Page 47 of Texting the Wrong Bikers

A beat passes. “I’m supposed to stay close.” Something about the simple certainty in his voice makes my chest ache unexpectedly.

I sigh heavily. “You can come inside.”

He shakes his head. “No.”

I blink, surprised and a bit annoyed, I’m being generous here, inviting him in, and he’s refusing? “What?”

“I upset you earlier.” The quiet sincerity catches me off guard.

“I’m still annoyed,” I admit.

His mouth twitches slightly.

Thunder cracks overhead violently. Rain pounds harder against the pavement. My umbrella shakes, doing little to protect me from the onslaught. I clutch the umbrella tighter. “Shadow…” He raises an eyebrow. “You are not sitting in a thunderstorm all night,” I insist.

He pauses long enough that I think he might stubbornly refuse, but then, finally, he slowly swings off the bike and follows me inside. He somehow looks even larger in my small living room. Rainwater drips onto hardwood floors while I hand him a towel. “Thanks.” His voice stays low and calm like always.

I watch him dry his hair slowly, again, I’m struck by how attractive he is. Dangerous looking in a way that should scare me. Instead, it makes me feel strangely safe. Unlike Kane, who is every bit as dangerous as his appearance suggests, Shadow’s intimidating looks are at odds with his gentle, almost shy nature.

“Why are you helping me?” I ask quietly.

Shadow glances up, his gray eyes searching mine. “Because you deserve it,” he says simply, without hesitation, or flirtation, just honesty.

I look away first. The storm rumbles outside while silence settles warmly through the living room.

“We’re sorry for lying to you, all of us,” Shadow says quietly.

I glance back toward him. The sincerity in his expression makes it harder to hold onto my anger.

“It just…” he exhales softly. “Got outta control.”

I fold my arms. “How does four men accidentally catfish someone?”

One corner of his mouth lifts slightly. “Poor impulse control.”

Despite myself, I laugh softly.

Shadow watches me carefully. “We liked talking to you. We knew we should tell you the truth, but none of us wanted to lose our conversations. We were worried you’d run for the hills if you knew.”

Something about the way he says it, quiet, honest, and steady, makes me believe him. The room suddenly feels smaller, charged somehow. I become hyperaware of the storm outside, the soft lamplight dancing in his eyes, the water dripping slowly from the shirt that clings to his muscled chest.

Shadow breaks the moment first. “It’s getting late,” he says gently, as if he’s giving me an escape route.

I swallow slowly. “Right.”

I set blankets on the couch for him while thunder rolls outside. Then head upstairs, feeling oddly breathless. Later, lying awake beneath warm blankets while rain pounds the windows, I find myself thinking, not about Kane, but about what it might feel like to kiss Shadow instead.

Chapter 13

Sadie

The sound of shouting jerks me awake instantly. It’s not unusual for the sounds of Owen’s excited shrieks to wake me, especially on garbage collection days, but this isn’t Owen, it’s Dani. I bolt upright in bed, heart hammering wildly while sunlight spills harsh and bright through my curtains. For one disoriented second, I forget Shadow’s downstairs.

“Don’t fucking move!” Dani bellows.

Oh my God! I scramble out of bed so fast I nearly trip over my own blanket before sprinting downstairs in sleep shorts and one of Owen’s oversized cartoon shirts. “Dani!” I cry, skidding to a stop halfway down the staircase.

The scene would almost be funny if Dani weren’t holding a gun.