Page 11 of Chaplain

She whirls on me. "Home. I'm getting an Uber."

Like hell she is. Cursing under my breath, I steer her firmly toward my bike. "I'll take you home."

Eden tries to wrench her arm away, eyes flashing. "I don't need anything from you, Diesel. Let me go."

I tighten my grip, leaning in close to keep my voice low. "You really want to make a scene right now? Get the whole club watching this drama play out?"

That gives her pause. As much as Eden hates me at the moment, she's smart enough to realize that causing a commotion could affect her job.

I press my advantage. "Just let me drive you home safely. You'll regret it tomorrow if you do anything reckless tonight." I soften my tone. "Please, Eden."

She hesitates, wavering. Finally, she jerks her arm free with a glare. "Fine. But this doesn't change anything." Eden stalks toward the bike, shoulders rigid.

I let out a breath and follow. At least I can ensure Eden makes it home in one piece.

We ride in strained silence back to her apartment. Eden perches rigidly behind me, barely touching as she holds onto my waist. The cold distance between us is painful after the fiery passion we'd shared only minutes before outside the club.

I try to focus on the road, but all I can think about is the feeling of her mouth crushed to mine, her body pressed tight against me. My hands grip the handlebars as I fight the temptation to detour somewhere secluded and pick up where we left off.

But her aloofness makes it clear any further advances would be rejected now. The memory of that kiss, the way she respondedso eagerly before I pulled away, fills me with equal parts euphoria and torment.

When we reach her building, I walk her to the door, torn between savoring these final moments together and wanting desperately to escape the aching tension.

Every glance and brush of her skin against mine is loaded with unspoken heat. Being this close but unable to touch her is pure agony.

As we reach her floor, the elevator doors slide open, and a younger version of Luca Vitale walks out. His easy smile doesn't reach his cold eyes as they flick between us.

"Hey, Sis." His tone is polite, but something about it raises my hackles.

Eden mumbles a greeting and slips quickly into her apartment. As I turn to go, the kid's hand falls heavily on my shoulder.

"You must be the new boss, man." His grip tightens meaningfully. "I'll tell Uncle Luca you saw my sister home safely." His stare bores into me until I give a stiff nod of understanding. Even a kid half my age knows what happened tonight was wrong.

As I ride away, my gut twists with frustration. I let things go too far tonight. No matter how right it felt to touch her finally, I have to put a stop to this.

For both our sakes.

7

Eden

I'm holed up in my makeshift workroom at the back of the clubhouse, avoiding everyone. It's been two days since the party, two days since that reckless kiss with Diesel. Two days of evading him beyond a brief nod.

I lean back in my chair, eyes closed, trying to clear my foggy head. Part of me cringes, remembering how I threw myself at him. But mostly, I simmer with anger that he pushed me away after clearly feeling the same fire.

I force my eyes open and try to refocus on my computer screens, determined not to think about how his rough hands grasped my hips or how his soft lips slanted over mine.

I shake my head, trying to refocus on the data on my screen, not the feeling of his body pressed against mine.

A knock at the door startles me. Before I can respond, Diesel steps inside. My stupid heart flutters traitorously.

"Got a minute?" he asks gruffly, massive arms folded over his chest like a shield.

I brace myself, lifting my chin. "I'm working. Did you need something?"

Diesel clears his throat. "I wanted to check in...make sure we're okay..."

"We're fine," I snap. "Now, if you'll excuse me." I pointedly turn back to my computer. After an awkward pause, I hear him retreat and let out a breath.

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