Page 52 of Finding Kyler
“You’re a strange girl.”
I bark out a laugh. “Are you for real? You want to go there?”
“I rest my case.”
I groan, as he leads me around the corner. “You put the jerk in jerk-face, and you have the nerve to criticize me? You’re unbelievable.”
I roll my eyes as he spins around and walks backward in front of me. “I don’t pretend to be anything I’m not.” I can’t tell if he’s joking or serious because he’s wearing that frustratingly impassive face he loves so much. I wonder if he perfected the mask pre-or-post Addison.
I stop on the spot, anger taking root inside me. “And I do? Is that what you’re implying?”
He steps in front of me. “Everyone hides something of themselves.”
I fall back, prepared to drop it. I’m far too tired to continue this type of conversation and expect to come out a winner.
A flash of color behind Kyler snags my focus. A couple skips down the steps of the building next door, laughing and joking. My eyes dart to the sign over the entrance. Wellesley Beechwood Hotel is branded in big, gold lettering over the ornate doorway.
The man opens the passenger door to an expensive-looking car. Kyler spots my distraction and turns around.
I don’t stop him.
He needs to see this with his own eyes.
James gestures at the stunning blonde in the short, clingy red dress, urging her to get in. Leaning up on her tiptoes, Courtney wraps her arms around his neck, fusing her lips to his.
Chapter Nineteen
Kyler takes my elbow and pulls me down behind the small wall on our right. We crouch low, watching as Courtney and James continue their public snog-fest. I can’t believe he’s being so open about this, and I wonder if Kyler was already aware. James pins Courtney’s wrists together and lifts them above her head as he pushes her back against the car. Her breasts push up with the movement, and James lowers his head, burying his face in her chest. I look away, unable to stomach any more.
The look on Kyler’s face paints a thousand pictures. His fists clench and unclench at his side, and I figure he’s seconds away from storming over there and doing something he could regret. “Let’s get out of here,” I whisper, though there’s no need. I doubt they can hear us at this distance.
A muscle flexes in his jaw as his gaze stays locked on his dad and his mother’s assistant.
Tentatively, I palm one side of his face, turning his head to face me. “Kyler.” I peer deep into his storm-filled blue eyes. “We need to get out of here. Now.”
He presses his forehead to mine as his breath snakes out in pronounced spurts. His chest rises and falls in painful movements. This must be killing him. Whether he suspected or not, catching his dad in the act is clearly playing havoc with him. Betrayal seems to follow him around, and my heart aches for him.
His eyes are closed as we stay locked in place. His lips are tauntingly close, and I long to bridge the gap and kiss him. It’s taking every scrap of willpower to fight the urge to taste him; however, to take advantage of him in a moment of vulnerability would be despicable, and I won’t do that.
Blinking his eyes open, he stands up, hauling me with him. He takes a firm hold of my hand and pulls me around the side of an adjacent building and out to an open parking garage at the back. I walk quietly as he guides me to his bike. Wordlessly, he takes my backpack and stuffs it in a hidden compartment under the seat. Extracting a helmet, he fits it down over my head. His fingers brush against my neck as he fixes it in place, and I shiver all over.
“Get on,” he commands in a barely restrained voice, securing his helmet and sliding onto the bike.
I’ve never been on a bike before, so my hands rest lightly against his waist when I hoist myself up behind him. Reaching down, he grips my hands and spreads them firmly across the expanse of his stomach. My thighs slide forward on the leather seat until I’m pressed solidly against his back. All my soft parts meet every delectable hard part of him, and I inwardly swoon. His potent masculinity is enthralling, and it never ceases to draw me in, but it also intimidates me a little. I’ve never been with any boy who is so alarmingly attractive and so confident in himself and his sex appeal. Kyler totally owns it. I think I could probably orgasm pressed up against him like this.
The engine roars to life, and I grip his waist tighter as he thrusts the bike forward and we take off. By the time we hit the road, his dad and Courtney are nowhere to be seen.
Kyler weaves up and down side roads and alleyways as I attempt to steady my rapidly beating heart. I’m stiff as a board pressed up against him, and it’s only when we hit open road and I start to relax a little that I realize my fingers are digging into his skin. I remove the pressure, while still keeping my arms snugly around his warm body. Wind whistles around my neck as Kyler accelerates on the nearly empty roads. I’ve no idea where we’re going, or how long we’ve been traveling, but after a while, it becomes clear we aren’t heading home.
My body hums with vitality and longing, and I don’t care where Kyler is bringing me, if I get to stay with him like this. I know I shouldn’t be feeling what I’m feeling, but I can’t help my body’s natural reaction. I like being this close to him, and the danger and anger dripping off him by the bucket load only fuels my desire for him. He’s like no one I’ve ever known, and that excites me more than it should.
Kyler turns off the main road, down a dimly lit dirt track. Little crickets make chirping noises as we pass. Stars glitter in the sky casting an eerie glow over the land below. After a couple of miles, Kyler swerves to the left and pulls the bike to a stop beside a mammoth tree. Reams of overgrown grass sway gently in front of us. Kyler kills the engine and takes off his helmet before helping me with mine. Gripping me by the hips, he lifts me off the bike, setting my feet carefully on the ground. Without uttering a word, he takes my hand and leads me through the tall grass.
We step out of the grass onto a mossy green path. Wildflowers litter the path on both sides. Sounds of lapping water tickle my eardrums, and as we round a corner, a tiny gasp leaves my mouth. Kyler pulls me down on a raised grassy mound, resting his back against the trunk of an ancient tree. I sit beside him, skimming my eyes over the small lake rimmed by woodland on all sides.
“It’s beautiful here.” I look down at our linked hands, marveling at the feel of his skin against mine. He doesn’t respond; he just stares blankly off into space. “What’s going through your head?” I ask, determined to get him to open up. I know from experience that bottling things up does no good.
He doesn’t say anything for a few minutes, and when he eventually starts talking, his voice is ragged and laced with pain. “I come here when I need to think. It’s quiet, peaceful.” He looks deep into my eyes. “It calms the madness in my head.” I nod, understanding far better than he probably realizes. Air expels from his lungs in an anguished huff. “I knew he was cheating, but I didn’t know it was withher. I’ve never warmed to Courtney. At least now I know why.”
