“No,” Jennifer said quickly.
“We told her we’d kick her ass if she backed out,” Blaire said.
“That’s not promising.”
Blaire winked at me from under her baseball cap. “She likes you. She’s just stubborn.”
“I like stubborn.”
“We know,” Blaire and Jennifer said at the same time and then broke down into giggles.
I waited patiently for Piper to come out of her room. I didn’t know why she was nervous. We’d talked all week. I’d texted her while we were both at work and called her at night to talk. It was unlike anything I’d ever done before. Not for a long, long time at least. Normally, I got bored before this point. But not Piper. There was not a single thing about her that was boring.
Finally, the door cracked open, and Piper stepped out. My jaw nearly hit the floor as I took in her short black dress and flats. I’d told her we were going somewhere casual when she asked on the phone, but somehow, she made even a casual dress look incredible. It hugged her curves in all the right places. Her thick, dark hair was down in voluminous waves, and her makeup was subtle but smoky. Her lips were a cherry red that made me wonder exactly what they would look like, wrapped around my dick. I was still male after all.
I cleared my throat. “Wow. You look great.”
She smiled almost shyly. “Thanks.”
“I brought you flowers.” I gestured to Blaire, who foisted the bouquet toward her.
“Oh, tulips.” She smelled the blooms that I’d gotten in every color, and her eyes met mine again. “I love them.”
“All right, you crazy kids,” Blaire joked, “I’ll hold down the fort. Have a good time.”
Piper shot her a look. “Thanks, Mom.”
Jennifer pulled Blaire back, and they both stifled laughs. They were enjoying this. All those times Piper and I had argued, had they known that it would lead here? I certainly hadn’t. I’d enjoyed watching her squirm. And now, I wanted her to squirm in all sorts of other ways.
“Ready?”
Piper nodded, and we left her house. She stopped when she got to the bottom of the stairs. “What is that?”
I arched an eyebrow. “That is a motorcycle.”
“You…drove your Harley here for our date?”
“Yeah. It’s perfect weather for it.”
“I’m wearing a dress,” she protested.
“You’ll be fine,” I said with a smirk. “The dress is pretty long anyway, and you’ll have your legs around me.”
She met my gaze with a stubborn glint in her eyes. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“Sure would.”
“We could take my Jeep,” she offered. “It has sides and four wheels, and if you want your hair to blow in the wind, I can make it topless.”
I snorted. “Get on the bike, Medina. I even brought you an extra helmet.”
I held it out for her, and she eyed it skeptically.
“Um, you know, maybe…maybe we shouldn’t do this.”
She was nervous. This wasn’t me. This was the bike. “You said you’ve never been on a motorcycle. Are you…scared?”
“No,” she blurted so fast and then cringed. “Well, maybe a little.”
“Hey, look,” I said, moving to her side. I tilted her chin up to look at me. “Would I do something that would endanger you?”
“No.”
“Haven’t I taken care of you and made sure you felt safe?”
“Well, yes.”
I nodded. “That’s right. So, this is going to be fine. Better than fine. It’s fun. You’re going to like it. And if you don’t, we can come back and take your Jeep.”
She swallowed hard, as if debating, and then nodded. “All right. Yeah. I’m being silly.”
“It’s not silly to express your feelings,” I said automatically. “If you don’t feel safe with me, then I don’t want to do it.”
“Okay,” she said with a little more enthusiasm.
I handed her the helmet, and she fitted it onto her head. I buckled it for her and dropped my leg over the side of the bike. She took a fortifying breath. I heard her mutter under her breath, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” And she hopped on behind me.
Having her weight against me on my bike felt fucking incredible. I had to shut down half of my brain as she settled in firmly against my back, wrapping her arms around my waist and drawing her thighs up to the sides of my legs.
“Ready?”
“Sure.”
I turned on my baby, and the deep, vibrating rumble of her engine reverberated through my bones. This was the sound of fucking joy. Pure freedom. Just me and my Harley out on the road with nothing to do but drive. A smile came to my face, even as Piper gripped tighter. Then, we were off.
Riding my Harley through Lubbock was a specific sort of bliss. Having Piper with me to enjoy it was next level. I was almost sad when we arrived at our destination ten minutes later.
Piper clung to me for dear life even after I brought the bike to a stop in a parking spot and killed the engine.