Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 85167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Tam took a tentative step forward. Somewhere deep inside, he’d known he was going to give in as soon as they’d left the apartment building and he’d realized what Driver intended. Never in a million years had he ever thought he’d be hopping on the back of a black-and-chrome machine and risking his life for something as ridiculous as noodles and a game of pool. But that’s exactly what he was doing.
“If I die, I’m coming back to haunt the shit out of you.”
Driver’s full mouth transformed into an affectionate smile. “Not much of a threat. Here.” He closed the distance between them and then pushed a helmet onto Tam’s head. “Too tight?” he asked as he fastened the chin strap. It was an old-fashioned helmet, not one of the uber-modern ones with shiny face masks.
“No.”
“Good, now hop on behind me, just swing your right leg over.” Driver mounted the bike and waved Tam closer.
Tam hesitated. “What about your helmet?”
“I only got the one. Don’t worry, my Gran always said my head was hard as a rock anyway.”
“Stubborn?”
“As an ox, now stop stalling and climb on.”
With no other options, Tam did as he was told, leaving about six inches between himself and Driver, who laughed.
“That’s not gonna work. You gotta get closer, grip me with your thighs and hold on to my waist.”
Scooching forward was torture. Half of him was thrilled while the other half knew he was getting in way too deep. When he was snug against Driver’s back, arms around his waist, he closed his eyes at the rush of delight that swept through him. It felt...right.
So right that he couldn’t stop himself from squeezing just a bit.
“Perfect,” Driver said reaching behind to grab Tam’s knee. “Move with me and don’t let go.”
Tam couldn’t force words out right then, his throat was tight with pleasure and panic, so he pressed his head into Driver’s back and nodded.
The bike roared to life and they were off, flying into the night. Tam’s breath caught in his chest as New York’s lights blurred into a glittering rainbow. He snuggled closer into Driver without realizing it, heart pounding, but not from fear, because it was amazing. His limbs vibrated with the rumble of the engine between his legs and his head rushed like he was drunk.
He was free. He was alive.
And fuck, he was getting hard.
Really? Now?
His balls tingled with reawakened desire, the long forgotten rush of pleasure as his cock filled. Even the pinch from the awkward angle was more than Tam had felt in...forever. His pulse thundered in his ears, louder than the engine, louder than the wind. For once he wasn’t consumed with terror by his body’s reaction. So good. God, how he wished he could feel this all the time like everyone else, like normal people. But he’d take this moment. It was better than never experiencing it.
Without even realizing it, Driver had given him something irreplaceable, a gift worth more than diamonds or gold: a single moment of arousal without fear or embarrassment.
* * *
Driver blew on his hands as they walked the block and a half to his favorite noodle place in Chinatown. He should have worn gloves, but he hadn’t been thinking ahead. He was used to West Coast weather, where even in winter it rarely dipped below fifty degrees.
“This is it,” he said when they reached the nondescript corner building with a basic yellow sign hanging above the door. Steam covered the windows so only the vague shadows of rows and rows of hanging ducks were visible. “It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but they have the best roast pork and noodle soup in the city.”
Tam stayed quiet. He hadn’t said a word since they’d parked, and the silent treatment irked Driver. He tugged Tam out of the way of sidewalk traffic.
“Talk to me.”
Today, Tam’s makeup was subtle, but his eyes were still large enough to drown in, especially when he blinked, all innocent and curious. Goddamn, those big fucking doe eyes were so full of honesty and something else Driver couldn’t put his finger on. It did things to him he wasn’t ready to examine.
“Did I scare you? Did I drive too fast?”
A little pucker appeared between Tam’s brows. “No.” One big deep breath that seemed more like he was arming himself for battle than taking in necessary oxygen. “I loved it.”
Driver hadn’t realized how scared he’d been about Tam hating to ride until that moment. Knowing Tam had enjoyed himself sent a new kind of thrill rushing to his fingers and toes, curling around every nerve on its way.
“Yeah?”
Tam’s nod was a cute bob up and down, but the wrinkle remained.
“Then, what’s up?”
“Nothing.” Another deep breath. “It doesn’t matter, let’s eat.”
Clearly Tam wasn’t ready to spill whatever was on his mind. “You sure? We can go somewhere else, do something else.”