Page 35 of Heartbeats & Highways

“You kissedme because you feel sorry for me, don’t you?”

“Hang the fuck on,” he growled. “I wanted to kiss you the first night we met, but you ran.”

“Yeah, because you nodded at me like a—like a—king summoning one of his mistresses!” I began to pace across the kitchen. “Don’t do me any favors, Savage. I won’t be a conquest. And I won’t be your stray. Thanks for the tacos. You can go now.”

He raised his brows. His black eye was slowly fading; it was turning purple. It only reminded me that he was a fighter, a biker; a man I had no business getting involved with. I’d let my guard down and Savage had wasted no time at all worming his way into my life.

I hadn’t been careful. I hadn’t kept the promise I’d made to myself—stay unattached. Stay uninvolved.

“You’re not a conquest,” he said, jarring me out of my thoughts. “And if anyone feels like a stray, it’s me. Showing up on your doorstep with a taco bribe so you’ll let me sleep next to you because I—I don’t sleep, Evie. Not for more than a few hours at a time, and never deeply. But that night you were next to me . . . waking up with you . . . no bullshit. It was—my mind was quiet. Do you know what that’s like?”

I pondered his words, felt them deep inside all the way down to my marrow. “Yes. Because I don’t have a quiet mind either.”

We both fell silent.

I reached for the taco and unwrapped it. I squeezed a lime wedge over the top of it and then took a huge bite. I moaned in delight.

“For the love of Christ,” Savage muttered.

“What?”

“What? What do you meanwhat? The noises you make when you enjoy food are downright pornographic.”

My eyes widened.

His gaze was steady, bright, and fixated on me. “You’re peace and chaos wrapped in a gorgeous package and I don’t know what to do with you.”

It seemed Savage was just as confused about our connection as I was.

I picked up the tin foil covered plate that rested on the counter and placed it near him. “I made brownies.”

“Yeah?”

I nodded. “I left a plate for Cozy earlier. But I made extra.”

He unwrapped the plate. He picked up a brownie and took a bite, his eyes closing in enjoyment.

“Good?” I asked with a knowing smile.

His eyes flipped open. “Better than good. You’re hotandyou bake. I’m in so much fucking trouble.”

I bit my lip. “Savage, I’m not ready to—if you sleep in my bed, it’s just to sleep. Okay?”

“Okay,” he said easily.

My exhale was shaky.

“The idea of having sex with me terrifies you,” he murmured.

“I’ve—I’ve heard some things about you . . . in the bedroom.”

“My reputation precedes me?” He grimaced. “What did you hear?”

“Let’s see; in the short time I’ve known you, I’ve already heard you’re ananimalandmaniac.”

“I’d never hurt you,” he said softly.

I swallowed; my throat suddenly parched. “It’s notthat. It’s—I don’t have a lot of experience, Savage. And from the sound of it, you do.”

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