Page 11 of Oops! I Fell for the Biker Next Door

"Please, don't say something you're not going to be able to take back." Her brows pinch together as if my words are causing her pain. "You're going to leave again, Lucas. And I... I don't think I can go through that kind of heartbreak again. I won't have Mary Lou this time to get me through it."

Even if I'm thinking too highly of myself, I truly believe she stuck around just in case I came back. She can deny it all she wants, but she has to feel the same thing I am. Holding it in is far harder than keeping it a secret.

Fuck it.

"I wanted you for the longest time. A really long time, Zo." Saying the words I should've said ten years ago, I watch as the wind makes her blonde hair flutter against her flushed cheeks. "You're right. I am going to leave, but that doesn't mean I have to go alone."

Her expression goes blank as she stares at me, as if she doesn't understand what I'm asking of her.

"This mountain sucks. Ma's gone, and last time I checked, you're not too social. You never were. What would you be leaving behind?" Realizing that I'm dancing around the real truth of why I want her to come with me, a lump forms at the base of my throat. "I really fucked up last time. I should've told you I loved you, but I didn't. But now, I get paid to help people, and I've got a nice little joint that can fit your weird-looking plants and—"

I can take care of her properly, damn it. In ways she deserves.

"You loved me?" The words cut straight through the noise in my head, soft but heavy enough to pin me in place.

A breath leaves me, only releasing a little bit of the tension that's making it hard to take in air. "Honestly? I don't think I've ever stopped."

It's why no one else worked out. Why we kicked right back into place as if all these years hadn't passed us by.

Silence stretches between us, thick enough to choke on.

Ten years ago, she stood in front of me with her heart on her sleeve, and I ran away without looking back. Now, I'm the one begging. I'm the one hanging on her next breath.

She holds every single piece of me in her hands, and for the first time in my life, I'm terrified she's about to crush them just to give me a taste of my own medicine.

Chapter six

Zoey

Riot has just dropped a bomb on me, and I'm still struggling to wrap my mind around his words.

When he returned, he looked hardened. Like someone I couldn't recognize. But the man who's looking at me now? A vulnerability behind his gaze that reminds me of the same guy who'd get flustered if I accidentally brushed against him.

"How long..." My voice wavers as I fight the urge to clutch the front of my shirt where my heart is starting to go crazy.

He doesn't look away, refusing to break eye contact. His throat bobs. "Before high school. The summer before is when I experienced my first wet—"

I plant my hand over his mouth before he can finish, saving me from knowing more than I need to. My skin is growing warmer by the minute. We've loved each other for about the same amount of time, and I never had the slightest clue.

He pulls my hand away, but he doesn't let go. Instead, his lips press softly into my fingers, the heat of his breath sending a wave of tingles straight down my spine.

"I was an idiot and a coward," he murmurs against my skin. His mouth traces agonizing trails down the palm of my hand, alighting on the pulse fluttering wild at my wrist. "I stole ten years from us, Zo. Give me the next ten to fix it. Let me make it up to you. Every single day, if you'll let me."

My breathing comes out shaky at his request. I'd told myself that I wasn't going to fall for him again, but here I am, melting.

It's because he kissed me. He made me feel the same flutters that no one else could.

I'd been worried that I'd be stuck on him. That it would have to be Riot or no one, and now I'm even more confident.

"Ten years is a long time," I mutter, slowly shaking my head. "You can't change your mind a year or two in."

He cracks a grin at that. Taking it like another challenge, he releases my hand and moves toward me. Crowding into my space, I grunt as my back hits the grass. At this rate, loose leaves are going to get tangled in my hair.

As if now is the time to worry about that.

"Guess we're going to have to find matching rings." Before I can register his crazy comment, he's suddenly engulfing me in his shadow. "Want to seal the deal with another kiss?"

As if the first one hadn't been damaging enough.