“What the hell? Who the fuck are you?”
“None of your business,” I said, pushing him back and reaching for Evie’s helmet perched on my bike behind her. “Put this on. Now.”
She grinned, looking past me to the guy on the ground.
I already knew she liked this. I could always see her eyes light up when I got jealous.
In one large step, I made it to her side and pressed against her, the feel of her heartbeat wild against mine. She looked up, that defiant spark in her eyes pushing me further to the edge. My hand snaked up her side until my fingers wrapped around her neck.
“Put your fucking helmet on, psycho girl, and get on the bike.”
“Or what?” she asked, her air cut off just enough to make her gasp.
I reached up, shoving the helmet onto her head and opening the visor.
“Or I’m going to make you.”
I leaned down, sliding my hands over her ass until I could lift her up—slow and deliberate—daring her to fight me on it. She didn’t. Instead, her fingers twisted into my jacket, her breath hot against my neck.
I swung onto the bike, setting her on the tank and wasting no time starting up the bike and pulling out of Syndicate.
She smacked at my shoulder before leaning down, her arms wrapping around me in a panic as I headed out onto the main street and into the darkness.
Her hands tightened on my back, nails digging in as the bike shot forward. The night swallowed us whole, the wind cutting sharp and cold around us, but nothing could drown out my pulsing thrill.
She didn’t need to say a word—every inch of her pressed to me, every breath against my neck, was a promise and a warning. I was either going to give in soon, or burn alive trying not to.
Chapter 22
Evie
The night air bit at my uncovered skin as we pulled into the cemetery, the rumble of the bike fading into the eerie silence as he idled down the small driveway. The gate creaked and shadows danced around us, making me hold on to him a little tighter.
I knew he was pissed—his hands gripped the handlebars so tight his knuckles had turned white. My heart raced, matching the thrum of the engine beneath me, but it wasn’t just the cold or the darkness that had my pulse pounding.
The thrill of Aiden taking control again sent a rush through me—more exhilarating than any speeding bike or shadowed, dangerous place ever could.
I could barely contain myself, wondering what he would do to me now.
Aiden parked behind the gate, hidden from the main road. The sudden stillness pressed in, deafening. I barely had time to breathe before he swung off the bike, pulled me down after him, and steered me between two looming statues.
My jacket slipped off when he yanked me from the bike, the fabric landing in the dirt behind us, but I barely noticed. His grip on my wrist was firm, unrelenting, as he dragged me deeper into the shadows, the world dissolving around us.
“The blackmail, your little threats—the woods,” he growled,the words sounding infuriated. My heart stuttered at the small confession. “It’s all been a game for you. Do you really think I would let you keep pushing me until my life exploded?”
I let the words turn over in my mind, surprised at how raw they were.
“It has been a game,” I finally said. “And it’s been the most fun I’ve had in my life. It’s like you’re losing your mind and I get a front-row seat. I get to watch you unravel, piece by piece until you’ve lost your mind completely and all you can think about is me.”
“All because you wanted to break me until I’m as much of a psycho as you? Because you’re a little psycho girl that gets off on ruining men’s lives.”
“That is true.”
“And why me this time? Why not bother one of the hundreds of men you could call and have falling after you? Why keep coming after me?”
“Maybe I like things I can’t have.” My eyebrow arched as I watched his eyes narrow. I knew Aiden’s past, I knew that it had to leave scars when everyone in your life walked away from you. I had scars myself, but I knew the people who left me didn’t do it because they chose to. “Or maybe because there is no one else like you. I couldn’t find a replacement no matter how much I tried.”
He leaned down, the heat of his breath moving across my lips. I’d never wanted to wrap myself around someone more. To tell him how badly I wanted this and wanted him, but I didn’t think he would believe my words. The chill of the night replaced with his warmth, wrapping around me and making me sigh in ecstasy.
