16. Sixteen
SIXTEEN
J ax
My phone vibrates with an incoming call. The name Blonde Bombshell lights up the screen. A smile takes over my face as I swipe the phone off the desk and drag the green icon across the screen.
“Miss me already, Davidson?” I ask teasingly.
“Zayden,” Harley’s voice cracks.
My heart stills in my chest. “What’s wrong?” I demand, standing from my desk chair.
“Um, could you possibly come pick me up?” Each word is choked and clipped. Like she’s fighting back sobs.
“Where are you?” My tone is harsh. But I can’t help the nagging feeling that Harley wouldn’t be calling me right now if she wasn’t in trouble.
“Can I ping my location to you? I’m not,” I hear her swallow audibly, “I’m not exactly sure where I am.”
A possessive growl instinctively leaves me. “Harley.”
“I-I’m sending it right now. I’m sorry. I-I…” Whatever she was about to say trails off into a sob.
My phone vibrates and I glance down seeing that her coordinates have been sent through a text. Shoving my feet into my boots, I grab my jacket and swipe the keys to my bike off my dresser. I take a deep breath and clench the keys in my hand.
“What are you wearing right now, pretty girl?” I ask as calmly as I can, making sure she can ride on the back of my bike.
“J-jeans, boots, and a l-leather jacket,” she replies.
I pull up the location in my phone, knowing exactly where she is. “I’ll be there in five minutes. I want you to stay on the phone with me. Think you can do that?”
“I’m twenty minutes away from campus. It’ll take you longer than five minutes,” she argues.
“Harley, five minutes. You hear me?”
Her sigh is filled with exhaustion. “I hear you.”
I walk into the garage, opening the door on my way down the stairs. I slip my helmet over my head and tuck my phone into the pocket of my black jacket. Straddling the bike, I hear the Bluetooth in my helmet connect.
“Alright, pretty girl. It’s going to be a little loud, but I don’t want you to hang up the phone until you have those big doe eyes on me. Got it?”
“You’re so bossy,” she hums. I can hear a smile— barely .
“You bring it out in me.”
I kick the bike to life, the engine roaring through the garage as I fly out the door and down the driveway. I’m breaking every road law as I throttle my bike to downtown Kill Ridge district. As soon as I turn onto the street, I see Harley rise from the edge of the curb. She takes a step back as I pull the bike up in front of her.
I leave the engine running and remove my helmet. I take Harley in from head-to-toe. She looks like a wet fucking dream tonight. And now she is about to get on the back of my bike.
I grab the extra helmet from the back of my bike. “Have you ridden on the back of a bike before?” I ask in a gravelly voice.
She shakes her head in response, dropping her red-rimmed eyes to the sidewalk. I can see her worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Tipping her chin up so that she looks me in the eye, I use my thumb to pull her lip out.
I take the helmet and place it on her head. “Keep your body relaxed. Don’t shift your weight, allow the bike to do it for you. Keep your arms around me the whole time.” I buckle the strap and turn the helmet on. I have to ignore the ache in my chest as she watches me with those big blue eyes. “This helmet is special. It’s connected to mine. Meaning that you can hear me and I can hear you without having to shout at one another. It’s also connected to my phone, meaning I can play any music you want.”
I straddle the bike, replacing my helmet as she tentatively climbs on behind me. Her body is too far back, but I’ll remedy that situation in a minute.
“What would you like to listen to, pretty girl?” I ask, scrolling through the music on my phone.
“Um, can we listen to some Bad Omens?”
My thumb stalls on the screen. I look at her over my shoulder. “Bad Omens?”
“Yes?” Her brows pull down over her eyes and she narrows those pretty blues on me.
“You know Bad Omens?”
Rolling her eyes, she starts to tick bands off with her fingers. “Bad Omens, Dayseeker, Rain City Drive, Sleep Token, do I need to keep going?”
With a chuckle, I reach back and slide the tinted eye shield down the helmet. “Nah, doe eyes. You made your point.”
