at the whole ‘meet the parents’ thing?”
Dane looks thoughtful for a moment until his standard half-smile is safely back in place. “I don’t know. It was kind of my first time.”
Elyse looks at him in shock. “What about high school girlfriends? You never had the big, ‘Make sure she’s home by ten o’clock’ talk?” Elyse points her finger at him, mimicking an angry father, or what she imagined that would have looked like.
Dane laughs. “No, but if they looked as cute as you did just then, I wouldn’t have minded.” He smiles at her, and Elyse sways a little feeling herself get lost in his eyes.
“So, why did you decide to this time? What changed?” She shivers in the cold wind.
“You did.” Dane gives her a serious look that makes her insides warm despite the cold outside. “Let’s get you home.” He hands her the spare helmet that she’d come to think of as her own and motions her towards the bike.
As she wraps her arms around Dane’s waist and they zip through the streets, Elyse is reminded of her first time on the back of his bike. It doesn’t seem like it was only a few days ago. She clutches onto him, breathing in the smell of his leather jacket and holding onto him, feeling his muscles tense against her hands. When they pull up outside her house, Elyse finds herself wishing that the ride would never end. All she wants is to hold Dane and to be held by him.
Elyse pulls her dress down as she jumps off the bike. “I guess this dress isn’t really made for a motorbike. I probably gave half of Portland a view.”
Dane looks at her—from the tips of her stiletto shoes, up her long legs, over her dress, and up to her gently tousled hair. “You look beautiful.” He tilts his head, as if he’s considering something. “But if you’re going to be riding on the bike, we should probably get you some leathers.”
Elyse feels a little tingle starting in her toes. “Does that mean you want me to ride on your bike?”
Dane takes a deep breath, like he’s calling on his stores of patience. “It means that you’re the only one I want to ride on my bike.” Dane closes the distance between them, stopping just short of her.
“What did you say to Jen?” Elyse looks up at him, biting her bottom lip, suddenly nervous.
“I told her how special you are to me, and that I wanted to be there for you tonight. I knew it was important for you.” Dane’s hands clench and unclench by his side, and Elyse wonders if he’s finding it as hard not to touch her as she’s finding it to be without his touch. He takes another step towards her, so his head is only inches away from hers. “I told her that I’m in love with you.”
Elyse’s eyes widen in shock.
“Now it’s your turn, Elyse.” Dane takes a deep breath, his voice low. “What did your mom ask if you knew?”
Elyse finds her voice on the third try. “She asked if I knew that I wanted to be with you, if I knew if I loved you.”
Dane’s eyes burn with intensity. “’Lyse.” His voice is husky, and she feels it right down to her bones. “So, do you know?”
Elyse finds herself nodding without even realizing it.
“I need a little more than that, ‘Lyse. You haven’t exactly been your talkative self, tonight.” Dane huffs a laugh, but it’s more nervous tension.
“I love you, Dane.” Elyse says the words, words that she has been holding herself back from speaking because she thought that it was too much too soon. Now, all she cares about is how she feels and what she wants—and she wants Dane. She reaches up and kisses his lips, softly, pulling his head down to meet hers.
She teases her tongue between his lips and tastes him, eliciting a deep moan from inside of him. She rocks back onto her heels, feeling buzzed from their kiss. She looks down at Dane’s
Dane looks thoughtful for a moment until his standard half-smile is safely back in place. “I don’t know. It was kind of my first time.”
Elyse looks at him in shock. “What about high school girlfriends? You never had the big, ‘Make sure she’s home by ten o’clock’ talk?” Elyse points her finger at him, mimicking an angry father, or what she imagined that would have looked like.
Dane laughs. “No, but if they looked as cute as you did just then, I wouldn’t have minded.” He smiles at her, and Elyse sways a little feeling herself get lost in his eyes.
“So, why did you decide to this time? What changed?” She shivers in the cold wind.
“You did.” Dane gives her a serious look that makes her insides warm despite the cold outside. “Let’s get you home.” He hands her the spare helmet that she’d come to think of as her own and motions her towards the bike.
As she wraps her arms around Dane’s waist and they zip through the streets, Elyse is reminded of her first time on the back of his bike. It doesn’t seem like it was only a few days ago. She clutches onto him, breathing in the smell of his leather jacket and holding onto him, feeling his muscles tense against her hands. When they pull up outside her house, Elyse finds herself wishing that the ride would never end. All she wants is to hold Dane and to be held by him.
Elyse pulls her dress down as she jumps off the bike. “I guess this dress isn’t really made for a motorbike. I probably gave half of Portland a view.”
Dane looks at her—from the tips of her stiletto shoes, up her long legs, over her dress, and up to her gently tousled hair. “You look beautiful.” He tilts his head, as if he’s considering something. “But if you’re going to be riding on the bike, we should probably get you some leathers.”
Elyse feels a little tingle starting in her toes. “Does that mean you want me to ride on your bike?”
Dane takes a deep breath, like he’s calling on his stores of patience. “It means that you’re the only one I want to ride on my bike.” Dane closes the distance between them, stopping just short of her.
“What did you say to Jen?” Elyse looks up at him, biting her bottom lip, suddenly nervous.
“I told her how special you are to me, and that I wanted to be there for you tonight. I knew it was important for you.” Dane’s hands clench and unclench by his side, and Elyse wonders if he’s finding it as hard not to touch her as she’s finding it to be without his touch. He takes another step towards her, so his head is only inches away from hers. “I told her that I’m in love with you.”
Elyse’s eyes widen in shock.
“Now it’s your turn, Elyse.” Dane takes a deep breath, his voice low. “What did your mom ask if you knew?”
Elyse finds her voice on the third try. “She asked if I knew that I wanted to be with you, if I knew if I loved you.”
Dane’s eyes burn with intensity. “’Lyse.” His voice is husky, and she feels it right down to her bones. “So, do you know?”
Elyse finds herself nodding without even realizing it.
“I need a little more than that, ‘Lyse. You haven’t exactly been your talkative self, tonight.” Dane huffs a laugh, but it’s more nervous tension.
“I love you, Dane.” Elyse says the words, words that she has been holding herself back from speaking because she thought that it was too much too soon. Now, all she cares about is how she feels and what she wants—and she wants Dane. She reaches up and kisses his lips, softly, pulling his head down to meet hers.
She teases her tongue between his lips and tastes him, eliciting a deep moan from inside of him. She rocks back onto her heels, feeling buzzed from their kiss. She looks down at Dane’s
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