Hollow

by Teresa Mummert

  He lifted his weight to yank his shirt over his head, tossing it to the ground before his mouth met mine again.

  Pushing my t-shirt up my stomach, I squirmed as his touch tickled its way up my body, his heavy palm cupping my breast as I arched my back, pressing into him.

  My own hands roamed desperately across his muscular back before I pushed against his basketball shorts, shoving them lower. His hips ground harder against me, and I moaned when I felt how much he wanted me as his body rocked against the apex of my thighs.

  “Slow down,” he whispered against my throat, his breath fanning over the damp skin he’d just ran his tongue over, causing me to shiver. Propping himself up on his elbow, his eyes roamed over my exposed chest before settling on my face. He pressed his lips lightly against mine. “I’ve been wanting to do this since the moment I met you.”

  I gripped the bottom of my shirt and pulled it over my head, refusing to break eye contact, no matter how badly my heart was racing.

  He slid from the bed as he grabbed my shorts, tugging them down my legs with my panties and tossing them to the floor. As he stood looking down at me, I felt my entire body heat under his gaze.

  He pushed his shorts down to the floor as he crawled back on top of me, his kisses hungrier, and I could feel his desire growing. With the final scrap of fabric fallen away, there was nothing left between us but his necklace, secrets, and lies.

  My thighs gripped his hips as he rocked slowly against my entrance, our bodies slicked with sweat and the anticipation making it hard to breathe.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” he groaned, his cheek pressed against mine. My hands gripped his shoulders tightly as I ran my tongue over the shell of his ear, eliciting a deep moan from the back of his throat as he slowly entered me.

  I could tell he was struggling to keep his pace slow, treating me as if I would break and shatter beneath his touch.

  I raised my hips, rolling them against him as his movements became less rhythmic, his breathing growing more ragged.

  His lips found mine again, so all I could taste or feel was him. My body began to tighten as pleasure pulsed from every nerve ending in my body. “Knox,” I panted as his body flexed, muscles pulling and straining under my fingertips before he was still on top of me.

  Pulling back he looked me in the eye, a lazy, lopsided grin on his mouth before he pressed it against mine in a chaste kiss. He moved to the side of me, pulling me against his chest and holding me tightly against his body.

  His fingers twisted lazily in my hair as I struggled to not overthink what had just happened between us.

  I listened to the thudding of his heart as it slowed, lulling me to sleep with its steady beating.

  ***

  TWENTY-TWO

  Riley

  When I awoke, my body was tangled in my comforter, sore yet satiated. I reached beside me, groaning when my hands came up empty. I cracked open my eye, looking at the alarm clock. It was already after nine in the morning, and the last thing I wanted to do was go to school and face Tatum, but I knew I had to fix things with us.

  I got up, grabbing my t-shirt from the floor and tugging it on before calling out to Knox. When he didn’t answer, I made my way to his room to see if he was in the shower but it was empty.

  I had hoped I was awake before he headed out to work for the day, but if I could survive a few classes, he would be back this evening. We had the house to ourselves for several days, and I didn’t want to waste a minute of it.

  I hurried into my room, grabbing my book bag and my purse. I made my way to the first floor, and my eyes landed on a plate full of fruit in the center of the island. Grabbing an apple from the dish, I hurried out to my car.

  It was a warm day, and I opted to put the windows down, singing along the radio as I made my way across town to school. I pulled into the parking lot, still high on my night alone with Knox. I knew today was going to be tough, but I had to explain everything to Tatum. I knew once she heard why Knox and I had done what we’d done, she’d understand.

  My smile widened when I saw his bike sitting near the edge of the lot. I parked next to him and hurried out of the car.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He pulled me against him, squeezing me tightly before pressing his lips into my hair.

  “I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.”

  “I could skip today, and we could hang out.”

  His eyebrow rose before he took a step back and I couldn’t help but feel like he meant it as a final goodbye. “I can’t. I have to go to the shop. Listen, Riley, you’re not going to tell Tatum about our deal, right?”

  “I mean, I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do. She already knows something is up. Honesty is kind of the only thing we have left.”

  "I'm not sure telling her that we had been going behind her back all of this time is going to help.”

  I took a step back from him, shaking my head. “Knox, she thinks I slept with Bryce. I think anything would be better than that.”

  “That’s what you wanted her to think, isn’t it? You took him into the tent for Christ sake. Everyone saw him coming out with his zipper down.”

  “I took it too far. I was upset, and I just wanted to hurt-”

  “Me,” he finished as he shoved his hands into his jean pockets. “Either way, it worked, and Bryce is out of the picture. She’ll get over it.”

  “She may get over him, but she’ll never forgive me.”

  His jaw tensed. “Good. That was part of the deal.”

  “What? I thought that-”

  “You thought that because we fucked I would be okay with you and Tatum hanging out?” He shook his head as he ran his fingers through his hair, just as I had done last night when we were together, and I was finally able to trust. “You think it means we are together? I already told you, I don’t do the girlfriend thing.”

  “For someone who acted like they cared about her so much, you don’t seem the least bit upset that we destroyed her life,” I snapped, wanting to hurt him as much as he was hurting me.

