Page 38 of Shielding Lexi (Temptation)

She coughs for a moment longer as she looks up at me, the bright color of her eyes like the ocean on a clear day. “Did you just save my life?” she asks, her voice hoarse from coughing.

“You’re okay. Nothing else matters,” I say, helping her up from the ground. As she stands, I notice the tiny white flower from Julie’s pin stuck in her hair.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, I’m sure noting the blank look on my face. “Are you okay?”

I stay still for a moment, wrapping my head around all that just happened. There’s no reason we should’ve gotten out of that. None of us.

I lift Lexi from the ground, cradling her in my arms. “I’m good. Just thought I saw something.”

She smiles and relaxes her head against my chest. The warm feel of her breath is like heaven as I walk back through the maze of shipping containers toward the motorcycles, setting her down on the seat of the bike when we get there.

“What do we do now?” she asks, wrapping my coat tighter around her shoulders. “Should I go to the hospital?”

Hawk shakes his head. “We’ll have to check you over on the boat, Lex. We don’t know who’s involved with the Daggers and Brick at the police station. Going to the hospital will raise too many questions, they’ll get the police involved, and Reap could be in deep shit.”

“We can lie low out on the island for a few days, then get you back to San Francisco,” I say, a strange tightening in my chest.

She narrows her eyes. “What if I don’t want to go back to San Francisco? I love you guys. I mean, maybe it’s just the rescue thing talking, but I’m not ready for whatever this is to end.”

“This?” I ask, looking toward Hawk and Kane before glancing back at Lexi. They’ve obviously all had something going on together.

She stands from the bike and walks toward me, her gaze fixed on mine as my jacket falls off her fragile shoulders toward the ground. “This.” She tips up on her toes and wraps her arms around my neck, kissing me gently on the lips, the sweet scent of lavender shampoo still slightly evident amidst the salt of the sea.

It’s natural, the way she fits in my arms, the way her lips feel against mine, the way her hips angle into me in just the right places.

I hesitate for a moment, fighting with myself. She’s young, she’s been through so much, she doesn’t need another relationship right now and I don’t need all the complications this’ll bring between Hawk and Kane. But my body responds, and my arms wrap around her waist, pulling her in closer until we’re pressed together and all I’m thinking about are her lips and the happiness I feel having her in my arms.

Too soon, her toes begin to lower back to the ground and the serenity I felt begins to wane.

Did that just happen? Do I want it again?

I look toward Hawk and Kane who have Cheshire grins on their face so damn wide, they’re begging to have them smacked off.

“What?” I bark, clearing my throat.

Lexi looks up at me, that sweet little smile so fucking dangerous I think it’s ruined us all.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” I growl. “We’ve got a big fucking clean up to deal with and shit to do. We left a bloody body out in public, and we need to make it disappear.”

20

Lexi

I’m shivering with cold and shock, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins gives me strength. So does the tingling warmth of Reaper’s firm back against my chest as I hold him tight. The reverberation of the motorcycle engine between my legs brings my body back to life.

“You okay, Lex?” he shouts so I can hear him over the sound of the bike rumbling as we pull away from the shipping container.

“I’m good,” I say, completely lying. I don’t mean to be deceitful, but I don’t want them to worry any more than they already are. Besides that, it’s mostly a sore throat, and sore muscles, which I’m sure are part of the game at this point.

“Where are we going?” I ask, trying to clear my voice as wind whips against my face. The warm breeze feels pretty nice, especially with Reaper’s warm coat wrapped around me.

“Away from here,” he says, pulling up to a red light.

Reaper looks over to Kane and Hawk who’ve pulled up beside us, “You two go home and pack up as many supplies as you can. Clothes for all of us, food, and whatever you can think of. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone this time. I’ll meet you at the dock.”

I lean against Reaper’s shoulder, the tang of fear sits underneath the fresh, clean smell of soap lingering on his skin. I’m so sorry I caused him pain and I’m so relieved to get the hell out of there.

Reaper revs the throttle; the sound reverberates in my chest. With my arms wrapped around his waist, I feel safe and warm. The light turns green and our group peels away in two different directions. My heart immediately misses Hawk and Kane as I see them turn away.

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