Page 73 of From the Wreckage
CHAPTER 50
Everett
The engine roarsbeneath us as I ease onto the highway, the wind whipping past us in a steady rush. Usually, riding clears my head. Today, it’s torture, especially with Bri pressed against me like a second skin.
Her arms cling tightly around my torso, her helmet-covered head resting between my shoulder blades. Every bump in the road drags her body harder against mine, and I swear I can feel the rhythm of her heartbeat thundering in time with the bike’s engine.
Then her hands begin to move, sliding over my stomach, fingers tracing the ridges of my abs through my shirt. My grip on the handlebars tightens. The lines on the highway blur, my focus split between keeping the bike steady and the fire racing beneath my skin.
“Angel…” My voice rumbles low, lost to the wind. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”
But she doesn’t stop. She knows exactly how close I am to unraveling, and she’s pushing me there on purpose.
Her palms flatten against my chest, rubbing slow circles, making it impossible to think about anything except how badlyI want to pull over, rip off her helmet, and kiss her until she forgets her own name.
But I don’t. I can’t. Her father’s trust is a weight pressing down on me harder than the throttle under my palm.
Still, when she hugs me tighter, molding every curve of her body to mine, I know I’ve already lost.
I grit my teeth, fighting to keep my focus on the road. If she keeps this up, I’ll drive us straight into a ditch.
Every nerve in my body is strung tight, my mind torn in two—half of me screaming that this is wrong, that her father trusts me, that I should push her hands away. The other half starves for her, needing her touch like oxygen.
I lean harder into the throttle, as if speed alone can drown out the way she’s unraveling me.
But even at sixty miles an hour, I feel her everywhere.
And I know that when I finally kill the engine and the world goes quiet again, she’ll still be all I hear.
When we returnto my cabin at Silverpine Lake, Bri climbs off the bike and unbuckles her helmet. I pull it off. The conclusion I reached on the bike is to enjoy every moment with her while I have her, knowing that it’ll end when she returns to college. And that... well, it breaks me all over again.
“Wanna go on a boat ride?”
Her smile is brighter than the sun in the sky. “Absolutely. I just need to put some shorts on.”
“I’ll hook up the boat and drive you to your cabin to change.”
She practically vibrates with excitement as I back the truck to the trailer and boat and hook it up.
“I’m gonna change into shorts and we can go.” She nods, and I run inside, shedding my clothing as I go. I throw on a pair of shorts and a tee, then slide my feet into an old pair of running shoes before heading out the door.
Bri climbs into the passenger side while I slide into the driver’s seat, firing up the engine. We take off, the sun glinting off the windshield, the blue sky cloudless.
When we get to her cabin, she gives me a flirty smile. “I’ll be right back… Unless you want to come inside again.”
I snort. “As much as I’d like to, I don’t need a repeat of last time.”
“Dad’s working late.”
“I don’t want to tempt fate.”
She laughs and pushes the door open. “Suit yourself.”
I tap my fingers to the music on my stereo, smirking when “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” by the Police comes on. Relatable.
Bri comes out, wearing a red, string bikini top and a pair of short, cut-off jean shorts that show every curve of her tanned skin. My mouth and throat go dry. I swallow hard, watching as she hides her twinkling hazel eyes behind a pair of sunglasses.
The lake is glass,the late afternoon sun bleeding gold across the water. The hum of the motor fades as I ease back the throttle, letting the boat drift. Out here, it feels like the whole damn world has gone quiet.
