Page 34 of Vicious Little Darling

I shrug, studying the way his lips appear so fucking alluring. “It’s what I have to do to get out of the shithole I am living in.”

“I get it,” he says, grabbing a glass and wiping it down. “How far are you from here?”

“Like a forty-minute walk.”

“Damn,” he mutters. “That’s a long way. You want me to give you a ride home? I rode my Ducati tonight.”

“You don’t have to do that,” I say quickly, embarrassed for some reason at the thought of him seeing where I live.

He holds my gaze, making my breath to catch. “Why not? Just means you’ll get home quicker.”

I swallow the knot in my throat. “Okay. You just have to promise…”

“Promise, what?” Xander looks confused.

“Nothing,” I say quickly. We fall back into work for the final hour, and then Josh lets the two of us go.

“I’m giving her a ride home,” Xander tells Josh. “Promise I’ll get her there safe.” He pats Josh’s shoulder, and reluctantly, my best friend agrees.

Josh turns to me. “Text me when you make it. I’ll call the cops if you don’t.”

“Deal,” I salute him, and Xander and Josh chuckle. Xander holds open the door for me and leads me around the corner to a black Ducati. It’s dimly lit beneath the street lights, but I don’t feel uneasy in the slightest, not even as I slide the helmet over my head and climb onto the back.

“Hang on tight,” he warns me after I give him the directions. I cling to him, breathing in the comforting scent of his cologne. I swear, I could bathe myself in it, and for the first time in a week, Idon’tthink about Skull-face and his big dick.

I keep my arms wrapped around Xander’s waist for the entire ride, wishing I could melt into his body. After only ten minutes, he pulls up alongside the curb of the apartment building and kills the bike’s engine.

“Thanks for the ride,” I tell him, swinging my leg over and pulling the helmet off my head.

“I’ll walk you in,” he offers, removing his own helmet and taking mine. “Just to make sure you make it all the way in.”

I linger in his gaze for a few moments, my body shivering with something familiar. “Um, okay. I guess that would probably make Josh happy.”

“I doubt it,” he chuckles from behind me. I lead the way to the front door, and punch in the code. I’m so fucking nervous, waiting for him to say something about the shithole apartment complex I live in…

…but he makes no comment as he climbs the stairs behind me.

My heart rattles my chest, and when I make it to my apartment door, I shove the key into the lock and turn it, opening the door slightly before turning back to Xander, whose gaze is on me.

“Thanks for getting me home,” I say, my voice wavering with nerves.

“Thank you for letting me,” he murmurs, his eyes dropping to my lips. I can barely breathe as he takes a step closer. “I don’t know what the policy is, but…” His voice trails off as his fingers thread through my hair and draw my mouth to his.

I eagerly let him in, his tongue hungrily claiming my mouth. I moan as he pulls me into his chest, and my hands cling to him, much as I did earlier on his bike. Something about kissing him hits deep, and I cling to him as our kiss grows heavier and more desperate. I kick the door to my apartment open with my heel, tugging him inside, but he goes rigid.

“I’m sorry, Ember,” he whispers, pulling away from me. “I can’t.”

Rejection rips through me.

“No.” I shake my head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have… I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Just a heat of the moment thing,” he tells me, clearing his throat and smiling. “I don’t really want to be a rebound. Goodnight, Ember.”

With that, he turns away, leaving me there in the threshold of my apartment, completely speechless.

And totally crushed.

Fuck me.

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