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“I told you.”
“I never said it wouldn’t be hot.” Panther smoothed his hands over my bare skin and then reached for my jeans to tug them up. “I said it would be a mistake.”
I stepped away from him, sensing the moment was coming to an end, and as Panther zipped up, I did the same, following him back to where we’d left our bikes. Once we were there, I pulled my helmet on in silence, and as I straddled my Yamaha, I looked over to Panther.
“Hey, by the way.” Panther glanced at me as I gunned the engine. “Just so you know, I have a feeling you’re going to be my favorite mistake ever.” Then I gunned it out of the lot and headed back to base, letting Panther make of that what he would.
28 Panther
THE NEXT MORNING I was zipping up my flight suit, getting ready for the day, when I heard Solo’s laugh echoing in the hall outside the locker room. I’d barely slept last night, too busy thinking about what we’d done on the beach. I had wanted it, God knows I’d wanted it, but the harsh reality was that I’d let go of my control in a public place, where anyone could’ve seen us. My adrenaline rush had taken over, and before I could think too much about the consequences, I’d dropped to my knees for a taste of the man I’d been denying.
I couldn’t say I regretted it, though. Even though I was conflicted, remembering the way we’d kissed, the way all the tension had left my body as we’d come together against the cliffs… Shit. I was practically hard just thinking about it. And even though I shouldn’t, I wanted more.
“What are you smilin’ about?” Houdini said, popping open his locker beside me. “I woulda thought it was ’cause ya done killed Solo after what happened yesterday, but I just saw him, so…”
“Just ready to kick your ass in the hop today, is all.”
Houdini snorted and kicked his shoes into the locker. “Like that’s gonna happen. Besides, I saw the pairings for today on Levy’s desk, and you’ve got Alphabet.”
“Lucky for you.” I chanced a look over my shoulder to see Solo and Gucci giving each other shit in much the same way Houdini and I did. As Solo mouthed off to something his friend said, his eyes caught mine, lighting up, and causing him to falter for a second. That momentary hesitation made Gucci look around, and I quickly turned away. The last thing I needed was the gossip mill to start churning, and I prayed Solo would know better than to tell anyone about yesterday.
I was grabbing my Aviators out of the locker when I heard that all-too-familiar voice behind me.
“Hey.” Solo, still casually decked out in jeans and his motorcycle jacket, tucked his hands into his back pockets and gave me a small smile.
Damn, he looked good. Way too good. His hair was still wet, like he’d showered and put his helmet on straight after, and something about it was so sexy that I had to remind myself where we were so I wouldn’t reach out to touch him.
Knowing there were eyes on us, that others would be listening, I lifted my chin in greeting. “Hey.”
It wasn’t what I wanted to say, just as I could tell there was something more he wanted to add, but we let all those words go unspoken between us. What else could be said? Hey, man, enjoyed the epic release yesterday, you? Have time later for a round two?
That wasn’t shit that needed to be out there, and for once, Solo kept his mouth shut. Rocking back on his heels, he nodded at me, that smile still on his face, and then he headed back to his locker to get changed.
It was only then that I noticed how dead quiet it’d gotten in the room, like everyone was holding their breath. Oh, right. They were waiting to see if we’d kill each other. After all, we’d left the base yesterday on a rampage, so it would only make sense that we’d be throwing jabs and insults each other’s way now.
Only we hadn’t. He’d smiled. God only knew what was going through everyone’s heads.
“What the hell just happened?” Houdini whispered, but it was so silent that I wouldn’t have been surprised if Solo heard it across the room. “Why’s he being so…nice?”
There was only one way to play this thing if I wanted to throw off the scent, and if Solo was smart, he’d go along with it.
“I beat his ass,” I said, grabbing my notebook and kicking my locker closed. “That’s all you need to know.”
As I walked away, I threw on my shades, and when I passed Solo, he smirked. Okay, so we’d both kicked each other’s asses yesterday—and reaped the rewards for it—but no one needed to know the details.
