"Anyway, that's not why I brought you here," Asher said.
He pulled something out of his pocket. Asher took my hand and pressed something onto my finger. A ring.
My heart boomed in my chest. He couldn't be. Not here, not now! Still, something inside of me hoped that what I was thinking was real.
"Of course it doesn't fit!" Asher laughed.
He tried it on finger after finger until finally it slipped onto my pinky. The tiny golden band glittered in the faint light. It had two hands holding a crowned heart in their palms.
"I was going to give it to you back then," Asher said. "Well, I was going to give you a Pop Rock first, but I thought this was better. I wanted you to remember how I felt."
I looked at the ring, bringing my hand up to my face. I imagined Asher scraping together odd jobs just to afford this tiny thing. That was the sort of thing that crazy young guys did. But did it mean anything now?
"Thank you," I said. "It's beautiful."
The look he gave me burned. Asher's eyes told me that there was something else to be said, but his lips were sealed shut.
"You don't have to keep it if you don't want it," he said. "It was yours, so I thought I'd give it to you."
Asher was out of the room before I had time to say anything else. He left me in the small space, with his words lingering in the air.
When I went back upstairs, Asher acted as if nothing had happened. He laughed with the other riders, not even looking in my direction.
I twisted the ring on my finger, and my heart hurt.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE NEXT DAY WE started the same cycle again. The guys went out, guns in hand and ready to fight. I tended the wounded and tried not to let the feeling swimming in my heart overwhelm me.
It was hard, because every moment the ring on my pinky reminded me. The small band felt heavy on my hand. It seemed to tinkle against everything I touched, making metal and glass clink as my hand rested on it.
But it was just a gift from a middle school boy, right? That's all.
Around noon, I nibbled on an energy bar myself. There wasn't anything else to be done, so I simply waited for night to fall. Then the bikers would come back, we would go to sleep, then we would start this whole thing again.
Just how long was I going to be stuck here for?
A noise jolted me out my boredom. At first, I assumed I was imagining things, but then the noise got louder. I heard shouts and yelling loud in the building.
Shit. Had the Tarantulas found us?
I ran behind a large storage container, trying to hide. As the noise came closer, all the muscles in my body tensed. I got ready to run.
"Asher! I owe you a beer!"
Mav? The Dark Riders came up the stairs. They looked just as bad as they always did, but this time they were smiling.
"Let's get the heck out of here, " Mav said. "I'm tired of eating energy bars all day."
We were leaving?
"Lilly?" Asher called out.
I stepped from behind the storage unit, my face burning. I couldn't believe I thought they were Tarantulas.
"Um, what were you doing back there?"
"Oh, nothing! Just organizing some stuff..You know…"
My voice trailed off and I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. I don't even know why I was embarrassed. Everyone else was too excited to pay attention to me.
They picked up their belongings and shuffled downstairs. Each of the Dark Riders was in a hurry to get out.
Mav clapped Asher on the shoulder.
"See you outside, Wild." He gave him a smile and made his way out with the others. When he was gone, we were all alone and the warehouse was a disorderly mess.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"It's over," Asher said.
He walked behind me and circled his arms around my body.
"It's all over. We're done with the Tarantulas and you're safe."
Asher's body was tight against mine. His sweat dripped onto my skin, covering me in his scent. It was strange, but I didn't mind. It felt too good pressed against him for me to care.
His arms looped right below my breasts, squeezing them against my chest. Asher brought his head down until his face nestled in the crook of my neck. I wanted him so badly that I could barely breathe.
"So that means I can go home?" I asked.
Asher's crotch pushed against my ass. Even through his jeans, I could feel him. His hardness prodded me and he gave me a small, slow kiss on the neck.
"If you want," he said.
His breath was warm and tickled my skin. When Asher took my earlobe in his mouth, a flow of warmth came over my body. It shot down my neck and straight between my legs.
What did I want?
"Lilly," Asher said, "I couldn't say anything before all of this was over but…"
His words stopped. Asher cocked his head to the side and took a deep breath. He sniffed. A strange whoosh of air blew through the warehouse. Then a boom.
The floor shook. We didn't have to say anything, but we both knew what was happening. The toy shop was on fire.
Flames started to shoot up the walls before we could make a move. Smoke curled around us, choking our lungs and blinding our eyes. My mind raced. What should I do? Stop, drop, and roll. Isn't that what they taught us in school?
"Lily!" Asher yelled.
He grabbed me and picked me up, carrying me through the burning toy shop. The fire was even worse downstairs, where children's playthings melted into giant piles of plastic. The smoke there was noxious, and burned my throat.
We rushed towards the exit, but it was blocked. A wall of fire stood in our way, as if it was placed there deliberately.
You know, when somebody does something you never expected them to, time stops. I saw Asher wrap his leather jacket around me in slow motion. He curled his body around me and took a few steps back.
Just for a few seconds all I could see were Asher and the fire. When he jumped in, we were surrounded. Everything was impossibly hot. Somehow, time stood still and I saw tongues of flame lick Asher's body.
Then we were out. Cool air hit us and time sped up again. We tumbled out of the toy shop onto the concrete. Had he really just jumped through a wall of fire? For me?
"Asher!"
I turned over and held his face in my hands, looking for burns. He smiled.
"No problem. Piece of cake, " he said.
We didn't have long for a romantic reunion. The moment the other bikers saw he was safe, they were on him.
"This is your fault!" Joel yelled. He came up to Asher, stomping as he walked. "If it wasn't for your obsession with this bitch none of this would have happened! We would have never been here and the toy store wouldn't be burning to the ground!"
That was all it took for everyone to join in.
"Yeah," another guy yelled. "You know how she's supposed to become a real old lady."
Someone grabbed me. Hairy arms held me still while lips tasting of beer and stale breath invaded my mouth. My screams were muffled by the disgusting kiss.
"She's mine!"
I was only half aware of Asher's yell. His first punch landed on the guy's temple. He fell and landed at my feet, bleeding from the head.
The next punch wasn't Asher's, it was Joel's. He swung, Trying to hit Asher in the stomach but he dodged the punch. But soon there were too many people crowding around him to dodge them all.
That's when I heard the shot. The sound was louder than anything else, echoing through the air. The whole fight stopped. No one knew who had done it.
Then I saw him. Asher falling to the ground.
And that's when everything went black.
END BOOK ONE
***
About The Author:
Elsa Day loves writing stories about characters just begging to discover adulthood. Her books have romance, angst, and just the right amount of spice!
When she's not writing, Elsa can probably be found chugging tea, listeni
ng to international music, and baking sweets. She enjoys sketching, painting, and photography, but writing will always be her first love.
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