Page 17 of Bleeding Outside the Lines

In the safety of the car, under the cover of the moon, we’re quiet. The only sound to be heard is the car purring beneath us.

“Back to Garrett's then?” I ask.

Cadence sighs, doing so with her whole chest, like she’s been waiting for me to ask but didn’t want to break the silence herself.

“Nah, I think I’m gonna go home.” She pauses for effect or because she’s still deciding, I can’t tell. “Yeah, I’m gonna go home and pack.”

I tilt my head in her direction, leaving the question unspoken between us.

“I’m gonna go with her, my sister. I think she’s gonna need me.”

I don’t tell her, because I don’t think she’s the kind of girl who needs validation for her actions, but I think she’s doing the right thing. Her sister will need all the support she can get, especially in a town where she’ll have no one.

“You got it, sugar,” I say, trying to imitate her accent. She laughs and other than Ruby coming, I think it’s the sweetest sound I’ve heard in a really long time.

We drive the rest of the way in companionable silence. Sometimes people need the quiet. Sometimes the quiet helps us heal. It’s in this moment, sitting in a car with a woman who quite literally just sold her body to save her sister, that I finally decide I don’t want to live a lie anymore. I want to be able to forgive myself, and I can’t without others forgiveness first.

Twenty minutes later, I pull up to a small apartment complex, and Cadence turns to look at me. She leans in, brushing a soft kiss on my cheek. “Call me if you need me again,” she says softly, and then climbs out of the car, closing the door behind her.

“Cadence, if you ever need anything, you get a hold of G. Got it?” I tell her through the open window.

She nods and gives a small wave before walking up a set of stairs. She walks to her apartment door and unlocks it to let herself in. The door closes behind her, and I pull out of the lot.

I drive through the city and out the other side. Past the outskirts and into the mountains. The car glides around the curves, like I imagine my hands gliding over Ruby’s. Slow andwith purpose. I pull into a scenic view pullover on the side of the mountain and turn off the engine.

And then I wait. I wait beneath the stars for Ruby to find me.

twelve

I lean into thecurve of the road; my body feels like it’s only inches from the pavement. I shift my weight coming out of it and increase my speed. The motorcycle growls beneath me and I push it even faster. There are no cars on the road, but at two o’clock in the morning I didn’t expect there to be.

My heart thunders in my chest. Pounding with thrill and fear. Excitement and worry. It’s a feeling I relish in. One I don’t think I’ve ever felt. I’m not scared of Cassius. I’m not worried that he’ll harm me. But I am scared of how I feel around him. I’m wavering. Teetering precariously close to the edge. One I’m not sure I can back away from.

His car sits at the scenic pull in. Ominous beneath the moon. The white paint reflects in my one headlight. He lies on the hood of his car, his hands beneath his head. He doesn’t move when I pull my bike up next to him.

I kill the engine. The night is quiet. Still. The city below us is so far removed from where we are that it’s like we’re sitting on acloud. My movements are silent, and even though he knows I’m here, he startles when I lay next to him.

“You requested my presence?”

“You came,” he says matter-of-factly, as if I’m not sitting next to him. He turns his head to look at me, a smug smile creeping across his face. “But did you come, Ruby?”

Fuck this arrogant prick. Forget every thought and feeling that has penetrated my armor. In one quick movement, I’m straddling him. Blood trickles down his cheek where the tip of my blade presses into his skin.

His eyes close, and he inhales deeply. Curious. So curious. I can feel him growing hard beneath me. Removing myself from this situation would be in my best interest. It would be. But I don’t move. I don’t dare move. If I move, it will be to grind my pussy over his length. I will not move. I can’t move. Moving would be a mistake, for both of us.

“Your scent is intoxicating, Ruby, the perfect mix of vanilla and blood,” he says, his words carrying on the empty air.

I tilt my head, really taking him in. How is he so relaxed? His arms still folded beneath his head, his body hard with muscles and wanting, but completely calm and still.

“You are intoxicating, Ruby. Has anyone ever told you that?” His features are muddied in the dark, but his eyes twinkle in the night sky. They look into mine, but I don’t look away. If I do, he wins. And I don’t lose. Ever. “You are sexy as fuck after you kill someone and fuck me if the thought of you killing me right here, right now, doesn’t have my dick standing at fucking attention.”

“Is it me?” My breath hitches. “Or is it fear?”

“Both.”

I glide my blade across his jawline, not drawing blood but showing him I could. It barely grazes his skin, enough to get my point across. He removes his hands from behind his head and places them on my hips. I pull up, trying to distance myself fromhis hard-on, but he pulls me back down and grinds me back and forth across his erection.

My blade twitches in my hand, and I press it into his neck, once again drawing blood. He does not stop though, he just drags me harder along his length. I slice into his chest, my dagger easily cutting through his shirt to his skin. Blood blooms on the fabric. Still, he doesn’t stop. He takes one hand and puts it on my throat. His fingers dig into my neck, and I can’t breathe. Not because he’s choking me, but because I’m so close to coming for him for a third time today.

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