me on the shoulder. If they’re on the right side of the road, right shoulder. Left side of the road, left shoulder. It ain’t rocket science. Oh, and don’t get any bright ideas about leaping off the damn thing and we’ll be golden.”

I looked back at the bike. What seemed like a thing of beauty a minute ago, now seemed like a steel deathtrap. In my dream, I hadn’t had to worry about wildlife or leaning the right way, I just held on and enjoyed the ride. “I really have a lot to get done today. Maybe another time.”

I attempted to hand him the helmet, but he kept his hands at his side. “You scared, Sweetheart?”

I laughed weakly. “I’m thinking I’d be better off with the coke. That’s all.”

His mood darkened instantly. “You can wait and learn with Gunner or you can go with me now. It’s your choice, but one way or another, your ass will be on the back of a bike.”

“Great.” I slipped the helmet on, while cursing him under my breath. He grabbed the chin strap and tightened it. Knowing he wouldn’t see, I stuck my tongue out at him from beneath the visor.

My maturity level was on par with that of a kindergartner right now.

“Let’s go.” He climbed on and started the bike up and I kept my left foot on the ground, while extending my right leg over the seat, doing exactly what he’d shown me. He turned toward me. “Hold on tight. If you get scared or want me to stop, hit me. Don’t do something stupid that’ll get us both killed though.”

I nodded and reluctantly gripped his hips as the bike moved forward. I would’ve been lying if I said that my muscles weren’t taut with fear those first few minutes. The roads up here weren’t straight. They were winding, meaning that there was a lot of leaning involved. I kept a death grip on Charm until my body got used to the movements. It was a little like riding a roller coaster and I began to feel giddy.

I stopped focusing on the flaming skull on the back of Charm’s vest long enough to appreciate our surrounding and my hands relaxed slightly as he expertly navigated the twists and turns, the wind whipping through his hair.

Gradually, I became aware of the vibrations from the bike and those pesky feelings of lust fought their way to the surface again.

Nope.

Not going there.

I’d seen the picture in his room. I’d read their life story. As much as I wanted to believe that he’d had his own version of unrequited love with her, it was obvious that they’d worked things out by the time she got sick. She’d been pregnant, for crying out loud.

Charm was crazy about her.

What kind of person would ruin that?

I might have been a lot of things, but a homewrecker was not one of them.

Not me.

I just had to reign in my feelings and focus on the task at hand–which was friendship.

Period.

End of story.

Anything else was madness.

---