Page 24

T he moment Cove suggested having a little weekend getaway back to his cottage, I agreed. Within ten minutes, I packed the essentials in my backpack and was out the door. He came to my parent’s house on his bike, and I hopped on mine.

The ride lasted around an hour before we stopped a little to rest.

Right now, we’re parked at the side of the highway, resting against our bikes. We’re in the middle of nowhere, halfway to the cabin. My leather jacket feels tight on my body, probably because I snatched Mom’s by accident.

My eyes flicker to Cove.

He sips on his water, looking up at the sky.

From the side, he looks mesmerizing. His sharp jawline, the vein on the side of his neck stands out as he takes a big gulp of the water. His eyes seem to shine under the bright light, the fall wind blowing his black hair back.

Cove’s the picture-perfect man. My picture-perfect man.

The longer I stare, the stronger the urge is to kiss him. To love him and to take him away from all of this madness. But I can’t. My demons won’t just disappear if I do. They’ll follow me wherever I go, and Cove doesn’t deserve to deal with that bullshit forever.

As the faintest sunshine glimmers through the thick, grey clouds, it falls directly onto his face, wrapping around him like a halo. It may be my imagination, but at this moment, I know our future can be very bright. He’s the light spot in my life, the one I’ll hold onto even if I lose everything else.

Slowly, Cove turns to look at me, and my breath gets stuck in my throat. His eyes are sleepy and dull, as they always are, but they seem to soften a fraction. For the first time, I can see the depth of his affection and the depth of the struggle he’s trying to hold in.

For someone who’s terrible with words, his expressions sure tell a lot. That’s more than enough for me. Hearing him say everything he’s thinking would be great, but knowing that he doesn’t feel forced into it while he’s with me and that he can be himself is the best gift.

I love this man.

Like a moth to the flame, I’m drawn to him. To the darkness that sometimes peeks through his eyes, to the bruising temper he has, to the roughness of his voice. Cove Steele is the man I’d do anything for. The only weakness that I have. The biggest strength that I have. Someone who loves me with all of my flaws, without trying to change me.

“You’re staring, little bunny,’’ he murmurs.

I get snapped back into reality, blinking. The wind blows in my face, causing me to close my eyes, and when I open them again, Cove’s standing right in front of me. His eyes skim around us. Since we stopped, maybe a few cars drove past us.

When he turns his attention back to me, there’s a devilish smirk on his face.

I raise a brow, amused. “Cove, no.’’

“It will be fun. Pretty please?”

He sees the resignation on my face, followed with a deep sigh. He picks me up by the sides and hoists me up on my bike. His fingers hook on the hem of my pants, pulling them down to my ankles in one swift motion.

My back hits the hand clutch, and Cove steps below my pants, pulling my legs on each of his shoulders. The smirk doesn’t leave his face, his hands idly tracing patterns all over my inner thighs. My heart is beating furiously in my chest, the fear of being caught by innocent people passing us only making me more aroused.

Slowly, he pulls my underwear to the side, tracing the outline of my pussy with his fingers. A wave of something akin to electric shock spreads through my body, and I can’t look away. I stare at him as he deliberately lowers his head, his hot breath fanning over my most sensitive parts. My wetness drips down onto the leather seat under me, and a loud growl rumbles from Cove’s chest.

He puts his mouth on me, and I moan loudly,my body arching to meet his lips. His tongue darts all over my clit, savoring and tasting every single drop that I have to offer. He grips my thighs and yanks me closer to him, the wind mixed with his hot breath causing another wave of chills to spread down my body.

“Cove,’’ I breathe out, and he chuckles against my pussy, lifting his head for a moment. A sheepish grin is on his face, his chin glistening from my wetness. It nearly causes my heart to explode. If I could, I’d take a picture of him at this moment and have it framed.

“Yes, bunny?”

“Nothing, continue.’’

He laughs, then gives my clit a long suck. I bite my lip, the organs in my stomach mashing together. The tip of his tongue probes at my entrance, teasing me and testing the waters. He groans slightly, my entire body trembling under the vibrations.

