Page 16 of I Don't Need Your Romance

“What’s wrong?” he asks when I don’t move.

“What if I die?” I croak.

“As long as you hold on to me tightly, there’s no reason for you to die.”

“There are lots of stuff I haven’t experienced yet. What if making this decision right now snatches away any hope of my dreams coming true?”

“Are you always this way?”

“No…”

“I promise you’ll be able to experience all you hope to experience once we get back, all safe and sound. But what I can’t promise is that you’ll be able to buy any of your books.”

“What? Oh! Right.”

The uniform skirt is kind of on the short side. It’s a bit of a struggle figuring out how to climb on gracefully without revealing parts of myself I’d rathernotbe revealed. Thankfully, Damian turns his head away so he won’t accidentally see something he shouldn’t.

“I’m on,” I announce.

“Great.” He climbs on and turns his head toward me. “Hold on to me tightly. Don’t loosen your hold even a centimeter the entire ride. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.”

I’ve never touched a guy before, other than family members. How weird would it be to touch parts of his body that only close people in his life are supposed to touch? But I don’t want to waste any more time, so I force my arms to wrap around him.

“Wow,” I gasp when I feel how hard his muscles are. And he smells so darn good. His body is warm despite the cold January weather.

“Don’t let go, Sophie.”

After I give him the address to the bookstore, he kicks into gear and we zoom off.

Chapter Eight

Sophie

My eyes immediately snap shut due to the sudden cold air and speed, but after a second or two, they slowly open. Whoa! What an amazing feeling this is! It’s like I’m on a ride at an amusement park, but also not. The way the wind blows through my hair and all this adrenaline pumping through me…it’s exhilarating. And I was scared? Ha.

Damian zips through the streets like a pro. Despite how fast he’s going, I feel safe with him. I’m sure my parents would faint if they saw me, though. Well, they wouldn’t have to worry because this is only a one-time thing. I doubt I’ll ride on this thing ever again once he drops me back at school.

We make it to the store in half the time it would take me with my car. I bet my hair looks like it went through a hurricane. I try to pat it down in place, but honestly, why do I care if I look like a witch?

Damian waits for me to get off the bike first before dismounting it. Then he pulls his helmet off and places it on the seat behind him. His hair is on the short side, but it got messier after the helmet. He still looks super hot, though.

“Thanks,” I say.

He nods.

“I’ll probably stay here until they kick me out, so I guess you can drive around or something.”

He doesn’t say anything. Right, I’m sure he has things to do without my giving him suggestions.

“See you later.” I head toward the store—okay, I more likeruninto the store—and breathe in the wonderful smell of books. The bookstore is pretty big and they carry nearly every bookthat’s available. I turn around to head to the new releases and smack right into a hard chest.

“Sorry! I didn’t see where I was going—” My mouth snaps shut when I recognize the leather jacket and school-issued white shirt, minus the tie, with the top two buttons undone. “What are you doing here?”

“Figured I’d check out the place.” Damian’s eyes survey the area. “You can get lost in here.”

“Not when you know the place as well as you know your own house.” I make my way to the new releases and squeal when I see the romantasy book. “Yay! It’s not sold out.” I grab it and hug it to my chest. “You and I are going to get to know each other very well the next few days, my precious.” I bounce happily in my place. “Let’s see if your friend is here.” I scan the books for the mystery book I’m dying to read, but I don’t see it here. “Oh no. Please don’t tell me they’re sold out.”