ELEVEN
Milan
PRESENT
My fingers are still clutching the handlebars of my bike when I finally manage to stop it.
Suddenly my helmet feels too heavy and the smell of burnt gasoline hangs in the air. I slowly release my grip on the handlebars and put the motorcycle on the side stand before taking off my helmet.
Shin and Damian approach me as the adrenaline rush slowly subsides and exhaustion seeps into my body.
“One minute and twenty-three seconds,” Shin announces, glancing at his phone.
Annoyed, I run my fingers through my sweaty hair.
Ten seconds slower than last time.
“You look like your mind is somewhere else.” Damian takes my helmet from my hand.
And he’s right.
Every time I banish her reluctantly from my thoughts, she creeps back into my head like a curse. Her mere presence screams trouble and yet she nests in my brain like she wants to stay there forever just to torture me.
Those big eyes she looked at me today were literally begging me to take what my body has been craving ever since we met.
The way her cheeks flushed, and she pursed her lips together to quell the fire keeps buzzing in my head like a spell.
I almost gave in to my desire. I was so close to putting my hand under her skirt to feel if she was really as wet as I imagined.
All I wanted to do was taste and smell her, hear her muffled cries and watch the rise and fall of her perfectly formed breasts.
But like every curse, she has a dark side.
Her green eyes have the same shimmering hue as my shattered memories of the past. And it’s all her fault.
I’ve suppressed all my greed, because no matter how much I long to take her, I know today wasn’t the time or place.
Since the incident at lunchtime today, I’ve completed my ninth lap around the track at Belle Isle. And no matter how hard I try to think about something else, I can’t entice my body not to fantasize about her.
Damian pushes my helmet in Shin’s arms. With a lecherous smirk on his lips, he places his hands on my shoulders so we’re directly facing each other.
“I know that look.”
“What?” I ask, confused.
“You’re under-fucked. You need a pussy, don’t you? John McKinney’s throwing a house party tonight, let’s go there.”
“Again?” Shin shakes his head with a sigh.
Every Friday there’s a party at McKinney’s because his parents are always away on business.
“I’m in.” Even though I don't think much of Kinney's boring parties, there are plenty of girls there who will spread their legs after a wink.
Damian is right. I'm definitely under-fucked. That also explains my constant fantasies of screwing a certain brunette with green eyes.
“I’m not coming.”
Damian releases my shoulders and turns to Shin with a grin. “Be quiet, Shinichiro. Whether you like it or not, you’re coming with us. Think of it as a chance to finally lose your virginity.”
“Shin. Not Shinichiro.”
“So you admit that you’re still a virgin. How cute.”
Now Shin draws his eyebrows together and glares at Damian. “You know very well that’s not true.”
Suddenly, silence falls between the three of us as Shin’s words sink into my head. As if he’s revealed something that I absolutely shouldn’t know, they both turn to me with widened eyes.
“What the hell?” I find my voice again.
Damian snorts, while Shin shakes his head hastily. “That’s not what I meant!”
Skeptically, I look back and forth between the two of them.
I don’t mind if they both come out, but still, the thought of my two best friends hooking up behind my back is disturbing.
“Come on Shinichiro, don’t deny it.” Damian winks at him.
“Shut the fuck up. I was drunk.”
“But sober enough to-”
“I’m going to take a shower.”
Cold. Extremely cold.
Before I find out something I don’t want to know.
I turn to my Yamaha YZF-R7, which I ride in competitions. My Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 is more for my private use and means too much to me to take it to competitions.
“I swear on my mother, it’s not what you think.” Shin follows me as I roll my bike to the private parking lots. Damian follows behind us, laughing.
“Last summer at Adams’ party, I drank a lot. I was with Clarissa Brown and Emily Hawkins when Damian stormed into the room,” Shin tries to explain.
Clarissa Brown and Emily Hawkins?
I pause and turn to him. “You had a threesome?”
Shin has never been the type to brag about his sex life. Until a few moments ago, I wasn’t even sure if Damian was right about him being a virgin, but damn … a threesome? Our Shin?
Damian throws an arm around his shoulder. “I totally forgot about that. Our Shin is starting to grow up. I’m so proud of him.”
I nod. “Me too.”
