Page 11 of Sins of a Rebel

We both know there’s not shit to do around here on a Sunday night.

I’ve been itching to get my hands on Kyla again since our date. I’ve tried to keep my distance from her. As much as I’ve battled with myself about being with her, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about getting her alone again.

“I’ve got some shit to do for my mom here in a little bit,” I lie.

We both know how sensitive the topic of my mother is, and Madden usually treads lightly when talking about her. He doesn’t normally ask too many questions.

He shakes his head, and warning bells immediately go off in my mind.

“What’s that look for?”

“Your mom, man. She doesn’t deserve you helping her with shit.”

I shrug because he’s right.

I’m all she has, though. Try as I might, I can’t do to her like she’s done to me.

I guess there’s some part inside me that hopes one day she’ll love me like a mother is supposed to.

“You’re right. It’s just, I know it’s what Gram would want me to do if she were still here.”

“One of these days, you need to start living for yourself,” Madden retorts.

If only he knew how deeply those words resonated.

“You’re a good man, Tysin.” He claps me on the shoulder. “I’ll be around if you change your mind after you go over there. Lord knows you may need that beer.”

I chuckle and nod. I didn’t want to say anything more. I’m not a good liar, and I have a one-track mind. All I can think about is where I could meet Kyla away from any curious eyes.

It’s not easy to do in this small town.

An hour later, I’m leaning against the side of my ’71 Cutlass Supreme with my arms crossed over my chest when I spot Kyla turn the corner on her light-blue bicycle. Her curly hair whips in the wind behind her with a matching bandana tied around her head, holding the strands away from her face.

It’s hard to pretend I don’t want to devour her.

It feels like forever since I’ve had her alone. I’ve seen her a few times down at Whiskey Barrel when she was visiting Ivy, coming out to watch us play. We’ve exchanged a few texts here and there, but I didn’t know where to go from here.

It’s uncharted territory for me. Not to mention, it’s hard as hell hiding how badly I want her with her brother only a few feet away.

I couldn’t try to avoid her, but even more than that, I didn’t want to anymore.

She pulls up next to me and hits the brakes, straddling her bike. She slides her cat-eye sunglasses down her nose and wags her brows at me.

“Hi.” She smiles, stepping off her bike and flipping down the kickstand.

She slips her sunglasses off, hanging them from the collar of her tank. She’s dressed in black denim shorts and a white top, showing off her tattoos.

She scans our surroundings, almost as if she’s expecting her brother to pop out of nowhere.

“It’s just me.”

She nods. “I mean, I figured you wouldn’t text me to meet you if he was.”

I shake my head, and she smiles. Now that the coast is clear, she steps around her bike and wraps her arms around my waist.

When she pulls back, I drop my hand and lace my fingers with hers. She stares at our joined hands before peering up at me with a relaxed smile.

Sooner or later, I’d have to put a stop to this for good. For now, I wanted to ignore the demons in the back of my mind shouting at me to leave her alone.

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