Hot Summer School Night (No Quarter Book 1) by Michelle Mankin

Author:Michelle Mankin [Mankin, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Michelle Mankin
Published: 2021-07-06T16:00:00+00:00

Kyle

Leaving the school with Claire, my mood was light. But returning, it was heavy. The inevitable end to our time together was coming, and I didn’t want it to arrive.

I slowed the motorbike to catch every stoplight, and made two wrong turns on purpose. I leaned unnecessarily deep into curves, savoring the tightening of her limbs around me. I asked her for directions, even though I knew the way, just so I could stroke her soft skin and squeeze her delicate hands to acknowledge her reply.

Despite all my effort, my tactics were only delays. To my dismay, we arrived much too soon back to where we should never have started.

“Thank you,” she said and climbed off. Like before, she glided her hands across my shoulders. And like before, her touch left a pleasurable burn behind. Only now, there was also pain I probably should have tried harder to avoid.

“You’re welcome.” Kicking the stand down, I climbed off. Probably and shouldn’t didn’t apply. None of what I knew did when it came to her. “Claire.”

In two strides, I reached her and spun her around. Small buds of baby’s breath fell, the few that remained of them in her braid. Tiny white blooms, confetti for a celebration cut short, they scattered on the dark asphalt.

“What? I thought we already said good-bye.” Her chin down, she stared at her upper arm where my fingers gripped her.

She didn’t want to focus on me. I got that. I got that she was hurt about our time together being over. I hurt too, like a voodoo doll with a million sharp pins sticking out of me. The choices I’d made had cursed me. But at least now, here at the end, I was doing the right thing.

“I need you to look at me,” I said softly. Grasping her by both arms, I pulled her toward me. The sweet bloom of her wildflower scent washed over me. My heart raced, much like we had on the bike.

“Okay.” She lifted her head. Seeing hurt shimmer in her eyes like dewdrops on broken earth, those sharp pins twisted deeper.

“I’m sorry I can’t stay. I have to go.”

Running into one of Strader’s minions at the burger place shook me. It was a reality check, an unwelcome reminder that Claire’s world and mine were as different as day and night. Sure, there were overlaps at dawn and dusk when the differences weren’t as stark, but our paths were never meant to cross. I was a dealer. Valuable stuff passed through my hands. The few moments I’d spent with Claire weren’t mine to keep. Nothing of value ever was.

“I’m sorry too.” Her lush bottom lip trembled.

“Oh hell,” I muttered, my resolve crumbling.

In my head, I knew what I should do, but with her this close, I couldn’t do it. My dick didn’t care about any of that—it just wanted to be inside her.

And there was another hungering part of me she stirred that couldn’t be ignored. My heart. It was starving, wasting away, a pitiable shrunken thing.

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