Sidelined (The QB Bad Boy and Me)

(29) "Are you angry?"

When I pull up in Drayton's driveway, I've barely switched the car off before he comes out of the house wearing a leather jacket and hood, his black jeans and his gloves. Memories of last night's sheet shaking come flooding back and I feel as though I need a cold shower. He flashes a smile and starts heading towards the car with his head down.

"So I know it's kinda cold but I've already put a blanket in the seat compartment," he states as I get out of the car and shut the door. "I can tak-"

His sentence drops off as he lifts his head and takes in my appearance. His eyes sweep me from the thigh-high leather boots to the cinched waist of my winter jacket. He steps back and puts a hand over his mouth, rubbing his jaw as he admires me with longing glances.

"Damn," he shakes his head with a husky voice, "you look fucking incredible. I'm starting to rethink leaving the house."

I can feel a heated blush creep on to my cheeks as he steps forward and pulls me into his body, his hands gently grazing the skin on my thigh that's revealed between the boots and jacket.

"As much as I want to take you upstairs and have you riding me, rather than the bike," he smirks, "we do needa talk. So come on cheer."

He laces our fingers together and I squash the urge to argue with him, insisting that we go upstairs immediately and abandon all plans for the next twenty-four hours. But I'm well aware that we're in serious need of a decent conversation.

"Oops, I left my helmet in the car." I quickly rush back over to the passenger side of the car and retrieve the headgear while Dray starts the thunderous engine and slips his own over his head.

"Ready?" he shouts as I jump on to the seat behind him and snuggle into his back, gripping my hands together in front of his stomach.

"Yeah!"

It feels incredible to be back here again. That after all these months of tension and unresolved feelings and heartache, we can almost pick up where we left off. But this time it's even better, because I'm wearing the morning afterglow and that just seems to make everything I'm feeling, heightened.

We tear off out of the driveway and the winter air instantly rushes through my jacket and up my skirt. It's freezing but the adrenaline helps to mask most of the discomfort. Drayton expertly weaves through the Saturday afternoon traffic, winding past the cars, through town and towards the outskirts of Archwood. The familiarity of this route comes back to me and I realise that we're about to head up the winding road, towards the lookout that we'd come on our first ride together.

When we've made it to the top, it's a far different setting than it had been all those months ago. Snow covers the once grassy cliffside and the concrete pad is buried under a thick fall. The bike makes it through the snow and we stop near the park bench that we'd sat when Dray confessed the truth behind his smoking habit. I wonder if he chose this space for any underlying reason, or if he just likes it up here.

"How cold are you?" He grins once we've hopped off the bike and removed our helmets. He pulls a blanket out of the seat compartment and starts unfolding it as he walks towards me.

"I'm not too bad." I smile but gratefully accept the blanket he drapes over my shoulders. "Thanks Dray."

The bench seat is drenched with melting snow, so sitting down won't be an option, or so I thought until Drayton picks me up and sits me on the bike, he then slings his leg over, his back to the handlebars so that he's facing me. He grips each of my legs under the knees and drags me towards him so my legs are draped over his on either side of his waist.