Page 3 of Drift
“Fine.”
“You’ve barely said anything all day.”
“Don’t have anything worth saying.”
That earned a small smile. “You always like this?”
“Only when I’m awake.”
She laughed then, low and real. The sound slid under my skin, hot and dangerous. She was so damn alive. So unaware of how easily she could unravel me just by existing in the same room.
“You hungry?” she asked after a pause. “I could order something. Pizza? Chinese?”
“Don’t worry about it. You’ve had a long day.”
“So have you. And I really think I owe you dinner.”
“Don’t owe me a thing.”
Disappointment flickered in her eyes, gone just as quickly as it had come. But I saw, and it hit like a punch to my gut. I hated that I’d wiped away her enchanting smile. I forced myself to step back and grabbed my lighter from my pocket even though I didn’t smoke anymore. My thumb rolled over the worn metal out of habit.
“Need anything before I head out?” My voice came out too low and tight.
She shook her head, then hesitated. “Just…thanks, Drift. Really.”
I almost told her to call me Chance, my real name. Even though I knew how stupid it would be.
The internal struggle disappeared when she crossed the space between us and wrapped her arms around me.
Every muscle in my body locked up. She pressed herself against me, warm and soft. My hands hovered, then landed lightly on her back because not touching her would’ve been worse. Her heartbeat fluttered against my chest. I breathed her in like oxygen I didn’t deserve.
Two seconds. Not long enough to be a mistake, but long enough to ruin me. That’s all it took to burn her into my skin.
She pulled back, smiling up at me. “You’re kind of impossible, you know that?”
I managed a nod. My throat felt raw. “Yeah, I’ve heard.”
She walked me to the door, bare feet padding against the floor. I stepped out into the warm evening, the air thick with the scent of the sea. When I looked back, she was still standing there—arms folded loosely and lips curved like she wanted to say something but didn’t.
If I’d been weaker, I’d have gone back up. Instead, I started my bike, and the deep growl broke the hushed evening. The vibration steadied me the same way it always did. By the time I pulled out onto the main road, the sun was gone and the sky burned orange behind the trees. My fists tightened on the handlebars, but my hands were steady again. My head wasn’t.
Jax’s baby sister, I reminded myself.Off-fucking-limits.
I’d already crossed enough lines just by wanting her.
2
DRIFT
The clubhouse wasn’t far. Just a couple of miles from town and down a stretch with a row of low palms bowing in the breeze. By the time I rolled through the gates, night had settled in, but the air was still humid and thick.
The lot was lined with bikes, chrome glinting under the security lights. I parked in my usual spot beside Edge’s custom Harley. The sound of my engine cut off, leaving the kind of silence that still buzzed in your bones.
Inside, the air was cooler, permeated with the smell of leather, beer, and something cooking in the kitchen. A few brothers were scattered around the main room—Cage playing pool, Tyre poring over books at the bar, and Gauge laughing at whatever bullshit Rev was saying.
Our president, Kane, was near the entrance to a hallway that led to our offices. His arm was draped around his old lady, Savannah, as he stood talking to Edge—who happened to be his brother by blood, not just oath.
I nodded toward them and kept moving, ignoring the penetrating stares I could feel Kane and Edge aiming at my back.The steady and familiar noise was in the background, but it didn’t touch what was running through my head.
