Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 28170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 141(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 141(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Seeing a fire exit sign, I hurried in that direction. I dropped the flowers to the floor, pushed on the bar, and rushed into the bright sun. I fled down the back alley and onto a small road. I searched left and right, my hand held out, praying for someone to stop.
I couldn’t take one more damn day of that life. Another day of the dresses, the sunless tanner . . . and my mamma’s fists.
Dread swarmed in my stomach when I heard my mamma’s voice getting closer. Then the deafening roar of a motorcycle cut through the air. I frantically waved my hand for the guy to stop. I didn’t think he would. Hope drained from me as I saw my mamma storming down the alley, her face like thunder and flushed with rage. It didn’t matter that I was a grown-ass woman—she was my kryptonite. One I’d wasted too many years trying please, trying to make love me.
She was the only person who struck fear in me.
In my panic, my feet fumbled, my damn high heels causing my ankle to give way. I stumbled on the curb of the road and lurched forward. My hands reached out for something to break my fall, when my hip suddenly hit something hard, the flash of pain making me cry out. It only took me a few seconds to realize it was a motorcycle—a motorcycle that was slowly rolling to a stop beside me. Two hands took hold of my arms, and my head snapped up, only for my eyes to crash into a pair so blue they almost didn’t look real. “Jesus! You almost ran me the fuck down!” I blurted, but my voice was barely above a whisper.
A huff of a laugh came from the lips of the blue-eyed biker. But his laugh faded when he looked over my shoulder and my mamma’s voice sounded again. “You getting on or what, beauty queen? Looked like you were trying to hitch a ride.”
I didn’t need to look back at my mamma to help make my decision. I didn’t even care that the guy was a unit with a shaved head, a massive red scar slicing down the side. I just saw my chance at freedom and damn well took it.
Climbing on the back of the Harley, I wrapped my arms around his waist and begged, “Please. Go!” We sped off. My heart slammed in my chest as the engine roared and the seat vibrated with power underneath me.
I glanced back, the venue fading from view. I tightened my arms around the guy’s waist, and the smell of oil and leather surrounded me.
It smelled of freedom.
We drove. We rode and rode until the sun started to drop in the sky. I knew I should be worried. Especially when I saw the tattoos this guy was covered in. They were white power. I’d seen plenty of them in my life. He could be taking me anywhere. Could be a murderer or some shit. A trafficker. Yet I kept on holding on. That’s how badly I needed away from my mamma.
I wasn’t sure how many hours we’d been on the road, but we were no longer in Austin, that was for sure. At that realization I could suddenly breathe, the weight in my chest lifting for the first time in my life.
The guy took a left and pulled into a motel. The red neon sign buzzed, telling us they had rooms free. My legs felt numb as he parked up. My fingers were rigid, as if they’d been soldered to his waist. As the engine died, he sat there for a few minutes. I didn’t move. Eventually, he looked at me. I had to swallow when those eyes met mine again. “You gonna move anytime today, beauty queen?”
I blinked, his slow drawl snapping me from my trance. I swung my leg from the saddle. As I stepped back, I really saw the guy for the first time. I swallowed on seeing the size of him, every inch of him covered in tattoos.
He was gorgeous.
His lip twitched as he looked at me. Then his gaze went to my head. It took me a minute to realize what he was laughing at. I ripped the crown from my head and threw it to the ground.
“Not a fan of crowns?”
“Fuck no,” I spat back. His face lit up with humor. I held out my hand. “Susan-Lee.”
He pushed his hand out and put it in mine. “Tank.”
“I can see why you’ve got that name, sugar.” I pulled my hand back. “Thanks for the rescue. It was much needed.”
Tank nodded, then got off his bike. He looked even more intimidating standing up. Fuck. He looked good. The guy’s face was beautiful. His eyes ran down my dress. “You ran from a pageant or some shit?”