CHAPTER 5: BIRTHDAY WISHES
I'm back, and with more of the mysterious bad boy 😈😏
'I need noise
I need the buzz of a sub
Need the crack of a whip
Need some blood in the cut.'
"Aren't you supposed to go to your booth? You know, to shoot and do what you're here for." I tried not to sound too rude, though my voice was as tense as the rest of my body, and I was crippled when he replied,
"I came here for you."
Me? Once more, my emotions must have been written all over my features, and he was close enough to analyze them precisely and take a great delight in it, because he added, his smirk not leaving his pink lips,
"Pete sent me to give you this."
As crazy as it could sound, my chest relaxed with a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding when he lifted the rifle in his hand toward me.
Of course, he was the owner's nephew. What had I even thought? And how much time had passed that he was already back?
It was clearly more than the few minutes it had felt, yet I needed more gunshots to clear the blur and answer all these questions.
"Um, can I keep the automatic one?" I glanced at the gun my fingers were fiddling with. "I like it better, it..."
"Give you more freedom?" He leaned his head down, letting me glimpse a softer smile on his sharp features when I lifted my gaze again.
Though it didn't last long, and as soon as I replied with a small 'yes', his dimple was back, and with it, the deviousness.
"I don't know... It's illegal..." His smirk pulled down into a wince for a second, and it was as clear as his eyes that he was more amused than affected by this fact.
I doubted anything could affect him actually. Even when he grabbed the gun in my own hand with a swift movement, he did it with the same nonchalance, not even blinking at my gasp.
"Hey! Please, give it back." I reached my hand out, ready to show him how fast I could be too, when my eyes took in what was on my way to the gun.
His hand and the dark ink that was standing out more than the shiny metal in the bright lighting. So much so that my fingers stopped midair, and as they hovered above his hand, I didn't know if the itch to unwrap his tight grip was to get the gun or just to trace the intriguing patterns that looked like branches and follow their trail along his lengthy fingers.
It was a simple tattoo, nothing extraordinary, at least, next to all the ones he had all over his arms and probably his whole body, and yet the intricate design was catching all my attention, and maybe a little bit of my remaining breath.
"You're asking for a huge favor, and it needs something in return, princess," he drawled, and the rolling syllables yanked me out of whatever trance I'd been in—not the first one with him, and I should have taken it as a warning sign.
Anyway, my fingers froze one inch away from his skin, and the tattoo didn't matter anymore, like everything around in fact.
All that remained in the empty wide room was the echo of this word, more deafening than any gunshot.
'Princess', it was Spencer's nickname for me, one of the many, but also one of the oldest. It went back to one of our first Halloween parties, where I'd wanted to be a pirate like him and many boys, yet my mom had imposed me to be a princess.
As I'd been crying in my garden instead of doing the trick-or-treat tour, Spencer had come to comfort me, and despite his little seven years, he'd had his way with words, assuring me I could be a pirate princess and sharing his sweets with me. My mom had almost had a heart attack when I'd come back with a hook and an eye patch; however, since then, the nickname had stayed.
To everyone, it was a beautiful nickname for a young lady. For us, it was our secret meaning I could be a princess and so much more, and that he loved me as I was.
But not anymore.
"Dorothy." I swallowed hard, trying desperately to keep the tears inside. "My name is Dorothy, Dorothea for strangers."
My nails were digging into my palms as I had nothing to hold, and I turned away from his piercing gaze because I was sure he could see the mess I was fighting behind the glistening veil of my eyes. Although he did a good job at pretending he didn't.
"If that's only that, we can get to know each other more personally."
Personally... Even with the earmuffs over my ears, the innuendo vibrated against my skin, a trail of goosebumps following as he leaned closer.
Hadn't he heard of the etiquette's rules and personal space?
Well, he was probably unaffected by them, like any other one.
I, on the other hand, couldn't say the same about his presence so close.
Each of his steady breaths was becoming overwhelming on my shaky nerves, especially on top of everything going on inside my chest, which I realized wasn't a hole, but an overflow, and like a cracking dam, I was about to give way.
The disaster was already resonating in the collapses of my voice as I could barely form the question. "What do you want in exchange for the gun?"
"Um, let me think..."
