A Kingpin Love Affair: The Complete series(23)

“Hold onto me, Izzy baby,” he yelled as he revved the engine his voice being drowned out by the noise. Doing as he said I gripped onto him, my hands sliding underneath his jacket and onto his stomach. The second my fingers made contact with his chiseled abs was the second I felt like I would die a happy woman. Lord, please help me.

My chest collided with his back as he pulled out of the garage. As soon as the garage door came down, he pulled away from the house like a bullet flying out of the barrel of a gun. The air whipped across my exposed skin in a rush. I had never felt so much freedom in my entire life. Our bodies clashed with the momentum of the bike.

I could feel my body being lifted as the power from the engine pushed us forward. I gripped onto Jared like a lifeline, afraid if I didn’t, the wind would carry me away. My chest filled with air as we took a sharp turn out onto the highway. My nails dug into his skin at the unexpected movement, and I swear I could hear him groan.

My thighs clung to his in a manner that was doing crazy things to my head. Every time we sped up, those crazy thoughts just grew wilder.

By the time we made it to the gun range, my whole body was warm all over. The second he parked, I unglued myself from him and got off the bike, not knowing if I would attack him right here, right now. Get a grip, Isabella.

I pulled the helmet off my head and handed it to him, expecting him to take it. What I didn’t expect was for him to reach out and brush back the loose strands of hair that had escaped from behind my ear. He had a way with his touch—each caress of his fingers against my skin or hair made me feel that much more engulfed in him.

“You’re beautiful.” The words slipped from his mouth with ease as if he had thought it over a thousand times. From the look on his face, it was apparent that even he wasn’t aware he was saying such things until they were already out. His admission was truthful and full of emotions I had never seen before.

“Thank you,” I offered, unsure what else I should say to him. I couldn’t just say you’re beautiful, too. Or could I?

Securing my hand in his, he pulled me toward the door of the building. It looked like an abandoned warehouse. The sidings were brown, and there was a giant glass door mirroring my reflection in front of us with a tiny overhead hanger to shield those entering in from the rain.

I watched as Jared pulled out a key card, slipping it into the door to gain entry. For a brief moment, I wondered why he had such a card and then I took in my surroundings. I wanted to panic, to explode. I couldn’t do this. I was trapped inside with no way out. Jared must’ve felt a change in my demeanor because he turned around, cupping my cheek in one of his hands.

“Don’t think. Don’t allow your fears to rule you.” His voice calmed me, putting me into what felt like a trance as I allowed him to guide me through a pair of doors and into an open room that looked like a waiting room with tables and chairs placed everywhere.

With little effort, he pulled me across the room, sliding his card once again to gain access to the next set of doors. Once inside, we entered a large room that was far bigger than the other one we had been in only moments ago. I took in the entire room within a couple of seconds, my eyes zeroing in on the far wall that was lined with guns of all types and sizes.

Anxiety formed in me and I felt myself backing up toward the door. Jared saw the worry within me and in an instant took a step toward me.

“Guns are used to protect you. Yes, they have the potential to hurt you but so does anything in life.” Everything he said held truth, but the panic inside of me was constantly rising. I had heard gunshots in the trades. I had heard screams and pleas for mercy. When I thought of guns, I thought of what they could bring. Death.

“I don’t want to do this, Jared. It reminds me too much of them...” Dread filled my voice as I took another step back. Jared’s arms wrapped around me in an instant, his fingers splaying across my back causing an eruption of emotions to form within me.

“You’re bigger than your biggest fears.” He soothed. I placed my head against his chest, focusing on the beat of his heart. Was he right? Could I get over my own fears? Before I could answer my own question, Jared’s voice pulled me back to the here and now.

“Your fears are as big as you allow them to be. If you make them the size of a house, then they will be huge forever, and you’ll always have one hell of a time getting over them. But if you make them the size of a small stone, then you can easily overcome them.”

He gripped my chin forcing me to look up into his eyes and nowhere else. It was in those eyes that I saw someone who had greater fears than I ever did. Someone who was on a path of destruction. In the depths of those beautiful brown eyes, I saw a person more lost than I ever was, and I wanted to reach right inside of him, pull him out, and offer him everything he needed even if it left me without anything.

“Ready?” he asked pulling me from my thoughts. Instead of doing that, I nodded my head yes, allowing him to bring me over to the table covered with guns.

“What is this place?” I questioned curiously, eyeing one of the guns.

“It’s a shooting range, one that Agent King had made for him and his team. They come here and train, shooting practice basically, every once in a while. I have free range to use it whenever, so here we are.” His voice was placid as he picked up a gun, one that had caught my eye. It was small, sleek, and black, and I wondered how such a small weapon could take someone’s life.