“I tipped them off,” Keith replied. “Or at least I told Marie to tip them off.”
“The police will find Kovic then,” Kristina said.
“Yes,” Keith nodded. “And you might have to give them a statement.”
“That I can do,” Kristina nodded.
Suddenly, Keith pulled her close and hugged her hard, as though he were scared of something. After a moment, Kristina felt him kiss the top of her head. It was a tender kiss, and it held more meaning than words ever could. “I thought I might lose you tonight,” Keith said, as he pulled back and looked into her eyes.
“I was scared,” Kristina said slowly. “I was scared that I really was going to die. It didn’t hit till the last possible moment, but when it did….”
“Yes?”
“I thought of you,” Kristina said. She didn’t care if he rebuffed her now. She didn’t care if he told her they were from different worlds and there was no point to being together. She just wanted to tell him how she felt. She just wanted him to know that she loved him. “Actually you were the only one I was capable of thinking of.”
Keith looked down at her with serious eyes that were hooded with pain and loss. “I don’t think I could have survived losing you, too,” he said softly. “And now I realize why.”
“Why?” Kristina asked breathlessly.
“I tried to deny it for the longest time,” Keith started slowly. “I tried to tell myself that I was just invested because the situation was similar to what happened with Natalie. I told myself that putting an end to all this had to do with getting closure after Natalie’s death.”
“It wasn’t?”
“It was,” Keith said. “But it was more than that. I was invested…not because it had anything to do with Natalie. I was invested because it had everything to do with you. I love you, Kristina…and that might sound… crazy given how I’ve behaved and how I’ve treated you. But I love you, and I’m not going to deny it any longer.”
“Good,” Kristina said fiercely, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard.
Epilogue
Keith
Keith leaned against his bike, waiting for Kristina to meet him outside her dorm. The day had a bright vibrancy about it, but Keith was sure he was being biased. Nowadays, everything seemed to be a little brighter to him.
“Keith?”
Keith turned and found Marie standing a few feet away from him with a bag across her shoulder and a few books in her hands. She came up to him with an unfamiliar smile on her face.
“Hi Marie,” Keith greeted, taken back by the warmth in her tone. “How are you?”
“I’m good,” she replied. “More so now that Kristina is safe and sound.”
Keith nodded his agreement of that.
“How are you?”
Keith smiled. “Much, much better.”
“Kristina told me that she’s staying here… with you.”
Keith hesitated for a moment; he wondered whether her tone would turn accusatory now. “That’s what we’ve decided for the moment,” he tried to explain. “If she gets a better offer in a different state, I’m open to moving.”
“What about your… gang?”
“They’ll survive without me,” Keith said with a shrug. “We all have our own lives and our own families.”
“For the record, I think it’s a good thing that Kristina is staying with you.”
Keith raised his eyebrows. “You do?”
Marie smiled. “Yes, I do.”
“What changed?”
“A lot actually,” Marie replied. “I thought you were just some wild playboy who would use Kristina and then throw her aside when you were done. I misjudged you. I realize now how much you love her.”
“When did you realize that?”
“Around the time you asked for my help to save her,” Marie said. “I could see it in your eyes, the panic and the fear. You wouldn’t have got so involved if you didn’t love her.”
Keith smiled, gratified by Marie’s changed opinion of him.
“You know Kristina… she never had much of a family life,” Marie went on. “Her parents were off in their separate lives, and she had to fend for herself most of the time. She’s never really had someone who has put her first and looked after her the way you have.”
“Thank you, Marie,” Keith said sincerely. “That’s nice to hear.”
“Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that,” Marie said. “I guess… I’ll be seeing you around Keith.”
Keith smiled. “I’ll be seeing you.”
She walked off to her next class, and Keith waited patiently for Kristina. A few moments later, she emerged and came straight to him with that amazing smile on her face. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek and then on the lips. “Hi,” she said brightly.
“Hi,” he replied. “I ran into Marie a few minutes ago.”
“Oh?” Kristina said. “What did she say?”
“She told me that she approved of your decision to stay here with me.”
