Tempted: The Numb MC

by Olivia Stephens

  “What are you suggesting?” Keith asked, leaning in.

  “Contact our remaining charters,” Miles said. “And tell them to prepare for war.”

  Chapter Ten

  Keith

  Keith went to sleep thinking about gang wars and woke up thinking about Kristina. He felt a strange sadness in realizing that she had managed somehow, to replace Natalie in his early morning stupors of confusion. Despite the sadness, there was a feeling of freedom that was tied to it. Keith no longer felt as claustrophobic and that made him strangely hopeful. The down side was that it heightened his need to see Kristina again.

  He recalled their meeting—now almost two weeks ago—when she had found him beaten, bruised, and bloodied, and she had taken him to her room to patch him up. It was amazing the things he remembered about her. They were little details that got stuck in a person’s head after a certain level of intimacy had been established. Like the way Kristina had smelled, she had smelled of cinnamon and pinecones. She had smelt like a fresh winter’s day, and yet somehow, she managed to radiate warmth.

  That was not all that lingered in Keith’s mind. He recalled in perfect detail the way her hands had felt as they had washed away the blood and cleaned all his wounds. Her touch was soft and gentle. She touched him as though she were scared he would break. Keith was not used to that feeling, the feeling of being taken care of. He had always looked out for himself, and in most circumstances, he had been the one to look after others.

  It felt strange, sitting in Kristina’s room, surrounded by her life and all the little things that it comprised of, but Keith realized he was interested in everything. While she cleaned his wounds, he took notice of her whimsical bed sheets, the alternative rock band on her laptop screensaver, the frame on her desk, hugging the image of Kristina with her parents. They were all clues that made up the whole, and when Keith had finished his observation of her, he realized with a start that she was far from a mystery anymore.

  While this knowledge might have alarmed him once, it no longer held the same weight. There was a resigned acceptance that came with knowing that Kristina was not a stranger anymore, and she probably would never be. She had sneaked into his life slowly, so slowly in fact that he hadn’t even noticed. Chance and circumstance and kept pushing them together, and now she was cemented into his mind.

  Keith closed his eyes for a moment and recalled the last time they had met. She had been wearing dark jeans that hugged her hips perfectly and a tan sweater that clung to her body. He tried to picture what their walk to her dorm must have looked like—a massive man leaning against a woman half his size. Strangely, it had not felt that way to Keith in the moment. At that point, Kristina had felt like the giant. She had supported him without one complaint or expression of discomfort. She had been the rock that had steadied his labored breathing and worried thoughts. If it had not been for her presence, Keith wasn’t sure what he would have attempted.

  Once she had patched him up and he was feeling better however, Keith’s anger had abated and sense had slowly crept back into the forefront of his mind. He knew he could not attempt to get close to Kovic again so soon, and he realized that he needed to be smart in order to achieve his end goal. He still wanted revenge on the man. That had not changed. What had changed was the knowledge that his actions would set off a chain reaction that would affect everyone who surrounded him, so he had to be careful. He had to protect those he cared about. It only mildly surprised him that he now included Kristina in that group.

  It was on the heels of this thought that he recalled the last few moments in Kristina’s dorm room. He could feel the moment before it had happened. She was asking about him; she was interested in his past, in his life and in his choices. He could see the interest; the curiosity burn behind her eyes, and it lit this fire inside him that he couldn’t quite understand. He answered her questions as best he could, and he could see the respect in her eyes grow. He felt his breast swell with pride, as her reactions turned emotional and she started to lean towards him.

  Keith understood three things in that moment. The first was that Kristina was going to kiss him. The second was that he desperately wanted her to kiss him, and the third was that he was terrified of what would happen afterwards. It was the last thought that dominated, and in the end, he had pulled away and made an abrupt departure. So abrupt in fact, that he had not even bothered to thank her for the way she had helped him.

  Keith opened his eyes, but her face was still looming in front of him, a constant reminder that his life was starting to change. Keith tried to shake away her image, but even after he had washed, dressed, and eaten breakfast, Kristina’s image still lingered.

  “I should thank her,” Keith whispered to himself.

  He got on his motorcycle and sat there for a few minutes, wondering whether he should head straight for the garage or if he should head in the direction of the campus. He battled with himself for a long time before he finally admitted defeat and wheeled his bike around towards Kristina. It took him less than ten minutes to get there. The dorm was more crowded than the last time he had been up there, and he didn’t miss the passing glances and the suspicious stares he was afforded by the students who passed him in the halls.

  He made it to Kristina’s dorm room and knocked once. When the door opened, it was not Kristina that stood before him, but a taller woman with light eyes and dark hair. The expression of annoyance on her face froze there for a moment before it turned into one of worry.

