Payce's Passions by Piper Kay Page A

tight.” The light turns green and we’re off.
    His body slides back against mine just like I knew it would, he might as well quit pulling away. I’m going the speed limit, but he still wraps his arms around me. We get through two more lights before catching a red one again.
    “Still good, Brax?”
    “No. You realize we look gay as fuck right now, right?”
    I start cracking up again, turning so he can hear me “Well, unless there’s something I don’t know about, we are gay as fuck, Brax.”
    He knocks me in the gut with his fist. “You know what I mean.”
    “Dammit, no punching the driver. I don’t really care what anyone thinks we look like, to be honest.” I turn back watching for the switch of the light.
    “Easy for you to say, you’re not riding bitch.” He laughs.
    “You make a pretty little bitch though. Kidding, don’t punch me, man.” I take off again and we stop at the freeway. “Hold on tight and quit stressing. I can’t afford to crash my bike, so I don’t play around.”
    He nods his head and reaches around my waist, tightening me in a death grip as I enter the freeway. He’s watching every single move I make, turning to check cars passing by, but not saying a word. He’s a nervous wreck. I wind us around the 610 Loop to I-45, heading Northbound. I’m behaving myself and not racing down the freeway or anything else that would scare him. After a few minutes, I guess he realizes I’m not going to kill him, and he eases up a bit, leaning his head against my back. We cruise nice and calm for fifteen minutes, before I veer off the freeway at the 1960 exit ramp and he leans back. I jump in the left hand turn lane. At the light, he brings his hands down to my hips again, clamping me there, instead of the full body wrap. That kind of sucks.
    “Remember the time we were in that parking lot, and that lady thought we wanted to steal her purse? Hell, everyone thought we were little thugs, we weren’t even close to her at all.” He starts laughing.
    I turn left onto 1960. “Yes, she kept trying to hand it to us, even though we were yelling at her that we didn’t want it.” I laugh too.
    “Hell, maybe we should have taken it, we’d have eaten that night,” Brax says.
    “Probably so.” I nod, giving the bike some juice.
    Brax wraps back tight again. In about three minutes, I hang a right on Red Oak Drive, and follow to the end. We pull into his condo complex, he points straight to the back, and I dodge around the speed bumps and slow down.
    “Right here, Payce.” He points.
    “I know.” I kill the switch and kick the stand down. “Why do you live so far from where you work?”
    “It’s not that far really, but it is about three grand cheaper living out here. Besides this place still feels like home, you know?” He climbs off the bike and pulls the helmet off. “Where are you living now, Payce?”
    “About ten minutes down the road from here. Back around the old neighborhood. Its home, like you said.” I get off the bike.
    “I really appreciate the ride, I didn’t know you were way out here or I would have called that cab.”
    “Don’t worry about that, I’m glad you called, I hoped you would.”
    He grins, turning toward the stairs. “Thank you.”
    I follow him, holding back a few steps until we’re at his floor, then he notices me.
    “Payce, what are you doing?” He leans up against the wall near his door, looking at me like he’s annoyed.
    “Just making sure you get inside safe is all.” I inch a little closer. I can’t help myself, he draws me to him like a fucking magnet. I need to stop this.
    “Did you think I wouldn’t be safe for some reason? I’m capable of defending myself.” Braxton has always tried to prove himself, just like he’s doing now.
    “I know you are.” My pinky finger hooks around his. What the hell? “It’s not that, Brax. I can’t help it, I’ve always been protective when it comes to you.” Here I go on mouth overload