Page 63 of Broken Breath (Rogue Riders Duet #1)

I step closer to her. “I wondered how you’d be now, what you’d be like, and honestly, Alaina, I could have never imagined.”

“You thought I’d left this behind,” she says tonelessly. “That I was just somewhere living a normal life. Whole. Not broken into pieces.”

I shake my head. “That’s not it. You’re so damn beautiful and one of a kind. In every field of daisies and clover with all those wildflowers you used to name for me, half of which I’ve already forgotten, you’re a blue cornflower. Impossible to ignore.” I take a shaky breath. “You’re special.”

There’s no stopping this now that I’ve started, so I barrel on .

“The fact that you’re ten years younger and Dane’s little sister terrifies me, but that’s not what keeps me up at night, waking up in a cold sweat. It’s not what makes me feel like I need to put a wall between us.”

I take a shuddering breath, then say what I need to.

“You’re not okay, baby girl, and whatever I could give you…

I’m afraid it wouldn’t be enough.” I scoff, kicking my foot on the floor of the gondola.

“ No . I know it wouldn’t be because I’m not worth shit.

I don’t have anything after this, and no clue what I’m going to do with myself.

No money, no backup plan. Biking is all I’ve ever had, and even that’s slipping through my fingers. ”

Her lips part as she looks me dead on, but I can’t seem to stop.

“You know I went straight into racing after high school and never went to college. I never learned anything else, and I’m not born for greatness like you. I was born to just be good enough for now , and then I’ll be forgotten.” I look her dead in the eyes. “I’m not good enough for you, Alaina.”

“That’s not true,” she protests, stubborn as always.

I shake my head, huffing a bitter laugh. “I know you never saw the truth. You’ve always looked at me like I’m some kind of hero, but like you said, you’re an adult now, and you need to take the damn rose-colored glasses off. All I ever can be is mediocre.”

She frowns, looking angry.

I’m angry at myself too.

What the fuck am I even doing here?

The gondola clunks over a support beam, and my legs give out with the motion, so I sink onto the narrow bench, my head falling into my hands.

“I fucked up again,” I admit roughly. “Just forget it. My mess isn’t yours. You should be thinking about your run, not me. ”

Her small, determined hands pry my fingers apart, and before I can form another thought, Alaina climbs into my lap, settling her weight against me like she belongs nowhere else.

“You were never mediocre, Finn Greer,” she whispers fiercely, eyes blazing through the damp strands of her hair. “Not a single day of your life. And you never will be.”

Her arms wrap around my neck, drawing me into her, chest pressed tight against chest. We’re both soaked from the rain, but all I can register is the searing warmth radiating from her body, thawing every frozen part of me.

Just a few soft words and a hug I didn’t know I was desperate for is all it takes. The armor cracks wide open, and the walls I’ve carefully built collapse into rubble. I’m left raw, vulnerable, and utterly hers.

She makes a gentle shushing sound, fingers moving slowly, soothingly at the back of my neck. Each soft stroke dismantles me further, and I let it happen.

I lean back slightly, needing to see her face. She wears her emotions openly, fiercely, even when she fights to hide them. She feels so deeply, and every bit of it is written across her expressive face.

My chest tightens painfully. I grip her wrist gently and guide it over my heart, willing her to understand. To see clearly that every beat echoes her name, and that each breath I’ve taken since she stormed back into my life has been filled with a hunger I shouldn’t feel but can’t ignore.

My hand trembles slightly as I tuck the wet strands of her hair away from her face, the soft curls clinging stubbornly to her temple. She hiccups softly, her vulnerability and strength entwined so perfectly I can’t help but smile, really smile, for the first time in weeks.

My baby girl.

“You’ve always had the most beautiful eyes,” I breathe out, my thumb grazing her cheekbone. It’s reckless, dangerous, but I’m too far gone to stop.

I’m already fucked, and right now, the risk feels worth every painful consequence barreling toward me.

Our lips are hovering just a breath apart when she murmurs softly, “Luc.”

My heart drops violently, eyes locking onto hers with confusion and a bitter twist in my gut. “My name’s Finn, Al.”

She gives a shaky, embarrassed laugh. “I know. But… I kissed Luc.”

“Yeah,” I rasp, jealousy roaring up inside me again. “I saw. Thanks for reminding me.”

She shifts, her cheeks flushed. “I just… I like him.”

The sting is sharp and self-inflicted because I’m the one who pushed her away and handed her to him.

