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Folds her fingers at the nape of my neck.

Lets her thumbs lovingly stroke the space, seducing my senses into becoming subdued.

Even more relaxed.

“Fuck, that feels good,” mindlessly leaks off my lips. “You make everything feel good.” In spite of their hooded nature, my eyes latch onto hers. “Which is why without you…everything felt…bad. Maddening. An endless cycle of despair.” Our gazes linger during a brief lull. “Nevermore shit, Teach.”

Her nails gently scrape the edge of my scalp as she proclaims, “I get it.”

Once more, we slip into a brief stretch of silence, except this one feels raw.

Exposed.

Like a bike being stripped for parts.

Typically, I stay away from this shit.

These moments.

Keep them buried.

Unreachable.

But there’s…something about her that makes it feel like I don’t have to.

Maybe because she keeps letting me in…I can’t help but do the same?

All of a sudden, unknown rustling sounds have her hastily spinning around to face the dock and direction of Nigel. “What was that?!”

Panic isn’t my default.

And neither is being unprepared.

“Did you hear it?!” she frantically springs towards the edge she likely hadn’t realized we were so far from the platform. “You think it’s another person?!” Her gasp is sharp. Damn near knocks me back. “People?!” Emmerz hands briefly cup her mouth. “Your biker buds?!”

“No.” Arriving at the space beside her precedes me tugging my pants over to inch my blade out of my pocket. “Not biker buds.”

“As in you don’t think your biker buds are here-”

“I know they’re not here.”

“-or don’t call them biker buds?”

“That one.”

“Well, what are they called?!”

“Brothers.” Angling the object on the edge of my jeans for an easier reach occurs next. “Fam.”

She lets her stare swing to me. “And how do you know that they’re not here?”

“Club party,” I answer prior to visually scouring the area the noise came from. “We’ve got a nomad in town so we’re showing him a good time.”

“Should you be there?”

“I did my duty. I made an appearance.” My gaze lovingly links back to hers. “And now I’m where I really wanna be.”

She begins to smile again only to have the unknown rustling remove it. “There it is again!” Fear rips through her tone. “You think someone is stalking us?! You think it could be the school?! The Dean said they were always watching! You think maybe it’s-”