The bike vibrates between my thighs. Tentative hands grab my waist. With a smile, I reach up and slide my own shield over my eyes. I throttle the bike and break hard. A squeak sounds through my helmet, her arms wrapping around my entire body and locking together.
I chuckle lowly, “That’s better, doe eyes. Hold on tight.”
“Don’t do that again!” she snaps.
I pat her hands where they are clasped together. “Don’t let go, doe eyes. I’m about to give you the ride of your life.”
We take off from the curb, Kingdom of Cards playing through the speakers. And now that I have her arms wrapped around me, I take it slower than I did on the way here. I steer us through traffic and onto the highway, letting her experience the feel of being on the back of a bike. After a few miles, she drops her head into the center of my back.
“Are you hungry?” I ask between songs.
“Yeah, could we get something unbelievably greasy?”
“Beef or chicken?”
“Well, apparently I need to be eating more red meat,” she teases.
“Beef it is,” I murmur with a smile.
We go through the drive-thru of one of my favorite burger joints. They provide endless amounts of fries and the juiciest burgers. Before we pull away from the window, I turn around and face Harley.
“What are you doing?” Harley asks.
I can’t see her eyes thanks to the face shield, but I have a feeling her eyes are wide as I reach for the zipper of her jacket. Zipping it halfway, I grab both bottles of water and stick them into her jacket.
Her breath hisses through my helmet, and the sound goes straight to my dick. “Cold?”
“Yes,” she replies, her teeth clenched together.
I flip back around, placing the bags of food inside my own coat and zipping it up. As soon as I pull out of the drive-thru, I hear her grumbling under her breath.
“Sorry, didn’t catch that, Davidson.”
“I said, you’re a rotten tomato for making me take the water when you get the warmth from the food.”
I hum softly. “Well, maybe it’s because I’m hoping to see your nipples hard when you take your jacket off for me.”
“Cantaloupes,” she mutters.
Laughing, I take us to my favorite spot in the city. It’s a hidden lookout that gives the most beautiful view of Kill Ridge. I park the bike and remove my helmet, setting it on the seat once I’m off. Taking Harley’s hand in mine, I help her from the bike and start to unbuckle her helmet. Once I pull it over her head, she runs her hands down the braids that are perfectly intact.
“Come on, you’ll love this view.”
The spot that I managed to find a few years ago while running has been one that I haven’t ever wanted to share with someone before. I come up here to find peace when I can’t manage to find it elsewhere.
The cliffside spot is the best place to watch the sunset, the city lights shine, and even fireworks on a summer night. From here, you can see every corner of the city.
It’s surrounded by trees, making it secluded and hidden from the naked eye. The green grass mixed with wildflowers creates the perfect spot to sit and enjoy the view.
I pull her to the edge of the cliffside and lower myself to the ground. I pat the grass next to me while unzipping my coat and pulling out the bags of food. Harley tries to hide her smile as she sits next to me, crossing her legs Indian style in front of her.
I hand her a foil-wrapped burger and drop the bag of fries between us. Then I grab the cup of ranch from the bag with the burgers and put that next to the fries.
“Jax special,” I tell her pointing at the ranch. “You have to dip your fries in the ranch or it’s not near as good.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” she chirps, grabbing a fry and dunking it before popping it in her mouth. “Oh my god. That is delicious. What are they seasoned with?”
“Cajun.”
“Those are like crack,” she insists, pointing at the bag.
“Wait until you try the burger.” I wink, unwrapping the foil.
Harley does the same, not wasting any time before she takes a massive bite of the burger. A genuine moan sounds in her throat and her eyes fall shut. I watch her in awe at how someone could make eating a burger look so fucking sexy.
“Butternut-squash, that’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life,” she breathes out.
“I’m glad to not disappoint,” I murmur, taking a bite myself.
