Playing with Fire

by m20anderson  


Bonus Chapter: Kid

 410  25  27

by m20anderson

— Tommy —

I should have just le!.

Clocked out, grabbed my stu", and walked straight to my

bike like a normal person. But then I saw it.

Adrian's motorcycle.

Sleek. Black. Dangerous in a way that made my stomach

twist. It didn't belong in a place like this. It could eat my
secondhand bike for breakfast. Even parked, it owned the
lot, demanding attention without trying.

I stopped before I even realized I had.

Adrian was still inside, probably talking business with

Colton. It had been weeks since he o"icially invested in
Phoenix Cycles, and nobody knew the exact details of the
deal—just that Colton and Chuck somehow got talked into
it.

But it was obvious Adrian wasn't just some casual investor.

He was powerful in a way that didn't require volume.

People listened the first time. He never scrambled, never
second-guessed. He threw money at what he wanted and
got it. E"ortlessly. Because he was always in control.

Everything I wanted to be.

I still didn't know what to think about all that.

But I knew his bike was sick.

Glancing at the garage, I made sure no one was around

before stepping closer. Blacked-out rims. Matte finish. An
engine that looked like it had been forged in hell. It wasn't a
bike you rode. It was a bike that made a statement.

That bike was just like Adrian.

I tilted my head, when—

"I'll let you take it for a ride, if you ask real nice."

I choked.

Coke shot up the wrong way, fizz scorching my sinuses like

fire. I gasped, coughing, barely stopping it from spraying
everywhere. I turned too fast, balance tipping, my foot
catching on nothing—nearly eating pavement right then
and there.

Adrian leaned against the shop doorway, arms folded,

watching me with that slow, unreadable expression that
made my skin prickle.

"You're late," he said. a

+

I blinked. "What?"

He smirked. "If you wanted to drool over it, you should've

done it while I was inside. You look like a kid staring at cool
toys behind a shop window."

"I wasn't staring."

"Sure," he murmured, like it didn't matter whether I

admitted it or not.

I bristled. "I'm not a kid."

He didn't move. Just shi!ed his weight, casual and

controlled. "No?"

"I told you, I'm twenty-five. It's not cute, so quit it with the
nickname."

Adrian made a slow, deliberate glance at the Coke in my

hand. "Mm. You sure about that?"

I frowned, looking down at the bottle. "What does this have

to do with anything?"

Adrian tilted his head, slow and assessing, like he was

taking his time before deciding how to play with me.

"You kidding?" His voice was smooth, casual—but I wasn't

stupid. Casual didn't mean safe. "It is pretty cute."

My grip tightened around the bottle. "It's just a soda."

His mouth curled at the corner, sharp, amused. "Is it?"

He stepped o" the doorway, the movement slow,

controlled. Measured, like he had all the time in the world
to circle me. "Because from where I'm standing, you're
holding it like a security blanket. And you're staring at my
bike like you wanna be me when you grow up."

My stomach twisted.

Shit.

I clenched my jaw. "I'm not."

Adrian hummed like I wasn't worth arguing with. He took

another step, and I made the mistake of looking up at him.

His eyes—blue like cold steel—dragged over me with

something deliberate, something that made my skin
prickle.

"You sure?" he murmured. "Because if I didn't know any

better, I'd say you've been watching me a lot lately."

Heat clawed up my neck. I scowled. "I haven't."

"No?" His smirk deepened. "Then why do you drink these

now?"

My stomach dropped.

Because the first time I met him, he'd been leaning against
the gas station convenience store, Coke in hand, looking
like he owned the whole goddamn city.

And yeah, I'd started drinking them more a!er that. But I
never said anything.

How the hell did he notice?

I gritted my teeth. "It's just a soda."

Adrian made a quiet sound—something amused,

something dark.

Then, without warning, he moved.

Too fast. Too smooth.

His fingers caught my jaw, tilting my chin up like I was

something he'd already decided belonged to him.

I sucked in a sharp breath, pulse jumping under my skin.

"You know what else is cute?" he murmured, voice smooth,

unrushed—like he had all the time in the world to
dismantle me piece by piece. His thumb traced the hinge of
my jaw, slow and deliberate, like he was savoring the
weight of my pulse beneath his fingers. "The way you act
like you don't see it."

I sti"ened. "See what?"

His head tilted just slightly, like he was considering whether

I was worth the answer. Then, his lips parted, the single
word slipping out like a quiet command.

"Me."

My throat went dry.

I smacked his hand away, stepping back so fast I nearly

tripped. "I'm not scared of you. Just so you know. I don't
have anything."

His expression didn't shi!. "Have anything?"

"Yeah... For you to take."

For the first time, he didn't immediately respond. He just

stood there. Watching me. The silence stretched—sharp,
like a blade hanging by a thread.

Then, Adrian did something infinitely worse than speaking.

He smiled.

Not smirked. Smiled. And it was the kind of smile that made
my stomach drop straight through the pavement: too
white, too perfect, catching just enough of the streetlight to
make me feel like prey.

Then—engines.

A low, guttural growl that sent a pulse through the

pavement.

The second Adrian heard it, something inside him flipped.

The shi! was instant. The lazy amusement drained from his
face like it had never been there to begin with, leaving
behind something cold. Controlled. Predatory.

The air in the lot changed.

He moved in front of me without hesitation, a slow,

deliberate step—not rushed, not defensive. Just claiming
space.

You've finished reading Playing

with Fire

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Write a comment...

Riverblu22

I read one story and was hooked-ended

2
up binging them all.
I actually wasn't gonna read your new
one because I don't like Tommy and
didn't think I could get over that fact
but a!er caving and reading this I have
Read more
1mo ago Reply

View 1 Reply

LunaLillie

Admittedly, a!er reading all your works,

2
my favourite is a toss up between 'The
Cabin', 'Warner Park' and 'Playing with
Fire'. Who am I kidding??? All your
creations are favourites of mine and
such diverse stories. Seriously, 'Playing
Read more
1mo ago Reply

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