Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 64979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
What was going on?
It was confusing.
He was confusing.
“Why do you do this to me? You know I want nothing to do with you.”
“If that were true, you would have left already.”
“It’s not like I can call my chauffer to come pick me up. I don’t even know where we are.”
“We’re safe. Cops can’t find us back here if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“How do you know?” He didn’t have to answer. The realization hit me hard and fast. “It’s you, isn’t it? You’re the biker who outsped the cops last night.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, remaining silent.
“Where did you learn how to ride like that?”
He merely shrugged.
“And your family? Do they know?”
“What do you think?”
“Then how’d you learn?”
Again, silence.
“Is this your bike?”
He ignored my question, scolding, “I thought I made myself pretty fucking clear at lunch today. What the hell were you doing there in the first place?”
“I don’t answer to you. I can do what I want, Tristian.”
“Really?” he baited. “Whose lap are you sitting on, kitten?”
I glared at him.
“Street wars aren’t a place for Belle Montgomery to be.”
“But it’s a place for Tristian Hawkins to be?”
“Unlike you, I can take care of myself.”
“I can take care of myself too.”
“Tell that to the bruises you’ll be sporting after nearly getting trampled to death tonight.”
“That’s not fair.”
“You don’t belong there.”
“Neither do you.”
He rendered me speechless when he confessed, “My dad was a biker.”
“Was?”
No reaction whatsoever.
Not one.
“Are you involved with the street wars? Are you part of the gang?”
“You know what they say…” He cunningly grinned. “Curiosity killed the cat, Belle.”
“Is that a yes?”
“My, my, kitten. You sure want to know a lot about me.”
“What do you expect? I’m on your dick, remember?”
He chuckled, smirking.
Wanting to bruise his ego, I stirred the pot. “If you wouldn’t have scared Travis away, I’d be with him right now.”
“Fuck him.”
“Maybe I would have.”
His expression turned lethal.
“Oh, that got your attention, tough guy? For someone who thinks they know a lot about me, you sure make it hard to learn anything about you. Are you always this closed off? Or is it just me you’re hiding from?”
“I’m not hiding.”
“Prove it. Tell me something you’ve never told anyone.”
I never expected him to reply, “He died.”
I winced. “Your dad?”
He nodded.
“And your mom?”
“She died too.”
My heart broke for him. “I’m so sorry, Tristian. I … I had no idea.”
“Can’t imagine you would, but I don’t need or want your pity.”
“It’s not pity, Tristian. It’s compassion.”
“It’s bullshit, and I don’t need it.”
Unable to stop myself, I asked, “What happened to them?”
“You wanted me to tell you something I’ve never told anyone, and I did. Two things, actually, so no more questions.”
“For how long?”
“Until the next time you piss me off.”
“Well, that could be in like five seconds.”
He hid back a smile, aware I was teasing him by trying to lighten the mood for a second. I’d take what I could get from him. I was surprised he even told me that much. If I thought my feelings for him were confusing before, his confession only added to the emotions I wasn’t prepared for. That night was the first time I’d learned how complex Tristian Hawkins truly was.
Except, it didn’t end there.
In one swift motion, he leaned in close to my mouth and rasped, “I’m going to kiss you now.”
With parted lips, I watched as his mouth pecked mine.
Slowly.
Softly.
He kissed me for the first time.
All the fight in me was gone as if it was never there to begin with.
His lips were smooth.
His scent was intoxicating.
It was the most overwhelming yet consuming feeling I’d ever felt in my entire life.
My heart drummed so fast.
So intense.
So needy for him.
When my body went lax, he sought out my tongue while pulling me closer to him with his hand on the nook of my neck. No words could come close to describing what was happening between us at that moment. The sensations he stirred matched my emotions with each stroke of his tongue.
A soft moan escaped my lips as my tongue touched his, leaving me breathless and wanting more. Incoherent thoughts ran rampant through my mind. Nothing made sense. However, at that moment, I didn’t care. I fell for whatever spell he’d put me under. Loving the way he tasted.
My core clenched.
My chest heaved.
My heart…
It beat for him, exactly how he intended it to.
From that day forward, he’d have this hold over me I couldn’t control nor deny. All that mattered to me was how much he’d let me into his life. Tristian became this addiction I couldn’t stop. I knew he was bad for me, but there was no denying the connection we shared.
Trust me, I tried.
Before he gradually pulled away, he kissed me one last time with the stroke of his tongue. My eyes must have closed at some point because they fluttered, finding him grinning at me.