I start her up and reverse from my spot before riding to where Dominik is, a block down the road already. When I pull up to where he’s walking, he stops and gawks over at me. His hood is over his head, but his black curls are damp and hanging in front of his eyes.
“Get on,” I bark out, fixing my gaze in front of me.
“What—what the fuck do you mean ‘get on’?”
“Exactly what I said. It’s raining and you live across town, so just get on.” I have no idea what I’m doing. This wasn’t part of the plan… but, it can be.
“How do you know—”
“I’m a cop, Dominik. Obviously, I’m going to know where you live.” I can feel my irritation peaking. The motherfucker is apparently fucking stubborn. “Get. The fuck. On,” I growl, feeling the vibration in my chest along with the rumbling from the bike idling underneath me.
“Whatever. I just want to get home.” With that, I feel the weight of him behind me. He slides close to me until his front is pressed entirely against my back. I hold my breath as he gets situated but when his arms remain by his side, I turn and glare over my right shoulder.
“Just put them around me. I’m not going slow to accommodate you, so you best just hold on.”
“I don’t even know who the fuck you are, and you’re already telling me what to do.”
“You might want to listen.” I get into gear and gun it. The tires squeal on the wet pavement, and we fishtail for a moment before straightening out. Dominik’s arms fly around my middle, and his fists clutch my T-shirt as I weave around the light traffic.
Once I jump on the interstate, I speed up until the wind is whipping my hair back and forth across my face, and the slow and steady rain drops feel like knives piercing my skin, cold and brutal.
By the time I’m taking the exit that will bring us to Dominik’s apartment, Dominik is shivering behind me, every shake of his body reverberating into mine. Goosebumps mar my bare skin, but I welcome the sting. It keeps me focused on the slight pain rather than the unusually cold body pressed against me, keeps me from thinking about the ridge digging into my lower back and from imagining that bulge somewhere lower…
I skid to a halt in front of Dominik’s apartment building. His weight slams into me, and I steady myself with my grip on the handlebars and two feet on the ground.
“Je-jesus fucking chr-christ,” Dominik stutters, his entire body shivering as he maneuvers his way off my bike.
“Watch the exhaust.” I jerk my head toward the pipe, and he nods, steering clear. Exhaust burns are no fucking fun, that’s for damn sure. I’ve had plenty in my time.
“Thanks for the ride, I guess…” I nod and turn away from his slightly inquisitive stare. I see him shrug in my peripheral before sauntering away and into the building without a backwards glance. My jaw locks and pops in time with every step he takes, and when he’s been out of my sight for over five minutes, I start to pull out of the parking lot, only to come to a lurching stop.
Dominik is back—only… he’s walking to his Mustang. I shut my bike off just as his car rumbles to life. Music echoes from the car out into the early morning, shattering the damp silence that has settled over the city.
The rain has stopped, leaving everything dripping wet—including myself. But that doesn’t stop me from starting my bike back up and following Dominik as he pulls away and down the road.
I keep my distance—at least two blocks back—but I don’t think he would even notice if I was directly behind him.
Smoke funnels out through his cracked window, along with the distant sound of music, but it’s the direction he’s heading that has my teeth on edge and my hands gripping the handlebars a little too fucking tight.
He better not be heading where I think he is.