I risked a glance to see him tilting his head to the side, his gaze instantly meeting mine like a magnet.
"I want to know where you learned to shoot like that, and don't give me that bullshit about 'beginner luck'."
My eyes widened, although not at his curse word, which wasn't surprising coming from someone like him, but at his simple and thus, shocking request.
I would have liked better a wicked demand in fact, because the answer to this simple question might have been the final blow that would trigger the explosion.
"Don't you prefer money?"
"No." He stopped me before I could even reach for my bag, his gaze traveling all over my face. "I'm curious."
Of course, I was an attraction that soon would draw a lot of onlookers.
"You promise you'll give me the automatic gun and leave me alone if I answer?" I carefully chose my words because there was a glint that resembled a Cheshire cat's smile in his smirk.
"I don't make promises, but I can assure you that I won't leave you alone until you tell me." There he was, displaying his full white teeth in a real Cheshire's grin.
Did I really have a choice, though? I could have surely settled for the semiautomatic rifle, or even gone home, yet they didn't appear like conceivable options at the moment.
"Okay, but give me the gun first."
It was almost too easy how he immediately put the gun in my hand, not even questioning that I could find ways to be left alone without answering his question.
Well, I didn't, only gripping the handle tighter as I resigned myself with a sigh, which was also to release some of the pressure inside.
"I learned when I was little... with my grandfather."
Strangely, it came out without difficulty, and especially without tears, despite the loud cracks of my voice. Maybe because my fingers were focused on loading the gun, and mostly, I knew it was because of the man beside me, who was attracting all my attention.
He hadn't moved an inch, and his tall body hovering so close was distracting, to say the least.
"You said you would leave me alone." I reminded him what he certainly hadn't forgotten.
"I told you I don't make promises. You're already lucky that I gave you the gun." He shrugged, nodding towards the target and finally taking a step back.
Yet he didn't leave, and his gaze stayed as intensely fixed on me.
Was I this interesting with a gun in my hand?
I could still shoot and aim perfectly at the target with him close. But it wasn't about this, and I wouldn't give up on what I'd decided.
So I turned to face him, resolving to my last shot.
"Pretty please, I need to be alone."
"Is it supposed to work when I saw how you shoot?" He lifted an unimpressed eyebrow at my best innocent puppy expression, and as I even tried the infallible pursing of my lips in a pout, it pulled him a laugh. "Is that how you convinced Pete? He's too nice!"
It didn't run in the family apparently, and I gave up my pleading, letting my face falls back into a glare. "Maybe..."
Once more, my narrowed gaze didn't affect him, and as he dived his piercing eyes into mine, I was losing more than my arguments.
"Please, I had a tough day." I let out with a shallow breath. "And it's my birthday."
What had I said?
A sparkle instantly lit up in his eyes, and if they were already something before, there, they shone like an illuminated crystal, making me regret opening my mouth. He would have surely gotten tired of me and ended this staring contest, otherwise.
One thing was sure: my words only brought him closer.
"It explains the cake." He wiped the creamy texture with one of his long fingers, trailing languidly right at the hem of my neckline, and I didn't dare to budge, not even breathing as his eyes were still boring into mine.
The only thing that was moving, or more exactly spasming, was my heart, which I had no doubt he could feel the jump under his pad.
The rest of my body, each little nerve-ending included, was hanging on the simple yet daring brush of his finger, and even more as he brought it to his devious lopsided smile.
The mere action of licking his finger could have been innocent, or maybe disgusting, with anyone else, but as his intense gaze was not leaving mine, it appeared like the most sinful thing I'd ever experienced, and my eyes didn't know where to look between the hypnotizing twinkle of crystalline, and his mouth sucking greedily the remains of cake.
When his tongue slipped out at the corner of his lips, my gaze settled for there, the wooden pink shades looking smoother, and... closer.
"Chocolate, good choice."
It was unfair how he stepped away with the same sly smirk, while I was struggling to let out a shaky breath.
"I guess..." I shook my head to erase whatever spell he'd pulled and find some composure, not even going for dignity. "Now, will you leave me alone?"
I kept trying, and I wasn't even sure why.
"No, I can't. Being alone on your birthday isn't fun."
It was my turn to let out a chuckle, though, with the cracks of my voice, it sounded more like a whine. "My birthday isn't 'fun' so far."
