Page 158 of Rogue Riders Duet

“Al…” He steps forward. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”

I peel off the hoodie in one sharp tug, cutting him off mid-sentence. His gaze sharpens on my chest, mouth parting slightly as his eyes darken.

I glance down, and oh shit.

My white T-shirt is plastered to my chest, beer-soaked and translucent, outlining every curve I’ve tried so hard to hide.

Might as well be naked.

The door creaks again, and my head snaps up, panic seizing me at the riot of dark hair and the edge of a back and shoulder pushing the door open.

Luc.

Fuck.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Finn moves so fast, my brain doesn’t even register what’s happening until my back hits the cold, grimy tiles, and his body cages mine.

His hands are already on me, calloused palms cupping my face, thumbs skimming my jaw, as his eyes pin me in place like I’m the only thing he can see, and he hasn’t spent days pretending I don’t exist.

It punches a hole clean through my chest, but before I can blink, before I can even so much as breathe, his mouth crashes into mine.

My whole body locks up, every nerve screaming, What the fuck, but my heart doesn’t get the message. No, my heart remembers too well how this was before, how it felt before he ruined it with his warm lips, the press of him, and the rough scrape of his stubble against my skin, so familiar, so Finn.

I fall into it, let myself feel it, and forget about everything else, before I hear a soft curse at the door through the pounding of my heart.

“Merde.”

I whip my head around just in time to catch Luc turning away, slipping back out into the throb of music and light.

Fuck. Luc just saw me kissing Finn.

My brain catches up, and I shove Finn back, hard, barely feeling the resistance as he stumbles. “What the fuck was that?”

His brows pull together. “I was just trying to keep your secret.”

Of course, he wouldn’t kiss me because he wanted to, because I meant anything, or because he felt something for me.

“And you think there was no other way to do that than kissing me?”

Finn’s mouth opens like he’s going to argue, but he stops himself.

“Yeah.” I shake my head, biting back the sting behind my eyes, swallowing it down hard. Blood roars in my ears as I spin to leave, needing to get out, to find Luc, to fix this. “You don’t have to say it. I know this was just another mistake.”

Finn grabs my arm, fingers wrapping tightly around my bicep. “Wait.”

My heart flips with the tiniest bit of hope.

Goddammit.

“Baby girl. You can’t go out there like this.”

I look down at the beer clinging to my chest, at the way the wet fabric molds to every inch of me, and I know he’s right. He releases me, then peels off his hoodie, holding it to me without meeting my eyes. Reluctantly, I take it, then yank my ruined T-shirt up and off, standing there bare-chested, not giving a single fuck. As if he cares about my tits.

I hear the rough inhale as he turns fast, giving me his back. “Fuck, Alaina.”

Pulling his hoodie over my head, I sigh internally. It’s warm, soft, smells like him, and that makes my throat burn in bitter disappointment as I yank open the door and step back into the chaos of the club.