  “You destroyed it, Princess.”

  My eyes searched his, my stomach sinking. “I did it for you, Knox. You asked me to.”

  He shook his head, his lips twisting up into a sardonic grin. “You did it for you, so I’d get Piper out of the way for your mom. Hey, I can’t blame you. You should be willing to do anything for family. We have that in common.”

  I was glad my vision was blurred with tears so I wouldn’t have to see the smug look on his face as he continued to stomp on my heart.

  “Last night?” I swallowed hard against the lump that formed in my throat. He looked over at the school before his gaze settled back on me.

  “A mistake.” He grabbed his helmet and slid it onto his head before throwing his leg over his bike. “You should have listened to me the first time when I told you to stay away. You can’t say I didn’t warn you.” The engine of his bike had roared before he drove off, leaving me standing alone in the parking lot.

  My stomach twisted, and the pain from his betrayal made me long for the days when I first arrived here, hollow and uncaring. I could hear Rachel’s warning that everyone here was close, and I should keep my head down. I ignored her, not believing anyone could penetrate my hardened exterior.

  Knox

  Looking Riley in the eye and telling her that last night meant nothing had ripped my heart out, but I couldn’t turn back now. We had a deal and now Tatum would move on. It was only a matter of time until Riley headed back to California anyway. If she stayed in this place because of me, I would never forgive myself.

  I drove back to my shop. Regardless of what went down, I had a job to do, and if I wanted to make enough money to pay off my debt to the club, I couldn’t let this job slip through my hands.

  I parked next to the beamer that was in the lot, nodding to the man inside as I got off my bike and unlocked the door to my shop.

  I left t
he door hang open as the guy followed me inside, his eyes looking over the bike I’d been building for him. “You do great work.”

  “Thanks,” I gave him a smile as I grabbed my shop rag and shoved it into my back pocket. “Unfortunately, we won’t be needing it anymore.”

  “What?”

  “The bike was for Ezra Bronx. He’s been cut from the show due to medical reasons, as I’m sure you’ve heard.”

  “I’ve already invested a lot of time into this piece,” I snapped as the man nodded. “The parts alone set me back more money than I had.”

  “I invested a lot of time and money into my show, and you took it upon yourself to destroy it.” His eyes narrowed, and I swallowed hard knowing he was right. I should have known Ezra would do whatever he could to get back at me. “I think we can call it even.”

  He turned and walked out of the door, closing it behind him. The second the latch clicked I shoved my foot hard against the bike, kicking it over before I picked up a box of tools and threw them against the wall.

  Sinking down on my haunches, I hung my head in my hands as I struggled to catch my breath. When I was finally able to clear my head, I grabbed my phone and texted Bea to meet me as soon as possible.

  I sat, frozen, looking over all of my hard work now gone, dream shattered and future hanging in the balance.

  A tapping at the glass window caused my head to snap up. Bea was on the other side of the glass with Emily in her arms, a broad smile on her face.

  I pushed to my feet, kicking a wrench out of the way as I walked to the door and opened it for her.

  “Thanks. My hands were full.” Her eyes danced around the messy garage. “What’s going on?”

  “I have something for you.”

  I pulled an envelope from my back pocket and held it out to her. “What’s this?”

  I took Emily from her hands, talking to her as Bea opened the envelope. “Oh my God!” Her hand went over her mouth. “Where did you get this?” She asked, pulling out the stack of cash.

  It wasn’t much, but it would help with diapers and formula, at least for a little while.

  Bea threw her arms around me, tears in her eyes. “Thank you so much!”

  “I told you I’d take care of you, Bea.” I pulled back to look at her face, wiping a tear from her cheek.

  TWENTY-THREE

  Riley

  I slid into my seat just after class began. Mr. Donovan was going over our Algebra homework that I’d completely forgotten about. I could feel Tatum’s eyes burning holes into the back of my head the entire class.

  Pulling out my cell phone, I typed her a quick text message to tell her I wanted to talk to her. She didn’t respond, and when I glanced over my shoulder, I watched her drop her phone into her bag, her eyes locked on the board ahead.

  “Riley?” Mr. Donovan was staring at me, and it took me a moment to realize he’d said my name.

  “What was the question?”

  “Can you find X?”

  “Um…” I stammered as my eyes danced over the equation on the board, unable to figure out the answer in my head.

  “It’s thirty-two,” Tatum called out. I turned around to mouth thank you to her, but her eyes only narrowed.

  ***

  As class ended, I hurried to gather my things and follow Tatum out into the hall. It was obvious she was trying to get as far away from me as possible.

  “Tate,” I called after her, grabbing her arm. She yanked it from my grip as she spun around to face me.

  “My name is Tatum.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For calling me Tate or for sleeping with Bryce?” She yelled out so others around us could hear her. I stiffened, my eyes cutting to the side where several people lingered, listening in to our conversation.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Really?” She folded her arms across her chest as she glared at me. She didn’t look anything like the meek girl I’d met on my first day at Hollow Point. “I’m sure you weren’t hanging out with Knox behind my back either.”

