He gave me a shove in the right direction. I stumbled a couple of times so I stopped and fished out a Kleenex from my purse to mop my face up with.

I hated Patrick and his family for what they’d done to Stryker, and I hated that I was his weakness. But, as I ran along the sidewalk to Rose’s Café, I thought about involving my father regardless of what Stryker wanted. I needed Stryker to be free to choose the life that he lived. I wanted him to have the life that was taken away from him. And most of all, I wanted him to have all of that with me.

Chapter 17 ~ Stryker

RUNNING TOWARD ROSE’S CAFÉ with Carter, I hoped that my head would clear. But so far it hadn’t. For the first time in years, I had someone on my side who didn’t want anything from me in return. I had no clue how to deal with it either, other than to go with the flow. Those words my father used to say when I’d moan about school or some other crap that was going on in my teenage life. Not that I’d had much of one.

My father was someone I had tried not to think about because the pain of his betrayal hurt more than anything. Since spotting him, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. A physical ache that had simmered for years, just like the promise to get even with those slimy bastards who’d kept me close.

“Look out.” Carter pulled me back before I slammed into a group of girls that I hadn’t seen.

“Sorry,” I mumbled as I ran around them and then stopped.

The most beautiful girl stood waiting for me outside the café. My feet carried me closer until she was in my arms, her head on my chest and her arms wrapped around my waist. She held me so tightly that her arms quivered and my body trembled with need.

I rested my chin on the top of her head and met Carter’s gaze. “We need to head inside.” I looked around. “They let me leave but that doesn’t mean someone isn’t watching.”

Evie lifted her head, cupped my jaw and reaching up kissed me. It started out as an innocent peck, her lips to mine, but the minute she was close, my hands tangled in her hair. I nibbled on her lips until she opened for me and then I couldn’t stop and devoured her mouth. The small moan she gave, I felt right in my balls and when she moved up against me, I dropped my hands to her bottom and pressed. My cock throbbed, and the urge to thrust was strong.

The throat being cleared reminded me of where we were so I softened the kiss and pulled slightly away, no matter how much my body screamed at me to continue—to not let go of her.

“I messaged Millie while you two were getting it on,” Carter grinned, “and she’s going to meet us at the back entrance to the apartment building. She’ll use her keycard to get us in.”

I frowned. “I don’t like the idea of her being on their radar.”

Carter shook his head. “She’s already on it because of her association with Evie, but her apartment isn’t listed under Millie Green. They also won’t be looking for you under their nose so hopefully this will work.”

The thought of why she hadn’t registered the apartment under her name would have to wait as Carter started to move toward the apartment building. Evie slipped her hand into mine, intertwined our fingers, and walked beside me.

Her smile lit up her face and when she kissed my knuckles, I wanted to tackle her down to the ground and take her. My body was tense with arousal, and need thrummed through my blood. Her eyes darkened with answering need.

I wanted to have my cock inside her, and remembering what it felt like to feel the warmth, the wetness, the heat of her surrounding me in the locker room had me rock hard and tingling with precum. All it would take would be one touch from her on my shaft and I’d come. That was how close she had me while I tried to walk with her to the apartment.

When we finally arrived, my hood pulled low over my head and face, I wrapped my arms around her stomach and pulled her against me. While Carter talked to Millie as she opened the door, I quickly shoved the band of my sweats over the head of my dick so that I wouldn’t be sticking out for all to see.

Evie knew though as there was no way she wouldn’t after I’d poked her in the ass when I’d wrapped my arms around her.

Millie took one look at us and a frown crossed her face. She raised a brow at Evie and tried to smile but it was clear she was worried. Carter wrapped an arm around her neck and tugged her close, placing a kiss to the side of her head. He whispered something. Millie nodded and then started to lead the way upstairs.

I kept Evie close and hissed when she deliberately pressed against my erection. Her smirk told me that she knew exactly what she was doing. “I want you,” she whispered. “On a bed.”

I hissed between my teeth and tried to loosen the grip that I had on her hand, but nothing worked to clear the lust from my brain. Certainly not with the teasing woman beside me.

Finally, on Millie’s floor, we walked along the hallway and into her apartment without any hiding from the cameras. Why? I know my brain was lost on memories of Evie naked, but we should have been careful. Now they’ll know where we were.

“Relax, Stryker.” Millie grinned, wrapping herself up in Carter’s embrace. “I called in a favor and got the cameras in the building to play on a loop so if anyone is watching they won’t have seen us.”

“I dread to think about what favor,” Evie drawled.

“We’re going to my room for a bit.” Evie gave me a tug, and I had no objection in following her anywhere.

“Wait up. We need to talk and come up with a plan on what we’re going to do,” Carter said.

“We’ll talk later,” Millie said, pulling Carter into the kitchen as I let Evie lead me to her room.

“We do need to talk, Evie.” My eyes met hers and, seconds later, she’d toed off her sandals, kicked her panties

across the room, and sent her dress and bra following.

Tags: Lexi Buchanan Romance
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