He laps up all of my juices, doubling his efforts. My eyes close for a moment, and in the darkness, I can see the stars. I feel everything. Every time he grips my thighs tighter, every time his callous fingers brush against my skin, and every single spot his tongue tastes.

He slaps my thigh roughly, and I open my eyes.

“Eyes on me, bunny,’’ he threatens. “Seeing your eyes roll back when you come on my tongue is one of the greatest things I’ll ever witness. Don’t you dare look away.’’

I can’t seem to find my words. Instead, I nod a couple of times, struggling not to close my eyes. He goes back to work, grazing my swollen clit slightly. The moans slip from me before I can stop him, and with each one, he seems to go harder.

A car drives by, and that fuels the adrenaline pumping in my veins to the max.

“You taste so fucking good, bunny,’’ he groans against me. “You’re my favorite meal.’’

“Cove,’’ I cry out. The orgasm starts building in the pit of my stomach, my heart racing against my ribcage. My breathing is shallow, and despite the wind blowing, my entire body feels hot. Something twists and turns in my stomach, and my throat goes dry.

“Yes?”

“Please,’’ I whimper.

“Please, what?”

My bottom lip trembles, teeth clattering together. I’m almost there. I don’t know when or how it happened, but I can’t come unless he gives me permission. It’s insane how much my body surrenders to him, how much power he has over me.

“Can I come?”

He muses against me, flicking his tongue against my clit. “Good girl. Come for me.’’

The intense orgasm surges through me, and a loud cry of Cove’s name slips from me. Cove doesn’t stop, though. I try to keep eye contact, but it’s impossible. My eyes roll to the back of my head, a loud scream slipping from me as another car drives by. He continues to drink up every single drop, licking and sucking with care. He growls against me, and the orgasm slowly starts to subside.

He licks me clean, then slowly lowers my legs and pulls my underwear and pants back on. I’m panting, sweating, and still seeing fucking stars. I try to regulate my breathing, and it takes me a while. He helps me sit up, holding me so I don’t fall off the bike.

He grabs the water bottle from my backpack, opens it, and puts it on my lips. I nod in gratitude and down the entire thing. With a deep sigh, I lean into his side.

“You’re fucking crazy.’’

Cove laughs.

“Stop laughing! People saw us. Oh my God, what if someone took a picture and it got on the internet?”

“It’ll be taken down before you get to see it, bunny. Don’t worry.’’

“It doesn’t matter. People will see.’’

Cove shifts a little, giving me a look. “I promise you, no one will see them. Well, except for me. If such pictures do exist, I’m putting them in my private folder.’’

“You have a folder?”

“Of your pictures? Absolutely.’’

“Am I naked in those?”

He snorts. “Don’t be absurd. I’d never take your naked pictures without your consent. But if you want to, we can have a little photo shoot. I can’t promise not to fuck you afterward, though.’’

My heart warms up a little at his reassuring words. It means the world to me that he respects me that much. Wyatt certainly didn’t. I know he has pictures of me taken somewhere, pictures I had no idea he was taking. It makes me sick just to think of what he does with them.

“Let’s go,’’ I sigh, grabbing my helmet. “We should hurry up. It’ll be dark soon.’’

“We’re turning around and going back to the city.’’

A small frown plaster on my face. “Why?”

“Don’t you find it… strange?”

“What?”

“One of the busiest highways, and in the past thirty minutes only four cars have passed this spot.’’

“I mean, no?”

Cove’s expression darkens a little. “The only reason I didn’t stop eating you out is because I was taught to finish my meals and because they posed no threat.’’

My cheeks get dusted with pink at the first part of his sentence, which I skillfully ignore, focusing on the second part. “Posed no threat? Who?”

“Two out of four cars that passed us in the past half an hour stopped.’’

Momentarily, I freeze. Then, as discreetly as possible, I take a quick glance around. On each side of the highway are deep, dark forests, and if I weren’t looking, I wouldn’t be able to spot them. A little further down the road, a black SUV is parked near the forest entrance, hiding behind the wide trees.

“Do you think they’ll attack or are they here to observe?”

