“She was already a mess before he died, but afterward, she was a disaster. Dad didn’t have any life insurance to speak of, and Mom couldn’t hold down a job. I almost didn’t finish high school because we were going to lose our apartment if we didn’t get bills paid. I started working at the grocery store, bagging, and then later running the cash register. I had to put in a lot of hours just to keep the lights on. As soon as I finished high school, I moved out. I just couldn’t take it anymore. My mother is still in Cincinnati and living off disability, but we haven’t talked in years.”
“That sounds really rough,” I said. “You were so young, too.”
“I grew up fast,” Aiden said with a humorless smile.
I still had questions, but the plane began its descent into Miami. Aiden retrieved our bags from the overhead bin, and we headed off the plane and out of the airport.
“Do you have another Civic parked around here somewhere?” I asked.
Aiden laughed.
“Nah, I leave that for Ohio. Actually, I hadn’t thought about transportation. We’re going to have to improvise a bit.”
“Improvise?”
“Yeah, not a big deal. I just hope it all fits.”
Across the lines of taxis, I followed him out of the airport and to the parking garage. We took the elevator up to the next floor, and he led me over to a line of motorcycles. He stepped up next to a sleek, black machine.
“I have an extra helmet at home,” Aiden said. “You get to wear this one in the meantime. I’m just not sure if your luggage is going to fit in the side bags.”
“So you do have a Harley.” I eyed him as he removed the helmet from the back of the bike and placed it on my head.
“It’s a Yamaha R1,” he said with a grin. He crammed our luggage into the large, black bags hanging across the back of the bike. They fit, but just barely. “Have you ridden on a motorcycle before?”
Holy crap, he was actually expecting me to ride on the back of a motorcycle. It looked like one of those super-fast, super-dangerous ones, too. What if I fell off? What if another car didn’t see us and ran into us? I couldn’t do this—it was far too dangerous.
But what choice did I have? It was the only vehicle he had. I glanced back toward the row of taxis near the terminal exit, thinking I might just grab one of those and have the driver follow Aiden, but I knew I couldn’t do that. Aiden was bound to be offended if I didn’t ride with him.
“Never,” I admitted, half hoping he would suggest a cab himself.
“Then you are in for a treat. Just hold on tight, and lean with me when we turn. I’ll take it slow.”
Aiden tightened the chin strap and made a couple more adjustments to the side straps before nodding and straddling the bike. He shoved the red cap into one of the side bags and strapped a pair of
goggles around his head. I noticed the word “blessed” written across the back of his neck, right below his hairline, and a star beneath the lettering. Shaking my head slightly, I awkwardly climbed on behind him, painfully aware that I had no idea what I was doing.
“Where do I put my feet?” My voice sounded strange through the helmet.
“See the little bars down at the sides? Place them there, and then hold on to me.”
With my feet firmly planted on the footrests, I leaned forward and placed my hands lightly against his sides.
“You’ll have to hold on tighter than that,” Aiden said as he turned his head to look over his shoulder. “Wrap your arms around my waist. Lean against me, and when I turn, lean with me.”
I nodded and wrapped my arms around him. I had to turn my head to the side because of the helmet. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but the only thing I was really feeling was the pressure of his ass between my legs. Even in the Miami heat, my entire body warmed.
“You want the scenic route?” Aiden asked.
“Sure.”
The bike roared to life, and I held on tighter as he put it in gear and moved forward with a slight jerk. It scared me, and I flexed my arms to hold myself on.
“You good?” he asked.
“Yes!” I called over the hum of the engine.
“Here we go!”