  “Who are you?” she asked in a tone that suggested she already knew.

  “My name is Keith,” Keith replied. “I’m… a friend of Kristina’s.”

  “A friend?” the girl replied, as though she didn’t believe it. “Are you from Lee and Seton Motors?”

  “Yes,” Keith nodded. “Are you the roommate?”

  She narrowed her eyes infinitesimally. “I am,” she said. “The name’s Marie.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Keith said in an attempt to be cordial.

  “Kristina’s not here,” Marie said abruptly.

  “When will she be back?” Keith asked.

  “I… not anytime soon,” Marie said a little too quickly.

  “You’re a bad liar.”

  “And you shouldn’t be here,” Marie countered without missing a beat.

  “Why not?” Keith demanded. “It’s a free country.”

  “That doesn’t give you the right to do whatever the hell you want,” Marie said pointedly, and Keith got the feeling that she had read up on all the local news clippings about the gangs in the area. “Freedom only goes so far.”

  Keith smiled peaceably, trying to calm her down. “I just wanted to give Kristina a message,” he said.

  “I can give it to her,” Marie said.

  “I’d rather tell her myself if it’s all the same to you,” Keith said. “If she’s not going to be long, I think I’ll wait.”

  “You’ll wait?” Marie asked, raising her eyebrows.

  “Don’t worry,” Keith said with a shrug. “I can wait out here. Feel free to slam the door in my face.”

  Marie stood there and stared at him for a moment. She looked as though she were trying to figure out what to do. “Maybe you should just come another time,” she suggested finally.

  “I have a little free time now,” Keith said pleasantly. “I can wait.”

  Marie stuck her head out and looked back and forth down the hall. A few students milled about. “Oh, all right, come in then,” she snapped. “I don’t want people thinking…. things.”

  “What things?” Keith asked, amused by her reactions.

  “Just… things,” Marie said evasively, as she avoided his eyes.

  “Do you spend a lot of time worrying about what people think?” Keith asked conversationally, as he sunk onto Kristina’s bed without invitation.

  “No… I… normal people usually do,” Marie said huffily, as she sat at her desk and turned her back to him.

  “Sounds lik
e a waste of time in my opinion,” Keith told her.

  “You would think so.”

  “You talk as though you know me,” Keith said calmly. “You don’t.”

  “Oh, I’ve known plenty of guys like you,” Marie countered. “You’re all made from the same mold.”

  “That’s rather a stereotypical view to take,” Keith said. “I would expect more from an educated young woman like yourself.”

  “Don’t patronize me,” Marie said, as she swirled around to face him. “Kristina is my best friend, and we have always had each other’s backs. She’s a good person, and she doesn’t deserve to be hurt.”

  “I don’t intend to hurt her,” Keith said quietly.

  “That might not be your intention,” Marie said. “But it might be an inevitability. She was brought up in a different world with different values. She’s not capable of handling the kind of world you live in or the kind of lifestyle you have. She’s going through something of a… graduation crisis if you will, and that’s made her want to… experiment a little. But this is just a phase that will pass. You’d better not think for a moment that she actually has any real feelings for you.”

  Keith kept his expression neutral and unconcerned as he regarded Marie, but there was a small part of him that hoped she was wrong and feared she was right. “I told you before, I’m just a friend of Kristina’s. There are no feelings involved.”

  “Didn’t you two sleep together?”

  “She told you about that?”

  “She tells me everything,” Marie replied haughtily.

  “Yes, well… sex and love don’t always keep the same company do they?” Keith said with a wink. He had the satisfaction of seeing Marie’s face scrunch up in distaste before she turned from him again.

  “You’re a pig,” she snapped.

  Keith laughed. “Kristina is a big girl. She’s capable of making her own decisions…and she chose to fuck me that night without any expectations or any hope of a relationship. It was just about being free and satisfied and leaving behind the baggage. You know, you should really try it. Casual sex might loosen you up a bit.”

  “I have plenty,” Marie said defensively. “This is not about me.”

  “Then what is it about?” Keith asked.

  “It’s about the fact that you’re not good enough for Kristina,” Marie said harshly.

  Keith fell silent for a moment. He knew immediately that she was right about that. Kristina was too good for him, but somehow he still couldn’t manage to rise from her bed and walk away. He could ask Marie to give her his thanks and leave right now, but that would mean not seeing her, and he wasn’t prepared to do that.

  “I know,” he said at last, because Marie’s statement demanded some form of reply.

  Perhaps it was the confirmation in Keith’s eyes, perhaps it was the way in which he said the words, but Marie’s eyes softened and she leaned back in her seat. “I just don’t want you to hurt her.”

  “I know,” Keith nodded again.