Kristina laughed. “Apparently you impressed her quite a bit by how you handled my abduction. You sold her on your sincerity.”
Keith kissed her again and helped her onto his bike. They zoomed through the streets until they reached his apartment. He had told his landlord last week that he was moving out at the end of the month. The place that he and Kristina had found was right down the road from his mother’s house. It needed a little fixing up, but Keith had no doubt that Kristina would work her magic. She was extremely resourceful and she had already found a great job. It was about forty minutes away, but Keith had no problem dropping her off and picking her up each day. In fact, he was actually looking forward to it.
His apartment was almost empty. He and Kristina had moved all his stuff into his mother’s house until their new home was ready. The only thing that remained was the single bed that was pushed up against the wall. Kristina sunk down onto it and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Tomorrow’s the big day,” he reminded her. “Are you ready to graduate?”
“I am actually,” Kristina nodded. “Are you ready?”
“Me?” Keith asked in confusion. “Ready for what?”
“To meet my parents,” Kristina, said, waggling her eyebrows teasingly.
Keith groaned and collapsed into bed beside her. “Do I have a choice?”
“Not much of one,” Kristina said. “But you might as well be prepared.”
“They’re going to hate me, aren’t they?” Keith asked.
“Yes,” Kristina replied honestly. “But it doesn’t matter. What matters is how I feel about you.”
Keith smiled, knowing that she was right, that was all that mattered. “I have a graduation present for you,” he said, as he pushed himself back so that he could see her face clearly.
“Really?” Kristina asked looking surprised. “What is it?”
Keith pulled off his shirt and straightened himself so that Kristina could see the latest addition to his collection of tattoos.
“Oh my God,” Kristina breathed as she took in the new tattoo inked right across Keith’s heart. “You tattooed my name?”
“I did,” Keith nodded. “What do you think?”
“I think that’s… huge,” Kristina breathed.
“It felt right.”
“I can’t believe you did that,” Kristina said, smiling as she pulled him on top of her. They fell back onto the bed, and Keith leaned in and kissed her slowly. He ran his tongue over her lower lip and felt her shiver beneath him. Slowly, he reached his hand down and slipped it under her skirt. He slid his finger into her and heard her moan with pleasure as her eyes closed.
He started kissing her neck, as he undid the buttons of her blouse with his teeth. She was wet within seconds, and Keith knew she was ready for him. Still, he delayed the moment, wanting to make it last as long as possible.
“Oh Keith,” she breathed, and the sound of his name on her lips sent the blood rushing straight to his c
ock. He pulled her blouse off and undid her bra, all the while exploring her with his finger. She was moaning and writhing beneath him, and he felt his dick harden in response.
Her hands searched for him and pushed his trousers off before she squeezed his erection hard. Keith felt the excitement build and the desire to be inside her overtook him. He pulled down her panties and pushed himself inside her hard and without hesitation. She yelled at the urgency of his entry, but he saw her smile in equal pleasure. He fucked her hard, slowing down every time he threatened to lose control. She gripped at him, her nails clawing at the skin on his back. Every so often, her fingers would find the spot where her name was tattooed, and she would brush over it with her fingers.
He could feel her begin to come alive underneath him. He felt her start to take control, and he surrendered himself to her every whim. She pushed herself up, and they flipped over so that Kristina was straddling him. He was so deep inside her that it felt as though they were one person. There was no sense of shyness about her. She owned her body and her beauty. She rode him with fierce confidence, her breasts bouncing up and down with the force of her movement.
It was hard for Keith to hold on, but he gritted his teeth and prevented himself from coming too soon. He wanted to be able to make her climax; there was nothing so satisfying as watching her at the peak of climax. It was like music… her eyes rolled back in her head, her fingers and toes curled up, her body shivered in violent bursts of passion and little explosions went off like fireworks inside her. If Keith could bottle up that feeling, he would have.
