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She chews on her lip for a second—something I’ve realized she does when she’s thinking—then sighs. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
I give her a look because that’s clearly not the full truth.
“I just… feel a little untethered, I guess,” she admits. “I can’t go to school, so there’s nothing for me to work toward. There’s nothing to do. I’m used to having something to focus on.”
A pang of guilt stabs me. IlikeWillow. That was never part of the plan, but it’s pretty much undeniable by this point. School is obviously important to her, and because of everything that’s going on, she can’t go. She hasn’t kicked up a fuss about it, but it’s still got to be hard.
“Maybe we can find some way for you to keep studying,” I tell her. “Figure something out.”
She shoots me a grateful look, and the sweet expression on her face draws me to her. I slide my hand up her arm, and she shivers just a little.
Fuck, I like that. Too much.
“Thank you,” she murmurs. “I don’t want to give up the progress I’ve already made because of…” She waves a hand. “All of this.”
“Yeah, I get that. I’ll see what I can do. Maybe Vic will have some ideas.”
Willow gives me a look, probably skeptical that Victor will want to help, but maybe he’ll understand what she’s going through. He’s also a person who likes to have some kind of goal or task to complete.
I chuckle. “Trust me, angel. He’s the best one at solving problems like this. But no matter what, I’ll do my best, okay?”
“Okay.” Her expression clears a little, and a soft smile curves her lips. “Thanks.”
Our gazes catch and hold, but a buzzing noise breaks into the moment, and she pulls her phone out of her pocket. One glance at the screen has her expression going tight, and instead of answering the call, she presses a button to decline it.
“What’s up?” I ask, leaning toward her and peering at her screen.
“It’s my mom.” She grimaces. “She’s been calling again lately, trying to get back into my life, I guess. It’s the same old song and dance where she fucks up and then promises to do better so I’ll open up again.”
Her eyes are sad as she shoves her phone back into her pocket.
I can tell that the shit with her mom is only bringing down her mood on top of everything else. For some reason, that makes me want to cheer her up. She radiates a sort of energy when she’s happy, as if she’s a tiny sun emitting rays of warm light. Selfishly, I want more of that.
“If you’re looking for new stuff to learn, I could show you how to build a car,” I offer. “Or strip one in under an hour.”
She laughs. “Really?”
“Sure. Here, come look at this.”
I walk around to the other side of the bike as I speak. Willow follows, and I show her what I’ve been working on. This Ducati is my pride and joy, and it feels good to share that with her. She looks at it with interest, an expression like yearning on her face.
“I could teach you how to ride if you want,” I say, shooting her a sidelong glance.
“Oh. Um, I don’t know about that…”
There’s nervousness on her face, but interest gleams in her luminous brown eyes.
“You liked it the last time you were on one, right?” I ask. “Now just imagine how good it would feel to be in control. All that power and speed changing on a dime under your fingertips. Believe me, there’s nothing else in the world quite like it. Well, except maybe really good sex.”
Her cheeks instantly flush a bright red, and I bite back a chuckle.Fuck, it’s way too much fun making her react. But my words seem to spark something in her, because she steps closer.
“Okay. Show me.”
I have her climb onto the bike, showing her where to put her hands.
“Like I said, it’s all about control. The bike has the power, but you tell it how much it can use at a time. You can hit the gas here.” I point out the right spot. “Or slow it down here.”
She mimics my motions, putting her hands where I tell her.
