Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 42959 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42959 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
“Yes, like that.”
His back seemed to rumble as he spoke, and she closed her eyes, loving the feel of him in her arms. Even his smell was a unique mix of rich cologne and leather.
This was her boyfriend.
She’d never had a boyfriend before, and Tank was quite something. She was absolutely giddy. Even with the diner being busy, she’d been thinking about him constantly. It was hard to keep the news quiet that she was finally dating this big hunk of a guy.
He turned over the engine, and the machine purred to life. She tensed up and he chuckled.
“I’ve got you.”
“Oh, God, this is insane,” she said. “I’ll never get used to it.”
“Trust me.”
“I do.” She snuggled against him, breathing in his scent.
Tank always smelled good.
Bell squeezed her eyes closed as they started to move and tried to convince her racing heart that everything was going to be okay.
“Are you alive back there?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m holding on.”
“Bell, open your eyes.”
This made her actually do it. “How did you know?”
“I know you.”
She felt warm inside just hearing that.
Tank took his time. He didn’t rush. He held the bike firmly, and they traveled in a smooth line, heading back to her apartment. Her feet were thanking him.
With each minute that passed and they hadn’t died or injured themselves, she was grateful to him. She had no doubt he could go a lot faster, but she was pleased he’d taken his time with her, considering her feelings.
By the time they arrived at her place, it was late.
Tank held her steady as she climbed off. Her legs did feel a little weak, which he promised was normal. She didn’t think it was normal, but any excuse to have this man touching her, she had no problem with.
They walked hand in hand toward her apartment building. Taking the stairs, they walked toward her door, and Bell tried not to be too embarrassed by the state of her building. This was all she could afford. Knowing Tank had paid for her rent made her a little more aware of what she didn’t have in comparison to him.
At her doorway, she smiled at him, feeling very aware of their proximity.
“Do you want to come in for coffee?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’ll come in for coffee.”
Her heart began to race, heat growing between her legs. She couldn’t keep the happiness out of her voice. Turning the lock, she walked into her apartment and flicked on the light, only to come to a sudden pause.
“What is it, babe?” he asked.
“Someone’s been in my apartment.”
Tank stepped around her, and she grabbed his arm. “I need to call the cops,” she said.
“No one’s been here,” Tank said. “Your place is clean.”
She pointed to the ground. “The muddy boot prints, Tank. I need to call the cops. I have no idea why anyone would sneak into my apartment.” She glanced toward the door. “But my door was locked. This makes no sense. I have absolutely nothing to steal.” As if her day couldn’t get any more embarrassing.
Tank moved toward her. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Someone was in my apartment.”
“It was me.”
Bell frowned. “You were in my apartment?”
“I didn’t realize my boots were muddy, and I’m sorry.”
“How did you get into my apartment?” Bell asked.
“A key. I got it from your landlord after I paid the additional rent.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a replica key.
“Why were you in my apartment?” Bell asked.
Tank ran a hand down his face.
She knew instantly this had nothing to do with romance. He wasn’t leaving a surprise for her. There were no good intentions here.
Bell hated dirt. It was why every available moment she had, she cleaned this place. It wasn’t a lot but to her, this was everything. This was her life. Tank had come to her apartment, why? Did she even want to know the answer?
“Look, let’s just forget about it, okay? It’s nothing.”
He didn’t like the reason why.
“What happened?” Bell asked. “Look, Tank, I’m not stupid, okay? I know that there has to be some reason for you to sneak into my apartment and try to hide it. You weren’t going to tell me.” She stopped, waiting for him to deny that, but he didn’t say anything. “There are no flowers or chocolates, so why did you do it?”
The euphoria she had just moments ago fizzled out and just faded. There was no excitement anymore.
“The guys back at the club, they got into my head.”
“They know about me?” she asked.
“Yeah. The brothers you saw at the picnic, they were saying shit, and anyway, they thought it was a little suspicious how I met you, and I guess I wanted to check everything out. Make sure you weren’t, you know…”
He didn’t say anything else. Just allowed his accusation to remain unsaid.