We sit there, silently eating our food while looking out over the city. The sky is getting darker, meaning every light in the buildings has turned on, creating a glow alongside the sunset.
When Harley is finished, she kicks her legs out, leaning back on the palms of her hands. There’s a crease between her brows as she looks out over the city.
“Are you going to tell me why you were sitting on the curb and needing to call for help tonight?” I finally ask.
Her shoulders slump and her head drops down. “My mother set me up on a date.”
“A date?” I bite out.
“Yup,” she sighs heavily, “Turns out he was only there to see if I’d let him take my virginity from me. Not because he was actually interested.”
My spine stiffens and rage creeps into my veins.
“I know you know, Zayden,” she says softly. “Things have slowly started to surface this week.”
I clear my throat and look over at her. “I’ll fucking kill him. Whoever he is.”
A slow smile creeps over her face. “I didn’t even want to go tonight. Well, not with him.”
“Who did you want to go out with?”
Her eyebrows flick up and she gives me this look that speaks volumes before she tells me with words. “You, hockey jockey. I wanted to go out with you.”
“Harley Thomas, are you saying you like me?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes before pushing the bags out of her way and straddling me like she had my bike not even thirty minutes ago. Her fingers slide into my hair.
“I like you, Zayden Stone. More than I probably should since you tried to make it your life goal to get me to leave the school as quickly as possible.”
“Semantics,” I mumble, cupping her jaw. “I’m still trying to do that,” I say jokingly.
“Right. You did wrap every single object I own in Santa vomit yesterday.” She smirks at me, raising an eyebrow.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Davidson. I would never break into your dorm room.”
“Speaking of that. I changed my code. You’re a menace to society,” Harley tells me, leaning in.
Her lips hover over mine and they brush together when I say, “You’re the real menace, doe eyes. You walked into my life and captivated me with all that hair and those big, blue eyes.”
“What’s your excuse then, hockey jockey? Because I’m pretty sure you stole my breath before using the air from your own lungs to bring me back to life.”
Moving my hand to the nape of her neck, I whisper, “I’ll give you the heart from my chest if it means you’ll kiss me again.”
“As enticing as that sounds, I’ll kiss you anytime you want.”
Harley seals her mouth to mine, confidently dragging her tongue along the seam of my lips. I let her control the kiss, because fuck me if her confidence isn’t making my dick painfully hard. Her tongue slides against mine, dragging over the stud running through the middle.
She pulls back and says, “I’ve never kissed a guy with a tongue ring before you.” Then she grins, adding, “Actually, I hadn’t ever kissed a guy before you. Or a girl if you’re wondering.”
I flip us, pinning her body beneath mine. “Fuck, Harley.” I drop my forehead to hers. “You make me feel so dirty for all the corrupt things I want to do to you.”
“I’m going to tell you a secret, Zayden.”
I lean back, taking in every inch of her face. She’s even more beautiful in the soft glow of the sunset. I brush a strand of hair that has fallen loose from her braids off of her forehead.
“You can tell me anything,” I repeat the words I said to her the other night just outside her bedroom.
A slow, breathtaking smile takes over her face. “I want you to corrupt me.”
I bring my mouth down to the spot just below her ear. “You want me to corrupt you, doe eyes?” I whisper.
Her hand tightens in my hair. “Yes,” she breathes out.
“I’ll show you just how corrupting I can be.”
My teeth graze the column of her throat. Slowly, gently. Stopping at the juncture that meets her shoulder, I nip the skin, pulling a gasp from her lungs.
“There’s something you need to know about me,” I say into the curve of her neck.
“Hmm?” Harley hums.
My hand finds the zipper to her jacket between us. I slowly drag it down. I flip each flap open, revealing her tank top beneath the jacket. Her hardened nipples peek through the silky fabric.
“I’ve never claimed to be a good man, Harley,” I tell her, slipping my hand beneath the black silk. “But I am a selfish man.”