I lean in again, close enough to share each shaky breath. My voice is ragged with want. “Tell me whether you’re still thinking about him when I’m done kissing you.”

I hesitate there, barely holding back, waiting for her rejection, her retreat. Waiting for her to end this madness, but instead, she closes the distance, claiming my lips like she’s been starved for this as much as I have.

She steals my breath, my senses, and whatever shaky bit of control I had left.

And I’m gone.

Every line I’ve ever drawn or promise I made myself dissolves completely as her mouth crashes against mine. It’s not gentle or cautious, but desperate. It tastes like a last chance and a first breath all wrapped in one.

She sinks into me, her fingers threading urgently into my hair, pulling just enough to rip a harsh breath from my lungs.

My kiss deepens, becoming thorough and possessive as a groan rumbles from my chest. Raindrops and adrenaline mingle on our tongues.

Defiance. Fire. And beneath it all, a sweetness that’s uniquely hers.

My hands grip her hips, anchoring her against me, and she moves with me like we’ve done this a thousand times. Our bodies already know the script our minds have been too scared to read.

I groan into her mouth, and she answers with a soft whimper. God, that sound makes me want to ruin her for every other kiss for the rest of her life.

I tilt my head, deepen the kiss, and she gasps when I bite her bottom lip. I chase the sound, swallowing it down like it belongs to me.

She grinds against me again, her ragged exhale spilling across my lips. Fuck. This woman.

My gaze flicks up to the roof. I’ve ridden this line enough times to know that Les Gets doesn’t have cameras in their cabins, but still, I check.

I won’t be the reason her disguise slips.

Only when I’m sure we’re good, I drag her over the bulge in my pants, locking one arm around her waist like I’m anchoring both of us.

“Fuck, Alaina…” I murmur against her throat, “… tell me to stop.”

But she doesn’t. She just holds me tighter and kisses me again.

The gondola continues to float through nothing but fog and rain. The world is gray. Weightless. Silent, except for the sound of our breathing, the soft creak of the cabin, and the way she keeps moving on my lap.

Her lips break from mine to skim along the edge of my jaw, her breath against my neck. I feel every exhale like electricity running down my spine.

“What do you need, baby girl?”

“You,” she whimpers. “I always needed you. ”

Fuck.

I grip her hips and roll mine up to meet her, guiding her down against me.

I need her to feel how hard I am for her.

To feel how much I need her too. She gasps, and it nearly undoes me, but it’s not enough, not with the layers between us.

The padded bike shorts and the damn gear softens the friction, dulling what we’re both chasing.

I kiss her again, urgently now, my hands roaming. One slips under her jersey, the other tugging at the waistband of her pants. She doesn’t stop me. If anything, she leans into it, her lips parting as my fingers slide lower. I pause when I brush against a soft ball of material hidden inside.

Is that a bundle of socks?

A laugh nearly escapes, muffled by her lips, but I push the distraction aside, sliding them down toward her thigh and into her pant leg, clearing the way, and when I find her pussy, hot and already wet for me, I nearly forget how to breathe.

Holy shit.

Her whole body shudders as I glide my finger over her slit. I kiss her harder, sucking her bottom lip into my mouth as I stroke her slowly. Wanting to see her, I lean back, watching the way her eyes flutter shut as I find her clit, the way her head tilts back, offering me her throat.

That damn hickey.

It flashes like a warning sign, but I don’t care. I press my lips firmly against the other side of her neck, just beneath her jaw, determined to leave my mark and make it clear that, right now, she’s mine.

Her hips roll, searching for relief, and I guide her through it with the pad of my thumb, circling her clit before I slide one finger lower, gently testing.

She whimpers, leaning forward, and her breath stutters against my neck, catching each time I find that perfect spot.

She’s so warm, so wet already, and when I finally push my finger inside her, a breath leaves my lungs like I’ve been punched in the gut.

She’s tight. God, she’s tight.

I go slow, giving her time to get used to me, but my cock throbs with every twitch of her hips. I’m so hard it actually hurts. My thoughts narrow to how good she feels around just one finger, how mind-shattering it would be to be buried inside her.

The smallest voice whispers a reminder that I don’t deserve this, that only moments ago, I told her nobody should be touching her, but rationality fades rapidly beneath the desperate rock of her hips, the silent plea in every movement, every breath she takes against my skin.

I’m beyond reason, lost to her completely, starving for more of this.

Starving for her.