Clear Rules

Sora

He was everywhere, his scent making me dizzy. Was he always this intense? I distanced myself from him, courtesy of his very public claim, a little crowd was forming around us.

"You don't have to be so vulgar," I breathe out. "I was just trying to set clear rules. Important ones seeing as this facade is affecting my business."

I look down at my gown straightening a rumpled area, Kade on the other hand doesn't respond to what I just said, he only shoves a helmet into my hands and drags me to an entrance of some sort.

His back is turned to me and I can’t stop the images from last night from running through my head. God damn. The man sure knows how to please a woman, he ignited a need in me that never existed until I kissed him. God, I want those fingers working earnestly inside me. Hands clasped around my neck as he pounds—

I'm forced to a stop as my face collides straight with his back, I wince from the impact scrunching my nose to lessen the pain. We were in the building’s garage, standing right in front of my dream bike, a freaking BMW S 1000 RR. I must have been in a daze last night because I didn’t notice this beauty.

“Where’s your head at, Shadow? You know you don’t need to do all this to hug me.” He smirked climbing over the bike but my feet stayed planted to the floor. Goodness gracious, the bike was too darn beautiful to be sullied by me.

A sharp snap of fingers brings me out of my reverie, a scowl replaces my earlier awe. Why do men?

“You gonna get on or are we just… I don’t know, let you drool over Sunflower?”

“You named her Sunflower?” I ask shifting my gaze from the bike to his proud face. She is much prettier than a sunflower, and pretty dangerous too, I mean what I think doesn’t really matter.

“Do you not like it?” A frown settles on his face as he pats the bike.

I shrug, smoothing my hands over the bike. “It doesn’t really suit her wild personality, but that’s just me.”

He doesn’t respond after that, only puts on his helmet and I take it as a sign that the conversation is over. But I don’t make my way to climb, once again I’m completely baffled at how I was able to get on this bike without the care in the world, or fear.

He glances over at me, patting the little space and I groan internally, I can’t be this close to Kade but he will not let me hail a cab.

I hop onto the back, putting as much distance as I can between us.

The second I put on the helmet a voice echoes through it.

“You’re going to fall off, Shadow.”

The sound startles me so badly I nearly prove him right, my entire body jerking from surprise. Before I can embarrass myself by tumbling off the bike, Kade reaches back and grabs my wrist, dragging me forward until my knees brush against his sides.

“I’m not about to lose a girlfriend and a manager because she’s stubborn.”

“Why can I hear you?” I ask, wrapping my arms around his waist. Not tightly or anything, just enough to stop myself from dying a very stupid death.

A chuckle crackles through the helmet.

“It’s a bluetooth wired helmet, Shadow.”

I stare at the back of his helmet. “That’s it? Just Bluetooth?”

“What were you expecting?”

“I don’t know, something cooler. Maybe telepathy.”

“You think I'd willingly let you into my head?”

I roll my eyes. “Fair point.”

The bike vibrates beneath us and before I can ask another question Kade pulls out of the garage.

Holy shit.

The force of it shoves me forward and whatever tiny space existed between us disappears instantly. My arms tighten around his waist on instinct and I bury my face against his back, refusing to think about the fact that I can feel him laughing.

“See?” His voice filters through the helmet. “This is exactly why I dragged you closer.”

“I hate you.”

“And that’s what makes this even more fun.”

His dark chuckle fills my ears and I can’t help but shut my eyes, letting his hard breathing and breeze take me home.

At first I only meant to rest them for a second. My body however seems to have other plans. Between the emotional rollercoaster of yesterday, the headlines waiting for me this morning and the fact that Kade apparently possessed the stamina of a professional athlete and a demon combined, exhaustion sinks its claws into me fast.

The steady vibration of the bike beneath us doesn't help either, if anything it makes everything worse. Every passing minute has me leaning further into him, my grip around his waist tightening while my brain slowly begins to shut down.

I try to stay awake. I really do, my cheek settles against Kade's back and the last thing I register is his hand covering mine briefly where it's wrapped around his waist.

The next time I'm aware of anything, I'm floating.

At least that's what it feels like.

My body sways gently with each step and for a few blissful seconds I remain suspended somewhere between sleeping and waking, too comfortable to actually open my eyes. A familiar scent surrounds me completely, leather, cinnamon and something distinctly like spice, and before I can question why it takes far longer than it should for my sluggish brain to catch up.

I'm being carried.

The realization drags me closer to consciousness but not enough for me to move. Instead I remain exactly where I am, buried against a warm chest while voices drift toward me from somewhere nearby.

"Put her down."

The words slice through the fog instantly.

Every muscle in my body locks.

No.

Absolutely not.

There is no way in hell that is—

"She is asleep," Kade replies, sounding entirely too calm for a man currently carrying another man's best friend.

A horrible sinking feeling settles in my stomach.

Because I know that voice.

I'd know it anywhere.

"Then wake her up and put her down."

Cameron.

Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

Of all the places Kade could have taken me, of all the people I could have woken up to, somehow I end up opening my eyes to the exact person I've been trying not to think about for the last twelve hours.

At this point I'm genuinely considering pretending to be unconscious until one of them leaves.