Kai rolled his eyes and shook his head. Smiling down at Jessie, he indicated his bike. “And that’s our cue.”
Jessie kept her expression blank as a sliver of curiosity and envious anger ripped through her. She wasn’t sure if anything was going on between Kai and this woman or not, and even though it shouldn’t, it bothered her that she didn’t know. Missy didn’t seem like his type though. Then again, Jessie didn’t really know his type, and he and Missy did share common interests if they worked together. Either way, they were awful friendly with each other. Or at least, Missy was awful friendly with him.
To hide the simmering emotions building under the surface, Jessie slipped her helmet on as quickly as she could. She shouldn’t be jealous, she shouldn’t be upset, she shouldn’t be angry. But when Missy smacked his ass as he walked by, then swooped in to plant a kiss on his cheek, she felt all of those things.
With an amused shake of his head, Kai slipped on his helmet while Missy watched him as eagerly as a lioness stalking her prey. Popping open the visor, he told Missy goodbye. Then he pointed a finger at her and added, “Don’t mess with my phone anymore, please. I know it’s you.”
Missy gave him a sly smile as she rocked back and forth on her heels. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Kai.” Then she started humming a song that Jessie could have sworn was “Endless Love.”
Still shaking his head, Kai slapped down his visor, and then helped Jessie adjust her helmet. Jessie was still feeling irrational jealousies over things she knew she shouldn’t, so she kept her mouth shut as his fingers brushed along her jaw. The intimacy of the tender touch only confused her more. How was she supposed to let him go when he felt so wonderful?
When Kai was finished, he took his seat on the motorcycle and nodded behind himself for her to sit down. With a soft sigh, she did. Jessie loosely held his hips as Kai started the bike. Missy was still watching, practically drooling, as he walked the bike backwards. When they were turned around, Jessie heard him yell back to her, “Hold on,” and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist as tightly as she could. Then he took off, light rocks spinning under his tires as he zoomed away.
Like being on a roller coaster, Jessie’s stomach lifted then settled. She clung to Kai’s back so firmly, it was like they were one person. She felt Kai make adjustments with his feet, switching gears maybe. She felt his upper body move as he twisted the handlebars ever so slightly. Keeping her eyes shut, she concentrated on his body movements, and not the fact that they were both way too exposed, should something bad happen.
After several miles, Jessie relaxed, and she again felt the comfort and excitement that she’d felt while driving up here. Getting over the mental block of terror took her a while, but once she did, she found that she enjoyed riding with him. Cracking her eyes open, she watched the colorful trees zipping past. All she could hear was the hum of the bike and the wind rushing through the vents in her helmet, but with the way her body was pressed into his broad back, she imagined that she could hear his heartbeat too, thudding with the beat of the road beneath them.
Smiling at the beauty of the scenery blurring past them, Jessie giggled into Kai’s back. She squeezed him in a hug before loosening her grip. As her fingers relaxed against him, they drifted down his stomach. Kai dipped the bike low through the long, curving corners, and Jessie ignored how close their knees got to the pavement. She trusted him; he’d never go so low that their knees touched the ground, and he’d never dump them. Instead of allowing herself to pointlessly worry, she focused on how his thighs moved as he held the bike, how hers shifted as she held him. The muscles in his stomach, hips, and legs did intriguing things with each corner. With her legs pressing against his, her chest flush to his back, her head resting on his shoulder, Jessie felt connected to him in an almost overpowering way. It was erotic and at the same time, it wasn’t. It was also exhilarating. As Jessie grew even more comfortable, she began to fully appreciate why Kai loved this. She had no desire to drive a motorcycle of her own, but she’d be a passenger any day. She’d be his passenger any day.