Fugitive: A Bad Boy Romance (Northbridge Nights Book 2) Read online

  “Well then, let’s hit the road.” I floored the gas and we screeched out of the driveway.

  I pulled up in front of Westport Go-Kart Racing two hours later. The ride had been peppered with safe conversation topics: the weather, Sierra’s pregnancy (yes, she was having number two already), Kara and Bianca, my job, good restaurants in the area…Anything and everything to steer us away from the elephant in the room: our future.

  As I paid for a parking pass, Kieran surveyed the area with cautious eyes. A flicker of hurt spread over his face. I knew what he was thinking.

  I couldn’t believe it’d been two years since Kieran and I first stood in front of that sign. It looked a bit faded now, and slightly off-center. My heart twisted with both anticipation and anxiety. This had been the stop that broke our camaraderie the first time around. I’d been too worried about Rob and my image to enter the building. We’d turned right around and he’d dropped me off without so much as a proper goodbye. I had been so certain I’d never see him again. I’d wanted nothing to do with him.

  Now here we were. Back for round two.

  “Ready to get your ass kicked?” I asked, mustering up some enthusiasm.

  “I was just going to ask you the same thing.” Kieran shot me a grin and I knew that whatever happened two years ago was water under the bridge.

  I paid for the tickets and a man with handlebar mustache opened the swinging gates for us.

  Westport Go-Kart Racing had the longest outdoor track in Northbridge. Large red and white barricades circled a massive figure-eight track extending for one-and-a-half miles. Fluffy, pristine snow draped over the central lawn and bushes lining the sides of the track. Sliding on my bright red helmet, I turned to see Kieran doing the same.

  “Have you ever done this before?” I asked.

  Kieran shook his head. “You do realize we’re the only adults here.”

  “You chicken?”

  “Hell no. Let’s go.”

  My first lap was slow because I had to figure out the controls and learn the lay of the land. Kieran easily beat me by several seconds. But by the fourth lap, I was speeding through the sharp corners and crushing him, as promised. Though we drove so-called ‘high-performance’ Sody RT9 karts, we still couldn’t go faster than thirty miles an hour. But the exhilaration of racing alongside Kieran trumped all my other feelings. It didn’t matter what we did, as long as I could spend more time with him. It was my day off, but I’d have to go back to work tomorrow. I wasn’t sure how Kieran would spend the day without me, but I was certain he had plenty of things on his to-do list. Then the day after that, I arranged to take another day off so we could spend it with Kara and Bianca. It would be a good week to help him settle in.

  After an hour of racing, we returned our gear and headed back to my car. Kieran’s dark hair was ruffled and sticking up at odd angles. He tried to pat it down with his hand but it defied gravity anyway. His cheeks were flushed from the cold and his lips, chapped.

  “Did you enjoy that?” I asked.

  “It was more fun than I thought it’d be,” Kieran admitted. “Should we go to the Dalton next? I miss it.”

  “Only if you promise you won’t pull any tricks,” I said.

  “I can’t make that kind of promise,” Kieran replied. “With you, anything might happen.” Kieran looked down at me and brushed my fringe away from my eyes. It felt as if we were staring at each other for an eternity. He circled his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest. “Rachelle…This…what are we doing?”

  “I don’t know,” I murmured, breathing in his scent. “Do we have to put a label on it?”

  Kieran’s chest expanded. “I like you. I want you. You know I do. Ever since we met at Bar None two years ago,” he said. “I’ve waited two years, and I don’t want to wait a second more. Tell me how you feel, Rach.”

  “I…I don’t know. I like you, but I don’t know if I’m ready for anything—”

  Kieran silenced me with a deep kiss, his hungry mouth parting mine before I could say another word. He cupped my cheeks with both palms, breathing in my scent, taking in my taste…With a low groan, Kieran darted his tongue inside my mouth, dragging it across my teeth. He pushed me back slowly until my spine dug into the side of my car. Pinning my wrists against the window, Kieran’s lips made their way down my chin. He traced my jawline before nipping and sucking on my right earlobe. I let out an unexpected gasp. His hot breath made my nipples harden and my thighs squeeze against one another.