My gaze trailed down to the remnants of my 'fun' birthday, the visible one at least, as I hadn't bothered wiping it in my rush, and the only mark lighter was the hint of my skin he'd just traced.
"What–"
"I don't wanna talk about it." I shot my head up as abruptly as I interrupted him.
"I was gonna ask you what do you wish for your birthday?" he continued, cocking an eyebrow, and I imitated his expression, without the dimple of course.
"I think I already told you."
"Come on, not this bullshit." He shook his head before focusing his eyes on me with a serious look, and I missed the mischievous glint because it was reaching deeper this way. "What do you want the most?"
I gulped the question, the tricky question because last night, I'd known exactly. Still, it hadn't become reality, and in only a few hours, everything had changed.
"Why? Are you a genie from a lamp?"
"You never know..."
If he'd been one, he would have been an evil one, and yet, I found myself thinking about it, many wishes crossing my mind as my hand gripped the gun tighter.
"To forget everything." It came out in one breath like I would have blown a candle, so swiftly and quietly that he probably didn't hear me, and I wouldn't repeat it anyway.
However, when I glanced up at him again, his eyes were still on me, and the light crease between his eyebrows let me know he'd heard me too clearly.
"Okay."
I jumped when his dimple reappeared, indenting deeper on his right cheek. "What?"
"Okay, come with me, and I'll make your wish come true." His Cheshire's smile was fully back too, making it look like everything but an honest offer.
Still, my gaze flickered to the hand he was extending for me, the one with the intriguing tattoo.
"Um, thanks... but as tempting as it is." It was irony, of course. "I just met you. For all I know, you could have bad intentions." I lifted my chin and squinted my eyes at him in search of a different answer than what was obviously written all over his features.
"I only have bad intentions."
Well, it wasn't any revelation, although my narrowed glare got lost in a wide stare nonetheless, because he was revealing it, not hiding.
"But you can take the gun. Seeing how you shoot, I'll be dead before I can start to have a bad intention."
How could he sound so honest, when his words, his eyes, and even his shrug were so sly? And why was I considering it? It was another mystery.
"Where would we go?" I bit down on my lip, preventing any agreement to slip out too impulsively as I glanced between his eyes, his hand, and mine, and there was no one to reason with me, except the tiny voice of my conscience.
"Come with me, and you'll find out." His eyebrows flicked up briefly, just enough to accentuate the mysterious look in his blue eyes and the infinite possibilities of where he could take me, even if I probably couldn't imagine half of the most dangerous ones.
The mischief shining through the crystalline shades should have been enough to dissuade me, but instead, it was drawing me in, the danger I glimpsed sparking my curiosity.
Could he really make me forget?
So far, he'd been good at distracting me. Since I'd first heard his raspy chuckle, any voice or echoes in my mind had been silenced.
I didn't forget, as the pain was still there like a throbbing wound resurfacing at any poke and shaking the wobbly facade I was fighting to keep. Yet the million questions and sensations he aroused in me, which could have made everything overflow, were, on the contrary, pushing back the deluge.
His penetrating eyes and Cheshire cat's grin might have been more dangerous than the gun in my hand, but they also were more effective in barely a few minutes, and the thrill running in my veins to tickle my fingertips resembled a lot the sensation of nearing the trigger as my hand was hovering above his.
"Isn't it forbidden to take the gun outside?"
Maybe I was stalling when my decision was already taken, and I was impressed by the guy's patience as he observed quietly my internal dilemma.
"Because you care about the law now?" His gaze trailed down to the automatic gun in my hand, scoring a solid point, even though it wouldn't change my decision. "No one will notice."
"Okay." I could boast about surprising him once at least, as his eyes grew larger to search over my face.
"What?"
"Okay, I'm coming with you. But you better make my wish come true." My hands were more confident than my hoarse voice as I rushed to take off my earmuffs, though they still wavered when he replied,
"You won't regret it. I'm Blade, by the way."
Without anything obstructing my ears, I could hear every nuance in his smooth voice, and it was as magnetizing as the rest of him. All the more when he leaned closer, the words rasping out of his throat, rolling out of his lips, and landing to echo against the shell of my ear.