I drag my hand up her ribcage. Her heart is beating so hard in her chest, I can feel it vibrate her body with every pulse. She inhales sharply when I settle my hand beneath her breast.
“I’m a very selfish man. And if you let me have you,” I growl quietly, “then I plan to fucking keep you.”
She pulls me back down to her by the back of my neck. Her eyes flick back and forth between mine and she says, “Then be a selfish man, Zayden.”
Harley’s lips crash against mine. It’s all tongues and teeth. She bites my lip and I suck hers. She pulls my hair and I dig the tips of my fingers into her skin hard enough to bruise.
I need to slow down. I don’t want to push this farther than she is ready for. The primal need to claim every piece of her is clouding my vision. I want to rip her clothes off and bury myself inside of her.
“What do you want, doe eyes?” I ask breathlessly.
Her chest rises and falls with every heavy breath she takes. “I want you to touch me.”
My fingers flex again. “Touch you where?”
“Apples,” she hisses, “Everywhere.”
I drag my mouth down her neck. Her skin tastes as good as it smells. And as much as I want to devour her whole, I tell myself that for tonight, I will only touch her.
Sliding my hand back down her stomach and removing it from beneath her shirt, I bring it up to her chest, running my fingers over the loose hem of her tank top along the swells of her breasts. The touch is feather-light, raising goosebumps on her skin. I follow the path my fingers make with the tip of my tongue.
“Zayden,” Harley breathes.
“Yes, pretty girl?” I ask, pressing a kiss between her covered breasts.
“Touch me,” she pleads.
I smile against her skin. I bite the spot I just kissed, making another excruciatingly slow path up her neck.
“Zayden, please,” she whines.
Nipping her earlobe, I whisper, “I fucking love it when you beg for me, doe eyes.”
My fingers find the button on her jeans, popping it through the hole in one go. The sound of her heart thudding in my ears along with her staggered breaths has me slowly lowering her zipper. My mouth moves back down her chest while my fingers slip beneath the top of the lace underwear.
My teeth latch onto the fabric, pulling it down to reveal Harley’s bare breast. Slipping my fingers down to the apex of her thighs, I groan at how wet she is. The hand in my hair tightens again, forcing my eyes to snap up to her face.
All my movements freeze when her eyes lock with mine. Not because her expression is telling me to stop, but because her lust-filled gaze has my heart skittering to a stop in my chest.
With my eyes glued to hers, I circle my tongue around her hardened nipple. Her eyelashes flutter but remain open, watching my mouth close around the bud. I suck it into my mouth while gathering up her arousal with my fingers and dragging it up to her clit. Her hips lift from the ground with the softest brush of my fingertips.
“Have you ever used your fingers to make yourself come before, Davidson?”
Her throat bobs with a swallow and she jerks her head side to side. The corner of my mouth tilts up as I apply just enough pressure, causing her body to shudder in response. Both of her legs fall open and her eyes widen.
I gently bite the swell of her breast. My fingers start to circle her clit in a slow steady rhythm. Slowly working her body into a frenzy. Each pass of my fingers makes her writhe a little more. Bringing my mouth back to hers, I kiss her softly.
My lips leave hers, trailing up her jaw and to her ear. “That fire building low inside of you?” She nods, her eyes rolling into the back of her head on a moan. “That’s your body, toeing the edge of bliss. You’re so close to coming for me, pretty girl.”
“Zayden, I think…” Her words trail off on a quiet moan as her body shudders beneath me.
My fingers slow as the aftershocks of her orgasm leave her body. I kiss beneath her ear, her jaw, her chin, her nose, and lastly her lips.
Pulling my hand from her pants, I bring my fingers up to my mouth. With a wink, I suck her wetness from them. Harley’s breathing stalls as her eyes stare at the fingers in my mouth.
“Did you just…?”
“See if your pussy tastes as good as you smell? Damn straight, doe eyes.” I press my lips to hers, and murmur, “Don’t worry, next time I’ll use my tongue to make you come.”