He huffed out a quiet ‘thank you’ and refused to meet Gene’s eyes, afraid to see the laughter in them.
“Okay, now wrap your arms around my waist and hold on tight.”
Billy’s jaw dropped. “What?”
Gene rolled his eyes and faced forward, his feet on the ground, both arms reaching back and grabbing hishands, pulling them around his waist until they were able to link together.
“Slide closer,” Gene instructed.
Billy obeyed, moving forward until his crotch was only centimeters from Gene and his inner thighs were touching the other man’s outer thighs. His scent wafted back to meet him and Billy willed his body not to betray him. The last thing he needed tonight was a beating by a biker in a leather jacket.
Gene glanced back. “You ready?”
Billy only nodded, trying to remain calm. He swore he heard Gene chuckle and whisper something under his breath before he started the bike.
Did he just say the word “cute?” He had to be hallucinating.
The bike lurched forward and carried them back onto the street, the cool night air blowing against his flushed skin. Instead of panic, a thrill passed through him as they moved together into the turns and heheld tighter, closing his eyes and pressing his face into Gene’s hard back. The leather was soft against his cheek and he found himself wondering what it would feel like against the rest of his bare skin.
Gene sped up and Billy felt the bike rumble under him, vibrating through him. He bit his lip as he felt himself harden and press against the zipper of his chinos.
Oh, God! How had he gotten into this situation? He was supposed to be having dinner with his sister, not riding pressed up against a sexy greaser! Although, to be fair, he really shouldn’t be calling him that. Just because he wore tight jeans and a black leather jacket didn’t make him one. Besides, up close he could see that, while Gene’s hair was worn in a pompadour and combed back, his hair appeared to be almost free of the gel that so many bikers wore. He fought the urge to slide his fingers up to touch the back of his hair and find out if it was as soft as it looked.
Gene turned left and they moved effortlessly through the small amount of traffic on the wider road. Billy glanced over and realized they were close to the edge of town, not far from his old high school. Heturned his head and smiled at the sight of the park where he’d spent a large chunk of his childhood. God, he had loved playing baseball. He was awful at it, and could admit that now that he was grown, but as a kid he wanted to be the next Joe DiMaggio.
The wind whipped across his face and he closed his eyes again, letting his upper body lean into the strong man in front of him. For just a moment, he imagined that that they were together, spending a carefree evening as lovers.
It had been so long since Billy had felt wanted or loved. For so many years he had tried to fight who he was, tried to deny his attraction to men. College had changed him, though. Oh, he was still cautious, but during his four years at State he had learned that he wasn’t alone.
He had even dated a man all through his junior year, but that ended when Steven had graduated and taken ajob across the country. The break-up hadn’t been terribly difficult. Truth be told, they didn’t have a lot in common, other than not wanting to be alone. Steven and he had been more like friends than lovers.
Come to think of it, his body had never reacted to Steven the way it was reacting to Gene tonight. He sighed and instinctively hugged a little tighter. He knew he was being foolish, but it was fun to pretend, even if only for a few minutes.
Their speed slowed and he pulled back enough to see a large, old two-story red brick building on their right, just at the end of a small parking lot. They turned in and he noticed the big vertical sign jutting out from the corner of the building, hanging just above the entrance, proclaiming Milgram’s Auto Shop in oversized red letters.
Three closed garage doors lined the front of the building, with a window centered above each. It was toodark to tell, but he wondered if they were apartments or offices. Did Gene live here, too?
The motorcycle came to a stop and Gene put his feet on the ground, turned off the motor, and looked back at his guest. “You okay?”
Billy nodded, unsure what to say. Had he held Gene too tightly? Had he pressed too close? He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Gene’s. They were so beautiful in the moonlight. Deep brown, with little flecks of gold that he could see up close. And his lashes! How could a man already so sexy be given the additional gift of long, full lashes? A shiver ran through him and he pressed his lips together in a thin line, fighting the urge to lean over and touch his face.