  What was he doing to me? We were in a parking lot for God’s sake!

  Though my body screamed for more, Rational Rachelle took over. “Kieran, not here.”

  “So where?” Kieran countered, arching his brow. “I’m going to have you, one way or another.”

  “Ki—”

  “In the river, on the floor, up against the fucking ceiling,” Kieran whispered. “You name it, I’ll make it happen. Rachelle, you drive me fucking crazy. I’ve spent the last two years thinking about you almost 24/7. Counting down the minutes until I could be free to show you just how much you mean to me. Please tell me this isn’t all one-sided.”

  I inhaled slowly, mustering up the courage to speak my mind. If the last two years of being wild had taught me anything, it would be to go for what I wanted. And right now, I wanted Kieran. Who was I kidding? I’d wanted him for two years now, and I didn’t want to waste any more time either. We’d faced too many obstacles and wanted completely different things when we first met. Now that we were on the same page, I needed to go for it. Follow my heart, as the cliché went.

  “Let’s go to Dalton River,” I said, avoiding his question.

  “Rach—"

  “Get in the car,” I said with as much authority as I could muster.

  Kieran’s eyes widened before he smirked. “Taking the reins, I like it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Kieran

  I had no clue what she was thinking in that pretty little head of hers. I’d just cut my heart open and served it on a platter, and she left me hanging. No answer. No reciprocation.

  Driving from Westport Go-Karting to Dalton River would be at least another half-hour drive. What could we talk about in the meantime?

  Wet snow began pelting down as soon as we entered Eastport, washing the streets with grey sludge. Rachelle was silent, her elbows stiff and her hands glued to the wheel. She stared ahead, focused and determined.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” I asked, trying to read her unreadable expression.

  “Asher says he’s going to offer me a promotion after I get my law degree,” Rachelle said.

  I groaned. “A dollar for your real thoughts.”

  “It’s starting to snow pretty hard.”

  “Rachelle—” I sucked in a deep breath. “Are you mad? Did I cross the line?”

  “Cross it? More like you obliterated it.”

  “Shit, I knew I shouldn’t have pushed so hard.” She wasn’t ready for me. For this. There was no us. Never would be. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Apologies won’t fix anything,” Rachelle continued.

  I ground my teeth hard. I didn’t think me kissing her would make her so mad. I thought…I didn’t think. I just took. I wanted her, and I wanted her now. Didn’t care about the consequences of my actions. Now I probably ruined the one good thing in my life. Now we couldn’t even remain friends. Without Rachelle, I’d be a nobody. I fucked up. I’d promised myself that once I got out, I’d curb my impulsivity. Think through my actions. Clearly, I hadn’t learned a goddamn thing in the past two years.

  “Why are we going to the Dalton?” I asked. “Maybe we should head back…”

  Rachelle loosened her grip on the wheel and rolled back her shoulders. “Two years ago, you dragged me skinny-dipping in the dirtiest river I’d ever seen. Pushed me into the coldest water I’d ever touched and held me there against my wish. You challenged—no you dared me to take a chance on life, and I was too scar
ed to let go. I’m not that same woman anymore, Kieran. You changed me. In bits and pieces, then all at once, I became a new person. Now, I’d like to return the favor.”

  “I’m confused. How do you plan to return the favor?”

  Rachelle flicked the turn signal and pulled over onto the dirt road leading to Dalton River. It was just after three in the afternoon, and the visibility was getting worse by the minute.

  “Rach, the weather—”

  “Almost there, ‘Fraidy Cat,” Rachelle said. The tires crunched against rough gravel as we made our way toward a clearing. Once Rachelle arrived a few feet from the roaring river, she parked the car and unclipped the seat belt. “Let’s go, big guy.”

  “The water’s pretty rough today,” I pointed out. The waves crashed hard against the slippery rocks, churning up froth and flicking spray at us. “Maybe we—”

  “Gee, you’re starting to sound like me two years ago,” Rachelle mocked. She whipped off her down jacket and bent down to untie her bootlaces.

