Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 46525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 233(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 233(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
Headlights swept across the lot, cutting through the moment. A little silver sedan pulled into the space beside mine, and my coworker hopped out with a bright smile. “Hey, Saylor! Sorry I’m late.”
Rain’s timing was perfect, immediately easing the crackling tension.
She clocked the hot biker immediately, and her whole face lit up with recognition. She moved closer and fist-bumped him like they’d known each other forever. “I hope you’re not giving my friend a hard time, Century. I’d hate to be forced to tattle on you to my brother now that he’s an officer of the club.”
My shoulders loosened a fraction. If Rain was this relaxed around him, maybe Century wasn’t the total jerk my first impression had painted him as.
“Nope.” He smirked, the crooked tilt of his mouth doing dangerous things to my pulse. “Was just about to convince Saylor to let me take her to dinner and make up for being a dick.”
Rain’s eyes darted between us, lighting up with pure mischief. She winked at me, clearly shipping whatever this was, hard. “Girl, go. I can keep myself company tonight.”
I huffed out a surprised laugh, the last of the tension from our confrontation draining away. Between Rain’s effortless approval and the way Century was looking at me, I felt myself softening.
My cautious nature told me to be careful, but the flutter in my belly and the genuine remorse lingering in his expression won out. “Okay, dinner. But you’re buying.”
Century’s smirk widened. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Rain wagged her finger at him. “And take her somewhere nice.”
“Go find Apex.” He jerked his chin toward the door. “He’s at the bar.”
“Thanks.” Rain gave me one last encouraging wink before she headed inside.
“There’s a steakhouse called The Racing Line not far from here,” he suggested. “Club owned. Quiet enough to actually talk.”
I glanced down at my casual top and jeans. “I dressed for a low-key night at the bar, not somewhere fancy.”
“You look beautiful either way.” His brown eyes heated as his gaze swept over me. “How about The Drift Café?”
“That’ll work.” I’d been there a couple of times already. “Their caprese flatbread is really good.”
Century tilted his head toward a row of motorcycles parked nearby. “I’ll follow you.”
The short drive over gave me a minute to breathe—and overthink. I glanced at his headlight in my rearview mirror much more than I should’ve. By the time we were seated at a table for two at The Drift Café, my stomach was twisted in knots.
Century proved how observant he was when he reached out to cover my hand with his. “Relax, Saylor. I know we got off on the wrong foot, but you’re safe with me.”
“I know.” I took a deep breath and let it out slowly to release some of my tension. “I only met Rain when classes started, but she strikes me as a good judge of character, and she seemed to trust you.”
“Well, shit.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Now I’m gonna owe Apex a favor.”
“That’s Rain’s brother, right?” When he nodded, I narrowed my eyes. “How come?”
“’Cause Rain wouldn’t have vouched for me if he wasn’t a King.”
Before I could ask him about the club, a server came over to take our order. I got my flatbread, and Century went for a roast beef panini. We both ordered coffee with cream, no sugar.
Conversation flowed easier than I expected.
“You work at the high school with Rain?”
I nodded. “Yeah, she’s a student teacher in the classroom next to mine, and we hit it off right away. Probably because I was in her position at a school in Georgia last year while I finished my degree.”
“What subject?” he asked before drinking some of the coffee our server dropped off.
“History.” I lit up as I talked about my students and the chaos of trying to make the past feel relevant. I was a little shy admitting I was still finding my footing, but he listened like every word mattered.
“Sounds like you love it.”
“Because I do.” I grinned at him. “How about you?”
“I’m lucky as fuck.” He waited until the server set our plates down and walked away to add, “Work at The Pit, the garage owned by the club. Get to custom build bikes for guys who know how to ride them since Kane owns racing teams with the best riders around.”
With how he spoke about his job, it was easy to tell how passionate he was. “I don’t know much about motorcycles, but that sounds really cool, Century.”
His intense gaze practically pinned me in my seat when he murmured, “Call me Levi.”
My breath caught in my chest. “Okay, Levi.”
The chemistry between us only intensified as the night went on. There was a lot of lingering eye contact and accidental hand brushes that sent a spark up my arm each time.