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I shouldn’t look.

I know I shouldn’t look.

Looking shows interest. I’m not interested. Even if Aaron and I aren’t a thing anymore, I’m still not interested… except, I am.

I am interested, and now the man is staring at me.

I step further into the night, pulse hammering as a light rain splashes into puddles lit with the neon glow of the diner. The reflections distort reality, stretching the width and length of everything they reflect. Maybe that’s what I’m doing—distorting reality.

The biker shifts his stance and watches me closely as though he’s waiting to see what I’ll do next.

I wish I knew what I was doing next. I’m not thinking this through. It’s like something deep inside of me has taken over and my body has gone on autopilot.

“Nicole!” Aaron grabs my arm firmly and yanks me back. It’s not the first time he’s grabbed me, but it’s the first time he’s done it in public. “Where are you going?” His tone is firm and controlled, though I sense the frustration in the way his fingers wrap tight around my wrist. “Get in the car. We’re going home.”

I try to pull back, but his fingers dig in, sending a wave of heat and anger through my chest. Before I can respond, I notice the biker from the corner of my eye. He looks menacing when I see the tattoos streaking up and down both of his thick arms.

He strides forward, cutting through the damp evening air, boots scuffing against wet pavement. There’s something calming about the way he moves. There’s no panic in it, like he’s in complete control.

His expression, though… his expression is anything but calm. “Let her go,” he barks deep and raspy.

Aaron stiffens, barely glancing toward him before directing his gaze at me. “Nicole, in the car! Now!”

“I said, let her go.” This time, the man steps in closer. Not threateningly, justthere. The scent of oil, leather, and something unmistakably him cuts through the air, sending my pulse into overdrive.

Aaron’s fingers weaken, and in that split second, the man reaches out. Not yanking, not forcing, just…freeing.

What the hell just happened?

My heart rattles against my chest as I stare up at the giant biker, unsure of what to do or say.

Do I thank him for the help, or do I make a scene about how rude it is that he interjected himself into something that wasn’t his to fix?

“Can I help you?” Aaron stares up at the man, frustration shaking his usually stable voice.

“No.” I see now the biker has his name on his jacket. How did I miss that earlier, and why is his name Ghost? What kind of name is that?

“Then I think we’re going to head out.” Aaron grips my arm again, dragging me toward the car as rain continues its effort to soak my hair.

For a second, I allow him to drag me. I allow him to dictate how this will go. I’m not sure why. Then all at once,I snap.

“I’m not going back to the house!” I pull my arm away from him, realizing Ghost has followed.

“Let’s do this at home.” Aaron leans in toward me, pushing his glasses back up onto his face. “You need a warm shower and some relaxation. You’ll feel better.”

“No!” The word spits from my lips as though I’ve been holding it back for years and my body is involuntarily reacting. “I don’t want to go back to the house to get warm. I don’t want to relax! I want to live.”

“Is this living?” He narrows his brows and stares toward the giant biker.

I don’t answer. I don’t answer because I don’t know. I don’t have any intention of going after the biker, I just… I need some space to figure out who I am. Besides, I don’t know if the man behind me is out to kill me, imprison me, befriend me, or fuck me. Maybe that’s the point. Maybe that’s the fun of it all. That said, there are no words that I could ever conjure that would make Aaron understand any of what I’m feeling.

“It’s over,” I finally say, heart slamming against my chest.

What am I doing? I have nowhere to go, nowhere to sleep. Every dollar I have goes into the shop.

“What?” Aaron steps forward, his hand on my shoulder. “Get in the car.”

“She said it’s over,” Ghost’s voice echoes in from behind, dark and rumbling.