He groans like those two words hit somewhere deep, and he kisses me again, rougher, hungrier. He lifts me fully onto the workbench so I’m eye-level with him, his hands gripping my thighs as he steps between them, closing every remaining bit of space.
My legs wrap around his waist on instinct. His breath hitches. Mine does too. He kisses me like he’s claiming something that was always his. Like letting go isn’t an option anymore. And I kiss him back like I finally stopped pretending. Because whatever is happening here? It’s real. It’s dangerous. And I am all in.
Blade’s lips are still brushing mine when he finally pulls back, breathing hard. His hand stays firm on my thigh like he’s not willing to let go yet. “We need some air,” he mutters, though the way he says it sounds more like we need space before this escalates past the point of no return. Not that I’d mind.
He helps me off the bench, his hands steadying me when my knees wobble. He grabs his keys from the hook by the office door, jaw set with that determined look he gets when he’s already committed to something.
“Come on,” he says quietly. “Ride with me.”
My heart stutters. “To where?” I ask, even though the destination isn’t the point.
He looks back at me, eyes catching mine and holding. “Anywhere you want. Just… come with me.”
I swallow. Hard. I know what this means. Every woman who’s ever lived near a clubhouse knows what this means. You get on the back of a biker’s bike, you’re claiming a spot. You’re saying something without saying it.
He sees the hesitation flicker across my face and steps closer, brushing his knuckles along my cheek. “You sure?” he asks, voice lower, rougher. “Once you get on, I don’t want you pretending it doesn’t mean something.”
That pulse in my throat goes wild. “I could say the same to you.”
His mouth curves into the faintest smirk, pride and hunger tangled together. “I don’t pretend with you.”
The night air outside is cooler than I expect when he leads me out, but my skin is still burning from where he touched me. He hands me a helmet, his fingers grazing mine and sending another spark through me. “Hold on tight,” he says.
He holds the bike steady as I walk up, his gaze glued to me like he’s already picturing every bad decision we’re about to make.
“C’mere,” he says, low and warm.
His hands find my hips, guiding me closer. The engine purrs under us, sending a shiver right up my spine. He helps me swing my leg over the seat, like I’m something he handles with care even when he’s pretending he doesn’t.
I settle behind him, fitting into the shape of his back like I was carved for it. My arms slide around his waist and he grabs my hands, pressing them tight against him for a beat that feels like forever.
“That’s where you stay,” he murmurs, voice rough with satisfaction. He looks back over his shoulder, eyes dark and way too proud of himself. He grins like he knows exactly what he’s doing to me. “Hold on, Bri,” he says, all confidence and speed.
The bike roars to life and we take off into the night, wind whipping through my hair, my chest pressed to his back. The town blurs. Streetlights streak past us. I breathe in the scent of him, leather, smoke, something wild and untamed, and there’s no room left for doubt. Because wrapped around his body, trusting him with every curve of the road…I know exactly what I’ve just agreed to. This is him staking his claim. This is me choosing him right back. And no matter what comes next? We’re not going back to pretending.
ELEVEN
BLADE
The bike isthe only place the world ever shuts up. The engine is loud, yeah, but the rest of the noise fades. The thoughts I don’t want. The things I want and pretend I can’t have. Out here, I actually feel like myself.
Tonight though? She’s pressed tight to my back, arms wrapped around me, chin tucked against my shoulder, and I swear I can feel every breath she takes like it’s happening inside my own chest. The ride feels different with her. Everything feels different.
I take the long way out of town, cutting up toward the ridge where the land drops into miles of forest and sky. The higher we climb, the cooler the air tastes, wind whipping around us like it’s trying to get our attention. The stars shine bright tonight, no streetlights trying to drown them out.
When I pull off at the overlook, gravel crunching under the tires, she leans just a little closer, like she’s not ready to let me go. I kill the engine and silence floods the space between us, thick with everything neither of us has said.
She slides off first, tugging her helmet free and tossing her hair back like she knows exactly what it does to me. I take my time, watching her take in the view. The whole damn valley sprawls below us, moonlight catching the trees and making the town look small enough to pocket.
“This place is beautiful,” she says softly.
I walk up behind her, arms slipping around her waist. She fits against me without trying. Her fingers find mine like they belong there.
“It helps me think,” I say near her ear. “Or forget. Depends on the night.”
She melts into me and I swear my pulse rewrites itself around her. I dip my head, lips brushing the warm skin beneath her ear before my brain can stop me. She shivers. I swear I could get religious about that reaction.
“Bri.” My voice slips lower, heavier. “There’s something you don’t know. Something that might change your mind about being here with me.”
