Page 9 of Sly (Dragon Riders MC 5)
“There. Should be good now,” Sly said.
I smiled, even though he couldn’t see it. “Thank you.”
He scooted up. “Need help getting on?”
I threw my leg over the bike. “Nah. I got it.”
He chuckled. “A woman after my own heart. Make sure to hang on tight now, all right?”
I threaded my arms around his waist. “Trust me, I don’t plan on letting go.”
With a rev of his engine and a push of his feet, we were off. I clung to his leather jacket like a bottom-feeder to the ocean floor. I’d never been on the back of a bike before, but I tried not to show it. I tried not to laugh every time we took a sharp turn or squeal every time he sped up. If my brother was infiltrating this crew and riding a bike of his own, I had to make all of this look as natural as possible.
Even though it was the most unnatural thing for me in the entire world.
Once we hit the open road, though, I settled my head against Sly’s back. I couldn't believe how hot he had been when he first pulled up, especially in this leather jacket. And the tight, dark-wash jeans he wore? Left literally nothing to the imagination. And it gave me a great view of something I wanted to play around with later. Not to mention, the white t-shirt he wore. It clung to his chest and made me want to rip the damn thing off him just to see what it hid with such effort and might.
Maybe if I played my cards right, I’d be able to find out firsthand.
“So, you thought about what you might want to do?” Sly asked.
His voice popped up in my ear and I almost yelped at the shock.
“Microphones in the helmet. Nice,” I said.
“They’re pretty standard now. But yes.”
I nodded. “Well, I figured maybe we’d do food?”
“Any particular kind?”
I shrugged. “Whatever you like. I’m not picky.”
He chuckled. “All right. Well, know where you want to go?”
“Can’t say I really care about that, either. I just don’t like Thai food.”
“You and me both. I don’t like the texture of Thai food. Always feels—”
“—overcooked?”
He snickered. “Yep. That’s a very good way to put it.”
It almost felt like we were bonding. “Is there a place we could go that had a porch we could sit out on and eat?”
“A nature lover, huh?”
“I like a good view sometimes, yeah.”
“I suppose it’s only fair for you to have a good view if I’ve already got one.”
I blushed furiously beneath that helmet. “Well, if we’re talking about those kinds of views, then I guess we’ll have to wait until dessert.”
A hefty pause hung over both of us before Sly took the next left. I clung to him, trying my best not to fall off the back of the damn thing as he weaved his way through the woods. Where the hell was this man taking me? Where the fuck were we going? Did I say something wrong? Did I give my brother away somehow?
Is he about to kill me?
Then, I smelled it. I smelled it before I saw it and it made my mouth water. The smell of fish, oil, and fries melded together as we came upon a random-ass parking lot that sat right in front of a place called Seafood Fairy’s. The name itself was enough to make me curious. But when Sly pulled up to the drive-thru, I became even more confused.
“We aren’t going inside?” I asked.
But all he did was start ordering.
“What can I get ya?” the person behind the speaker asked.
“Uh, yeah, can I get a loaded number one with an extra order of shrimp?”
“What to drink?”
My eyes danced over the menu as Sly kept ordering. “Mello Yello, if you have it.”
“Mountain Dew good?” the woman asked.
“Sure, why not. And for the lady I’d like to get—”
I flipped my visor up. “A number two, hold the slaw. Extra fries and extra tartar sauce. Also, an order of that shrimp sounds wonderful, as does an order of sweet corn hushpuppies. And an iced tea to drink.”
“Anything for dessert?” the woman asked.
“Not for me. Sly?”
He peered over his shoulder at me in his helmet and I could’ve sworn I saw him grinning from beyond his flipped-up visor.
“That’ll be it,” he said.
“Pull around for your total.”
We inched around and Sly paid for our food. Then, he got off and put the food and drinks into a compartment space right there on the back of his bike. I wanted to ask him where we were going to eat, but the surprise was half the fun. So, I simply clung to him as we sped away from the seafood joint and traveled deeper into the woods.
I didn’t think we’d ever stop bouncing and riding over dirt, rocks, and twigs until the horizon finally broke.
