Something for the Pain
Page 41

Alex grins while pulling up his old pair of holy jeans. Fuck me. I haven’t seen those in a while. They were always his riding jeans and he looks sexy as sin in them. “Easy, firecracker.” He winks and throws on an old black V-neck. “I never hold back. Fast and dirty is what I’m known for.”
Oh fuck me . . . that mouth. I want it all over me.
I pull the hair tie off my wrist and throw my hair into a messy bun, ready to get dirty. “All windows down?”
He laughs and kisses me on the side of the head, before guiding me through his room. “You know it . . .”
It takes about twenty minutes to get to our special riding spot. It’s muddy as hell and full of bumps and hills, making it the perfect spot. The thrill is one of the best feelings in the world, and doing it with Alex has always made it that much better.
He turns to me and flashes his sexy as sin dimples. “Hold on tight, baby. I haven’t taken this old truck out in a long time. I’m ready to play hard . . .”
My heart starts beating fast from adrenaline as Alex punches the gas and we start flying through the mud, slipping and sliding with no other cares in the world; just like when we were young, stupid, and trying to find a way to escape.
“Whoa!” I scream while gripping onto anything I can grab. Mud splashes through the windows, sticking to my face. Alex looks over at me, muddy, my mouth gaping open and laughs at me, then turns the wheel and slams on the gas and brake at the same time.
“Hell yeah!” Reaching over, Alex pulls me into his lap and wraps his arms around my waist. “Ride it, baby.”
Smiling, I grip the wheel and push Alex’s legs out of the way, ready to tear through this mud and dirty us both. Alex has always loved being in charge when it comes to riding, but I have a feeling it turns him on to see a girl driving his truck. I’m not saying no to that.
I slam on the gas, gliding through the mud between trees, feeling Alex getting hard beneath me.
Focus Tripp. Do not think about his . . . Ooh . . . his boner. I feel Alex grind his hips beneath me, pulling me even further into his muscular lap as he releases a small growl next to my ear. I would definitely rather do that kind of riding over this kind any day.
Alex’s hands stay wrapped around me for the next forty minutes or so as I do everything in my power to get him as muddy as possible. Unfortunately, getting him muddy meant me eating mud a few times, but it was so worth it.
Dirty Alex is the best Alex. Did I already mention that?
“Damn girl.” Alex lifts me up, setting me back over into the passenger seat once coming to a stop and shifting the truck into park. “I’ve never seen you ride so hard.” He pulls his bottom lip into his mouth and bites it, before grinning. “Tastes like mud. Fucking delicious.”
We both laugh, me a little harder than him, but I can’t help it. The faces he makes can keep me entertained for hours. His animated eyebrows say it all.
“You like the taste of mud, huh? Does it taste good?” I tease. Wiping mud off the side of my face I fling it at Alex’s face.
He lifts a brow as it splatters across his lips. “You want to find out?” Reaching over, he grabs the back of my head and pulls me in for a deep, hard kiss, being sure to smear the mud across my lips.
“Hey!” I run my arm across my mouth, wiping the mud off while playfully punching him in the arm as he laughs at me. “Alright, that just made it worse. Gross.” I spit, trying to get the mud out of my mouth.
Grinning, Alex pulls his shirt off and turns it inside out. “Here . . .” He reaches over and starts cleaning my mouth off. “Let me help you with that.”
My heart starts racing and a warm sensation floods through me as I study his eyes, carefully watching my lips with concentration. His eyes are so soft and caring as he cleans me off. He appears to be using this moment to show me how he can take care of me. “Thanks,” I whisper when he pulls away.
“I got you, baby. No worries.” He leans over me and reaches into the glove compartment, pulling out a brown paper bag. “I made dinner this time. Let’s go eat.” He hops out of the truck and I follow his lead, meeting him at the back of his truck.
Pulling the tailgate down, he opens the black trunk in the back of his truck and pulls out a blanket, spreading it out. Then he grabs me by the hips and lifts me up, setting me on the edge of the tailgate. “Mmm . . . a nice little dinner in the mud.” I look down at my muddy hands and laugh. “Maybe we should’ve brought some water.”
Alex hops up beside me and reaches into the trunk again, pulling out three waters. “Gotcha covered. Hold your hands out.”
I smile and hold my hands out as Alex unscrews the cap of the bottled water and begins washing my hands off with it. “Very nice,” I say impressed. “Much better than last time.”
He quickly rinses his hands off and shrugs his shoulders. “What can I say? I learn from my mistakes.” He smiles over at me. “And I listen. I always listen to you. I’ll admit that I like to impress you.”
“Okay,” I say, while unwrapping my turkey wrap. “Well you definitely do a good job with that, Alex Carter.”
We both smile in satisfaction and spend the next twenty minutes eating. For thirty minutes or so following dinner, we lie down, just staring up at the stars.
It’s so peaceful being out here with him. It’s just another one of our places that I’ve always loved going to together. This man holds so many special memories in my life that he almost feels like my whole life. I can never imagine him not being here for me.
“You ready?” He asks, pulling me away from my stargazing.
I peel some dried mud off the side of his face and lift a brow. “Yeah . . . although this mud is really looking good on you.”
He jumps to the ground and grabs my hips to help me down. “I’ll look even better with you cleaning it off my body.” Clearing his throat, he walks away as if what he just said was a mistake. “We should get going.”
We’re both silent on the ride home, me looking over at him every few minutes, doing my best to read his face. He’s got that damn poker face in place again, and it’s driving me mad. Maybe it’s best if I just go straight to my room and lock myself in for the night, before we both end up doing something stupid again. Maybe this being friends without benefits isn’t going to work so easily.