“You’re with me, Lavender.” He stops at the traffic light, and I gulp for air, only to freeze when our gazes clash in the side mirror. It’s as if a caress coats his voice. “I won’t let anyone or anything hurt you.”
Sensations travel all over me in hard waves, creating heat in the pit of my stomach while something unfamiliar blooms in my chest as my heartbeat speeds up.
I shake my head and see a deeper meaning in his words that might seem so…beautiful otherwise. “Because you want to be the one to hurt me.”
I expect a lot of things, but for him to laugh in my face and wink at me isn’t one of them. “Your intelligence attracts my dirty mind,moy cvetochek.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“What would the fun in that be?”
As the light turns green, he resumes his pace, the machine roaring and vibrating underneath me. The wind slaps me in the face, whooshing all the air from my lungs as I close my eyes and let it all go.
Maybe Levi enjoys torturing me. However, my fear right now is nothing compared to what I’ve had to experience my entire life, and somehow this thought eases all my worries.
He can try to hurt me, but he won’t be able to break me, for how can you break something that has already shattered into tiny little pieces a long time ago?
Slowly, my hold on him loosens, sliding up to his shoulders, my nails sinking into his leather-covered body, and he tenses, his hands gripping the handlebars hard when I press my legs tighter to the outside of his.
Laughter rumbles in my throat because happiness envelops me, and I’m not afraid to die by Levi Scott’s hand.
At least I’d die doing something reckless and wild, which is a nice change from my monochrome existence thus far.
In a few minutes, the tempo changes as we reach the center and he moves between the packed roads, passing by all the cars honking and their drivers cussing at each other.
I have little time to study the tourists walking around the streets and snapping pictures while the various smells, both delicious and disgusting, merge, creating this familiar feeling of New York City.
“What in the hell?” I mutter when he turns left, gets on the road that’s hidden behind two buildings, drives straight, then moves to the right. That’s when I see a huge line of people wearing designer clothes and expensive jewelry standing outside a dark building as a few bouncers check their IDs and invitations before letting them inside.
The dark alley, which echoes every sound, creates a gloomy atmosphere, and all these people stand out as if they don’t even belong here.
If it weren’t for them, I’d think Levi brought me to a secluded place to kill me, that’s how strange this whole place is.
He parks the bike several feet away, and, huffing a breath, I get down on my shaky legs and check my dress, which surprisingly still looks decent after the ride. Removing the helmet, I place it on the bike, my ears adjusting to normal sounds after the intense ride.
“Thank you,” I say, grabbing my clutch and running my fingers through my locks. “You brought me here right on time.” I fish out the invitation, my brow furrowing. “Although it says the show starts in an hour. Why is everyone here then?”
“Because despite the invitations, not everyone would be able to get in, which intensifies the desire to be one of the selected few.”
Too stunned by this information, I don’t even question how he would know that. According to rumors, he’s been cruising the clubs for years now. “Why would they do this?”
“Desperate people are willing to pay any amount or give anything one might need in order to get what they crave. Exploiting their greedy nature is an art form in itself.”
“You must know the owners well to be this supportive of their methods.”
Which raises another question for me. Did they think I would pay a lot of money to get in? I wasn’t even interested in the first place to go.
“You could say that.” He motions with his head toward the club. “Have fun tonight, Lavender.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, and blink when he catches my elbow, dragging me to him until we are a breath apart, and hot flushes zip through me as sizzling energy blasts between us. “Levi.”
He raises his hand and gently laces his fingers in my hair before gliding them down and tipping my chin forward, making me swallow hard. I should break the embrace, but tonight, I prefer to do all the things I shouldn’t.
“The minute you enter this club,moy cvetochek, your virtue won’t be safe and sound.” He heard the words I yelled at my brothers, and I groan inwardly at the prospect of everyone hearing that.
It’s one thing to be a virgin at thirty.
Quite another for everyone in the family to know, especially Levi!