As Kristina climaxed slowly, she bent down towards Keith, and he grabbed her around the middle and pummeled into her with renewed force. She grabbed him in an attempt to anchor herself as scream after scream escaped her. She gripped at his chest, his arms, his neck. She kissed him tenderly, passionately, and wildly, and Keith couldn’t get enough of her. He had missed this kind of intimacy; he had missed the kind of intimacy that came from knowing you were committed to one person and that was so much better than meaningless sex with a hundred strangers.
They lay together, their sweat mingling, their hands intertwined, their breathing fusing together, and Keith kissed the top of Kristina’s head as she lay in the crook of his arm. The silence was broken suddenly when an unfamiliar beep screeched through the room.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Google alert,” Kristina replied as she checked her phone. Then she looked at Keith pointedly.
“What?” he asked.
“Apparently there’s breaking news that a prostitution ring has been broken up along the border,” Kristina told him. “A few men have been taken into custody, and police will be investigating the case.”
“Is that so?” Keith said with suppressed satisfaction.
“The police are speculating that the men are part of a gang known as the Rusted Chains.”
“Interesting,” Keith said. “Did they mention anything about their leader?”
“They did,” Kristina replied. “Anton Kovic was sentenced this morning. There was a whole load of evidence against him. Apparently he was responsible for several murders in the last year alone. He was the one who ratted out the rest of his gang for a lesser sentence.”
“How much did he get?” Keith asked.
Kristina looked back at her phone and read through the alert quickly. “He escaped the death penalty because of the information he gave the cops,” Kristina told him. “But he’s still looking at a life sentence… guess he is scared to die after all.”
“What?” Keith asked.
“Nothing,” Kristina said shaking her head. “Looks like his days as top dog are over.”
“He was never top dog,” Keith said. “He just thought he was. Now he’s going to have to spend the rest of his life behind bars, fighting off real bullies. Let’s see how well he does on his own.”
Kristina nodded and turned her head into Keith’s chest. “I’m glad that’s over.”
“Me too,” Keith said sincerely. “Let’s talk about more interesting things… like your graduation.”
Kristina smiled as she propped herself up on her elbow. “Thank you for my graduation present,” she said as she traced her fingers over her name. “It’s… the most meaningful gift anyone’s ever given me.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Keith said. He stared at her face, admiring every inch of it. “Kristina?” he said.
“Yes?”
“Are you sure you want to stay here with me?”
Kristina looked at him seriously. “I have never been surer of anything in my entire life,” she said with conviction. “This is where I’m meant to be.”
“I don’t want to feel like I’m holding you back.”
“You’re not,” Kristina said immediately. “I don’t want to stick to the plan anymore. I don’t want to follow the rulebook. This is my life, and I’m going to make up my own rules. I’m not staying here because of you, I’m staying here for me.”
Keith nodded. “Good,” he said. “That’s all I wanted to hear.”
Keith had a fleeting image of Natalie, and he realized with a start that her memory didn’t hurt him anymore. He had finally let her go, and in the act, he had also freed himself. Keith realized now that he was free to move on and be happy.
He would always love Natalie, but she was his past. He was in love with Kristina now, and she was his future.
THE END
OTHER WORKS BY OLIVIA STEPHENS
She never knew how good it felt to be wrecked in the best way possible.
Until she met me…
I’m bad news—I ruin everything I touch.
She was innocent—too innocent and good to get caught up in all of this.
But from the moment I saw her, I couldn’t get her out of my mind.
No matter how hard she tries to push me away, she can’t hide the soft moans from her lips each time her body presses against mine.
There’s a hellcat hiding under that good girl disguise.
I’ll enjoy every moment of letting her out.
I just have to wreck the good girl first.
***
I MAKE DIGNIFIED WOMEN DO UNDIGNIFIED THINGS.
Especially a high-maintenance one like Poppy Landrieu.
I’ve got no patience for some stuck-up movie star who thinks she can saunter into my town and start telling me what to do.
So imagine my surprise when I’m told that i have to keep her safe.
To never let her out of my sight.
She might drive me up the wall, but I’ll be damned if she doesn’t drive me wild
The trouble is: once I got a taste of her, I can’t stop myself coming back for more.
And I won’t stop until she’s mine.
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Tempted: The Numb MC Page 51
