Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 41918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 210(@200wpm)___ 168(@250wpm)___ 140(@300wpm)
My phone buzzes, and I jump. Fumbling it out of my pocket, I see a text from my roommate, Sarah, asking where I am. I quickly type back a response, letting her know I'll be inside soon, and take a deep breath to steady myself.
It's like Luke has cast some kind of spell over me, and I don't know how to break free. All I can think about is him—his deep, soothing voice, his powerful presence, the way my heart races when he looks at me. And the electricity that crackles between us, so potent and all-consuming, feels like a living thing, a force of nature that can't be denied.
What is happening to me? I met him like ten minutes ago!
I hurry inside, and Sarah is waiting for me in our small apartment, looking worried. We lucked out and got one of the two-bedroom dorms, giving us at least a little bit of privacy.
"Where have you been?" she demands, getting up and fussing over me as I close the door. "I was worried sick! You’re never out after dark!”
"I'm sorry," I say, shrugging my backpack off my shoulders. "I was studying in the library and lost track of time."
Sarah studies me closely. "Are you okay? You look a little flustered."
"Yeah, I'm fine." Dropping my things by the door, I make my way inside. Soon enough, I’m sinking onto the old couch in the living room and sighing, trying to shake the strange sensations I felt when Luke and I touched. "It's just been a long night."
Sarah sits down next to me. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I just had the craziest thing happen," I tell her. "I was walking back here alone after dark, and then I met this guy, and he offered to walk me home. Well, I asked, and then he offered … but still.”
"Wait, what?" Sarah raises an eyebrow. "Why would you ask a random man to walk with you? Was it one of those frat guys who are always hitting on girls on campus? They're so gross."
"No, he wasn't a student," I say, shaking my head. "He's a biker."
Sarah gasps. "A biker? Are you serious? Like … motorcycle type of bike, right? Or the Tour de France?"
"The former, obviously," I reply with a small smile. "He was...um." The fact that Luke's bike club is all grown men years older than my roommate and me hits me, and suddenly I'm sheepish, afraid of her judgment. "He was an Iron Guardian."
"Whoa." Sarah's eyes go wide. "The motorcycle club?"
I nod.
"Isn't he a little old for you, then?"
"What? No." I shake my head quickly. "It's not like that, I promise. Plus, I didn’t even ask his age."
"Okay." She still sounds skeptical. "So what happened? What was he doing, hanging out on campus waiting for single women to walk by?”
"I don't know," I admit. "I was a little less than halfway home when I saw all of their motorcycles. I knew about the club, so I felt safe asking him. That’s all.”
"Well, that's pretty chivalrous of him," Sarah concedes, sounding less concerned. "Was he, like, a gross, middle-aged biker dude? Or more of a hot, rugged bad boy type?"
"Hot," I reply immediately. "Like, smoking hot. But not in a sleazy way."
"So, more of a James Dean vibe, then?"
"Definitely," I agree. "Although he was way more intense than James Dean. Like, a hundred times more intense."
"Wow." Sarah raises her eyebrows. "This sounds like a pretty epic story. Tell me more."
So, I recount the whole encounter to her, starting from the moment I stepped outside the library and ending with Luke walking me to the front door of my building. When I say it all out loud, it sounds way more boring than it felt. All I did was walk with a guy and talk with him a little. Nothing more.
“Sorry, that was lame,” I finish, and Sarah shakes her head.
“No way. If you say it was a big deal, I totally believe you. Sounds like he was really looking out for you."
"Yeah, he was," I say, still a little overwhelmed by the whole experience. "It was kind of nice, actually. To have someone there to protect me, I mean."
"Hey, it's okay to need help sometimes," Sarah reassures me. "There's nothing wrong with that."
"I know." I take a deep breath. "I guess I'm just not used to it. After everything that happened with Jason, I swore I'd never rely on a guy again. And then tonight..."
"Tonight was different," Sarah finishes. "This Luke guy wasn't trying to control you or take advantage of you. He was just looking out for you, right? That’s the Iron Guardian’s thing, anyway. Protecting those who need protection.”
"Exactly." I nod. "It felt good, in a way, to know that I could trust him even though we just met."
"Sometimes you can just tell when someone's a decent person," Sarah says, echoing my own thoughts. "And sometimes they wear the evidence on their biker jackets, I guess. Sounds like Luke hits both criteria though, hm?”