Page 64 of Darkness

NYCTO

My nerves are shot.

Not only from Eva finding out everything, but also because taking her off clubhouse property is a huge risk. If Andrés or one of his men sees her, there will be hell to pay.

But Eva needs this.

We need this.

If I’m going to have any hope of getting Eva back on my side, I have to give a little. I need to show her I’m not a heartless bastard and have compassion for her. This is the only way I can think of to do that. If I give her a full-face helmet to cover her features, this ride shouldn’t be a problem. I can give her a sense of freedom without anyone knowing it’s her.

We should be fine.

The late afternoon sun is still bright, but as soon as we exit the bunker, I put on my sunglasses. As we walk hand in hand to my bike, an ease washes over me. Unlike the tension clouding us moments before, I can sense Eva relaxing, and it eases my nerves a little. We reach my ride, and I grab the spare helmet from the rack on the fence and walk it over to her. “You need to wear this, chiquita. It covers your face and keeps the wind from whipping your hair in your eyes, but above all, it will keep you hidden.”

She nods as I pull it down over her head, encasing her. I can’t help but smile at the big black helmet smothering her. I slide up the visor to make sure she’s okay in there. The internal padding pushes against her cheeks. “You good?”

“This is comfy,” she replies, her tone muffled. I tap her on top of her helmet, then slide onto my ride. “You have to keep a firm grip around me. When the bike moves, you move with it. Nothing jerky or overstated, okay?”

She winks at me in understanding. I gesture for her to move in behind me. My stomach tenses when she shifts into place, the feeling foreign for me, but as soon as her front slides against my back, it’s like she’s meant to have been there all along. I clench my eyes a little to try and bring my cock under control. He has a mind of his own right now. The idea of Eva always being behind me on a ride is something I wish I could have. This, right here, is the best fucking feeling in the damn world.

“Where’s your helmet?” she says, her voice muffled, while sliding her visor down.

“Don’t need one, babe.” I kick over the engine, and it roars to life.

Her fingers clench onto me tighter, squeezing me as the vibration rattles through us. She’s quiet, not making a peep, but I can tell she’s affected by the way her thighs squeeze around me. Smirking, I duck-walk backward out of my space, then slowly head toward the gate.

Ominous peers down at me from his post. “Good to go, Pres?”

“Should be a few. If anything happens while I’m gone, get me on the line,” I call out to him over the roar of my engine.

Ominous casually salutes me, then opens the gate. I rev my engine twice, alerting Eva I’m getting ready. Excitement builds inside me. I’ve wanted to take her on a ride for as long as I can remember.

Now is my chance.

She squeezes me tighter, so I hammer down, leaving nothing behind. My bike roars to life, soaring out of the gates and the safe confines of the clubhouse lockdown. Eva squeals in my ear, but it doesn’t sound like fear—it sounds like pure adrenaline. Hearing her only fires me up further as I exit the feeder lane and turn onto the main road, and I don’t hold back. I want her to know what this feeling is like—the purr of the engine, the love of the open road.

It will be sunset soon. I want to make good time to get there before the hot sun starts to fall.

My baby vibrates through me, and having Eva wrapped around me sends my nerves into a peaceful calm as we make our way to the West Central Coast of Florida. Eva is an enigma. Even though emotionally, we’re not in the best place, physically, right now, there’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be.

The wind whips at my face, my sunglasses protecting my eyes as I fly down the streets heading for the Clearwater Memorial Causeway. I have no idea if Eva’s figured out where we’re going—probably not as she doesn’t know much about Florida, let alone this part of town—but who knows. She’s smart, and we’re almost there. As we get closer, I slow the bike a fraction for the upcoming roundabout. As much as I love taking Eva on this breakneck-speed ride, taking a roundabout at this velocity probably isn’t the best idea. So, I drop gears, trying to obey the speed limit for the first time since we took off.

Taking a left around the roundabout, I turn down Coronado Drive, pull into the Pier 60 parking lot, and drive into one of the bays facing the beach under the tall palm trees. The white sand is pristine against the crystal blue water as it crashes against the shore in a rocking motion. I cut off my engine, finding myself at ease just being here. Squeezing Eva’s leg, I turn back to her, but when I do, she’s already taking off her helmet, her hair waving about in the slight ocean breeze, the hot summer sun beaming on her face, lighting her up like the angel she is.

I tense. “Fuck, chiquita, you’re supposed to keep your helmet on.”

She scoffs, sliding off from behind me to stand and admire the beach like she doesn’t give two shits about what I’m saying. Her eyes take in the picturesque scenery. The sun is starting to set over the slowly moving waves.

With an exhale, she asks, “Why did you bring me here, Nycto?” There’s calm in her tone, an ease I haven’t seen in Eva since she and Ivy were reunited.

She finally seems happy.

I can’t take this from her.

Not now.

“I come here sometimes to clear my head. When shit gets fucking hard, when I need to refocus, this is where I come to let everything fall back into place.”

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