"But I'd love for you to give me a nickname."
Why had I agreed again? The only thing I was forgetting was how to breathe.
Blade, I was tempted to taste the name on my lips, although I kept them locked with my teeth as if it was a curse word, especially as he pulled away with a dimple more unequivocal than his words.
Blade, it fitted him. He was as sharp as one, and like the cutting object, if you got too close, you were playing on the edge of danger.
Still, I followed him out of the room, my gaze drawn to each of his movements as we stepped into the now empty entrance hall, and he reached under the counter.
"Oh, 18? We better make it forgettable then!"
I was starting to believe it was possible indeed, because I had already forgotten one thing: my ID, which he pulled out and examined with great attention. His piercing eyes kept flickering between the photo there and my warming cheeks as if playing 'spot the difference', while I was left glancing around and catching only one difference: the bearded man wasn't here anymore.
It was only me, him, and all the automatic guns.
"And you, how old are you?"
"20," he replied, flipping my papers between his fingers, apparently done with the 'spot the difference' game.
"And how was your 18th birthday?"
I had so many questions as I watched him wander around, and from his assured gait to the way he was slipping behind the counter and opening drawers as if this place had been his—well, it probably was when his uncle wasn't here, like at this moment—there was something pulling me to find out more.
"I don't remember much." He shrugged with the same crooked smile not leaving his lips, though there was no dimple peeking out as his gaze wasn't focusing on me for once; it was lost somewhere. "But it was freedom."
Then, he was the perfect person, genie, devil, or whatever he was, to help me celebrate my birthday because those were my own wishes too.
"Why–"
"Let's go, we have a wish to realize."
Did he really avoid my question? It looked like it as he handed me my ID and turned towards the door, leaving my mouth hanging with the question mark.
It was merely a little curiosity about a birthday, while he was the one who had been prying on me. How did he dare?
This man was a mystery, and he had some nerve. Was I really going to follow a guy like that, whom I knew nothing about?
Staring down at the gun in my left hand and my ID in my right one, I could tell the smiling girl with the perfect tamed red strands would have never imagined this for her 18th birthday. Though she appeared so far away in this instant.
Just physically, I even wondered how Pete could have accepted the ID when I looked nothing like the girl in the picture, and that was why my voice arose before Blade could open the door.
"Wait! Do you have something to clean off? I can't go out like this." I pointed to the mess on my dress, as my hair was probably a lost cause.
"Um... no." He patted his pants pockets quickly, not even bothering to search around as he took a step closer. "But I can lick it if you want."
My eyes almost popped out of their sockets at the sight of his tongue peeking out at the corner of his devious smile. "N-no, thanks, I'll manage."
I rushed so much to find something that I almost used my ID to wipe out the leftover chocolate before settling for the wrinkled envelope of my grandparents and an old, used handkerchief.
Although it wasn't ideal, I got rid of the sticky mixture on my skin and the excess of icing on the delicate white fabric to end up with just a disgusting brown stain.
At least, on the outside.
As I glanced down at my appearance, I realized the chocolate had the advantage to cover everything, including the shiny circle on my chest, right where this hole I couldn't control was.
In fact, the more I stared at it, the more it felt like it was the simple pendant that was threatening to swallow me whole.
I didn't get to crumble down, though, when Blade pulled me out of my stare, and soon, out of the void of chaos.
"You're sure?" He leaned closer, amusement lacing his tone, or more exactly, his voice tangling with a laugh, when he pulled out a crumb from one of my curls and I jumped, as much out of surprise as because of the mere thought of his sneaky tongue on my skin.
Anyway, between his clear laughter—which, once again, sounded too pure for his devilish mind—the flaming rush to my cheeks, and the prickling traveling along all my nerves, there was no room left for nothingness in my chest, and my whole body, actually.
"Yes, I'm ready." I lifted my chin, in assurance and to not let my gaze trail down to the torturing reminder that I discreetly slid off my neck as Blade led me outside.
With my hands still too shaky to throw it anywhere else, the necklace ended up in my purse. However, as soon as it was off my chest, a surge of freedom spread in my veins, making my steps lighter.
And maybe the sight in front of me also spurred my tread: the same dangerous clear eyes, and...
"A motorcycle?!"
