Bradford Bastard (Bradford Bastard 1)

I fall to the ground, my knees hitting the pavement as my face falls into my hands, heaving sobs catching in my throat. The devastation and betrayal claim me. “I’m so sorry,” I cry, glancing up at him and seeing pure murder in his eyes. “I didn’t know.”

Tanner just stares a moment longer, his hands balling into fists, and as the moment passes between us, his fury only grows.

Fear begins pounding in my chest. I shake my head, throwing myself to my feet, but it’s too late, Tanner is already halfway to the door. “TANNER, NO,” I call after him, racing to catch his long strides.

He bursts through the front door and I race after him, but by the time I catch him, his leg is already flying over his bike. I hurry around the front of his bike, blocking his way while having no idea what he plans to do. All I know is that it’s not going to be good. “Tanner, please. Don’t do this. It’s going to be okay. We’re going to make sure they pay for what they did.”

“Move,” he roars.

“No. Don’t do this.”

“I’m not asking again. Move.”

I hold my ground, my heated stare locking onto his and like a flash of lightning, his arm strikes out and curls around my waist. He lifts me off the ground and pulls me up onto the seat, my body plastered to his, chest to chest.

Tanner reaches around me, gripping the handlebars and takes off at a million miles an hour, screeching out of his driveway as my arms fly around him, holding on for dear life.

My lips brush against Tanner’s warm skin, and I bury my face into his neck, the harsh wind slapping against my back. He’s furious, reckless even, but I know he’ll never let anything happen to me.

I hold on with everything I have, my legs wrapped around his waist and my fingers clutching onto his back. Our chests press up against each other and I feel the rapid heavy thumping of his heart. He’s out of control, but I don’t blame him. I would be too after hearing that.

How else is he supposed to react? He just learned that the girl I called my best friend for thirteen years had something to do with his sister’s attack, that after being raped and falling into a seizure, they just left her there, naked and dying on the cold ground. It’s a miracle he didn’t kill her right then and there in the middle of Orlando’s living room.

We fly through the streets of Bradford, twisting and winding our way through the turns that are all too familiar for Tanner. “It’s going to be okay,” I murmur against his skin, closing my eyes as he hits the highway and doubles in speed. “Addie is going to get through this. If she’s anything like you, she’s going to survive, and when she does, she’ll come back with a vengeance.”

Horns blast as we fly past and we get more than a few curious glances, but it’s not every day that you see some dude flying down the road with a girl straddling his lap.

Ten minutes turn to twenty, and soon enough, the roads become all too familiar. We pass my old high school, sail through the streets where I learned to drive, and pass the old bakery where I had my first kiss. I hold onto him tighter, the desperation pounding through my veins. “You’re better than this, Tanner. Don’t let them win.”

My lips linger on his neck, my face still buried against his warm skin as my hair whips around us. I feel the heavy beating of his pulse against my lips, and I can’t resist him a moment longer. I kiss him right there, my hand moving up into his hair and clutching onto him with everything I have. “Please. Whatever you need, I’m right here, but don’t do this. Don’t throw away your future for them.”

My body is plastered to his like never before, and as my lips work over his skin, I feel the bike begin to slow. His body relaxes against mine, the tension seeping out of his tight muscles, and as Tanner eases onto the brake at a red light, he pulls up onto the curb and comes to a complete stop on the sidewalk.

I don’t dare let go of him, but when my lips stop moving, he releases the handlebars to wrap his arms around me, and I know I’ve got him back.

I let out a heavy sigh, my heart slowly beginning to calm. “Whatever you need from me, Tanner, I’m all yours.”

A moment passes before he finally raises his head off my shoulder and his eyes come to mine, wild, raw, and terrified. “I—”

“Don’t,” I tell him, seeing the apology clear in his dark eyes. “You don’t owe me anything. I’m here with you, where you go, I go. You lean, I lean. You don’t need to apologize for feeling, especially after hearing what they did.”