Page 91 of Exposing Colorado
But he doesn’t respond. His body goes limp, deadweight dragging my center of gravity sideways.
I try to counterbalance, but the handlebars twitch. The tires hit a patch of gravel. We jerk violently when I accidentally twist the throttle.
“Shit, no, no, no—”
In my mind, I meant to pull the clutch. I really did. But between Dev sliding off and my refusal to let him go, I mix up the instructions he'd given me. The front wheel skids to a sudden stop—
And my ass leaves the seat.
A guttural shout tears from my throat. The earth tilts upside down. Devon's body rips away as the roar of the engine morphs into crunching metal. I fly through the air and hit the pavement hard. Sparks heat my back from behind.
The road shreds every layer of skin it can find when I roll like a rag doll, agony rippling through my spine
The last thing I see is Devon’s bike tumbling down the ravine before a sharp pain shoots through my temple—
And the world goes black.
Chapter
Thirty-Five
Salem
A faint sliver of sunlight has crested the horizon when I finally find them in some random neighborhood.
Huck’s sitting on the tailgate with his arms crossed. Even from this distance, I can tell that his jaw is clenched tight. Arya’s on the curb a few feet away, elbows on her knees. Makeup streaks down her face, running from red and puffy eyes.
Neither of them speaks when I get out of the car. “Want to tell me what the hell happened?”
Arya doesn’t even blink, just stares down at her shoes.
“She won't talk to me,” Huck mutters, sliding off the truck. “Maybe you'll have better luck. I'm heading back.”
We trade keys and I realize a moment too late what he’s going to find when he opens the door to his Audi. Dark eyes swing toward me in outrage. “Is that a condom in the cup holder? Why the fuck is it glowing?”
“Sorry. I'll pay to have the seats cleaned.”
His nostrils flare wide. “And the paint buffed. And waxed. And my goddamn oil changed!” His voice vanishes as he slides into the driver seat.
Waving my hand dismissively, I drop onto the curb next to my friend. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say.”
“There's rice in the subwoofer!”
I wait until his taillights disappear around the corner before daring speak. “So. Talk to me.”
Arya still doesn’t look up. She plucks at a thread on her skirt, lips pulled tight. “Do I have to?”
“I'd really like it if you did.”
She lets out a shaky breath as fresh tears track down her cheeks. “I was pissed at Christian. I don’t even know why exactly. I guess… he started getting all weird and possessive, and I didn't like it. Just because I enjoy being bossed around in bed doesn't mean it applies to everything.”
My brows jump high. “So you slept with Devon?”
“It wasn’t planned, okay? It just happened. He said some shit about me being my own person and not letting Christian control me. It felt right. We had a good thing going. Christian's never had an issue with sharing before, but suddenly Dev is off limits? I don't get it.”
Oh.
Oh, shit.
