And how a family like that produced a beautiful man like the one that sat in front of me.
“All right, time to get you back to campus, Bambi.”
I stood. “This place is great. I’ll definitely have to come back sometime.”
He snickered. “Not by yourself, though. These guys will eat you alive.”
“Well, maybe you can bring me, then.”
I looked up into his face and watched that wall come crashing back down, his eyes growing stern again. Stoic. Like they had been before we started talking. Started laughing. Started getting to know one another. He shoved the bike helmet into my hands and walked past me without another word. And as a heavy sigh left my lips, I saw the waitress was staring at me with an expression I couldn't read.
Without another word, I turned on my heels and followed Max out the fro
nt door. I slid the helmet onto my head the right way this time and we both got back onto his bike. The engine roared to life as I clamped my thighs. But he sped off before I could wrap my arms around him. And as they flailed around in the air, it took all the strength I had in my measly little body to pull myself upright.
“Could you be any less inconsiderate next time, Buckaroo?” I yelled the words at him as the wind howled around our bodies.
Despite the tension between us again, I held him tightly, squeezing my thighs around the bike and fisting his shirt in my hands. I leaned my covered cheek against his back, closed my eyes, and drank it all in. The speed. The wind. The way his muscles twitched with every movement, whether it was to stabilize himself around a tight corner or scoot a bit further into me.
Nestling his butt right between my thighs.
I didn’t want the night to end. But all too soon, we pulled up to campus. He rode me straight to the door of my dorm, parking us just underneath the shadows of the awning. I opened my eyes and sighed with disappointment before slipping off the back of the bike and tugging the helmet off my head. I brushed the hair out of my face, hoping I’d get to feel Max’s knuckles against my skin one last time.
He didn't move to help me, though.
Just kept staring at me until I handed his helmet back to him.
“Thanks for tonight. I needed a distraction from studying.”
He nodded. “So did I.”
“From what?”
He grinned. “Nice try, Daddy’s girl.”
“No more Bambi?”
“When I’m feeling up for it.”
“So now we’re back to Daddy’s girl? Where I don’t get to tease you because you’re trying to play the tough guy routine to push me away?”
His eyes narrowed. “Good night.”
I gripped the handlebars of his bike. “Can I ask you something?”
He licked his lips. “Sure. I’ll bite.”
I stood up. “Why did you take me out tonight?”
“Why do you care?”
“I mean, the last time we saw each other, you told me to stay away from you. Now... now you’re taking me out on your bike. And I’m pretty sure that’s about as close as we can get. You know, our bodies and such.”
“You think that’s as close as two people can get?”
“Well, yeah. With clothes on, at least.”
He grinned. “What about with clothes off?”