I spot Adrian's black Harley almost instantly as I trail into the college parking lot. Had I known I was up for another bike ride with Adrian, I would've left my convertible back home. Thanks to Olivia. She gladly took my cooper home. So, here I'm leaning against the black beast reminiscing each of Adrian's words on a loop.

My little sinner.

A shiver runs down my spine as I recall his heated whisper and light feathery feel of his whiskers over my neck. So this is the reason Charlotte can't keep her hands to herself. Because when he's around you with all that masculine charm and woodsy scent, it's next to impossible not to crave more of his closeness.

I'm still lost in my thoughts when I feel his hot breath against the back of my neck. My smile bites into my cheeks as Adrian sneaks up behind me and blows hot air into my hair. When I spin around to look at his face, he walks over to my front. He traps me against the bike, placing his hands on both sides of my waist. His arms slide close to mine, and my skin prickles as the tiny hair rising on our skin meets, the most gentle of the touches.

"You've no idea how sexy you look leaning against my bike," he grins. His ocean green eyes have regained their mischievous glint. He looks so adorable with his windblown brown hair that I brush my fingers right through them, trying to set them away from his forehead. His Adam's apple shifts as he continues, "Now I can say it was a worthy investment. Are you up for the ride?"

"Do you say these cheesy words to all the girls you offer a ride to?" I laugh, pulling my hand away from his hair, but he holds my wrist. His thumb brushes over my veins, and then he lets go of my wrist.

"What girls?" He says with wrinkled brows while he goes on to unlock the helmets, handing one to me. I adjust it on my head but struggle with the strap under my chin as he sets his helmet on and angles his neck to watch me. "You're the only girl I offer bike rides on my Harley. Other girls, they're certainly more interested in riding m-"

"Adri! That's so fucking gross," I clamp my hand over his grinning lips, letting go instantly as his soft lips touch the inside of my palm. I don't miss the pang of itchiness that hits my heart with the mere picture of him with the girls swooning over him. "I might lose my appetite if you don't stop talking about your girls."

"You started it, no," he brushes my fingers away, buckles the strap swiftly, then gives it a little tug, making me yelp in surprise. I slap his hands away and give a little push to his chest. He places a hand to his heart, releases a groan, and swings a leg over the bike.

"Hop on, my little sinner." He looks over his shoulder as I hook my thighs around his narrow waist, placing a hand on the thick bulge of his shoulder muscles. Adrian is wearing a black leather jacket over the black crew neck t-shirt that highlights every contour of his muscles beneath and tight jeans. He slides his hands back, molding his fingers around my jeans-clad thighs, and pulls me closer to his body. I'm still processing his bold moves while he does the same with my arms and guides them around his waist. "Let's go. I'm fucking starved."

He laughs and throttles the motorcycle, making me fall forward towards his body. The way his body heat works against mine, I curl my fingers nervously around him as he arrows the bike at a devilish speed. But I don't close my eyes or shudder under the impact of whips of cold evening air through my hair and the ear-deafening purr of the revving engine. At this moment, I realize that nothing feels more amazing than putting myself in the safety of his hands.

The smell of freshly baked bread and cupcakes tickles my nostrils as he pulls into the parking lot of Molly's Bakery. Suddenly I'm hyper-aware of the surroundings. The old brick building with cobblestone sidewalks and the buzz of the diverse population takes me back to our town. The place looks exactly like Smoothie Shack back in Winsbay. Smoothie Shack where I went on our first date, Augustus, where you worked, where I spent endless evenings to watch you and be around you. My fingers fist Adrian's t-shirt tightly as the similar pain washes over me, and I bury my head at his back. "Can we go somewhere else, please?"

"V, do you trust me?" He places his palm over my hand where I'm fisting his t-shirt, and his touch is enough to ease out the pain to a bearable ache. He shut off the engine and twisted in my hold to meet my eyes. "I want to serve your sweet tooth for once. Will you let me?"

How can I deny such a sweet request? Not when those soft green eyes look at me with so much adoration and pleadings in them. So, even though my heart squeezes with the remnant of heartbreak, I nod at him with a forced smile. He places a feathery kiss on my cheek, soothing my aching heart.

