Page 61 of Burn With Me

I smirk and step to the side, pulling open the passenger side door of my car. “Get in.”

She eyes me before flicking her gaze to the interior of my Escalade. I can see the war going on behind her eyes, the battle of if she should trust me and if she should walk away. I let her think about it for several moments. It doesn’t really matter what she decides in the end. Even if she refuses, I’ll just pick her ass up, toss her in and lock the doors. But I hope she makes this easy on me. I hope she makes the right choice.

With a fresh sigh, she deflates, dropping her arms to her side as she steps forward and catches the door frame. “I can’t be out too late,” she mutters. “I have homework.”

“I’ll have you back soon,” I promise her. I’m not sure yet if it’s a lie.

Aurora reaches up, latching onto the ‘oh shit’ handle, and pulls herself into the much higher seat. I quietly shut the door behind her before rounding the front of the vehicle and climbing into the driver’s seat. I can feel the heat of her gaze on the side of my face as I start the car and put it into reverse.

“What’s this about, Isaac?” she asks again. “I promised I’d see you on Friday; do we really have to do this?”

I grip the steering wheel tightly in an effort not to reach for her. She really has no fucking clue what she’s done to me. It’s almost laughable. My obsession with her has put me squarely under her spell and yet, she doesn’t know yet how to use that power. I should be grateful, really. If Aurora ever finds out just how fucking captivated I am by her—if she ever figures out how to use that weakness against me—my advantage against her will come to a fiery, crashing end.

When I don’t answer her, though, Aurora’s claws come out. “Isaac,” she snaps my name and even that makes me want her.

“You wanna know where we’re going?” I prompt her, shooting a grin her way. “Then sit there and wait like a good girl. We’re not going far.”

Ocean blue eyes narrow on me. “I don’t trust you.”

Few people do, so her little hissed comment doesn’t hurt me. I return my gaze to the road ahead without responding. Aurora thumps back against her seat, arms crossing again as she stews in her thoughts. Whatever she’s thinking, though, she keeps to herself as I drive and the rest of the trip is spent in relative silence.

Less than a half hour later, I’m pulling up in front of a dingy-looking brick building. The parking spots in front are so faded that the white lines are barely perceptible and the only way I know which place to park is because I’ve been here so many times before—that and the fact that there is a line of second-hand vehicles already lining the small lot.

“Where are we?” Aurora asks as I shut off the engine and get out.

I don’t answer. Instead, I circle the hood of the vehicle and frown as she pops open her own door and hops out without waiting for me. God save me from independent women. I grip the door and shut it behind her before reaching for her hand.

The second my fingers close around hers, she jerks back. “What do you think you’re doing?”

I lift her hand up to my mouth and press a kiss to the bite mark I left there earlier in the day. I love that it’s still there. Maybe if I bite her somewhere else—somewhere more noticeable, it’ll show others she’s out of their reach. I can’t help but like that thought.

“Come on, Sunshine,” I say, tugging her towards the front entrance.

She hesitates, but eventually gives in to my careful prodding and follows me towards the blacked out front glass door. Just as we approach, it swings open and a tall man with a shaggy beard slips out, his plaid shirt swaying open to reveal the stained wife beater beneath. Aurora’s eyes widen as he passes us by.

“Isaac?” I close my eyes and relish in the timid little tone of her voice.

“It’s alright, Sunshine,” I say, pulling her closer to my side as we enter the building. “I’ve got you. There’s nothing to be scared of.”

I half expect her to bite back a retort about her not being scared of shit, but the second we step inside, her mind is occupied. She turns her head and scans the dark, smoke-filled room with curiosity and confusion. I would do the same if I were her.

She’s not a scholarship student or some bar bunny. I doubt she’s ever been to a place likeGoon’s.I turn my eye back to the building, taking it in. It’s not my first time, but it’s hers and I have to wonder what she must be thinking.

Along the back wall, there’s an opening for a separate room and a step down into it. It’s filled with a line of pool tables, a dart board on the side wall, and a jukebox that likely hasn’t been dusted since it was put in thirty years prior.

“Want a drink?” I ask as I push her further inside.

She shoots me a look. “I’m not—”

I cover her mouth before she can say it. “Yes or no, Aurora,” I say. “I’m buying.”

She sighs and I feel her muscles relax. “Fine,” she replies. “Long Island, but if we get in trouble—I’m blaming you.”

Another grin graces my lips. “I would expect no less from my good girl.”

The way her face scrunches up is so adorable, but I don’t tell her that. Instead, I lead her over to the grease-and-condensation-stained countertop bar across from the similarly dirtied tables in the main room. I order a beer for myself along with her Long Island and pay before gesturing her towards the back room where two out of the five pool tables are already taken up by other customers.

Whether it’s curiosity or anticipation—whatever the case, Aurora remains quiet until the two of us are sequestered at our own corner table in the room furthest from the entrance. She takes one deep draw of her Long Island as I move over to the empty pool table closest to us and slide in a few quarters to release the balls.

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