  They were still sitting in silence when the door opened and Kristina walked in. At first she didn’t see Keith lying there on her bed. She gave Marie a smile and dropped her bag to the floor. When she saw Keith sitting there, she froze in place, her expression turning to shock.

  “Keith?” she said, as though she wanted to be sure.

  “Hello, Kristina,” Keith said as he straightened up.

  “What are you doing here?” Kristina asked, as she moved her eyes between Marie and Keith.

  “I came to talk to you,” Keith said, throwing an unwelcome glance in Marie’s direction.

  Kristina cleared her throat and turned to Marie. “Don’t you have lectures all evening?” she asked pointedly, and Keith breathed an internal sigh of relief to discover that she wasn’t upset to find him in her dorm room.

  “They don’t start for another hour,” Marie said, matching Kristina’s tone.

  Keith saw Kristina shoot Marie a telling look. “Marie…” she said slowly.

  Marie gave a sigh of defeat. “I’ll get going now… then I can grab some coffee, too.”

  “Ok,” Kristina said, as though she hadn’t just pushed Marie towards the early exit.

  Marie slipped on a coat, threw a bag over her shoulder, and grabbed a few books that had been scattered along her bed. Keith thought she would make a quiet exit, but at the last second she turned at the door and looked at Kristina. “Kris, could I have a word with you outside, please?”

  Kristina nodded without expression and followed Marie outside, leaving Keith alone in the room. He tried to make out their conversation, but he could hear nothing except for unintelligible murmuring. He didn’t bother to try harder than that, mainly because he had a fairly good idea what Marie was saying about him. A part of him didn’t blame her. She was right on many accounts. The worlds that he and Kristina came from were entirely separate, as different as night and day. She was right about the fact that Kristina was too good for him as well, but he had no idea how to alter that fact.

  He thought about what he was really doing here. The thank you had been an excuse—and he knew it. The honest truth was that he had simply wanted to see Kristina again. She calmed him in a way that no one had been able to, at least not since Natalie. It was strange, but even thinking of Natalie had gotten easier somehow, as though the wound was not as fresh as it had once been. Keith wondered if that was a new development, or it had happened a while ago and he had only just noticed.

  Finally, the door opened again and Kristina walked in alone, unencumbered by her friend. She was avoiding his gaze for some reason, and she wore an expression that came close to embarrassment. “I see you met Marie,” Kristina said with a soft chuckle.

  “She’s quite the spitfire,” Keith said without mincing words. “Has she always been that… outspoken?”

  “Only about the things she’s passionate about,” Kristina replied. “And she’s always been a loyal friend.”

  “Well… that I can respect.”

  Kristina nodded. Then she looked up after a few moments had passed. “What are you doing here, Keith?”

  Keith stood slowly. He felt like a giant in the small room, and he resisted the urge to sit down again. “I realized that I never thanked you for what you did for me last week,” he started off shakily. “I just left. It was less than you deserved.”

  “I just followed your instructions,” Kristina said. “I didn’t do much.”

  “You didn’t insist on calling the police or taking me to the hospital,” Keith said. “And you brought me back here, instead of leaving me on the streets like any other person would have done.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Kristina said with a shrug. “There are a lot of nice people out there.”

  “Maybe in the world you live in,” Keith said. “But not in mine.”

  He saw Kristina’s face fall slightly, and he kicked himself internally. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “No… you didn’t,” Kristina said. “It’s just that… you and I… we’re very different aren’t we?”

  “We are,” Keith nodded. “But I don’t know that that’s necessarily a bad thing.”

  Kristina looked as though she were unsure. “See, that’s what I’ve been trying to figure out these last few weeks.”

  “What have you been trying to figure out?”

  “How can something you want so much… be bad?” Kristina said softly.

  Keith felt his pulse race as he took in her words. “What exactly… do you want that badly?”

  They looked each other in the eye for a long moment. There was something brazen, open, and seductive about the way Kristina was looking at him. There was an unspoken challenge in the air; Keith could sense it tickling at his skin, making him aware of his body.

  “You,” Kristina said. “Ever since I first saw you at Lee and Seton… I’ve only ever wanted you.”

  That was all the invitation that Keith needed. He encircled Kristina’
s waist in one hand without having to take a step forward, and he pulled her to him with force. She crashed into him, her hands reaching for his face before he leaned down to her. They had not kissed before that moment. The night they had fucked had been only about their bodies, but this time it was different. There was more involved here than just sex. There was an intimacy that had not existed before.

  They were no longer strangers who had no expectation of seeing each other after the moment had passed. They were invested in the now, but they were invested in the events that followed as well. Keith felt her hands tangle into his hair, and he pulled her closer as his hand stumbled over the zipper of her jeans.

  “Wait,” Kristina said suddenly, as she pushed him away from her.