He removes Damian’s arm from his shoulder and glares angrily at both of us. “Don’t act like this is the first time I’ve ever had sex in my life.”
Although Shin is older than me, we treat him like the youngest in our group. That’s probably because he’s a little shorter than both of us.
“You know ShinShin, if you were a woman, I might even-”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Reynolds.”
Damian chuckles, while Shin doesn’t look amused at all.
My eyes fall on the figure standing in the shade of the trees at the edge of the track, talking to one of the workers.
“Oh, there’s Tristan Dallas,” Damian says as he follows my gaze.
Tristan Dallas.
I squint my eyes and study him from head to toe. His smug posture and the arrogant smile on his face make my blood boil. His expensive, tailored racing outfit and the shiny motorcycle next to him remind me that the wait is almost over.
In less than four months, I have my eighth official but illegal race. And he is one of my potential opponents.
“Do you think he’s come to train?” asks Shin.
“Maybe,” I reply with a shrug.
Damian pats me supportively on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Shane. I’m sure you’ll finish him.”
I avert my eyes from Tristan and continue my way to the parking lot. I park my Yamaha in the private spot.
Winning the race next month will open a lot of doors for me in the future. My father dreams of me attending a prestigious college after graduation and then following in his footsteps to take over his filthy company.
Meanwhile, I’m chasing other goals. I’m going to get a racing license and become a professional racer.
Evan Shane is aware of my illegal racing but does nothing about it because he lives under the illusion that I will dance to his tune at the end of the day anyway.
We Shanes are stubborn and obstinate.
That’s the only thing I have in common with him, apart from our surname.
We enter the changing room. Shin and Damian sit down while I take off my tight leather jacket.
“What’s with Servant now?” Damian asks.
I pause in my movement. “I’ve taken care of it.”
I dig new clothes out of my backpack that I picked up from home before I came here.
“She’s been giving us a lot of headaches lately. We should teach her a lesson.”
“Not everything has to be solved by force,” Shin sighs.
“We set a van on fire, and now you’re suddenly worried about solving things differently? You’re so cute, ShinShin.”
I roll my eyes at their banter and take off my T-shirt.
“What do you think, Shane? Isn’t it time we put her in her place? Normally you’re not this forgiving.”
Trying to keep my face neutral, I turn to him.
I don’t like Damian’s tone.
If he finds out why or that I’m after Aliya, no one will be able to protect her from him.
I want to hurt Aliya. That hasn’t changed at all.
It’s true that I desire her, but this feeling is mainly sexual.
If Damian knew my thoughts about her, he would want to hurt her. Because Damian enjoys hurting other people.
While I would rather aim to destroy her mentally and emotionally, he would overstep all his moral boundaries. He’s already developed a kind of interest in her and wants to take her to bed. I’m no different, but my desire for her is far more harmless than Damian’s could ever be.
He still listens to me because we share the same opinion. But if our views don’t coincide one day, he’ll be uncontrollable.
And I have a strange feeling that she, of all people, will cause this.
“Yes, maybe we should do that,” I reply.
Damian’s lips curl into a devious smile. “That’s better. I knew you’d be back to yourself.”
“Are you two serious? Why don’t you just leave her alone?” Shin interjects into our conversation. “You’ve already deleted the video on her phone, Milan. I’m sure she won’t tell anyone about it. I don’t get why you’re still trying to deal with her so frantically.”
“You’re just afraid she’ll hit you again, Shinichiro.”
“You’re never going to stop, are you?”
“Nope.”
Shin draws Damian’s attention so that he releases me from his stare. Although I keep my expression under control, I’m sure Damian would have figured out my thoughts if he’d looked at me for a few more seconds.
I will be the first and only one to put her in her place.
The only one who will hurt her.
The only one who will have fun with her.
While Shin and Damian discuss, I enter the shower cubicle and strip the last of the sweaty clothes from my body.
“Mia Miller has said she’ll suck my dick if I come to the party now. Hurry up before she changes her mind. Otherwise ShinShin and I will go without you!” Damian shouts after me.
“I’m not going!” Shin replies, directed at him.
I roll my eyes. At least they’re not talking about her anymore.
Shin and Damian have been my best friends since we were kids. I share everything with them. But her …
Until I’ve had enough of her, she’s mine.
Solely and completely mine.