“Fuck if I know,’’ he says.

“Good thing I’m always prepared.’’

I hop off the bike and open the compartment under the seat. Two guns and two knives. I have a spare clip for every gun, and the knives were carefully polished and sharpened, ready to use. I take a knife and a gun, tucking the gun behind my back and the knife inside my boot.

Cove grabs the other two and the spare clips.

“Any plans?”

Cove shrugs. “We could always just… leave.’’

I smile. “Not happening.’’

Without waiting for him to respond, I start walking toward the first car that’s parked. The second one is parked a little further behind the first one. The model is the same, with tinted glasses and no license plates. How typical and predictable.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Cove asks, his hand wrapping around my wrist. I stop walking and turn to look at him.

“What does it look like I’m doing? Best case scenario, Wyatt is amongst the morons, and we can get this over with.’’

“And worst-case scenario?’’

I smile. “We kill them and call my dad to clean it up.’’

Cove groans. “Bunny, this isn’t funny.’’

“Good thing I wasn’t joking, then,’’ I snorted.

“Please tell me you actually understand how dangerous and stupid this is. What do you actually plan to do? Knock on the window and ask about Wyatt?”

I blink. “Fuck, am I that predictable?”

His eyes narrow. “You realize there’s a high possibility you’ll be met with the end of a barrel, right?”

I scoff. “Please, Cove. I’m not an amateur. Besides, I highly doubt that they will kill me. If these are those damned gang members, they work for Wyatt. If he wanted me dead, he would’ve tried a long time ago.’’

He takes a deep breath, thinking about how to reason with me. I take the opportunity to walk off, humming a soft tune while approaching the parked car. Once I’m standing in front of the driver’s door, I clear my throat and softly knock two times on the window.

Slowly, the window lowers, and I’m met with a young man.

He’s roughly around my age, his hair cut in a buzz. He has a small scar on his left brow, and he isn’t bad looking. He’s emotionless, though, and doesn’t seem surprised that I came to confront them. Another man is sitting next to him, and two at the back.

“Hi,’’ I smile cheerfully.

“Hello?’’ The driver responds, a brow raising slightly in confusion. “May I help you?”

Quickly, I take a glance at the back, looking for Cove. He’s standing a couple of feet behind me, shaking his head. I’m not sure if it’s in disappointment or amusement; whichever it is, it gives me the push I need. I give Cove a look that he understands immediately. He makes his way to the second car, and I turn to the driver.

“Yes, actually.’’

I take a pause, skimming the men inside the car. I can see the outline of their guns in their pockets, and since none of them have reached for their weapons, I know that they don’t have the permission to hurt or kill me, which is the second-best thing that has happened today.

The first one being Cove going down on me. That was fantastic.

Quickly, I whip out my gun and press it against the driver’s temple. His eyes widen in shock and confusion, and his body tenses. I cock my head to the side, an amused smile on my face.

“Bet you didn’t see that one coming, did you?” I chuckle to myself, then press the barrel of the gun harsher against his temple. “Unless you want to see his brains spill in this expensive-looking car and all over you, hand over the guns. All of them.’’

The driver slowly nods, and one by one, they start handing me their guns. I toss them out, far out of anyone’s reach, and smile. My eyes flicker to one of them in the backseat, and I sigh in disappointment.

“You too, buddy. I see the gun behind you.’’

He curses under his breath, harshly handing me the gun. Once that one’s been disposed of, I give them a bright smile. They’re not scared, but not too brave, either. They don’t know what to expect of me, and I like that.

“Now,’’ I chuckle. “Tell me everything there is to know about Wyatt Chambers. Or Karl Brown, whichever you prefer.’’

“And if we don’t?” The driver asks. His jaw is clenched, and it makes me smile. He’s so cute when he’s helpless. He’d make an amazing prey.

In response, I remove the trigger from my gun.

Now, all the amusement and cheerfulness disappear from my face. My eyes narrow at him, challenging him to test me further. My lips thin into a line, and the grip on my gun tightens significantly.

“You’ll die. Tick-tock, choose carefully.’’