Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Crow knew the mountain like the back of his hand and drove us straight to a slightly open area where the trees were thinner. I tapped his leg and shouted, “I want to see you ride!” Because I knew he wanted to let loose. He stopped the machine, climbed off, and cocked his head at me. I tugged off the helmet. “I said I want to see you ride.” His eyes sparked with enthusiasm. “Clearly, you like that idea.”
I climbed off and handed him the helmet. The second he had it on, Crow was off. He stayed close, only going where I could see him, but flying in a way he hadn’t been when I rode with him. He would kick up snow when he made sharp turns, letting loose in a way he rarely allowed himself. He liked this, felt free out here, I could tell. When he went off a little hill and jumped through the air, I gasped. “Holy fuck,” I said when he skidded to a stop in front of me. “That was hot. Why was that so hot?”
Crow took off the helmet and handed it to me. I thought maybe we were going to go back home, a small stab of disappointment landing in my gut, but he said, “Get on.”
“Really?” I beamed, and Crow just nodded. I did as he said, and he attached a key thing to my jacket. “What’s that?”
“If you fall off, it will kill the engine so it doesn’t drive off.”
“You didn’t do that with yourself.”
“You didn’t notice.”
Oh. Oops.
“Brake on the left. Only push it gently. Accelerator on the right, only pull that gently too. Learning throttle control is important.” I nodded, nerves and excitement wrestling in my gut, and I wondered which would win. “This red button is the electricity. It has to be pressed before it starts, which it is now. And turned off afterward.”
I listened closely as Crow explained everything.
“Stay right in this area.”
Suddenly I wasn’t so sure I could do this. What if I wrecked it? What if I got hurt up here or messed up Crow’s machine? “Maybe I shouldn’t…”
Even with his beanie in the way I could tell his brow furrowed. “You can do it, little lamb.”
Hearing that helped rally up the courage inside me. I wanted to make Crow proud, wanted him to see that he was right about me and I could do it. “Okay.”
He stepped back, and I did as he’d said. The machine lurched forward, and I immediately let go of the throttle. Shit. That was silly of me. I tried it again, moving forward at an incredibly slow pace. Eventually, I got the hang of it, and as I went in circles around the space, the pride swelling inside me was the best thing I’d ever felt until I saw Crow looking at me with it too, and then that was the best thing I’d ever felt.
We stayed out there for some time, Crow watching me and cheering me on. After a while, I pulled up beside him and turned it off the way he’d taught me.
“Should go home and get warmed up,” he said, and I reluctantly agreed.
Crow drove again, and I had no idea how in the hell he knew where to go. I would get turned around out here, but it wasn’t long before I could see his home in the distance.
While he put the snowmobile away, I packed the perfect snowball and hid beside the shop.
Crow didn’t see me when he came out. “Cyrus?”
“Over here.” He turned toward my voice, and the second he did, I let the snowball fly. It smacked him right in the face.
He shook the white flecks off himself, and then his gaze caught mine, wild and feral the way it got sometimes. Fear skittered up my spine at first, and I thought I’d fucked up, but then, this was Crow and I trusted him. I would always trust him.
I collected more snow and started to pack it, but he ran after me. Laughing, I took off, tossing it over my shoulder at him. Crow kept coming after me, surprising me with a snowball of his own that hit my back.
Unexpectedly, he tripped and almost fell. I slunk into the trees, trying to hide from him, though I knew my footprints would give me away.
“Little lamb…” he said, his voice throaty.
A tingling sensation shot through me, landing in my groin. I backed away from him, hiding behind trees, a whooshing in my ears.
“Where are you, little lamb?”
Shivers ran the length of me now, but it had nothing to do with being cold. This was…unexpected and hot. My dick throbbed as he called for me, stalking me. Jesus, I wanted to feel hunted by him. I wanted to be Crow’s prey.
I moved through the brush to another tree and ducked behind it. My chest heaved even though I hadn’t exerted very much energy. It was all stimulation, eagerness for this little game I’d accidentally created.