I did. On the floor with a gun in his face. I didn’t know Deaglan’s combat experience, but I knew Connor’s and from Deaglan’s slow nod, he did, too.
I hated being put in this position. I was beginning to like Deaglan and he was trying to protect me, but if Connor left without me… I didn’t know what he’d do.
“I’m sorry. I have to,” I said to Deaglan. “He needs me.”
Connor squeezed my hand and I looked up at him and he half smiled.
“You need to talk to Deck, Alina.” Deaglan stepped to the right of the door, letting us pass.
“I know,” I said.
Connor remained quiet, but his eyes never left Deaglan as he unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door. Then he kicked open the screen with the toe of his boot and held it open for me to pass through first.
“Say the word,” Deaglan asked before I walked out.
I smiled. Okay, I really liked him. Despite his playboy status, he was a good guy because he was laying it down for me. He’d fight Connor if I didn’t want to go with him, even knowing he’d lose. “Thanks. Tell Deck, I’m good, okay? That he can trust me.”
He nodded while Connor urged me out the door with his hand on the small of my back.
I jogged to keep up with him as we walked down the street to an old abandoned house that had the windows boarded up. It was where he’d dropped me off last night. I’d seen the for sale sign out front since I moved here.
Oh, God, this was where he watched my house.
He steered me down the driveway to the right side of the house where I saw a blue tarp draped over something. He let my hand go and yanked it off.
His bike. He’d left it on the street. “I didn’t hear you start your bike last night.”
“Rolled it here while you were walking to your house.”
“Oh.”
He unhooked his helmet from the handlebar and turned to me, sliding it on my head then gently tucking in strands of hair. I shivered at the soft touch of the pads of his fingers. He did the chinstrap up, then tightened it. I felt like I had a bowling ball on my head. It was also too big so when I tipped my head forward, it dropped in front of my eyes.
“I’ll buy you one.” Staring at me a second, a slow grin appeared. “Fuck, you’re hot, baby.”
“You saw me in it last night.” But my heart pitter-pattered. Not so much that he thought I looked hot, although that was amazing, it was that he grinned.
I melted at his grin. It was how I got into trouble with him in the first place. His grin could win over any girl. It was magnetic, with the way his blue eyes sparked and his brows lifted slightly while dimples danced on his cheeks.
“Yeah, but last night was a clusterfuck and my head was on getting you out of there.” He threw his leg over his bike, started the engine, shifted his weight to straighten it and then kicked up the stand.
Connor liked to go fast. At least he told me he did on the dirt bikes he used to race, so I was a little nervous.
“I’ll look after you,” he said, reading my thoughts. “Couldn’t look after you for eleven years. Now I can.” He nodded to his bike. “This bike is the only place I feel alive unless I’m with you.” He smirked. “Get your sweet, sexy ass on the bike. I want to be between your legs.”
Heat settled in deep. He was teasing and he smirked.
He took my hand as I stepped closer. “Living is one big spin of the wheel, baby. Might as well enjoy the ride until it stops.”
I stared at him a second and he caressed the side of my face. He’d whispered those exact words to me once upon a time. I repeated the same response as I had then. “I get dizzy on rides.”
Connor’s brows lifted as did the corner of his lip. “That’s the point of the ride.”
As the wash of his words drifted over me, I closed my eyes. They were words he’d said before all this hurt and pain.
He reached out and snapped the visor down on my helmet. “Get your ass on the bike before I change my mind and take you on a different ride.”
I was okay with that ride, too, but I was thinking it was better to get out of here before Deck and the others showed up.
But that was coming to a head. Deck would be all over this and Connor was good, but I don’t think he’d be able to watch me any longer without Deck knowing about it.
Things were changing fast. I just didn’t know which way they’d go.