Swallowing hard, I put my faith in both of them and took the helmet from Haze’s gloved hand. Connor helped me secure it on my head, then steadied me with a hand as I carefully positioned myself on the pillion seat of Haze’s bike.
“Hold on to him,” Connor ordered, taking my hand and placing it on the thick leather of Haze’s jacket. “Gravel rash is no joke.” Then he fist-bumped Haze’s leather-clad knuckles and returned to his stolen car.
It wasn’t until the bike engine roared and we rocketed out of the parking lot that I fully processed Connor’s choice of words. Leathersshoulddull things. Great. Apparently I was guinea-pigging the extent of Haze’s touch aversion while sitting on the back of a high-speed motorcycle.
25
EVELYN
The sun was high in the sky by the time Haze’s powerful bike slid to a halt in front of Bluebell House. At this stage, I’d half worked myself into a tizzy deciding what I’d say to him. Having my arms wrapped around his powerful frame for the hour plus it took to make it back to the school was an interesting experience.
He smelled good.
He felt good.
But the tension in his muscles was a constant reminder that he hated to be touched and I was forcing it on him. As he turned off the bike and dropped the kickstand, I opened my mouth to apologize once more, but he was gone.
Like, if we’d been in a cartoon, all that would be left behind was the dusty outline of his giant frame and me with my jaw exaggeratedly hanging down to my belly button.
Fuck.
Swinging my leg off the bike, I took a second to let my wobbly legs adjust, breathing deeply as I tried to mentally work through everything that had happened since I stupidly decided to follow Connor into the night. What a fucking shit show.
Though, truth be told, it had almost been worth it to build a tiny bridge with Connor. I would never say that we were friends, but maybe we weren’t quite enemies anymore either.
Sure, he was a raging psychopath who murdered people without thought, but as I’d reasoned earlier, as long as that murderous rage wasn’t directed my way, it was almost a relief to know he existed under the same roof as me. Connor could take out any asshole who broke in.
With a sigh, I started to work the strap of the helmet to get it off when rough hands wrapped around mine, halting me in my tracks. My head jerked up to find Ethan’s concerned face peering in through my clear visor.
“Lilith,” he breathed, and there was no hiding the fine lines framing his tired face. “Fuck, sweetheart. I’ve been worried out of my mind about you.”
In two hurried movements, he had the strap free, and then the helmet was gently removed before his hands cupped my face as he kissed me soundly.
Out here. In the fucking open where anyone could see.And after I’d vomited.
I gasped against his lips, about to protest, but his tongue dove between my parted mouth and I was lost. It wasn’t until Brodie’s soft laughter startled us both from the kiss that he pulled away, and I sucked in air embarrassingly loud.
“My turn,” Brodie said, and despite his laughter from before, his expression was uncharacteristically somber as he took me in. I had no idea what I looked like but no doubt I was a disaster, my hair everywhere, and covered in dirt from being shoved into a trunk.
Brodie didn’t appear to care as he moved Ethan out of the way, who to my surprise didn’t protest, and wrapped his arms around me, lifting me full-bodily off the ground. His kiss was gentler but no less demanding, as he too slid his tongue againstmine, devouring my lips as he continued to hold my weight like it was nothing.
By the time I was back on my own feet, the two guys pressed in on either side of me, and I felt dizzy and breathless. “Maybe I should get kidnapped more often.”
The joke fell absolutely flat as they narrowed their eyes on me, but thankfully they didn’t move away. I still wore Connor’s hoodie, but the events of the last twelve plus hours had taken its toll, leaving me chilled to the bone. Made only better by how close they were.
“Connor gave us sparse details,” Brodie said, taking my hand to lace his fingers with mine, sending a wave of butterflies through my stomach. “But we want to hear from you, Evie babe. Tell us everything.”
“Yes, Evelyn!” This was a snap from behind me, and I turned to find Andrew on the steps of Bluebell House, his face creased and thunderous as he crossed his arms and glared down at me. “Time to explain why you would act so stupidly and irrationally when we’re doing everything in our goddamn power to keep you?—”
He abruptly cut himself off, and the low-level headache that had been hovering at the back of my head since I was kidnapped, roared to life at his harsh tones. “Keep me from what?” I snapped back, pushing between Ethan and Brodie, my hand pulling free as I gave into my need to rage at this demanding asshole. “What have you ever done for me, Andrew Knightsbridge? Tell me? I’m not yourgoddamnresponsibility, and if I want to sneak out at midnight and follow Connor to his creepy gang meetings, then I will sneak out and go to them!”
I was well aware that my argument and rebuttal were weak at best, but fuck this guy. I’d had a really bad night, and the absolute last thing I needed was Andrew jumping in and acting like my dad, reprimanding me for my stupid actions.
He wasn’t my father. I didn’t even have a real one of those these days.
“Everyone in this house is my responsibility,” Andrew replied stiffly, staring down at me like I was an annoying puppy who’d peed in his shoes. “And from now on, there are rules—rules you will follow.”
“Or what?” I shot back. “Going to spank me? You wouldn’t have the balls.”
