The QB Bad Boy and Me (Sidelined) - Wattpad Books Edition

Chapter 8

As soon as we took off, my body jolted backward. My hesitation and uncertainty was left in the wind, replaced by the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I'd had no idea how intoxicating the feeling of flying through the night air on the back of a motorcycle could be. We tore through the quiet streets, the only ones on the road, and I kept my hold tight, but lifted my head to take in the sights rushing past.

The barriers and confines of viewing the road through a car window were gone. And instead of watching the passing scenes, I was a part of them. The sense of presence was so powerful that I didn't feel the cold on my bare skin. I felt alive and free.

The engine revved and the bike lurched forward. My hold on Drayton's waist became tighter, and I could feel him laughing. I couldn't stop myself from laughing either. I wanted to throw my hands high. I wanted to shout and feel nothing between me and the wind. Endorphins took on a new meaning. Exuberance grew within me. I could feel it threatening to burst within my chest.

We passed the turnoff to my house but it didn't matter, I could have done this for hours.

We drove through the Meadows development zone. The diggers and trucks were sleeping for the night. Drayton ignored the Do Not Enter signs boarding the road. He wove his motorcycle through obstacles that a car couldn't get past. We cleared the zone and the road turned to dust and gravel. He drove across the vast rolling land, leaving a cloud of dust in our wake. Eventually, we ended up back in town, passing the cemetery and the museum. It wasn't long before we were at the bottom of Rock Park.

Drayton wasn't deterred by the steel bar stretched across the parking lot entrance. There was a narrow gap between it and the hedge, just big enough for us to fit through. The tree branches and leaves whipped against us, but he was going slowly, so it didn't hurt. He revved the engine again, and we tore up the foot trail.

Drayton killed the engine and kicked the stand down at a rest space bordered with shrubs and small trees. A wooden paling fence surrounded the cliff edge, and there were bench seats with small steel memorial dedications stuck to them.

"That was amazing," I said, pulling off the helmet. I jumped off the machine and tucked the helmet under my arm as I stood beside Drayton, full of adrenaline and excitement.

He rested his hands on his thighs and said, "Come here."

I stepped forward.

"Helmet hair." He grinned, then lifted his hands and slid his fingers through the strands that weren't woven into my braid. It sent a tingle straight down my spine. "There we go. Happens sometimes. Not that I've had a girl on the back of this thing before." I handed him the helmet with a doubtful grin. "It's true," he told me, swinging his leg over the seat and placing the helmet where he'd sat. He wasn't defensive. Just informative. "The two girls that I've briefly dated since I owned this refused to get on it."

"It's not for everyone." I shrugged a shoulder and turned my attention to the view when he ran a hand through his disheveled hair, raising more of a reaction than it warranted. "This is gorgeous. I've never been up here at night."

We wandered over to a bench in front of the fence and sat down. It was breathtaking—the infinite land, the hills in the distance that met the stars at the edge of the earth, the city that illuminated the dark with a multitone glow and headlights moving fast, like little fireflies.

"It's not bad." His tone was indifferent but the appreciation in his expression gave him away.

I was torn between wanting to admire the view and wanting to stare at his sharp jaw and soft smile. I wondered if he could sense that I was watching him, because he patted the front of his chest and then reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, refusing to look at me.