Page 58 of The Ache That Stayed

I shoved my helmet on and kicked the engine to life. The bike roared beneath us. Gravel exploded behind the tyres as I twisted the throttle, spraying both men in a cloud of dust and stone. Roxanne’s arms locked around my waist.

“Did you just—” she asked.

“Yeah,” I replied into the comms unapologetically. “No one touches you.”

A shiver went through her body.

The engine behind us growled. I didn’t even need to look back. Because a second later—

The SUV roared to life.

CHAPTER 15

Santino

Wind slammed into us as the engine screamed beneath me, leaving a trail of dust as the manor gates vanished in the mirror. I put my hand over hers and pressed it into my abs.

“Hold tight, Volpi.”

The road curved sharply and I leaned into it, the bike dipping low as the tyres bit into wet asphalt.

Roxanne gasped but leaned with the bike instinctively, her body moving with the curve like she’d done it a hundred times.

The sound shot through the helmet and straight down my spine.

Jesus.

Her arms tightened around my waist, chest pressing harder against my back as we straightened out of the turn.

Another sharp breath of adrenaline came through the Bluetooth. I felt it everywhere.

My cock twitched inside my jeans.

Not now, dammit. I’m trying to outrun them.

Focus.

My blood roared in my ears as I cut through traffic, overtaking cars and checking the mirror every few seconds. Roxanne held on, her grip steady despite the speed.

The SUV headlights flashed in my mirror again.

Persistent bastards.

The road opened ahead and I pushed the throttle harder. The engine snarled beneath us as the wind grew colder the faster we went. Roxanne shifted behind me, her arms sliding tighter around my waist as the bike surged forward. The heat of her body pressed closer against me. And suddenly I remembered exactly why I’d never taken her on a ride before.

I shouldn’t have come back. Marcello would’ve handled the security. He always did. But that wasn’t the point.

The men chasing us tonight? That was my mess. My ring. My fight. And Roxanne was the last person who should ever be dragged into the consequences of my life.

I’d spent two years staying away for a reason. All that time telling myself distance was protection.

Watching her from the edges.

Watching her build a life with Marcello.

Watching Kyra grow up.

Watching Romano learn to walk.