Page 82 of Wicked Dove
I grimace as we step into the main area of the club, which is somehow even busier than it was before. At least we’re heading outside. I feel eyes on us with every step we take, and when I peer to my left, none other than Willow herself is glowering at me.
The petty side of me that wants to rub it in her face rears its ugly head, but I manage to squish it down as we step out into the crisp night air. It’s delicious against my skin. I expect Kael to release my hand once we step outside, but when I try to pull it away, he only tightens his grip.
“Where did you park?” I ask when he starts to walk us around the back of the building, where there’s no one around.
“It’s at Thirteen, but if you wait here, I’ll be back in a flash,” he states, before disappearing into thin air, leaving me to blink at the spot he was standing in moments ago.
The second he’s gone, I’m acutely aware of the fact that I’m alone, around the back of a dimly lit building where anyone could attack me. I shiver with uncertainty, folding my arms over my chest nervously as I dart my eyes into every shadow and strain my hearing for anything out of the ordinary. The tiniest sliver of movement to the left piques my attention, but I don’t feel any fear.
Running my tongue over my bottom lip, I take a deep breath, settling my racing heart as I peer into the darkness. Eyes flash back at me, blacker than black, with tousled hair dusting across his eyebrows.
It’s Thorne. I know it is.
He’s watching me watch him, but he doesn’t move, he just observes.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to call out to him, if only for me to feel a little safer, when the rumble of a motorcycle echoes in the air. I turn to my right just in time to see Kael roll around the corner and come to a stop in front of me. He’s wearing a blacked-out helmet, and there’s a silver one dangling from his handlebars.
I gulp, nerves getting the better of me as he climbs off his bike and saunters toward me with the spare helmet in hand. I take it, but refuse to put it on as I clear my throat.
“Where are we even going?” I breathe as he towers over me, consuming my vision as he flicks up his visor so I can see his eyes.
“We can just drive around the limits of The Vale. It’ll be fun,” he promises, and a shiver runs down my spine. I didn’t think he knew what fun was, but I opt to keep that assessment to myself.
“If you say so, but I really don’t think I’m wearing the right gear for this,” I insist again, glancing down at my cropped top and denim skirt, but his eyes light up with amusement.
“Oh, I think you’re wearing the perfect gear for it,” he says, tugging at the hair tie holding my hair back off my face before taking the helmet from my hands and placing it over my head.
I flick my visor up to glare at him, but he doesn’t seem to notice as he edges back toward the bike. I want to fight it and change his mind, but there’s a part of me that’s excited too. Stepping toward him, I run my tongue along my bottom lip as he straddles the bike.
My heart stops dead in my chest as I reach the back. “What the fuck is that?” I blurt, and he glances back at me, the amusement in his eyes brighter than ever.
“Your ride.”
I shake my head in disbelief at what I’m seeing and his casual tone.
“Is that a freaking toy attached to the back of your bike?” I gasp, looking from him to the attachment in question before looking back at him again.
“Aren’t you perceptive?” he breathes, and I glare at him.
“This is why you want me to ride with you,” I mutter, daring to look at the thick length that is nestled exactly where I’m supposed to sit. I shake my head, expecting it to be a figment of my imagination, but it remains. Turning my attention back to him. I watch as his eyes darken, and my thighs clench together.
The challenge is clear. He doesn’t think I will.
“I think it’s only fair since you spent the night in Rion’s bed,” he states, arching a brow at me, and I want to knock the visor down on his helmet so he can’t give me that look.
“Alone. I slept in there alone,” I grumble, but I know the tremble that runs down my spine isn’t from frustration, but desire.
“I also took the fall earlier. I have no idea why Rion wants your father, but I get the feeling you do,” he states, and I gulp back my nerves. His hand finds its way to my waist, locking me in place. “You don’t have to, but I know you want to.”
He’s not wrong.
With his free hand, he revs the engine for good measure, and I feel dizzy.
This is insane.
Feeling eyes on me, I peer off to the left again, remembering where I saw Thorne a moment ago, but with the light from the bike, I can’t tell if he’s still there or not. The ripple along my skin tells me he is, but I’ll never really know.
Fueled by desire, I place my hand on Kael’s arm.
