Chapter 21 Aiden
I walked the bike out to the front of the house, waiting as Evie ran late.
Again.
Everyone else had already left for Syndicate, their bikes roaring down the road in the distance. But Evie? She was inside, wasting time on that damn computer of hers, probably digging into more shit she had no business touching.
I let the bike sway from side to side, tapping my fingers against the handlebars as I stared at the front door, daring her to hurry.
She was always late, never predictable—it was the exact opposite of my perfectly timed world—and I loved every second.
As I was about to storm in there and drag her out myself, the door swung open, and she stepped out, her boots hitting the porch with an angry thud.
“Took you long enough, Psycho,” I called, letting my irritation seep into my voice. “I was starting to think you weren’t going to show up.”
She shot me a smile, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Oh, relax. I needed to get everything just right. Good things take time.”
“More than a good thing,” I muttered under my breath, trying not to look too hard at the way her leather jacket hugged her curves. “We’ll be lucky if we make it there before midnight at this rate.”
I stared a little too long as she slid on her helmet. I loved the way she looked in the moment of putting on her helmet. Her lips would always part slightly, her eyes focused on the helmet, her hands careful as she tried to pull it over her head and not mess up her hair. I could never look away.
She patted her coat a few times, pulling out her phone and putting it back.
“Evie,” I groaned. “You have everything you need. Let’s go.”
She glared up at me but slid onto her seat.
I’d been trying not to want her and failing harder every day. Every time I got near her, I said the wrong thing just to keep my hands off her. If I crossed that line again, I wasn’t sure I’d come back from it.
I had to keep reminding myself this was only a game to her. She didn’t actually want me—she couldn’t.
Could she?
Her arms slipped around my waist in a way that was so comfortable, so familiar. It had me gritting my teeth already, the warmth of her body pressed against mine doing things to my head I didn’t have time for.
The bike jumped to life beneath us, and I took off, faster than usual, hearing Evie’s muffled laughter as she gripped tighter.
“Wow, I know you’re annoyed, but are you trying to kill me before we even get there?” she teased, her voice barely audible even in my helmet.
The ride should’ve been like any other—just another night, another trip—but with her pressed up against me, it wasn’t. Every time we hit a bump, I felt her move with me, like we were in sync. She belonged here with me.
Because she was mine.
No one else would ever belong there like she did. No one else ever felt right, and I didn’t think anyone else ever would.
Bikes lined the parking area of Syndicate, a variety of lights and chrome gleaming under the dim streetlights as the familiar chaos of rowdy laughter and raised voices filled the night.
Evie slipped off the bike before I had a chance to turn it off, but I grabbed her before she got too far.
“Could you please stay by me and behave tonight?”
“No,” she said, shrugging off her jacket. “I have things to do that include other men, not you.”
My mouth dropped open the moment she unzipped the jacket. The small top she was wearing cut to a point at her hips, the bandanna-like thing tying around the back and barely keeping her breasts in place. The word Psycho bedazzled across the front.
“Fuck, Evie. What are you wearing?”
I was already pulling off my hoodie, ready to force it on her, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from the top.
“A shirt? What’s the problem?” she asked with a vicious smile.
“That is not a shirt. I can see almost completely through it. Your fucking nipples are on display.”
“And?” she asked, looking down at it. “It’s cute. I made it myself. I thought you, of all people, would like it. Or maybe I should say, you of all people wouldn’t care.”
“You’re being a pain in my ass right now,” I said.
“Well, I’m glad we are both consistent then, right?”
I narrowed my eyes, still stuck on the top, and threw my hoodie around her shoulders, taking one beat to memorize her in the top before pulling it around her front until I realized my hands were pressed against her breasts now.
Honestly, how Rook hadn’t killed me already was beyond me.
Was I even subtle anymore? I was too wrapped up in her to even notice.
“Back off. I can show my nipples if I want. I can take off my top if I want.”
“Don’t even fucking try it.” My jaw tightened so hard it felt like it could break.
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll be taking you home immediately.”
She grinned, the sly look making me freeze. “You’re kind of making me want to take my top off.”
“Evie, I swear I will fucking kill someone if you really think I’m going to watch you parade around flirting with other guys.”
“Then go tell Rook I won’t be flirting with other guys because I’m here with you. Explain to him this situation, and I promise not to flirt with one other man tonight.”