"Yeah, gotta do with it 'cause pr–"
"It's perfect!" It was probably the first real smile stretching my lips since... I didn't even allow myself to think about it as my eyes were shining like those of a kid on Christmas day.
Except that there were no crinkly, colorful paper and fairy lights, only black and shiny metal, and when I realized how weird I probably sounded, I cleared my throat instead of jumping up and down.
"I mean, it will do."
In fact, it was on my top means of transport with horses, and on my bucket list for adulthood, although I had already ridden horses, not motorcycles. Seeing my mom's reaction for a telescope, anyone could have deduced that motorbikes were a curse word at home.
"Of course, should've guessed," he chuckled under his breath as my fingertips hesitantly grazed the warm metal of the handlebars and what I recognized as the accelerator. "Come on."
When I lifted my gaze again, two of his long fingers moved in a beckoning motion, and he was already seated on the bike, with still the same smirk, the same black tee-shirt, and the same slicked black strands, which meant no protection.
"You don't have helmets?"
"No, freedom is the wind in the hair." He shrugged, moving his fingers closer until they brushed the curls off my shoulders, and it was complicated to have a battle with my reason when the simple graze sent an electric spark up my neck to color my cheeks and also down my spine with the same burn.
Nevertheless, it was dangerous and reckless, and I knew better than anyone else how serious road accidents could be.
Everything about this was dangerous and reckless, starting with the gun in my hand.
Yet I still slipped the weapon into my bag, taking a step toward the dangerous machine, and I wasn't only meaning the motorcycle.
It seemed my reason was getting lost every time I had those mischievous blue eyes in front of me, and when they traveled down my silhouette with a slight frown, there was no doubt left; it was too far gone.
"Um, the dress won't do."
Of course, my long and large skirt wasn't made exactly for this kind of birthday celebration. But there was no way I would turn back.
The dress was already ruined. My birthday too. So I took the small snag near my thighs as a sign as I tugged harshly, the same penetrating gaze following shamelessly all my movements until the empowering sound of tearing fabric echoed around.
"Here," I announced, smoothing what was left of my dress, and I was surprised that he didn't comment anything as I climbed on the bike.
Though in my sudden excitement, I hadn't thought of one important detail, and as my behind was squeezed between the luggage rack and Blade's body—and luckily, I was slim—if it wasn't my reason kicking in, my nerves definitely were with the proximity.
As for my now empty hands, pins and needles were starting to invade them while I searched for what to hold.
There weren't many choices, and probably sensing my dilemma, Blade took them both with no hesitation, placing them flat against his stomach, well, the flimsy fabric of his tee-shirt, which left too little, or maybe too much to my imagination when I could feel the central line of his firm abs under my fingertips.
I could feel many things actually, as my petite arms wrapping around his waist led me closer, and all my senses were invaded by him: his unique scent that I couldn't place yet, his tall and dark figure sheltering me from seeing much in front, his strong and warm back, and when he glanced at me over his shoulders, his icy blue eyes, and his voice.
"Are you ready, pr– Dorothea?"
I never liked the sound of my full name, as in general, it announced trouble, and it surely did in this instant too. Yet the way each syllable leisurely rolled out of his lips resonated like a flute melody, turning my nerve endings into swaying snakes and beguiling me into taking a deep inhale before replying,
"Yes."
I wasn't. Nor for the brush of his hand on my now-exposed knee and the rush of fire it sent in my veins, reducing my breath to ashes. Nor for the jerk when the engine roared to life, and everything remaining inside my chest collided with the impact that brought me closer to him until I was completely breathless.
The ride was just starting, though.
So who's excited for this ride? 😈😏 What do you think will happen? I can tell you it's everything and nothing like you imagine!
In the meantime, don't forget to vote ⭐ and comment if you liked this chapter! Tell me all your thoughts on Blade? 😈😍🔥 Isn't he an evil genie? And is Dorothy right or crazy to accept his offer?
This story is my main motivation now that I came back from vacation, and as it's raining outside, I'm so happy to have you all, my little rays of sunshine 🥰🌞😘💕
PS: I just wanna say that riding a motorcycle without a helmet is dangerous!! Don't do it! Well, there's many things in this book, that you shouldn't do, like using a gun 😅
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro