The permission slip was gone from her hands, signed and delivered. She should've felt free.
But all she felt was his words echoing inside her head.
"Run to Paris, Rome, or the ends of the earth. I'll find you."
Lila shoved clothes into her suitcase, jaw tight. Maybe she could pretend she was ready for the trip, ready for distance, ready for freedom.
But her chest ached. Her skin still burned where he'd trapped her against the locker.
Her phone buzzed.
You don't get to escape me. – E
She swallowed hard.
For a second, she considered turning it off, shutting it down. But her body was restless, thrumming with something she couldn't name.
She needed release. Speed. Fire. Danger.
Because tonight wasn't about Paris, or Rome, or freedom on paper. Tonight was about her.
The girl beneath the soft junior smile. The girl who wasn't afraid of shadows. The girl who flew on wheels and fire.
She needed the underground.
The night cloaked her as she slid on her leather jacket, grabbed her helmet, and rolled her bike down the street.
Once she hit the ignition, the roar of the engine drowned out everything else—her brothers' voices, her father's orders, Ethan's threat.
The city blurred. Neon lights beckoned. The track called her name.
When she arrived, the air was alive with engines, shouts, the smell of gasoline and sweat.
"Black Angel's back!" someone yelled.
She smirked beneath her helmet. For once, she was more than her brothers' little sister, more than her dad's caged girl. She was herself.
At the starting line, her fingers tightened on the throttle. The signal dropped.
She flew.
Wind tore through her hair, adrenaline flooding her veins. Every corner, every sharp turn—it was like breathing fire. She owned it. She was untouchable.
She crossed the finish line first, cheers exploding around her.
Pulling off her helmet, she let her hair fall free, chest heaving, sweat glistening. She was alive.
But then—she felt it.
That stare.
Her smile vanished.
Slowly, she turned.
And there he was.
Ethan Cole.
He leaned against a black car, jacket unzipped, dark eyes locked on her like a predator.
Her stomach flipped, fury and heat colliding.
"You," she spat.
He smirked. "Me."
She stormed toward him, helmet clutched in her hand. "You don't belong here."
"Neither do you," he countered, stepping into her space.
Her chest rose and fell sharply. "This is my world."
He caught her wrist, pulling her flush against him. His voice dropped, low and dangerous. "Correction: this is our world. Don't forget—I know every side of you."
Her breath caught. "You don't know me."
He leaned closer, lips brushing her ear. "I know more than anyone. I know you're not the good girl they all think you are. I know about the bike. The racing. The songs. The dancing. I know your secrets, Lila. All of them."
Her body trembled, traitorously aware of his touch. "Let me go."
Instead, his hand slid to her jaw, tilting her face up. His gaze burned. "No. I'm done letting you go."
Her heart hammered, panic and desire clashing. "Ethan—"
And then his mouth was on hers.
Her first kiss.
It wasn't soft. It wasn't careful. It was fire and possession and demand all in one.
She gasped against his lips, hands pushing at his chest, but his grip tightened at her waist, dragging her closer. His kiss devoured her, consuming, unstoppable.
Heat flooded her, knees weakening, and for one dangerous second—she kissed him back.
Her first kiss. Stolen. Claimed. Burned into her soul.
When he finally pulled back, both of them breathless, his eyes were molten.
"Every first is mine," he whispered against her lips. "Every single one. First kiss. First touch. First everything. Do you hear me?"
Her chest heaved. "You're insane."
He smirked, thumb brushing her swollen bottom lip. "Insanely yours."
She shoved him away, heart racing, face burning. "Stay away from me, Ethan!"
But her voice cracked.
And the taste of him lingered.
Later, slipping back into her room, she collapsed on her bed, helmet beside her, lips tingling, mind spinning.
Her first kiss.
And she hated herself for the truth pulsing inside her.
That no matter how much she fought him…
A part of her wanted the next first to be his too.