I reach in and pull her into a seated position. When I see that she’s breathing, my pulse starts to calm down.
“Are you okay?” I ask, searching her body for signs of injuries. There’s a bump on her forehead, but I don’t see any blood, and she doesn’t look like she’s in pain; mostly, she just looks like she’s scared out of her fucking mind.
She looks at me, and when her eyes meet mine, it’s like a punch in the gut one hundred times stronger than the one I just received. It takes the wind out of me. All I see is innocence – pure innocence and beauty. A beauty that should be impossible.
Carefully, I brush her hair out of her face, and for a brief moment, I feel like I’m looking at my future. Maybe I was wrong about her. Maybe she isn’t the stuck-up bitch I thought she was. Is it possible that a girl like this could actually love me? But then her eyes shift and an expression comes over her face and I instantly remember who I am.
“Get your hands off me,” she snaps as she fumbles for her cell phone. “I’m calling the police!”
The rage returns. A fire starts to burn inside me. I snatch her phone from her and stuff it in my jacket pocket.
“No,” I tell her. “I just saved your life, princess. And you’re not going anywhere.”
1
Bryce
“Let go of me!” Lucy yelps as I pull her out of the crumpled G-Wagon. From the looks of it, it’s probably totaled. The whole front is fucked. It doesn’t matter, though; her daddy will just buy her another one.
“Stop struggling,” I growl at her. She’s fighting with everything she’s got, but it’s nowhere near enough. But I’m sick of her thrashing around and just throw her over my shoulder and carry her to my bike.
“What the fuck is this!?” she shouts, pounding her fists against my back. “Let me go, you pervert!”
“Pervert?!” I laugh. “Did you even notice the real pervert who was stalking you for the last half hour? You know where you’d be right now if I hadn’t stepped in? Probably zip-tied in a basement somewhere while that creep did who-knows-what to you!”
Still holding her, I climb onto my bike and let her slide down onto the seat behind me. She tries to get off, but I grab her by both legs and plant her in the saddle.
“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be,” I tell her, trying not to smile at the fact that she still believes she can escape me.
“So you save my life and now you kidnap me?” she blurts out. “So what – you can do what he was going to do to me?”
I glance back over my shoulder, stone-faced, my eyes firm.
“I am nothing like that son of a bitch,” I tell her. “And I’m not going to hurt you. I swear on everything.”
“Yeah? So what are you gonna do then?” she asks. “Make me some hot chocolate and bring me home?”
Grinning, I fire up the bike and gun the engine.
“Nope,” I tell her. “I’m gonna make you work off your debt.”
I hear Lucy shout something at me as I hit the throttle and speed up the road. Her delicate arms wrap tightly around me, and I smile; it’s been a long time since I’ve had a woman on this bike with me. The last time was—
Well…it’s been a long time and I forgot just how good it feels.
It’s a cool night, and Lucy leans down against my back to shield her face from the cold breeze. I’d shield her from so much more – from the world if I have to. Nothing will happen to her now. I’m going to make sure of that.
It’s not long before we’re pulling into my driveway. The gravel crunches under my tires as I stop at the gate and climb off.
“Don’t bother running,” I tell her as I unlock the padlock. “It’s too far to run.”
Lucy just glares at me, twisting her plump little lips into a scowl that could kill. I half expect lasers to shoot out of her eyes and turn me into a pile of ash where I stand. I get back on the bike, pull through the gate, and lock it behind us. Then I drive up to the house and park.
“This is your place?” she asks with obvious contempt.
“Sorry it’s not your mountaintop mansion,” I reply as I take the steps to the front door. “But my daddy isn’t a billionaire. And I’m not a spoiled brat.”
“Spoiled brat!?” Lucy snaps, racing after me as I enter. “What the fuck? What do you even know about me, asshole?”