Page 53 of Cinder
He steps closer and I’m caught in his heat.
Stay.
I’ve never been so tempted by something in my life.
My gaze trails up his broad chest to his face.
In another world, I could love this man.
But in this one, he is not an option.
“I’d better go. I have things to do,” I say.
“You sure you don’t want that ride?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I’ll see you Friday, okay?”
“You will.”
I feel his eyes on me as I leave the room.
Just like I can still feel the warmth of his touch on my hands long after I’ve left the clubhouse and ridden the bus back to the motel.
And when Luca calls, and I have to endure the ten-minute phone call with him, I close my eyes and imagine Lars breaking every single one of his bones.
Slowly.
Every snap painful.
Every stab of pain an excruciating payment for the hell he’s inflicted on me.
When I hang up from him, I take a long hot shower and stand under the steady stream of hot water as if it can wash away the stench of Luca’s influence over my life. I close my eyes, feel my muscles soften, and finally relax.
After my shower, I climb into bed and have to force myself not to think about Lars.
I can’t get distracted by a hot, inked biker.
Because he’s not for me.
But as I turn off the light and sink my head into my pillow, I can’t help but wish that he was.
CHAPTER 24
Lars
“So, who is she?”I ask Bram.
We’re in the security room of the clubhouse, and Bram has completed the background check on Ella using the identification she gave Mrs. V. this morning as part of the hiring process. All staff are fully vetted. History. Socials. Family ties.Everything.
It’s late, and I should get some shuteye before we ride out early in the morning.
But I want to know what Bram has found during his background check.
“Meet Ella Antonio.” He pulls up her DMV file on one of the many monitors in front of us. Then a couple of old photos he’s pulled from different socials she was tagged in.
I study the photos on the monitor. One is of her and a group of college-aged kids. All smiling for the camera. Friends out drinking. The other is her with another woman. A selfie taken during a night out.
“How come we didn’t get this when we ran facial recognition a couple of days ago?” I ask.
