Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
When the bathroom door opened, steam drifted out in slow waves before Alanna stepped into the light. She’d braided her hair to one side, a few loose strands framing her face, and swapped my shirt for a new one, adding tight jeans that clung in all the right places.
Her gaze caught mine instantly. She must’ve seen the distance in my eyes because her expression shifted, the playfulness she’d worn when she walked in fading into something heavier.
“You’re leaving.” It wasn’t a question.
I shook my head once. “We’re leaving. You’re going to the clubhouse.”
Her jaw tightened. “That’s not what I meant.”
I sighed, rolling my shoulders like I could shake off the tension that had been building since sunrise. “Pack up, baby. I’ll explain in the truck.”
Her brows pulled together, but she didn’t argue. Not yet. She disappeared into the bedroom, moving with quick, efficient motions, tossing her things into a duffel. I checked the security feeds one more time, all clear. No movement, no heat signatures, and no tail on the perimeter. By the time I slung her bag over my shoulder, the truck engine was already rumbling in the driveway.
The drive back was silent except for the grind of gravel under the tires and the occasional hiss of wind through the cracked window. Alanna’s hand was folded into mine and resting on my thigh. Her slow, even breaths told me that she was deep in thought.
She didn’t ask again, just stared out at the blur of coastline flashing by, her profile cut sharp against the morning light.
When the clubhouse came into view, the weight in my chest eased a fraction. The high fence gleamed in the sun, steel and stone wrapping the property like a fortress. Rev was on duty at the front gate and nodded when he saw me. I parked near the side entrance, and Alanna followed me out, still quiet but simmering with questions.
We entered the clubhouse, and I led Alanna upstairs to my room. After opening the door, I gestured for her to go in first. Then I followed her in and set our bags on the floor by the bed.
She crossed her arms and turned to face me, frustration breaking through the calm she’d been holding on to since the beach. “You’ve barely told me anything. You said you’d explain in the car, but you haven’t said a word since we left.”
I turned toward her, taking in the tension in her jaw and the set of her shoulders. She wasn’t scared. She was angry—and that was better. Anger meant she was still fighting.
“I told you what you needed to know. The rest doesn’t matter.”
Her eyes flashed. “Doesn’t matter to you, maybe.”
That earned the smallest lift at the corner of my mouth. “You don’t get it, beautiful. If I’m thinking about you, I’m distracted. If I’m distracted, I make mistakes. And if I make mistakes—”
She cut me off, her voice softer now. “You could get hurt.”
I stepped closer, the distance between us shrinking until her breath hitched. “Exactly. I won’t be able to handle this shit if I’m worried about you.”
Alanna’s chin tipped up, and she met my gaze without hesitation. “Then what do you want me to do?”
“Stay here. Stay safe. That’s it.”
She stared at me, searching my face for something I wasn’t sure I could name. Then her voice dropped to a whisper. “You’re asking me to trust you.”
“I’m not asking.”
Her pulse fluttered at her throat, but her answer came without a second of doubt. “I do.”
I drew in a slow breath, every muscle coiled tight, the words hitting harder than I expected.
She’d given me her trust. Just like that.
I leaned in, stopping an inch from her mouth, close enough that my breath stirred her hair. One hand slid to the small of her back, the other under her chin, forcing her to hold my gaze. Her pulse jumped beneath my thumb, and her throat worked once, a small sound caught there.
“I’ve wanted you since the first time you looked at me like I was the only safe thing left. You know that?”
The truth came out before I could stop it, low and guttural.
Her lips parted on a soft inhale, and that tiny break of control nearly wrecked me.
You don’t deserve her softness. Take care with it anyway.
I leaned closer until my mouth brushed the shell of her ear. “I don’t have the patience for slow tonight. Not gentle either. It’s gonna be hard. Rough. Fucking real. You still want this?”
Her breath hitched, then she nodded, small and certain. That one move hit harder than any yes I’d ever heard.
It was the trigger I didn’t know I was waiting for.
20
DRIFT
Ikissed her jaw first, a slow scrape of stubble against her skin, then the corner of her mouth. Not quite what she wanted—just enough to make her chase me. And she did.