Page 69 of Forsaken Oath

Her laugh spills into the night, bright and fast like a shooting star. I’ve never heard a sweeter sound.

“Ask me tomorrow,” she teases, a wicked gleam in her honey-gold eyes.

30

ELOISE

My heart pounds,the leftover adrenaline from the race still coursing through my veins like liquid lightning. I feel electric, every nerve ending alive and sparking. Beau's hands are steady on my thighs, his grip strong and sure as he holds me against him. The heat of his body seeps into mine, chasing away the evening chill.

I lean back just enough to look at him, my fingers still tangled in his hair. His eyes are dark, pupils blown wide in the beam of my headlights. Raindrops cling to his lashes, his cheeks, his lips.

Desire, hot and urgent, pulses through me. I want him, all of him, and right now, consequences be damned.

“Beau,” I murmur, leaning in and sinking my teeth around his bottom lip. I apply a little pressure, tearing a moan out of him.

He readjusts his grip on my thighs, his cock hardening beneath me. “Peach.” The nickname sounds like whiskey on the rocks.

I release his lip, dragging my tongue over the same spot. He captures my lips in a kiss, but before we get carried away, I pull back.

“Take a ride with me.”

His lips quirk into a smirk that makes my knees weak. “You stealin’ my lines, Peach?”

I roll my eyes, the adrenaline still thrumming in my veins. The road is silent now, the distant roar of engines fading into the night, leaving only the hum of our idling cars.

“Maybe you’re taking too long to use them,” I tease, sinking my fingertips into the hair at the nape of his neck.

“Feeling impatient tonight, aren’t we?” He hums, this low rumble in his chest as he looks at me through a half-lidded gaze.

“Not impatient.” Eager, desirous,excited.

I shift against him, feeling the hard press of him through his jeans.

“Fuck, Peach.” His voice is low and rough, sending a shiver down my spine. “Let’s get out of here, yeah?”

“Where?” When did my voice get that breathless?

“As much as I want you with me, I’m not gonna leave your car here. The vultures will pick it clean out of spite. They’ll be jealous you made it to the next round when half of ’em didn’t.”

Amusement floats inside of me. “You don’t even know if I made it, so there’s no way they do.”

He walks us toward my car, stopping when I’m next to the open door. “I know. You’re fucking incredible, Peach. And now those assholes know it.” His gaze bores into me, like he can impress his words on me by his gaze alone.

My breath hitches at his quiet confidence.

“Follow me, yeah?” he murmurs as he gently lowers me to my feet. His palms drag up the back of my thighs, over the curve of my ass, and settle on my hips.

The air between us hums, charged with more than just leftover adrenaline. My car’s engine purrs softly behind me, its warmth like a second heartbeat.

“Where are we going?” My hands feel reluctant to leave him, like they’re sentient beings and they’re not sure they’re going to get a chance to touch him so freely again.

“My brother has a little spot about forty-five minutes west of here,” he says, one palm leaving my hip to settle on the side of my neck. “Rental cabins. Hot tubs and a pool. Perfect way to celebrate your first Gauntlet race.”

I roll my eyes at his presumption again, even as heat flares in my chest. “Hot tub?”

“Ah, you gettin’ ideas now, aren’t you, baby?” His voice is softer now, more intimate.

“I’ve got lots of ideas, Beau.” I bite my lip, trying and failing to suppress a grin. I don’t know who this woman is, this brazen, flirty version of myself. But I love her. I love the way I feel right now, riding high on adrenaline and desire, emboldened by his heated gaze on me.

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