And we slide off the bike and lace our fingers together while heading towards the bakery. But I know you'll always waltz in the empty expanse of my heart like a sad melody, and I can never let you go, not in this lifetime, Augustus.

There's unspoken tension that lingers around us as we cover the distance between the parking and entrance. Adrian holds the door for nudging me inside into the cutest bakery I have ever seen. The smell of sweet confectioneries, chocolate, and cinnamon, makes me ignore all the other small details of the place. My mouth waters as my eyes capture the rows of cupcakes, donuts, and my all-time favorite brownies. I'm suddenly famished. My stomach curdles, and Adrian flashes a crooked smile before taking a seat opposite me.

"I'm now open to your previous request," he says, tapping his fingers on the table. One of his arms drapes along the back of the couch, a sly smirk twitching through his full lips. He knows I'm now desperate for the food and the knowing look on his face confirms that. "If you still wish to go somewhere else-"

"No, stop it. I'm hungry," I say, bunching and tossing a napkin. Adrian catches it before it hits his grinning face. "Some obnoxious prick you are, Adrian Hayes."

"What can I say? You bring out the best in me, sinner," he says before swaggering backward towards the counter, waving the menu in his hand. "Since you asked so nicely, I'm going to feed that hungry belly of yours."

I chuckle, air flicking him, and break into full throttle laugh as he imitates a wince, rubbing his forehead, then bumps straight on the flower decoration. It's probably the first time in days I've laughed so much that my eyes start watering.

Later, after I've satisfied my year's worth of sweet cravings with all the crepes, cupcakes, waffles, and Molly's signature Berry Blast Smoothie, we fall into an uncomfortable silence. It shows there's something in both of our minds.

"Did you quit eating sweets because of him?" Adrian's voice shatters the silence between us. "Does it remind you of him?"

I purse my lips, then avoid looking into his eyes and eye the empty smoothie glass, the remnant of the contents sticking to its sides. "Yeah, it pretty much does." I notice the way his knuckles turn white as he holds his glass, and when I look up, I find him staring at me with a scowl on his lips.

"You still wait for him, don't you?" His jaw tightens, and I see the possessiveness dancing in those emerald eyes. "Is there anything that doesn't remind you of Goldilocks?"

"Adri, what-" I start, but my throat dries off because the truth is you, Augustus, is always a constant reminder of a deep feeling once I lived so freely.

"Forget it, don't answer that. I already know your answer," Adrian rubs his forehead, and I can see how he gnashes his teeth while swiping the card to pay the bill. "It's too late, V. Let's head back." He stands then runs his trembling fingers through his hair before charging out of the bakery. It shows he's holding on to a fine thread of self-control, and it makes me realize how utterly infuriating my choice seems to him. But the why part of his reaction tips me off my balance as it finally dawns upon me that he has feelings for me, more than a friend kind of feeling.

"Adri, wait!" I chase after him, my voice trembling as I follow him to his bike. "I don't understand. Do you-" I begin, but he spins me around, trapping me against his bike a second time in a day. His scent, so raw, and his eyes a blazing greens of hidden emotions, makes my knees weak all of a sudden.

"The only thing that you need to understand is that it hurts when I see you waiting for someone who might as well be scoring some hot chick while you're waiting for him like a Juliet because I'm sure as hell, he isn't your Romeo. Now do me a favor and don't ask me what I'm feeling. You'll probably never understand." The words grit through his perfect set of teeth, his hot desperate breaths warm my face, and the rage radiating through him seizes my heart.

He steps away from me then sighs, closing his eyes, and when they look at me, I wonder what they see in them. I open my mouth to say something, but my tongue remains tied as he shrugs off his jacket and drapes it around me.

As we drive back, with me plastered against the warmth of his back and wrapped in his scent, I'm not sure who is the reason for this sweet ache in my heart.

***

Author's Note: Another update! A short chapter before we reach an important crossroad in Violet, Augustus, and Adrian's story. I hope it's as sweet and as heartbreaking I imagined it.

Don't forget to add your comments and votes while you're on this journey with me.