Page 58 of Knot Your Rebel

The smile that broadens my face can’t be held back. She’s fucking perfect. I don’t care what anyone says. I will unalive the first person who tries to tell me otherwise. And, to be honest, if her parents were still here, I’d consider killing them again just for the shit they put her through. I guarantee there’s more to the story, but I won’t make her tell me now.

She will in time.

“So, what happened after the accident?” I ask. She knows I’ve looked her up, so might as well just go ahead and ask the question I’m thinking.

If I wasn’t looking at her, I would’ve missed the cringe and tension in her shoulders at my question.

“I was passed around from foster home to foster home. Finally ended up at Eberly Gretchen’s house with three other foster kids. They were all con artists, except for one. His name was Drake. He was my one true friend in that house until he got drafted and left. I haven’t seen him since,” she says, looking down as she twiddles with her fingers.

Holy shit. It’s hard to keep my jaw from dropping.

Is she talking about Drake Vlasik? There’s no way. He always told me he got drafted and left his girl behind, but there’s no way in hell she’s Rebel. The idea, though, is too big of a coincidence not to be. He didn’t seem to recognize her in the locker room that one day…

But then it clicks. I remember the slight flash of recognition on his face. I couldn’t figure it out at first, but now it’s all coming together.

The thought has me rolling. No way.

“Tate?” Her voice pulls me from my whirl of thoughts. I want to ask her if she recognized him. If she knows him, but I also don’t want to open that can of worms. Rebel is mine and will continue to be mine. No one, not even Drake Vlasik, will take her from me. Best friend or not.

Maybe I’m thinking too much into this. My brain is spinning one hundred miles a minute trying to figure out the truth between all the subterfuge.

“Tate.” Her voice has a bite to it this time.

“Yes, Danger?” I smirk at her, and she rolls her eyes. Such a cute little brat.

She goes to open her mouth, but I lift a finger to her lips keeping her quiet. “I think that’s enough for tonight. Let’s go up there.”

Her eyes trail up the stairs to the lookout, and her throat bobs. “I don’t like heights.”

“You can do this, Rebel. I’ll be there the whole time. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Golden orbs dip back and forth between me and the building.

I sigh. “Let’s make a deal. You go up there with me. You trust me to keep you safe, and we can do whatever you want to afterward.”

A smirk tips the corners of those perfectly kissable lips, and I don’t fight the urge to lean in and take what’s mine. Our lips meet, and my tongue slips into her mouth to tangle with hers. A moan gets muffled by our kiss. Lust pours down the bond, and I have to return the smile. My girl is kinky, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Anything?” She asks with a flirtatious wink and tone.

I narrow my eyes at her. “What other dark desires do you have in that pretty little head of yours?”

She gives me a sexy smile. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

A growl slips free. She’s trying to kill me. “If I didn’t want to know, I wouldn’t have asked, firebrand.”

“So bossy.”

I grin. “You have no fucking clue.”

“Oh, but I do. Cameras, stalking… makes me wonder what other illegal shit you’ve done that I haven't found out about yet.” She raises that cute little defiant eyebrow again, and my palm twitches thinking of spanking her for being a brat.

I’m sure I should feel guilty, but I don’t. I consider everything I’ve done in her best interest.

My hand goes to the small of her back as I direct her towards the stairs, and she starts to climb. I can’t see the definitive outline, but what I can see of her ass looks delectable, and I swear, she wiggles it to drive me mad. The stairs creak slightly in the night air, and a breeze blows around us.

We step onto the second level, and the gasp that leaves her lips has me smiling because I know exactly how she’s feeling. It’s a magical place, especially at night. You can see the city lights from here. It’s not like seeing Las Vegas, but it’s still pretty cool lighting up the night sky.

twenty four - rebel

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