shook my head.
No fucking way.
There was no way in hell Reed was going to show up on his motorcycle and ask me to climb on the back of that death machine.
Yeah, I wasn’t a fan of motorcycles.
I didn’t like the feeling of not being protected.
And I knew a few people throughout the years who took a tumble that cost them either a limb or their life.
With Reed… look at who he was.
He was fast, wild, thought death could never touch him, or that death could even catch him. He thought he would play a FILTHY LINE song, get drunk with death and keep things going.
It was sexy in a way.
But not Reed.
Just that mindset.
It was sexy from afar.
The motorcycle got closer and closer.
I stood on the sidewalk outside the restaurant and watched the two wheeled ride come down the street.
Jess was long gone, probably pulled over to the side of the road, humping her friend.
When the motorcycle stopped right in front of me, I turned around.
The engine became quiet.
“Abby!”
His voice sent chills through my body.
A mix of icy and nice, which I wasn’t sure of.
I turned back around. “I’m not getting on that thing.”
“Yes, you are,” Reed said with all the confidence in the world.
“No. I’m not.”
He stuck his hand out to give me his helmet. “Trust me, honey, you’re going to want to get on this ride with me.”
“I hate motorcycles,” I said.
“I know you do.”
“So you brought one here?”
“Face your fear.”
“I’m not afraid of them. I just hate them. There’s a difference.”
“You can’t trust me?”
“Why would I trust you?”
Reed held the helmet out. “I’ll wait.”
I laughed. “Oh, now you’re going to wait for me?”
That’s when Reed closed in on me.
Inches from me.
Staring down at me.
“Look, honey, you want to walk down memory lane? We can do that. We’re long overdue. But tonight, I have something for you. And I’m asking you to just trust me. I don’t want to be here as much as you don’t want me here.”
“Then why are you here?” I asked.
“Take the helmet, come for a ride, and you’ll see.”
I gritted my teeth and took the helmet.
I walked to his motorcycle and waited for him to get on first.
I carefully climbed onto the death machine.
Reed started it.
My heart raced.
I had no choice but to put my arms around him and hold on tight.
I did just that.
He took off way faster than he needed to.
I shut my eyes.
I hated him more than ever.
13
REED
What the fuck are you actually doing here, Reed? This isn’t a grab at her panties. Fuck that. I’ve had her panties. And know damn well, there were many times she didn’t even bother to wear panties at all. So it’s not that. Which means, Reed, you’re doing this for… redemption? Or is this some kind of grand apology? You can’t just look her in the eyes and tell her the truth about that night? You have to do this?
If I was able to talk to my own thoughts, I would say fuck yeah and then tell my mind to shut up for good.
That was impossible though.
Abby had a death grip on my shirt. She somehow held my shirt and interlocked her fingers at the same time.
She really was afraid of motorcycles.
I didn’t slow down.
I rode a certain way and nothing was going to stop that from happening.
Plus, I was under a little bit of a time constraint at the moment.
If this was going to work, we had to be at a certain place at a certain time.
The motorcycle ride was only about ten minutes.
I pulled into a dark parking lot where a black SUV waited.
When I turned off the engine, Abby quickly took the helmet off.
“What are you doing, Reed?”
“Just trust me, honey,” I said.
I grabbed her hand and walked her to the SUV.
The driver’s door opened and out stepped the hired security.
I made a fist and he made a fist.
His fist was the size of a goddamn basketball.
It was a little fucked up to feel small near someone, but Rick was a monster.
He did security part-time. His other part-time gig was appearing in movies and TV shows when it called for someone with his size and physique.
I opened the back door for Abby and she slid all the way across the seat.
When I shut the door, Rick got behind the wheel and drove.
I looked at Abby. “I’m not going to make any cheap moves, honey. This isn’t about that.”
“Then tell me what this is,” she said. “Because right now even after