Page 51 of Bride for the Bikers

Oh, for Christ's sake. “That's not what I meant, and you know it. Why are you so determined to push me away?”

“Push you away? If we were any closer you’d be in my fucking esophagus. Are we seriously doing this here?” He slams his palm against the grate, and part of it gives, just a little.

“I thought… I thought we were good, but we obviously aren’t. The guys keep telling me to give you time, but I'm sick of it.” If there’s ever been a moment to give him time, this wouldprobably be it, but I’m too scared and too close to Outlaw to keep my feelings in.

“I don’t need time, I need—”

“What? Me to leave? Well, if we don’t die in here, it looks like you might be getting your wish. Because no matter how I feel or what happens with Mom, I’m not going to stay where I’m not wanted.”

“Fuuuuck.” He draws it out in a long, obscene complaint. “The boys are fucking nuts for you, okay? And you're having the time of your life, aren’t you? Why does it even matter what I think?”

“What do you mean?”

He sighs, and his forehead rests against mine. “I know this feels exciting now, but eventually you’ll realize you want normal, and we aren’t it. I’m just smart enough to skip the pain.”

There's so much anguish hidden under his words. I’ve been beating myself up thinking I’m the problem. That he hates me and our time in the desert was nothing but a joke to him. I don’t know who hurt him, but they did a really good job of making a strong, brave man doubt himself. He doesn’t see himself like his friends do. Like I could if he let me.

He knocks the grate loose with a bang, then starts wiggling forwards. “C'mon.”

“Wait.” I press my hand up, grabbing his shirt and wiggling until we’re back in line. “Don’t you think it’s worth it to try? I thought you liked a bit of pain.” Then I kiss him.

29

HARPER

At first,I think he's going to push me away, as much as it's possible the way we're squeezed together, but then his hand slips behind the back of my head and presses my lips against his, and I forget all about the cramped quarters, the dust, the—maybe—bugs and everything else. His darkness swallows me up, like he's pulling me in and clinging with everything he's got. Outlaw’s kiss is rough, eager, demanding, and as his studded tongue slides against mine, he presses himself against me. His beard tickles my face, and he's hard. So deliciously hard.

“We better freaking come out of this alive,” I gasp when we finally push apart to breathe.

He must hear the rough promise in my voice, because his reply is just as raspy and eager. “We will. I fucking guarantee it.” Then he reaches up and pulls himself out of the duct.

A moment later, he extends his hand to help pull me out.

I was wrong, it wasn’t a real room on the other side, more of a hub of ducts, with a massive ventilation system on one side. The rumble I heard comes from that as it pumps cool air past us,enough that I get chills. There's an access door as well, but when Outlaw tries it, it's locked, and way more solid than the grates.

“Fuck.” He looks around the little room. “We're gonna be fucking corpses before we break out there.”

“Then what? More crawling?”

He points up. “These look like they go to the next floor. That's where your mama is, right? Might as well give that a go, unless we're giving up and just trying to get the hell out again. If we bang on the door, whoever shows up might not shoot.”

“What? No! We can't. I need to get Mom out of here. But what about the others?”

“If they've run into something they can't handle, then we're not gonna be able to solve it for them. Better we try for the objective and rejoin them when we can. Come.”

Not like it's far for me to move, but I shuffle to crouch in front of him, and he puts his hands on my waist, preparing to give me a boost.

“Wait.” I put a quick kiss on his lips. “For luck.”

“Fuck,” he hisses. “On three. One, two, three!”

And then we’re clambering through more ducts. My arms are going to be covered in bruises and I'm going to look like a chimney sweep by the time we get out of here. And we are going to get out of here. I'm not going to give up now, not when I’m so close to both my mother and breaking through Outlaw’s walls.

This time we move faster. Practice makes, if not perfect, at least more proficient. The channel rumbles behind me as Outlawfollows, and we make our way up the sloped duct towards the next floor.

“Are you watching my butt?” I tease back at him.

“Stay quiet or I’ll fucking spank it. Don't give us away.”

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