Hadley walks up holding a jacket. “Here. Put this on. You ready?”
“I think so.” I take the jacket. “Tiny’s been telling me about the route. It sounds nice.”
Erica joins us. She smiles softly. “It is. We usually ride in the middle of the pack. Keeps things calm.”
Scarlett appears from the hallway. She hugs me tight. “You look happy. It suits you.”
I feel my cheeks warm. “I am happy.”
The guys start gathering outside. Tiny finds me and pulls me close. “You good?” he asks.
“Yeah. Nervous but excited.”
He kisses the top of my head. “I’ve got you. Just hold on tight.”
I climb on behind him. I wrap my arms around his waist and press against his back. The engine rumbles to life. The vibration moves through me. When the pack starts moving I hold on tighter. The wind rushes past us. The road opens up. Trees blur by on both sides. I rest my cheek against Tiny’s back and feel the steady beat of his heart. I’ve never felt more free.
We ride for a long time. The group stops at a lookout point high above the valley. Everyone parks and stretches. The girls gather together near a picnic table. Tessa passes around bags of chips.
“Eat something,” she says. “You’re going to need energy for the second half.”
Hadley sits next to me. “How are you liking your first big ride?”
“It’s amazing. I didn’t know it would feel like this.”
Erica leans in. “It gets better every time. The wind. The road. The guys riding with you. It feels like family.”
Scarlett hands me a bottle of water. “Drink. Tiny will kill us if you get dehydrated.”
I laugh and take a sip. “He’s been checking on me the whole ride.”
Tessa grins. “Of course he has.”
We talk and laugh until the guys start rounding everyone up again. Tiny walks over and pulls me into his side. “Having fun?” he asks.
“The best time.”
He kisses me right there in front of everyone. Slow and sure. When he pulls back his eyes are soft. “Good. Let’s ride.”
The second half of the ride feels even better. I hold onto Tiny tighter. The wind whips past us. The sun warms my back through the jacket. When we finally pull back into the clubhouse lot my legs feel shaky and I’m smiling so hard my face hurts.
The party is already starting. Music plays from inside. Food covers long tables in the yard. I help the girls set out plates. Tiny stays nearby. Every few minutes he finds a reason to touch me. A hand on my lower back. A kiss on my temple. A squeeze of my hand.
Later that night the music gets louder. People dance. I sit with the girls at one of the tables. Tessa tells a story about the twins trying to bake a cake for Hadley’s birthday. We laugh until we’rewiping tears from our eyes. Sophie sits next to me and rests her hand on my arm.
“You’re one of us now,” she says quietly. “You know that, right?”
I nod. My throat feels tight. “I do.”
Tiny finds me a little while later. He pulls me away from the group and leads me down the hallway to one of the back rooms. The door clicks shut behind us. He backs me against it and kisses me hard. His hands slide under my shirt. I push his cut off his shoulders. We don’t make it to the bed. He lifts me and I wrap my legs around his waist. He holds me up against the door. We don’t get all our clothes off. Just enough. He pushes inside me and I moan into his mouth.
“Fuck, Lucy,” he says. His voice is rough. “You feel so good. So wet for me.”
I hold onto his shoulders. “Harder. I can take it.”
He gives me what I want. Deep thrusts. The door rattles behind me. I come fast. He follows right after with my name on his lips. We stay like that for a minute. Breathing hard. Then he carries me to the bed. We take our time the second round. Slow. Thorough. He tells me how much he loves being inside me. How much he loves the sounds I make. How I’m his. I tell him the same. We come together this time. Quiet and intense.
Afterward he holds me close. His hand rubs my back. “I love you,” he says.
