Page 13 of Ivory's Ruin Romance

She started to laugh, but it got cut off by a sharp inhale as she got on behind him and felt just how much freedom two wheels gave. No doors, no roof, and no seat belt.

Her hands gripped the sides of his jacket like she was trying to preserve distance between them. While he would’ve appreciated her earlier, she’d have to hold on a lot tighter than that.

“I always fall for the bad guys, anyway,” she whispered.

Before he could read into that—whether she was talking about Jace, or him, or what each might imply—he started the engine, and it let out a roar into the night. Her arms flew around his waist in a grip tight enough to put a strain on his next inhale.

“I got you, sweetheart,” he murmured over his shoulder. “Relax and enjoy the ride.”

He felt her nod, but her grip didn’t loosen in the slightest.

He sighed, knowing which words would do the trick and hoping no one else was near enough to hear them come out of his mouth. “If you trust the knight, then you have to trust his steed, right?”

He could hear her smile in response—a little hum followed by a breathless laugh as her head dipped into his shoulder. She squeezed tighter, and for a second, he wondered if she really was trying to break his ribs, but then he got what he’d been aiming for. She relaxed, arms circling him in a comfortable grip.

Then they took off.

Some people thought airplanes had wings, but they were only chunks of metal with tiny windows showing the same scene ninety percent of the time. Bikes had wings, round ones that felt like they hovered over the ground and let you bend with the wind as it whipped past. Bikes had the power to travel anywhere, to leave worries behind in a trail of dust and smoke.

Bikes were awesome.

Riding was the pure essence of freedom. Nothing could compare.

This time, though, the ride felt different. Usually, he’d focus on nothing other than the road ahead and feel nothing but a slight chill or the kiss of the sun on his skin, but tonight, the sky was dark, and all he could feel was Ivory.

Her head lifted from his shoulder, and he envisioned her jade eyes bravely opening to take in the thrill of a night ride—when cars didn’t cram the street and the asphalt unfurled under their wheels like it’d been paved just for them. Streetlights blinked past, and he imagined their twinkle reflected in her gaze, experiencing it all for the first time.

His stomach tensed as her fingers curled between the folds of his jacket and under the open zipper, seeking out his body heat against the near-icy wind. Then there was the heat she didn’t even know she had, her warm softness permeating through the leather on his back as if their clothes were as thin as paper. The way her thighs hugged his, the rise of her chest as she took in deep gulps of air.

All too soon, they slowed to a stop in front of the university dorm building. It looked almost as quiet as his apartment, save for a few students walking on the other side of the road who paid them no mind.

Ivory slipped off the bike, and his one-man-mount felt emptier than ever.

“Thanks for the ride,” she offered quietly as she found her footing on the curb.

“Stay safe,” he cautioned. His voice came out with more grit than anticipated, but he ignored it and hoped she would, too.

Ivory fumbled with the helmet, searching for the clasp with what must have been numb fingers. He leaned closer and helped her take it off. “Good luck on those midterms.” He offered a faint smile, and the next words spilled out before he could think. “I’m sure you can handle a little spanking.”

Dammit. Probably shouldn’t have said it like that.

Her smile softened in that sweet way of hers. “Adrian—” Then her expression faltered, struggling with a sadness hidden behind her eyes. “Thank you for being nice to me tonight. I know it was a one-time thing, so I’ll do my best to try to forget. From now on, I won’t bother you.”

She turned and left him with his heart in his mouth. Their ride had tangled her costume around her waist, showing every curve of her perfect form as she retreated into the dorms. Light from inside glowed around her face and outlined his last glimpse of her in ethereal beauty.

It wouldn’t take much to walk her inside, make sure she got into her room and locked the door, but he’d already played it too close to the line. Especially with that last comment.

No, it’d be better for both of them if he didn’t go in.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down at scarred, bloody hands. His sweet witch knew exactly what he wanted, remembered what he’d told her and what had to be said—but the words still stung like hell.

SEVEN

Gahh you’re too freakin cute. I can’t handle it—give me more!

Ivory added a few, or rather an entire line and a half, of purple heart emojis and posted the comment under the photo of Nia and her boyfriend-recently-turned-fiancé, Caspian. If it weren’t for the pile of blankets that had become one with her and the couch, she’d be floating in mid-air out of excitement.

Caspian had gotten a hold of Nia’s phone and used it to document their first Christmas together. In most of the photos, Nia tried to hide—behind her hand, under a large bow, or even around Caspian himself, but he snuck in a kiss at the end and caught the moment his fiancée’s lips tipped up in a grin. The last photo showed Caspian’s smile, half-blurred by Nia’s fingers as she reached for the phone. Those two proved true love still existed, and she couldn’t be happier for them.

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