AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s what I said.”
“You’re serious?”
“Never more so…”
“I’d rather walk.”
“Get on the damn handlebars, Connie.”
She laughs, almost shrilly now. “You love to blow hot and cold, don’t you, Malakai. I thought you didn’t want to be anywhere near me. You’ve spent the whole day avoiding me and now you want me to get close to you. Your three hundred and sixty-degree turns are making my head spin.”
She’s not the only one who’s head is fucking spinning, but I refuse to tell her that. Instead, I lift my leg over the bike, ignoring her sass. “Get on, Connie, or I will leave your damn bike here and carry you over my fucking shoulder the whole way. It’s up to you.”
Challenge flares in her eyes and for a moment she hesitates long enough to convince me that she’s actually considering that as an option. I swear my heart stops fucking beating, but I hold her gaze regardless. There’s no way I’m going to let her know how much the thought of throwing her over my shoulder turns me on.
“Fine,” she finally snaps, lifting herself onto the handlebars awkwardly and holding her legs out in front of her. I can’t help but notice how the cotton of her dress sticks to her thighs and the purple of her knickers shows through the material. A stream of swear words reel off inside my head but I don’t voice them.
“Ready?” I ask her.
“Yes,” she responds, letting out a surprised gasp as I kick off the ground. The sudden movement makes her slide backwards on the handlebars until her upper back is pressed against my chest and shoulders. I keep my eyes fixed on the road ahead and definitely do not breathe in her scent like it’s the oxygen I need to survive.
Twenty torturous minutes later I pull up outside her house. We are both wet to the bone, our clothes sticking to us. Her jaw is chattering with the cold and I can barely unfurl my fingers from the handlebars when she slides off awkwardly and turns to face me.
“Come in,” she shouts over the rumble overhead. The rain is sideways now and it’s as though the whole island has been pitched into semi-darkness. I can’t see any lights on for miles.
“No.”
I turn away down the path but when a lightning bolt rips through the air not more than a hundred feet away, splitting a small apple tree practically in half and scorching the bark, I change my mind. Thank God it’s raining so heavily, otherwise that tree would be alight in seconds.
“Leave the bike! Get in, Malakai!” Connie yells at me from the doorway.
Despite every instinct telling me to run, that I’d be in less danger outside in the storm, I lean the bike against the wall and head inside. She reaches for the light switch, but after flicking it up and down several times, it’s clear the power’s out. Connie groans.
“That’s all we need.”
“Let me check your fuse box. Is it under the stairs?” I ask her, closing the front door and sweeping past her in one movement.
“Yes,” she responds, turning on the flashlight on her mobile phone so we can both see a little clearer. Connie holds up the light, aiming it over my shoulder as I check the fuses.
“The problem isn’t here. Must be a power outage on the island. Got any candles, matches?” I ask as she moves backwards, giving me space to get by her.
“In the kitchen. Under the sink.”
I nod my head, ignoring the fact that she’s trembling and looking at me with wide eyes. Gone is the siren of earlier today. Instead, it’s a girl who looks like she’s bitten off more than she can chew. This is what she wanted, me and her in close confines, only now it seems like she’s afraid of what’s going to happen. Not that anything will because I’m not fucking touching her.
“Call, Ma, she’ll be worried about you.”
She does as instructed, managing to speak to Ma to let her know she’s home safe before losing reception completely.
“You didn’t mention I was here,” I state when she gets off the phone, busying myself with lighting the candles and placing them on the kitchen table between us.
“Should I have?”
“Probably…”
Connie snorts. “Grandma would battle the elements just to make sure you and I aren’t alone together.”
“So you lied.”
