Never was letting go of a dream more difficult than while kissing Lark in the Stucky’s parking lot. My petite muse sat on my Harley with her legs and arms wrapped around me. My hands deep in her dark hair, I kissed her as if hoping to steal her breath and keep it with me forever. This moment was hotter and more beautiful than any before and I never wanted it to end.
The dreamer in me imagined taking her to my bed and keeping her at my house and making her mine. Just forget about her shitty stepdad or the stepbrother she ditched at the library or her weird mom. Forget about school and work. Nothing would matter beyond knowing Lark. I craved to discover every inch of her body and every moment of her life before I met her. I wanted everything right then and waiting for tomorrow was like a kick in the balls.
The realist in me forced my lips from hers, but I still held her close. As Lark stared up at me with those bright green eyes, I knew she wanted what I did. The world was merely a backdrop to this moment.
“I need to see you tomorrow,” I said, accepting how I would have to take her home.
“I work in the morning and have school in the afternoon.”
“Hell,” I said, rubbing my head and feeling the rough hairs needing to be shaved. “I have a client in the morning or I’d visit you at Denny’s.”
“It’s okay. I can’t really talk that much at work and I would probably get fired from sitting on your lap and making out.”
Grinning, I kissed her and we didn’t stop until a few motorcycles raced by startling Lark. She glanced at them then back at me.
“Can I pick you up after school?” I asked, caressing her delicate face.
“Yes,” she said, her smile warming and those eyes lighting up. “I could meet you on the quad by the senior hall. It’s close to my second class. Would that be okay?”
Leaning into her hair, I inhaled her vanilla scent. “I don’t care where I meet you. I just need to know I won’t go a day without you in my arms.”
Lark shivered at my words and again when my teeth tugged at her earlobe. Her arms tightened around me and the dreamer in me said taking her home to that shit family wasn’t happening. I should bring her to my place. With me, she would smile because she was happy, not because she always smiled.
Instead of giving us what we wanted, I forced myself to drive her to the big ranch house on the outskirts of Ellsberg. The lights were on and Lark frowned at a Harley parked in the long driveway.
“Will you be okay?” I asked, helping her off the bike.
“They’ll be mad, but it should be fine.”
“Mad how?”
Lark smiled up at me and caressed the face of my cobra. “I’ll get a lecture about keeping promises. Larry is very into personal contracts of conduct and not breaking them. He’ll remind me how I come from a long line of loser women and I am making bad decisions. I’ll nod and apologize. It’ll be fine.”
I glared at the house. “You shouldn’t have to apologize for shit. You’re nearly twenty. Going on a date shouldn’t be a criminal offense in your fucking house.”
Lark reacted to my anger by shrinking a little. Even looking younger now, she smiled. It was a fake grin frozen on her face as she waited for me to hurt her.
Cupping her face, I kissed her tenderly and hoped her fear faded. “You never have to be afraid of me,” I whispered.
“I’m not.”
Calling her out on the lie was pointless. I’d freaked her out and now she had to walk into a house full of stupid men. As much as I wanted to battle Larry and Dylan for her, I sensed Lark would be upset if I tried.
“I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon,” I said, kissing her again. “We’ll go out and talk more. You can tell me about school. Tell me about anything. I just want to hear your voice.”
Lark’s real smile returned with gusto. “I’m going to miss you too.”
For a moment, I knew it was a mistake to let her walk away from me. This knowledge wasn’t my dreamer talking either. This came from the male predator in me. It wanted my woman safe and I knew she belonged with me. Despite just meeting, my heart had claimed Lark. Apparently, my male ego had too.
Yet, I let her leave me and return to the house with her crap family. I told myself this life of hers was temporary and soon she would be where she belonged. With me.
Chapter Eleven - Lark
Tasting Aaron on my lips, I entered the house and my smile wasn’t fake for once. I had never been happier in my life. Nothing before had felt as right as it felt when I was wrapped in Aaron’s arms. I had been sleepwalking through life until the moment his lips touched mine. Now, I was awake and everything was never more beautiful.
So happy at my evening, I didn’t worry over Larry’s anger. I figured he’d call me a loser or have my mom tell me I was a loser. Words wouldn’t bring me down. Not after spending a few hours with Aaron.
My joy faltered a bit when I noticed a box filled with my stuff at the front door.
“We’ll buy more boxes in the morning,” Mom said as Larry stood next to her. “A dozen should fit all of your things.”
“What?” was all I could think to say.