Page 98 of Road to Redemption

It was impossible to focus with Dom so close. Her heat against my back, the tickle of her husky voice against my neck: all of it flustered me more than I could have predicted.

Dom had been fully inside of me, and somehow, this still felt more intimate. Possibly because when we fucked, Dom devolved into a true monster.

Right now, though, she just had her arms braced around me, keeping her voice low and her energy steady as she walked me through the bike’s basic controls. I didn’t know what to make of her kindness.

At least it’s distracting me from being afraid of the bike.

“For this first lap, we’re really going to crawl,” she grumbled. “Your feet aren’t even leaving the ground yet. I just want to walk you through getting the bike moving and let you get a feel for the weight of it.”

“How am I supposed to drive with my feet on the ground?” I tilted my head.

“Just trust me. Watch my left hand. You see this?” She squeezed a lever jutting out from the handlebar — the clutch? It was hard to dig up the name in my memory as I watched the tendons shifting beneath her tattooed skin.

“First, you’re always gonna want to squeeze this all the way down.”

I knew that wouldn’t be a challenge for Dom — I’d felt first hand exactly how tight her grip could get.

“Now that I’ve got the clutch, you wanna drop into first gear. Pick up your left foot and put it on that little lever.”

“I thought you said my feet would stay on the ground.”

“Just for a second. Pick it up, and press down on the lever.”

I did as she said, nervous about the weight of the bike with Dom on it but relieved to find that she was helping to hold us up. At first, my pressing was timid, but as Dom growled, “harder,” I sunk my full force into the movement, shocked when the lever clicked.

“Good girl, Viper.” Dom purred, and I was glad she couldn’t see the heat rising to my cheeks from behind me. “I’m going to loosen my grip on the clutch until…”

Suddenly, the bike crept forward, dragging my feet slightly against the stones of the driveway.

“Walk,” Dom said. “The bike still needs your support to balance at this speed.”

I lifted my right foot and then my left, shocked by how much ground passed in between each step. According to the speedometer, we were only going about five miles per hour, but it felt like we were flying.

“Eyes up,” Dom commanded. The last thing I wanted was to look away from my feet, but I did as she said, feeling a thrill course through my veins as nearby trees started to float past us. At the end of the driveway, the horizon glowed orange and pink. It felt like with enough speed, we could cruise right into it, chasing the clouds.

“Feet on the pegs,” Dom ordered.

“But you said⁠—”

“Now,” she cut me off. “Feet up.”

I glanced down just long enough to lift my feet, trusting Dom to steer the death trap. And once my feet had lifted, her right hand shifted on the handlebar, making something in the bike roar to life.

We picked up speed — only another three miles per hour — but it was enough to make my head spin.

“Help me steer,” Dom said next. “I’ll keep my hands here in case you need me to take over. But do your best.”

Swallowing hard, I slotted my hands in beside hers, feeling her ease off the handles and cede more control of the bike to me. It wasn’t until we were within 100 feet of the driveway’s end that she took over again.

“Alright. I’ve got the front brake. You’re going to handle the rear. Press down with your right foot.”

And as I did, I was relieved to see the bike slowing without any major catastrophe. Once we came to a full stop, I drew in as much air as I could, unaware that I’d been holding my breath up until now.

“Not so bad, is it?” Dom clapped my shoulder as she leaned back on the rear of the bike.

“I think I’m going to puke,” I grumbled, but that just made her chuckle.

“No you’re not. You’ve got this. Ready for another go?”