Runaway ✔

033 • Dana

Juice closed his laptop, stood up and put some folders in the file cabinet. Just like the last hours Dana pretended she didn't watch him and forced herself to keep working. Clay's words still seemed to rove around, and they had focused on their jobs very decently. 

Although she knew where exactly he was every minute, she was still startled when she suddenly felt two hands on her shoulders. She wore a summer dress because it was really hot today, so that his fingers directly touched her skin. 

"You're ready?"

"Almost," she answered, teasing him a little and pretending his touch wasn't messing with her feelings. She added a few numbers to the Excell-file. "What we're goin' to do?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

She quit the program and turned off the computer. Only when she turned around her chair, his hands slid off her shoulders. She stood up. "I have to know what to wear, right?" She pointed at her dress. "I'm not wearin' this on your bike."

"Thought you'd put it on for our date."

"Rather because it's so hot."

He moved his eyebrows up and down. "Because I was around all day?"

She pushed against his chest. "Don't be so full of yourself. Or I'll put on a turtleneck." 

He wrapped his arms around her and entangled his hands on her lower back, so she couldn't get away. "Whatever you want, baby. I'll bet it won't take long before you beg me to take it off." He pulled her a little closer. Her breasts were pressing against his chest. Her fingers were tingly, in her imagination they already slipped under his shirt.

She looked up, in those brown shimmers. His lips moved apart, showing the white of his teeth. Her hands slipped under his cut, noticing how his muscles tensed beneath her touch. A quick smile spread across her face,  then she poked his sides, forcing him to weaken his grip.

Swiftly she sneaked out of his embrace. "Don't wanna repeat yesterday, do we?" she reminded him. "In ten minutes at the front?"

She didn't wait for an answer, but stuck out her tongue and walked to her room. 

💀

Dana put on some shorts and a simple bright green tank top. She didn't expect Juice to take her to a chique restaurant, as Maddox often had done. He'd let his money roll everywhere. What Juice had planned was hard to predict, but she dared to bet he hadn't even changed clothes. 

She checked her make-up in front of the mirror and decided to leave it at that. She shove her phone in her left pocket and her wallet with her fake ID in the other. 

On her way out Opie gave her a thumbs up, the rest of the guys didn't even look at them. 

Juice had already gotten his bike out of the line and handed her a helmet. She waited until he sat down, strapped her helmet, sat down behind him and placed her feet at the right places. 

Though she usually held the sides of the vehicle, she wrapped her arms around Juice. Since the beginning she'd imagine how it would feel to ride together with him, to feel his back against her chest. 

It was nice, she concluded, and if the helmet hadn't been in the way, she'd rested with her cheek against his back.

💀 

It wasn't a long drive, fifteen minutes at most. Dana was glad about it, she wasn't dressed for a long ride – she didn't try to think about the consequences when she would slide across the asphalt without protective leather –  and the way Juice's back muscles tensed showed that the bullet wound was still giving him trouble. 

They'd left the main road and followed a gravel path through the woods. She was a little surprised, Juice hadn't seem a walk in the woods-type of guy. 

A moment later it turned out he indeed wasn't. They reached an open space with a few cars, in a semicircle around an enormous screen. He rode his Dyna at the rear, to a small hill, and came to a standstill there. 

"A drive-in theater!" With a grin she took her helmet off. "I only know that from movies."

She saw his eyes lit up by her enthusiasm. There were five cars and two other bikes, so it was nice and quiet. 

"We can get a pizza over there." He pointed to the entrance. "The movie doesn't start for like three hours or so. Until then we can just talk and stuff."

She chuckled. "And stuff?"

With a crooked smile he shrugged. 

"Yea, right... Well, let's score a pizza first."

Juice locked his bike and they walked to the pizza place. After a few steps their hands were already bumping against each other and a paralyzing feeling conquered her arm. 

Grab his hand, you idiot. You know you want it. 

She sure as hell did, but there was still hesitation. Walking hand in hand was one step further than just innocent flirting. At least for her. She took a deep breath, decided not to think too much today and to just follow her heart. 

For one day. She would worry tomorrow.

She let her hand slip into his. He gave a soft squeeze and turned his head aside.

The smile he showed her set every cell of her body on fire, making every memory of Maddox vanish.