Forwardandadventurous? Kate Chen just got even more interesting.
“Okay,Katie. I’ve got just the place.”
I straighten out the bike, kick the kickstand, and start the engine. The motorcycle roars to life, vibrating beneath us. She clenches tighter around my middle, and I wonder if there’s a part of her that might be scared.
I give her knee a reassuring squeeze. I know I’m a ladies’ man, but I like to think I’m also a good guy. I’ve got her, for the evening at least, and I’m gonna make sure she’s safe.
I release the clutch. A familiar surge of adrenaline spikes my blood as the motorcycle picks up speed. The autumn wind chaps my bare arms, but it feels like coming home. Countless memories circle these tires, humming beneath me. One memory flies to the forefront of my mind.
“The carburetor seems to be in fairly decent condition, but we’ll need to replace these cracked seals.”
Eric Sanderson’s voice fills my thoughts like a ray of sunshine. I smile—an involuntary response, really, when it comes to Tuck’s dad. The summer Tuck and I turned sixteen, Eric agreed to help us refurbish a couple of motorcycles. The guy is a genius and has been more of a father figure in my life than my own—whoever the hell he is.
A familiar dark feeling overcomes me, and I attempt to shake it off.
I navigate toward the southeast side of Chicago until the dark expanse of Lake Michigan begins to drip across the horizon. A few minutes later, Promontory Point comes into view. The small peninsulajuts far enough into the lake to see the glittering Chicago coastline to the north.
The road into the city park is lined with trees blazing with fall colors. I roll off the throttle, and we come to a stop. I flip down the kickstand with my black leather boot, push the kill switch, and take off my helmet. Kate allows me to ease her off the bike, and I again take the liberty of assisting with her helmet.
The last fifteen minutes had distracted me, but I’m stun-gunned back into reality by how beautiful she is. I busy my hands by reaching into the saddlebag and pulling out a blanket.
Let’s be honest, it probably smells like Chanel number five, too.
We walk under a ceiling of burgundy and gold leaves until we step down the rock-hewn amphitheater steps that meet the midnight water’s edge. I fan the blanket across one of the large stone steps, making sure to give Kate extra on her side so she can wrap it over her bare legs. She sits down, stretching out and crossing her ankles. Her long sheet of black hair falls down my leather jacket.
I don’t know what it is, but a girl—especially one as hot as Kate—wearingmyjacket makes something primal stir in my chest.
She leans casually against the taller step behind us. We listen for a moment to the waves lapping at the rocks and the distant hum of traffic.
“So, Kate Chen. Tell me about yourself.”
“Talking is overrated.” Kate surprises me yet again in that husky tone of hers.
My face inches toward hers as I whisper, “Usually, I’d agree with you, but I’m making an exception.” I’m unable to ignore my intense curiosity about her any longer. I put a healthy distance of approximately six inches between us.
“What were you doing stumbling all over Sigma Chi tonight?” I ask.
“Stumbling? I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She narrows a set of eyes so dark, they glint like obsidian.
I lean closer and whisper in the chilly darkness, “Listen. I might have seen some things… but I rather liked what I saw, so I’m not complaining.” Adorable irritation creases her forehead, and I laugh. “For real. What brought you to my humble abode tonight?”
Kate meets me with an unreadable expression, almost as if she’sbored. As if getting to know each other might be the worst thing ever. I try not to take it personally. She’s quiet for a long minute, scanning the diamond skyscrapers amid the soft glow of the city.
“Fine, Brandon Roberts. I’ll play your little game. But you get three questions and three questions only.” A seductive smile curves her lips. “And after, you take me back to your place and make me forget I ever said anything.”
My jaw falls slack as my tongue turns into the Sahara desert. A girl has never disarmed me this quickly before, and the smug grin on Kate’s face tells me she knows it.
I quickly wet my mouth. “Deal. But you have to promise to answer honestly.”
Kate frowns, seemingly affronted. “Of course. I’m a woman of my word.”
I lean forward, resting my elbows on the knees of my worn distressed jeans. The pebbles below my shoe crunch as I rack my brain for the perfect question. WhatdoI want to know?—
A sensation on the back of my neck sends my stomach dropping out from under me.
Kate’s slender fingers casually lift each lock of hair off my neck, twirl them around, and let them fall. It’s my kill switch, and she’s somehow tapped in to that private piece of information.
Maybe she’s more predator than prey if she can sense my weakness this quickly. I can’t talk—can’t think straight—with her doing that.
