I pressed my lips against hers, sealing her words off with yet another kiss. I wrapped my arms around the girl I’d just made love to, pulling her as closely to me as I could get. Her lips smashed against mine. Our teeth clattered together. She made me feel as if I were on cloud nine, floating among the stars threatening to cover the whole of Los Angeles. I knew she was worried about me. I was, too. My stamina was still on the mend, and there was a good chance I’d have to stop for a breather or two on my walk home.
But I wasn’t going to let that hold me back.
“Go. To. Work. Rae.”
I punctuated the words with kisses before my hands slipped to her hips. She sighed as her forehead fell against mine. I felt her fingertips curling into my chest. My heart beat against her skin. Against her hands as they tried keeping me rooted. I knew she didn’t want to go to work. They had interrupted us at a terrible time. And truth be told, I wanted to hop back into bed and hold her. I wanted to leap back into her arms, pull her against me, and fuck her into that mattress until the words poured effortlessly from both of our mouths.
I knew she needed the hours, though. Especially if she wanted to save to move out after graduation.
Rae sighed. “At least let me know when you get home safely. Okay?”
I nodded. “Of course. This’ll give me time to stretch my legs. Work on my stamina. Allow me to clear my head for a bit before getting into the house.”
“Is your dad still there?”
I paused. “Yeah. He’s still home.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
It made me sick she even had to ask. “I’ll be fine, Rae. I know how to stand my ground with him.”
“I don't know about this.”
I cupped her cheeks. “Look. It’s a twenty-minute walk. It’s not even six o’clock. You’ll hear from me before you get ready and leave for work in the first place. I promise.”
And after a pause, she nodded. “Okay. Let’s get you out of here, then.”
“Atta girl.”
She walked me to the front door before pulling me in for one more kiss. She fisted my shirt, wrapping it around her hand before pulling me down to her lips. I growled down the back of her throat and cloaked her in my arms. I loved it when she took control like that. When she thought she had the upper hand. I whipped her around, backing her into the wall in front of the door as my knee pressed between her thighs.
The glorious thighs I’d just relished with my lips.
Rae giggled. “We’re both going to be late if you don’t stop.”
I grinned. “I’m not the one that initiated that kiss, beautiful.”
“I guess I’ll take the blame for it. But just this once.”
“Just this once, indeed.”
I chuckled, then captured her lips one last time. I kissed the tip of her nose, both of her cheeks, then planted one on her forehead. And after pep-talking myself in my head, I finally pulled away. I left her house, walking myself up the street and out of view before I stopped to catch my breath.
And for the first time in a long time, I admired the world around me.
I noticed the flowers lining the sidewalks as I walked by them. I noticed the cracks in the concrete where the land below it was slowly winning the war. I gazed up into the light blue sky, slowly cracking against the colors o
f a sunset teeming on the horizon. Things I’d never noticed while zooming around on my motorcycle. A world I had yet to experience because of the fast-paced, angry life I’d led up until this point. The breeze blew against my face, drying the beads of sweat on my brow as they formed.
It felt different than the breeze on my bike.
It felt comforting. Soothing. Not like the talons that clawed at my leather-jacketed back while speeding through town. I mean, yes. I missed my bike. But there was something about the world around me that couldn't be appreciated while on it. Like the rabbits hopping around in people’s front yards. Or the laughter of young kids growing up down the off-shoot roads I passed to get to my own. The grass was green. I mean, incredibly green. A vibrant green that reminded me of those darkened neon signs in antique shops around the city.
I smiled at the life around me as I turned down the road I lived on.
I had a lot of good things going for me now. I had a great girl in my corner. I had new friends I felt I could trust. Who supported me and weren’t dragging me down and encouraging me to be an absolute asshole. I had a stepmother who wanted a relationship with me. I had teachers who were helping me get through homework and missed tests so I could still graduate. Hell, even the principal of the school smiled at me every once in a while, instead of frowning my way with disapproval and frustration in his eyes.
I felt good about life, for once.