  My eyes widened fractionally, and it was all Tatum needed to see the truth.

  “Who told you that?” I swallowed hard. “Did Knox tell you that?”

  Tatum smirked before shaking her head. “Landon did. You just confirmed it. I should have known you were a liar.”

  “Tatum, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “Clearly.” She rolled her eyes, and I glanced around at the growing crowd that gathered.

  “Please, can we just go somewhere and talk,” I lowered my voice to a whisper, hoping to diffuse some of the anger.

  “There’s nothing left to say. I just hope it was worth it. And I hope he didn’t take your for too much money to pay off his debts.” Her eyes narrowed, and the story of how they’d become so close came to the forefront of my mind. She knew things about him that could destroy his life, and I’d handed her the ammunition.

  “What are you talking about?”

  Rolling her eyes, she leaned in closer to me. “He thinks I don’t know what is going on but I’m not a freaking idiot. Neither are the guys he runs with. In fact, you’re the only person who doesn’t seem to understand that Knox will do whatever it takes to save his own ass.”

  I watched as Tatum turned and walked away before I pulled out my phone and called Knox. His phone had ringed several times before it went to voicemail. I looked around the hallway that was now emptying as people slipped into their next classes.

  “Shit,” I shoved my phone back in my bag and slipped out of the exit at the end of the hall. I hurried around the building, my heart feeling like it was going to crack my breastbone from pounding so hard. I wanted to drive straight to an airport and leave this place.

  ***

  I drove out to Hard Knox, my mind racing as I thought over the events of the last few weeks.

  I was on the verge of breaking down, and my father was still in New York with his new fiancé. I pulled into the front of the shop and parked between his bike and another vehicle. When I got out of my car, my eyes fixed on the figures on the other side of the large glass window. Knox was hugging Bea before pulling back while holding a baby between them. I took a step backward just as he glanced in my direction.

  I shook my head before rushing to my car. He handed the baby to Bea and ran to the door just as I was backing out of the lot. I raced down the road, desperate to get back to my house. My eyes flicked to my rearview mirror as his bike came into view. A car pulled out behind me, and he swerved into the oncoming lane to pass them, getting closer and closer to my car.

  Knox

  I followed behind Riley at breakneck speeds. I’ve seen other bikers die on less dangerous roads. But the look of horror on Riley’s face had ripped my heart out. I hadn’t even realized until that moment that I’d given it to her until she took off with it.

  We pulled into her driveway, and she hurried to close the gate behind her. I got off my bike, gripping the iron bars as she slipped out of her car, turning back to look at me as I screamed her name.

  “Riley, will you just talk to me?” I yelled, and I could see her face turning red as she began to cry.

  “There’s nothing to say.”

  “Bullshit.” I slammed my palm hard against the fence causing it to rattle. “Why did you come to the shop, Riley? Why? I told you to stay away.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “The fuck it doesn’t!” I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. “Why did you come after me?”

  A sob wracked her chest as she shook her head. “I just wanted to warn you that Tatum knew something was going on between us. She thinks you’re in trouble. Is that true?”

  I hung my head, pacing as I ran my fingers roughly through my hair. “Why would you even care?” I asked, and she took a step backward.

  “How could you think that I don’t?”

  My shoulders dropped. There was no doubt in my mind now that she needed to leave. I had no chance of staying out
of the club. I’d been dancing along the edge of the fire for too long, and I was going to get burned. I couldn’t drag her down with me.

  “If you need money, I can help you. Let me help you.”

  “I told you from the beginning, Riley. Your money is no good with me.”

  “Why? Why won’t you let me help you?”

  “Because I don’t want you to ever think that’s what I wanted from you. Too many people have used you, Riley.”

  “You lied to me.” Her voice was barely a whisper, and it felt like a knife had stabbed me in the chest. I’d made a promise a long time ago, and not even Tatum knew the truth.

  “It’s complicated, Princess.” I was pleading with her to trust me when I’d done nothing to deserve it.

  “But it’s not. Not really. I trusted you, and you were lying to me the entire time.”

  “Riley,” I yelled before turning around, my anger starting to get the best of me.

  “Is she yours? The baby, is she yours?”

  My head snapped back to Riley, who was now only a few feet from the gate.

  “No.” I shook my head. “She’s not.”

  Riley wiped her hand across her cheek to wipe away her tears, looking at me expectantly.

  “This is shit not even Tatum knows,” I warned. “Can you open this fucking gate?”

  I could have typed the code in myself. Piper had given it to me when we met to plan her engagement party, which was nothing more than her trying to get laid.

  She eyed me for a moment before walking over to the box and typing in the code. I shoved my hands in my pockets to keep from touching her as the gate slowly moved out of the way, and I was able to walk closer to her.

  “Bea went to a party at the club a while back. She was drinking. We all were. She had been dating Bryce for a few weeks and had her convinced he was in love with her.” I shook my head, hating that I was confessing her secrets to save my own ass. “When she got pregnant he ran. She begged me not to tell her brother, Topher, who the father was. Even after he fucking deserted her, she didn’t want the wrath of the club coming down on him.”