Page 72 of Sawyer

Maybe I really am that clueless. It makes me wonder why I’m such a fucking sap.

I start up my baby, the roar of the engine is enough to wake the dead. This is when I feel most alive. Riding on mymotorcycle. The freedom I’ve found since joining the MC is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It’s the first time since I escaped that I’ve felt truly alive. Vulnerable, but not in a bad way. In a way that makes me want to let someone else in. Trust me, if she knew half of it, she’d probably run a mile.

I remind myself I was just a child. A misfit, yes, but a child nonetheless, and I have to stop blaming myself. I lost a lot of years doing drugs and numbing the pain with alcohol. I never want to go back to that dark pit of hell. The smoke from that day of the fire, the one where I escaped, will always be bitter sweet. It’s engraved into my memory forevermore.

I’m lost in thought when I glance up and see Nova coming toward me. I’m leaning against my motorcycle as it rumbles away.

She’s carrying a little box, and I grin when I realize it has cake inside.

“You really did get some birthday cake,” I laugh.

She nods, her eyes bright. “I told you I would.”

I push myself up, but I don’t get far. Nova is standing right in front of me and, fuck me, if I forget to breathe. “Kiss me,” she whispers. “Please, Sawyer.”

I glance over her shoulder. Nobody is around, but still. “You’re playin’ with fire, sugar.”

“I don’t care about any of that.”

“You say that now—” And I don’t get to finish because Nova places her pointer finger against my lips to shush me. Then she replaces her finger with her lips.

Oh, my fucking god. Had I already forgotten just how sweet her lips taste? My hands find her hips, and I don’t deny the groan that leaves my lips. I can’t help it. It’s sexy as hell, and with my hands on her waist, the fabric so soft and barely there, I know I want to get her home to my bed so I can explore her body.

I pull away, my mouth at her ear. “That was a very naughty thing to do,” I mutter.

“Well, I’m a very naughty girl.” That sounds kinky as fuck coming from her lips.

“Yeah?”

She nods. “Take me to your place so we can get naked.”

I blink, then she bites her lip, wincing. “Shit, Saw. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that, well I kinda did, but I mean,Icould get naked, you don’t have to?—”

It’s my turn to place a finger over her lips now. “You talk a lot, have I ever told you that?”

She narrows her eyes, but she’s grinning. “Yes. And might I remind you of something from the other night?”

I pique a brow, intrigued. “What’s that?”

“You came in your pants.”

My eyes darken. That I did, and while it was a little embarrassing, not to mention messy, I have no regrets. I came so fucking hard, harder than I ever have, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that night all damn week.

“Thank you for the reminder.” I give her a lopsided grin and waggle my eyebrows. “You ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Touche.”

I pull out the helmet and help it onto her head, securing mine as I hop on and lift the kickstand. When I feel her hands on my shoulders, pulling herself over the back, my heart races in my chest. The adrenaline, or something, fuels the fire like never before.

I rev the engine a couple of times just because I can, turning my head I say, “Hold on to me, Princess.”

She wraps her arms tighter around my waist and clings on for dear life. I know she loves the adrenaline, too. We’ve often talked about how much we both love motorcycles. I’d love to get herone someday. Her own pink bike. I smile to myself because that would be right up Nova’s alley.

I take off from the lot and down the street, feeling as if I’m soaring through the night. What makes it even better is having Nova right here with me.

Freedom.