Page 104 of Arturo's Temptation

“It was my dad’s. Besides me and my mum, it was his pride and joy. He spent every wakin’ hour fixin’ up that thing, and when I was old enough he let me help.” I’d never spoken about this before. I’d never really felt the need to. Whole thing just seemed pointless. “When I moved here I had it shipped. Couldn’t bear to be without it. It was the only thing I really had left of him, you know?”

“Shit… Now I feel like a complete bitch for driving it without asking. You must have been so pissed at me that first day you found me sitting on it outside the house.” I instantly saw the regret in her eyes, and I knew she meant every single word.

“Hermosa, I never want to hear you call yourself a bitch again, you understand me?”

“But—” she started.

“You are anything but a bitch. How were you supposed to know what that bike meant to me? Besides, that day when I found you sitting on it. I didn’t know whether I wanted to spank the shit out of you or kiss you right then and there. That attitude of yours turned me on in ways you couldn’t have imagined.” I smiled. She downed the rest of her beer and licked her lips. I liked teasing her this way, knowing she’d be turned on and frustrated. “I knew the moment I met you that you were special,that you’d destroy me in the best possible way. Fuck, I should have taken you somewhere special tonight. Like a fancy place with wine and candles?—”

“Woah!” she exclaimed. “No, Arturo. This date has been all I could have ever asked for. I don’t need to be wined and dined. To be honest, places like that bore me, they remind me of family get-togethers. No, trust me, tonight has been everything and more. I can’t remember the last time anyone made me laugh so much. And most of all? You helped me forget everything else. Thank you for letting me see what lies beneath.” My heart thundered as she placed her palm against my chest. “No matter how fucked up you think you are, I know what’s in here. I see the real you. I know you think he’s long gone and easily forgotten. But guess what? He’s not.” With that she brought my knuckles to her lips and placed a gentle kiss on them.

“You know, when my mum died, I was so sure my heart died right along with her. But now I’m starting to see that maybe it didn’t. Maybe I just got really good at shovin’ it behind a mask.” I pulled her stool closer to mine in one swift movement.

Her eyes softened as her fingers gripped my hand. It was as though we were both holding on for dear life. A flash of concern flickered in her eyes as she gnawed at the inside of her lip. Somewhere deep down, she was likely worrying that I was going to pull the same shit I’d pulled last time.

“Bella, if I could turn back time and stop that mornin’ from happenin’ I would. You can’t begin to imagine how scared I was that someone wanted to hurt you. What made it worse was that I knew it was happenin’ because I’d fucked up somewhere along the line.”

“What’s done is done. There’s no changing it now. I can’t sit here and tell you that your words that morning and the weeks after didn’t hurt, because they did. But we’ve been over this. Ijust…” I frowned as she looked down at her hands. What was she so afraid of that she didn’t want to tell me?

“Mi hermosa… what is it?”

“I worry that one day you’ll realise what we’re doing isn’t worth it…” her voice trembled. “That maybe it isn't’ worth whatever my family will do to you when they find out.”

“Bella, I ain’t goin’ to wake up one mornin’ and think we aren’t worth it. And I’m a sorry twat for makin’ you feel like that. You are worth everything and so much more. I’d give my last breath for you if it kept you safe”

I watched tears prick her eyes as she cupped my cheek and leaned her forehead against mine.

“Can we go home?” she asked as she pulled away. “The house will be empty for hours. We can be ourselves without worrying about others.”

I stood, keeping her hand in mine then dropped a wad of notes on the table. It covered the bill two times over but Charlie was a good bloke, one I’d gladly help out.

Bella kept her arms firmly around my waist as we sped along the winding roads back to the house, I could feel her heart thumping against my back as she leaned with me with each turn.

“You okay,hermosa?” I called back to her, not taking my eyes off the road, I squeezed her thigh as I controlled the bike with one hand.

“Great! The faster the better!” she screamed.

I revved the bike along the straight as it roared beneath us, the vibration sending her body into overdrive. I felt in control as usual until something suddenly felt off. The moment I tried to brake to take the bend nothing was working.

Shit… What the fuck was goin’ on?!

I managed to take the bend but not without difficulty. I managed to remain calm, not wanting to scare or worry Bella,but the bike was picking up speed and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

My heart raced as I realised we were in trouble. There was only one more turn to go before we reached the drive to Bella’s house, but it was too tight. The light on the road was near enough non-existent and I knew there was no way we’d escape that alive.

Sorry Pa.“Bella, when I say jump, you jump, okay?” I called over the engine.

“What?!” I knew she’d heard me, but wasn’t quite registering what I was asking.

“Just listen to me, and jump when I say. I’ve got you,” I reassured her, but even deep down I was shitting bricks. There was no guarantee that we’d come out of this alive and unscathed.

“Okay,” her voice and body trembled as gripped my jacket.

I assessed the situation, taking in my surroundings. I knew it was around here but with the shitty lighting it wasn’t as easy to spot.There!The grass verge suddenly came into view. I steeled myself and counted.

One. Two. Three…

“Now! Jump, Bella,” I yelled. As her body left the seat I somehow managed to wrap my arms around her shielding her body with my own as we hurled toward the ground.

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