Page 29 of Riding the Line
My heart pumps faster again, completely undoing the effort I’d put in to finally calm it. Even more when I note the tension in his muscles, bulging and shifting under his black T-shirt as he continues his rigorous search of the diner. One fist is closed around his black leather biker jacket, veins popping underneath the tattooed sleeves of his arms.
And when his dark, unforgiving eyes land on me, everything else disappears. No diner, no noise, no relentless memories of Levi pressing against me continuously running through my head to the point of mental exhaustion.
Just Duke Bennett.
Safety.
Even from the other side of the diner I can see the way his throat bobs as he stares at me, fire still blazing in his eyes. Every long stride he takes towards me only brings the wildness of his stare more into focus. And once he reaches the edge of the table, his pupils are so blown out, I feel like I could fall straight into his soul.
Hot fury radiates off him, burying deep into my bones. I’m half expecting him to explode – not at me, but at whatever chain of events has put me in this corner booth, mascara smudged on the back of my hands.
Instead, he just holds out his jacket for me, waiting patiently and silently, as I shuffle out of the booth. Then, he gently wraps the jacket around my shoulders and uses it to tug me against his chest. His heavy arms encircle me, and I let myself melt into the safety of his warm embrace. The place where I know that if I fall, he’ll always be there to pick me up and carry me home.
Whatever it takes.
Duke rests his chin on top of my head, tucking me tighter into his solid body. That woody, cypress scent fills my senses, slowly kneading out the tension in my body along with the way one of his hands strokes down the back of my hair. Softly, he whispers against my parting, ‘I’ve got you, Baby Hensley.’
14
Duke
Cherry hasn’t spoken a word since we got in my truck. Just sat there with my jacket tucked around her, fingers gripping tight like it’s the only thing holding her together right now.
I wish I could just pull over and wrap her in my arms right now. Let her cry all her pain and fear into me – I’ll take every last drop, no matter how much it hurts me. I also wish my Silverado wasn’t such an old piece of shit and I had heated seats to warm her up a bit more, given that the strappy black dress she’s wearing is doing a terrible job at covering her up. Those long legs of hers bare and hanging over the edge of the seat. I should’ve kept that blanket from the other week in the back just in case. Though, the last thing I ever expected to find myself doing in the early hours of a Sunday was rescuing Cherry from the city.
But here we are.
She calledme.
As if she knew I’d burn the whole goddamn world for her.
‘You don’t have to tell me what happened, but … if you want to talk about it, you know I’m always here to listen,’ I eventually say, even though I’m desperate to find out who did this to her. Who I need to make pay for hurting her.
Cherry shifts in her seat, some passing headlights momentarily lighting up her face – the exhaustion painting every line, and the glassiness of her dark, heavy-lidded eyes. All she does is nod, so I turn my attention back to the road. Although not knowing what happened is agonising, I’ll happily be patient with her. Hell, I’d wait a thousand years for Cherry if it meant I got to see her smile again.
I free one hand from the wheel to rub it over my face. Where the locks I usually keep on my emotions have gone, I don’t know. Tonight took me by surprise and now all these feelings, unspoken words, buzz inside of me, ready to pour out.
A couple more minutes of silence pass, nothing but the faint whirr of the odd car and the low hum of the truck’s engine filling the air. Starlight begins to speckle the sky the further away from the city we drive, the orange-tinged hazy glow from the nightlife slowly fading.
Then her sharp sigh cuts through the quietness. ‘Levi forced himself on me.’
The truck swerves abruptly as my body jolts, but I quickly get it back under control, hands clenching the steering wheel until my knuckles are practically bulgingout of my skin. Red fills my vision, my muscles stiffening as I try to fight my rage.
‘I need to turn around,’ I croak out, looking frantically for signs of when I can turn off and head back to the city. For God’s sake, why can’t you do U-turns on the highway?
How fuckingdarehe touch her.
I’ll make sure he never even gets to look at her again.
Sliding up in the seat, Cherry stiffens. ‘What? Why?’
‘I’m gonna kill him,’ I push out, teeth gritted.
‘No, you’re not.’ Cherry laughs as she shakes her head. The sound – the brilliant, heart-warming melody that is her laugh – tugs me out of my fury.
I glance at how she’s sitting, arms crossed, and one dark brow perked up at me, not appreciating my murderous intentions, clearly.
‘Right now, you’re going to carry on driving back to Willow Ridge,’ Cherry declares, waiting for my sigh and nod before turning to face forward again. ‘Levi can wait.’
