“You don’t control me,” I gritted out.
“No,” he agreed with a smirk. “I don’t control you. You’re hot as hell, but an idiot if you think I’d be willing to live through your death a second time.”
I scoffed, attempted to break free of his hold, but he didn’t relent.
“You do realize I am going to die one day, right?”
“Not if I can help it,” he said confidently. “If you die, I’m going with you.”
“Don’t say that,” I chided.
“Then don’t scare me.”
My shoulders sagged and I reached up, pushing his hand off my helmet so that I could remove it. I brushed the hair that had escaped my braid out of my face and tucked my helmet between my hip and the bike.
“You really don’t want me riding?” I asked, studying his features.
Enoch, glanced to the side, his lips pursed into a line. When his brown eyes came back to mine, he stepped forward, causing me to stumble back into my bike. His hands landed on my hips as he lifted me to sit on the edge of my seat. I hung my helmet on my throttle, and his hands captured my face.
“I want you to be safe. I don’t want to keep you from doing something that you love. But I can’t lie and say I like it. It freaks me the hell out knowing you’re on the road so unprotected.”
“But I’m wearing—”
“That gear isn’t going to stop you from being crushed by a car or thrown across the highway in a high-speed crash.”
I swallowed, the concern in his eyes making my stomach pitch.
Enoch’s thumb caressed my cheek, a sad smile on his face as he leaned in to kiss me. My eyes shut of their own accord as his lips pressed against mine. The feel of his body pressed firmly against mine and the way his teeth snagged my bottom lip sent a rush of heat running through my body.
I didn’t stop the impulse as I wrapped my hands around the back of his neck and pressed us infinitely closer with my heels hooked around his back. His fear, his anger, they were bleeding into his kisses, and I gave it right back, my own passion, neediness.
His hand snaked around the back of my neck until he was gripping my braid. He tugged, sending tingling shocks across my scalp that made me involuntarily moan into his mouth.
He hummed, slowly pulling me back with his grip on my hair. My eyes opened to find him staring down at me.
“We should probably go in before the neighbors see something I don’t want them to,” he said with a smirk.
My cheeks flamed and I nodded in agreement. He lifted me to the ground and laced his fingers through my hand. I grabbed my helmet and let him lead me to his front door.
My heart was still pounding, lips still tingling from his kisses, when we reached the front and he tapped in a code on the front door.
“Wait,” I looked up at him with confusion. “That wasn’t there the other day, was it?”
Enoch shook his head with a smile, the door lock beeping before he pushed the door open.
“Front door open.”
I blinked, startled by the electronic voice ringing out from inside the house.
I looked up and noticed the camera tacked up on the outside of the house and stared ahead at Enoch who was pulling me inside, despite my stupor that had stopped me in my tracks.
“We got a home security system set up this week.”
I nodded, noticing the camera hanging in the corner of the hallway inside the house. Enoch maneuvered me further inside the entryway so he could close and lock the front door behind me.
Enoch tugged my hand, and I dragged my eyes back to his face.
“I know it’s not the same thing as a firearm, and we can talk about that in the future, but we want you to feel safe when you’re here.”
