Natasha couldn’t help but feel a delicious thrill as she got out of the more residential streets and hit the highway. It felt like it had been forever since she had ridden her own bike, although her father had always made sure that she knew how to ride while she was growing up. At first it had been terrifying for her, everything seemed to be going too fast; everything seemed to be too exposed. Now, for the first time, she could actually really feel the freedom of the road.

 

Dark clouds began to gather overhead, and she watched them warily through her visor. It didn’t matter, however, she just had to keep going, even if it meant driving away from Griffin. More likely than not, he would be relieved. She thought of the look on his face as he realized his bike was gone, and she laughed a little to herself in spite of the seriousness of the situation.

 

What am I doing? she thought. I’m stealing someone’s property now?

 

She pushed those scary thoughts to the back of her mind while she rode, focusing hard on the road and what she was going to do next. All she hoped was that she could get somewhere safe before it rained, and if it did rain, that it wouldn’t be too bad.

 

Against her better judgment, she momentarily wondered what Griffin would do, now that he didn’t have to watch her. He must be angry about losing his bike, but what could he possibly do now?

 

***

 

Griffin wasn’t picky when it came to cars, especially if it was a car that he was going to have to steal, so the second he saw Natasha drive away on his motorcycle, he started checking out the parking lot. There were a few cars here and there; the hotel was obviously not very busy, which worked well for Griffin because that meant that less people might be potentially watching him. It was the kind of town that left car doors unlocked, and potentially a key in the ignition, but since the hotel was so near the highway, he couldn’t guarantee that.

 

Deciding on a relatively worn looking pickup truck since it would be the easiest to hotwire, he discovered that the car was, indeed, locked. Gritting his teeth once again in annoyance, he pulled out his lock pick and got to work. Within seconds the flimsy lock was broken and Griffin launched himself into the front seat, moving towards the ignition.

 

This part was a little tricky, but he had never let himself get stuck before and he was damned if he was going to start now. After what seemed like hours tinkering with the wires—and yet in reality it was only about thirty seconds—the car started. Without putting a seatbelt on or adjusting the mirrors, Griffin jammed his foot against the gas pedal and drove out of the parking lot, tires screeching and kicking up gravel as he went. He didn’t think about the person he was stealing the car from, if anything he would be more than happy to give the piece of junk back once he got his own bike back.

 

God, she was impressive though, he thought. He couldn’t get the thought out of his mind. He would have never thought for a million years that a girl like Natasha would climb out a bathroom window and steal his motorcycle. The thought of how clever she had been aroused him all over again, and yet the anger still simmered beneath the surface.

 

Once he hit the highway, it wasn’t hard to find her. What long blond hair wasn’t trapped in the helmet, flew in the wind. She rode the bike perfectly, every slight turn seemed to be effortless, her speed perfectly maintained, as he drove behind her for a few seconds he couldn’t help but admire it.

 

However, this couldn’t go on for very much longer, and he drove up next to her, levelling out with her so that she could see his angry face staring at her while she drove. He could see her muscles tense up upon realizing that someone else was there, her head jerked to see who it was an immediately she relaxed…but only for a moment.

 

Knowing that she was a far better driver than he would have ever guess, he speed up and turned the wheel, cutting her off and forcing her to stop. She did without wiping out, bringing the bike to a stop with the grace of a dancer.

 

Griffin open the door, feeling for all the world like a disappointed parent. Natasha sighed and took off her helmet, shaking her long hair out and looking a mixture of disappointed and relieved, her eyes dropped to the truck.

 

“Did you steal that?” she asked.

 

“You’re one to judge about stealing,” he shot back.

 

“It’s not stealing if the keys are in the ignition,” she told him sweetly.

 

Griffin bit back another retort and got out of the car, taking the handlebars of the bike away from her, but letting her keep the helmet. There wasn’t enough time to stand there bickering, not with the sky looking like it did.

 

Natasha watched Griffin as he looked over the motorcycle, probably making sure it hadn’t sustained any damage during her ride, or when it had slipped out of her hands as she was trying to get away in the first place. That hadn’t been her fault, of course; the weight of the bike had caught her by surprise.

 

“You did some great riding out there, seriously,” he said, keeping his voice low and even. “But if you ever steal my bike again, you’re going to be sorry.”

 

Natasha levelled her eyes at him, a touch of amusement curling her lips.

 

“Oh, and how would you do that?” she asked, her voice low and husky.

 

Griffin could think of a few things, throwing her over his knee and spanking her until she screamed was at the top of the list, but he watched her slender wrists as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and had a better idea.

 

“I’d tie you up,” he said casually.

 

She frowned, and he smiled.

 

“Get on the bike,” he said. Natasha crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him.

 

“With you? Why? Can’t you see that I’m trying to escape?”

 

He gave a wry smile. “Yeah, I see that. Look how well you did. Now get on the bike!”

 

She took a step back from him, the annoyance growing in her face again, her hands balling into those fists once more. He took a step towards her, daring her to do something, before letting his mouth fall into a lazy, tempting smile.

 

“Don’t make me tie you up in there so you won’t run.”

 

For a moment her lips parted, moist and just begging to be kissed, as a small amount of red touched her cheeks in a blush. Refusing to allow him to control her this way, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and put her helmet back on. As she walked over to the bike, she brushed by him, close enough that he could smell her perfume. Natasha didn’t look happy, but Griffin didn’t care. The idea of her all tied up and stretched over his motorcycle was enough to make him feel just fine.

 

Revving the bike, he moved on, leaving the pickup truck alone on the side of the highway, ready to be found by its owner.