  “No fucking way,” I said, folding my arms across my chest. “I took you here on a calm night. This—right now—it’s going to get nasty. A storm’s coming. We might get seriously hurt or sick from—”

  “You coming, Chicken?” Rachelle teased. She balled up her socks and threw them at me. I dodged, then picked them up and put them inside the car.

  “Rachelle, I know you’re trying to prove a point but…” Wet snow slapped at my frozen cheeks and slid down my back. I shivered. My vision blurred as fog encroached upon us, obscuring the beach and the river. This was madness.

  Rachelle reached around and unhooked her bra. Then she unzipped her jeans and shimmied out of them.

  Jesus H. Christ.

  She was practically doing a strip tease. Taunting me. Teasing my cock, which was already starting to swell in my pants.

  She stepped out of her jeans and then pulled her arms out of her long-sleeve shirt. In one fluid motion, she removed her top and stood before me wearing nothing except a black thong. Her perky breasts bounced as she moved, her hard nipples saluting me. Goosebumps covered her body, and she was shivering.

  “Fuck me,” I muttered, feeling an immediate ache in my balls. This had to be a dream.

  “You coming or what?” Rachelle asked. She turned her back to me, then hooked her thumbs around the thin scrap of fabric separating her pussy from the icy January air. With deliberate slowness, she tugged it down, revealing her creamy flesh and perfect ass. I swallowed hard, but the lump in my throat just wouldn’t go down.

  After her thong came off, I barely had time to admire her nude form before she threw her panties at me and ran for the river.

  “Rachelle! Wait!” I cried. I sat down and pulled my shoes off. Then socks. I undressed so quickly I might’ve broken a world record.

  I heard splashing, some yelping and giggling. Rachelle was already wading into the river. Shit, she wasn’t kidding about skinny dipping here alone. Gone was the shy girl I’d brought here two years ago. The new Rachelle had more balls than me. I just hoped she didn’t get too reckless. I shoved my clothes into the car and slammed the door shut. “Wait for me, Rach!”

  Once I reached the river, I couldn’t see her anywhere. My heart sank and panic rose in my chest. “Rachelle?”

  “Payback’s a bitch, K.”

  Before I could turn around, I felt ice-cold arms wrap around my waist and push me into the river. The savage waves rose up to meet us, a sea of knives digging into every inch of my skin. We plunged underwater, the sharp impact knocking my skull senseless. For a few seconds, I was blind, disoriented and scared. Scared that Rachelle got hurt. Scared I got hurt. Scared that we would be over before we even started.

  But when we resurfaced, Rachelle was laughing her ass off. Her hair ran in dirty rivulets down her face; her red lips parted in raucous laughter.

  “That wasn’t funny. We could’ve gotten seriously hurt.”

  “I’ve been skinny dipping here for two winters now,” Rachelle said. “I know it like the back of my hand. Which areas are deep, shallow, dangerous, safe…You should’ve seen the look on your face, Mahoney.”

  “I was worried about you.”

  “I’m a big girl, I can handle myself,” Rachelle said, splashing me with water. “Race you to that broken rowboat!”

  I was still trying to figure out which boat she was referring to when her legs began kicking. Water splashed over my pebbled skin. I dove after her, trailing just behind her lithe form as we swam downstream toward the abandoned landmark. Obviously, Rachelle won because she had a head-start. But she was also a surprisingly strong swimmer, her body moving like a mermaid’s underwater.

  “Where did you learn to swim like that?” I asked when we reached the boat. I was struggling to catch my breath but Rachelle’s breathing had already resumed a normal rhythm.

  “Ten years of swimming classes and lifeguard training,” Rachelle replied. “I can swim well. I just never liked it until I started swimming here in the winter. Nothing beats that adrenaline rush, right, Kieran?”

  “Right.”

  “Really hits you hard,” she said.

  I waded up to where Rachelle stood. The water was up to our shoulders, and calmer here. The large rowboat was frozen in ice and shielded us from the stronger waves. Peeling strands of hair away from her face, I murmured, “You’re fucking crazy, you know that right?”

  “Define ‘crazy’.” Rachelle smirked. “Freedom brings out the crazy in all of us, isn’t that what you taught me?”

  I vaguely remembered saying something like that to her during one of her visits. “You’re quoting me.”

