Reign A Romance Anthology - Nina Levine Page 0,311

and starts the bike, turns, then taps the seat. I step on the footrest and hoist my leg over. My body slips in nicely behind his.

“Wrap your hands around me,” he yells, and I quickly do as he requests. My body is now flush against his, his body heat throbbing against my chest.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I mutter under my breath.

Within a second, we’re moving, and the urge to scream rips through me. I clamp my lips with my teeth to stop any noise from escaping and shut my eyes.

No. Don’t give him the chance to laugh at you again.

The cool wind whips around me, and my grip around Cole tightens. His hand wraps around my knotted ones on his chest.

“Shouldn’t you be holding on with both hands?” I yell.

He may not be able to hear me.

His head spins in my direction. “Just trust me and enjoy the ride.” His hand stays around mine until we come to a corner. We lean into the corner together, and then he speeds up. The way he smoothly maneuvers through the traffic is something like a street dance. The anxiety that ran through me when we first started has subsided, and I glance around at the cars and people around us.

We pass a couple who are locking lips on the sidewalk, and it brings a smile to my face.

Oh, to be in love.

11

Cole

Dylan’s grip around me finally loosens, and I can breathe again. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to take a full breath for the entire trip. Her cool fingers wrap around mine which rest over hers.

We finally pull up in front of a high-rise set of apartment buildings. I turn the bike off and pull my helmet off. Turning quickly, I come face to face with a messy-haired beauty. Dylan has removed her helmet, and the look on her face is pure elation.

“Do you need a hand to climb off?”

She shakes her head, hands me the helmet, and slowly slides off. She stumbles slightly on the curb. I settle the bike on its stand and climb off. With one large step, I move closer to Dylan and take hold of her hips to steady her. Her hands rest on my arms.

“I think I was so tense that it’s drained all my energy.” She giggles. Her shining eyes glitter in the moonlight right in front of me. The kiss we shared hasn’t been far from my thoughts all night. Her lips taste sweet with a hint of wickedness.

“It’s okay; I’ve got you.” I ignore the people walking by us and keep hold of her. My hands don’t want to let her go. This is strange. It should be a quick drop-off, and then I go on my way, but I want to know more about her. Her likes. Her dislikes. The conversation I heard tonight between her and her sister really got me wondering about who has hurt her so much that she’s completely off men.

We’re silent a beat before she says, “Do you want to come up for a little while?” She sounds hesitant.

“I’d like that,” I say, grinning with a nod. I release my hold and let her lead the way. Without thinking, I take her hand in mine.

Dylan glances down and then back up at me. “You don’t need to do that anymore.” She opens her hand to release mine, but I hold on a little tighter.

“I know, but I enjoy it.”

Dylan’s cheeks pink, and she reaches up and runs her spare hand through her hair while biting her bottom lip. Damn, she’s sexy. Why hasn’t she been snapped up?

She leads the way into the building and heads straight for the elevator.

The reception area is something you would see in a magazine. The colors are neutral but scream rich. Red, covered chairs sit in a waiting room, and a person stands at the desk.

Once in the elevator, she hits number ten.

“This is a nice building.”

“Thanks. I like my privacy, and it seems people in this building keep to themselves, which is fine by me.” She shrugs.

The elevator stops, and we get off. There’s only one door on this floor.

“Is the entire floor yours?”

“Pfft. No way. This is my side. The elevator also opens on the opposite side to another half of the floor.”

“So, you’re a little rich girl?” I tease.

She releases my hand and digs out her keys. “No, not rich, just smart with money, and damn awesome at my job.” The door clicks, and she pushes