Kieran’s arms wrapped tighter around her waist. Autumn’s breath hitched.
She tried to hit his back with her fists but before she could , he hauled her up higher,rubbing her front against his bare chest.
His skin was still hot...fever hot she supposed...his muscles coiled like a predator’s, and the scent of him flooded her senses. She hadn’t even realised that she had closed her eyes, breathing it in deeper. And when she did, she opened her eyes with a jerk, damn mad at herself!
"What the hell... !" she snapped, squirming." I said put me down! "
Kieran didn’t stop. Only laughed a little louder. "No."
And then he was moving even faster.Autumn noticed he had taken off bare footed. His feet crunched over the brittle remains of the burnt field.
The earth there was scorched black.The air was still thick with the acrid scent of old fire and something else. He wrapped his other hand around her as well,while he scanned the now barren land. His nostrils flared like he could still smell the remnants of whatever had happened there.
Autumn twisted in his arms trying to follow his gaze,her palms braced against his shoulders. "I can walk, you know!"
"Not fast enough," he muttered, eyes still narrowed down at something in the distance.
She huffed. "Oh, so now you are in a hurry to meet your lover?What was her name, Selene..right?After nearly snapping my neck back there?"
His jaw ticked, but he did not look at her. "I wasn’t myself.And that’s why I need to make her pay! "
"No kidding," she shot back, but her voice lacked its usual bite. Because despite everything...despite the rage, the violence,she could not deny the comfort she felt in the way his hands felt around her.
And that pissed her off more than anything... despite taking away her pain!
Kieran finally stopped at the edge of the field, where a rusted, weather beaten but large shed stood.It looked like an old garage.It’s metal doors half collapsed. He kicked one open with his foot and the hinges started screeching in protest.
Dust swirled in the dim light, revealing the silhouette of something massive beneath a tattered shroud.
Kieran dropped Autumn momentarily onto her feet, without prior notice of course.She barely caught herself before stumbling into him. "Asshole," she muttered, rubbing her arms where his grip had left marks!
He ignored her, striding forward and yanking the shroud away with one sudden pull.
Beneath it sat a beast of a machine...a heavy duty cruiser, an ancient predecessor of Harley Davidson perhaps, its blackened chrome still gleaming faintly beneath years of grime.
Kieran let out a low whistle, running a hand over the handlebars. "Ahh. These babies have been lying here since the wars. Never thought I would be using one anytime soon."
War? Autumn knew of no war... perhaps it was before she was born... she guessed! Because she had known petrol was more expensive than precious metal, since the day of her birth. Only the filthy rich could afford a car!
Autumn blinked at the machine! "You are joking,right? " She could easily tell the beast gobbled gallons of petrols!
He glanced at her, a smirk tugging at his lips. "You would rather walk?"
She opened her mouth to argue, but he was already straddling the bike, his bare thighs flexing as he kicked it to life.Luckily , he was wearing a pretty decent boxer, otherwise,things would have looked even more...you know...out of hand!
The engine roared to life with a deafening growl, vibrating through the ground beneath her feet, matching Kieran’s enthusiastic war cry.
He jerked his chin at her. "Get on."
"No way," she said, crossing her arms. "I said I have no interest in meeting..."
He revved the engine so hard the rest of her words drowned. Of course he did it on purpose and Autumn was pissed.
Then he gave her a look...one that said ’try me’.
Autumn exhaled sharply. "Fine. But if you get me killed, I am haunting your ass forever."
Kieran’s smirk deepened. "I wouldn’t mind...now hop on! Quit wasting my time."
She climbed on behind him, her thighs bracketing his hips, and immediately realized her mistake.
There was no space. No barrier. Just the heat of his bare skin against hers, the way his back muscles shifted as he adjusted his grip on the handles.
"Hold on," he said, voice rough.
"To what?" she snapped, her hands hovering awkwardly near his waist.
Kieran glanced over his shoulder, his golden eyes glinting. "You figure it out."
Then he gunned the throttle.
The bike lurched forward, and Autumn let out a yelp, her arms flying around his waist, her chest slamming into his back.
Kieran let out a laugh...a deep, wicked sound that rumbled through her.
"Oh, you bastard!" she hissed, clinging tighter as the bike tore through the rough terrain, jolting over rocks and ruts.Her boobs literally bounced and pressed on his back, alternatively!
"You saying you don’t like it?" he called over the wind, voice teasing.
"I am saying you are doing this on purpose!"
Another hard rev, another burst of speed.
Autumn’s grip tightened, her fingers digging into the hard ridges of his abdomen. She could feel every breath he took, every shift of his body beneath hers.
And goddess, he knew it as well!
Kieran leaned into a sharp turn, and she had no choice but to press even closer, her thighs squeezing his hips, her cheek pressed between his shoulder blades. His scent filled her lungs directly with wild, untamed, dangerous... desires! Shit!
"What exactly are we going to do after meeting her? Have tea at her house?" She asked, trying to divert her mind...her voice barely audible over the engine.
Kieran did not answer. Not with words.
But she felt it...the way his muscles tensed, the way his breath hitched when her nails scraped against his skin.
And then, just to prove that he indeed was a fucking bastard, he hit another rough patch, sending the bike airborne for a heartbeat.
Autumn shrieked, her arms locking around him, clutching hard for dear life!
Kieran’s laugh was pure sin. "That’s it, little wolf. Hold on tight.Don’t get too talkative! You know what I hate! "
Her teeth gritted. "I hate you."
"Ah...liar liar, pants on fire! You never learn,little thief! Though I wouldn’t mind you without pants...you see..."
" Not right now, darling! I am a little preoccupied!"