  “Of course I am. You’re a very wise man.”

  I couldn’t tell if she was teasing me or not. I didn’t care. I drew even closer to her until my forehead pressed against hers. Water dripped from our hair and our faces, creating tiny ripples all around us. Rachelle bobbed up and down in the water, exposing her smooth chest and graceful collarbone. She was naked underneath the water, I suddenly thought. Since Rachelle didn’t shy away or back away, I seized the chance to draw even closer. Until my body was a hair’s width from hers. My stiff cock pressed against her entrance and I felt her thighs clench around me. Rachelle gasped, as if she didn’t expect to have that kind of effect on me. As if she thought skinny-dipping with her wouldn’t give me the world’s biggest boner.

  My hands circled her hips and I lifted her up until her breasts greeted the nippy air. She automatically wrapped her thighs around my waist and leaned forward, her pillowy breasts pressing up against my hard chest. Her hard nipples dug into me and she yelped when I pinched one of them. “Kieran!”

  “Yes, Princess?”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” she rasped.

  I thrust my hips against her, parting her pussy lips with my tip. “What do you think?”

  Rachelle swallowed hard. “This—We—are insane.”

  I lifted Rachelle out of the water and onto the riverbank. Barefoot, I shuffled through the sand and fresh powder until we came across a clearing. There, I set her down and admired every inch of her. Her long, elegant neck, her perfect-handful breasts, her flat tummy and her long, shapely legs. She crossed them now, one over the other, hiding the treasure that lay between them.

  I growled, feeling the beast stir inside me. “You are fucking gorgeous.”

  Rachelle smirked, eye-fucking my body. “Not too bad yourself, Mahoney.”

  Within moments, I was down in the snow on top of her, caging her in between my arms. Rachelle let her head fall against the pristine snow, her rapid breathing fogging up the still air. Her skin was tinged pink all over, her knees and elbows rubbed raw. I bent down and kissed her right on the sternum and she sighed. A sweet, melodic sound. Without warning, I cupped two large handfuls of snow and rubbed them over her breasts, eliciting a shriek from her.

  “That’s fucking cold!” she cried.

  “That’s the idea,” I said. I squeezed her breasts and
gently kneaded snow against her impossibly hard nipples. Then I bent down and drew them between my lips, sucking on them like a popsicle. “Mmm…so sweet.” After a few moments, I moved on to the other nipple, giving it a similar treatment. Rachelle’s body responded to mine, loosening her muscles and spreading her legs. I ran my index finger along her heated slit, feeling wetness already pooling there. Her sex was hot and dripping, despite the freezing temperature.

  “You’re so fucking primed for me,” I growled against her ear. “So fucking ready.” I lifted her hands until they brushed against my rigid shaft. Then, with my hands still guiding hers, I taught her how to stroke me. With each pump, I grew harder and hotter in her trembling hands. After a few moments, I let go and she continued to touch me, alternating her rhythm from slow to fast, faster, then slow again. After a couple minutes, I checked her slit with two fingers. I effortlessly slid inside her, down to my first knuckles. I curled my fingers, exploring her smooth inner walls until I found her G-spot. When I finally found it, I pressed against it and she cried out with pleasure. “Please, Kieran. Harder. Faster.” I finger-fucked her until she was pulling at my hair and arching her back, begging for mercy.

  Then I stopped.

  Rachelle let out a desperate moan. Twisting my hair, she brought my face down to her sex and didn’t stop until my nose was rubbing against her clit. Then she purred, “Lick me, baby.”

  “Your wish is my command.” I dragged my tongue along her slit with aching precision, teasing her folds and circling her clit with an expertise I didn’t know I still had. I hadn’t eaten pussy in more than twelve years, and I wondered for a split second if my performance would satisfy her. But her ecstatic moans reassured me. She began grinding her hips against my mouth and I picked up the pace. Just as she was about to come, I pulled back, wiping her cream from my face.

  “You asshole,” she said. “I was about to come.”

  “I know,” I said. “But I wanted to save that for when I’m deep inside you.”

  “Take me, Kieran. I have an IUD and I’m clean.”