“Fuck,” I said, ready to throw something. She was right—she was always right and it’s how the blackmail had worked so well. There was never a situation between Evie and I that I could explain to Rook without it looking exactly like what it was.
“You are not fucking around with another guy tonight.”
“And I’m not listening to you. You’re not my date.” She pulled at the hoodie, shoving it back into my hands.
“You’re not taking your top off.”
She stepped closer, leaning in until her boobs were pressed up against me. “It could be fun riding home on the back of your bike topless. Think about how close I would have to press against you.”
I couldn’t think—not past one singular thought.
I could throw it all away.
I could grab her, put her back on my bike. We could go home together. I could have her in my bed within twenty minutes and wake up with her still wrapped around me.
“Evie.” My words were strained. “Keep your fucking top on.”
Her bottom lip stuck out, making me want to grab it, but everyone would see if I did.
“Well, if you insist. I guess I will keep the top on.” She paused, staring up at me with that infuriating grin. “I knew you would like it.”
She spun, heading off toward the bikes racing down the middle of Syndicate.
I could already see eyes trailing her, watching every step she took.
I would spend every second of my fucking night looking over every one of them.
Were they here to hurt her? Or just have a hope of touching her?
I would be the lucky one that had to look at each guy and decide exactly what his intentions were, keeping her safe all night.
I waited, taking three deep breaths before I went after her.
Nearly an hour went by of me following Evie around Syndicate and I finally got her in one spot.
Unfortunately for me, that spot fucking sucked.
She leaned against my bike. Four guys crowded around her, smiling and carrying on like fucking idiots getting to talk to her.
A bitter chill ran down my spine as I watched her laughing with them, her head thrown back like she didn’t have a care in the world.
Each time she tilted her head back, her scent—warm and slightly vanilla, mixed with the scent of motorcycles—drifted toward me, making it impossible to ignore her.
It felt like it went on forever, nothing breaking my attention on Evie even when I wanted it to.
It’s like the more I needed to pull away for my own sanity, the more I took this bodyguard job seriously.
Watching her flirt back, even with those idiots, made something inside me snap. I told myself it was only about keeping her safe, but every laugh, every tilt of her head, had me spiraling further out of control. She knew exactly what she was doing.
What finally snapped my attention was when one of them reached out, his finger hooking into the top of the little bandanna she wore as a shirt, slowly trailing along the edge like he had any right to touch her.
The sound of my pulse roared in my ears, and before I could think about it more, I was moving around the bike to her side, my steps heavy. Each beat of my heart was pure rage, fueled by the sight of someone touching her.
I closed the distance in a matter of seconds.
The guy didn’t even notice me until my hand wrapped around his wrist like a vise.
The bones in his wrist shifted under my grip, a slight pop I felt deep in my own knuckles.
His skin was clammy, slick against mine, and his sharp intake of breath was the response I needed.
I pushed, his wrist twisting at a strange angle as he screamed.
“Why the fuck are you touching her?”
“What the hell? Who the fuck are you?”
“None of your business,” I said, pushing him back and reaching for Evie’s helmet perched on my bike behind her. “Put this on. Now.”
She grinned, looking past me to the guy on the ground.
I already knew she liked this. I could always see her eyes light up when I got jealous.
In one large step, I made it to her side and pressed against her, the feel of her heartbeat wild against mine. She looked up, that defiant spark in her eyes pushing me further to the edge. My hand snaked up her side until my fingers wrapped around her neck.
“Put your fucking helmet on, psycho girl, and get on the bike.”
“Or what?” she asked, her air cut off just enough to make her gasp.
I reached up, shoving the helmet onto her head and opening the visor.
“Or I’m going to make you.”
I leaned down, sliding my hands over her ass until I could lift her up—slow and deliberate—daring her to fight me on it. She didn’t. Instead, her fingers twisted into my jacket, her breath hot against my neck.
I swung onto the bike, setting her on the tank and wasting no time starting up the bike and pulling out of Syndicate.
She smacked at my shoulder before leaning down, her arms wrapping around me in a panic as I headed out onto the main street and into the darkness.
Her hands tightened on my back, nails digging in as the bike shot forward. The night swallowed us whole, the wind cutting sharp and cold around us, but nothing could drown out my pulsing thrill.
She didn’t need to say a word—every inch of her pressed to me, every breath against my neck, was a promise and a warning. I was either going to give in soon, or burn alive trying not to.