Chapter 39: Chapter Forty

The night was already making its presence felt in the sky, replacing the clear blue and warm sunlight that had been shining all day. Now the calm summer breeze blew against my body, not as a relief and refreshment for my anxiety, but the opposite. My hands were sweating, my arms crossed over my body as I walked belatedly to the exit of the Moser building. Mads would be waiting for me, he had told me amid kisses and whispers that made it difficult to concentrate on his proposal. My body was used to it, marked by sensory memories and that man's fingerprints. Getting rid of them was a waste, a job I no longer wanted to do. May I be marked, touched, and handled by him until the end of time. May we be each other's ruin in the end!

Outside was a whirlwind of cars and lights that represented the big city. The sky was a black sheet showing its total darkness. The combination was unbelievable, neon colors, advertisements, and lights from car headlights and tall buildings, all under a black canvas. In the distance, I saw what I was looking for. The dark silhouette leaning against his bike blew smoke from his mouth, from a distance I could smell his addiction. Mads looked at me from a distance, his posture tall and relaxed, the leather vest fitting perfectly on his body, revealing the tattoos on his arms, dark gray jeans, his hair slicked back with a few strands around his face. His fingers brought the cigarette to his lips and he sucked on it expertly, his eyes on me the whole time. He was incredible, it was unlikely that this was the same man who owned the building a few feet away.

I approach, feel my feet on the floor and smile. The man tosses his cigarette before stubbing it out on the floor. He stands up and looks at my body with a gaze that devours and consumes me, I feel the heat it causes and take a step towards him. Mads seems changed by my action, his hands reach up and wrap around my waist, pulling me against him, I feel his body, his firmness as he holds me in his arms, his intense gaze staring down at me. I could melt right there, even though I was sure he was holding me.

“Hi."

"Hi, sweetheart." His smile formed, a low laugh escaping his lips, and his arms pulled me closer to his body. "You look stunning."

“I'm sweaty and smell like iron and coffee." I threaten to let go of his embrace in defiance, but his arms hold me there with no way out. His face comes closer, his nostrils smelling me deeply, his gray eyes ajar, analyzing my reaction.

"Still." His nose brushes mine in a caress and I hear him moan softly as he sniffs me. I laughed, stroking his hair. His laughter mingled with mine as we rocked in each other's arms.

"You're cheating on me." I say before pressing my lips against his. He kisses me, covering my face with his big hands. Our kiss is hot, wet and intense, I give in to his arms before he pulls away with a hoarse sigh deep in his throat. Mads breathes between his teeth, his eyes dark with lust and fire, I was like that too.

"If I continue, I'll take you to my apartment instead of where I want you." His thumb slides across my cheek while his right hand absentmindedly slides down my curves and slaps my ass. The sound startles me and makes me shiver, just as it makes Mads bite his lip before turning to the big bike, the shiny black and silver body different from the other one he used to ride. "Come on."

I walk up and sit down behind him. I put on my helmet and for a few seconds, I noticed the different designs printed on his vest. "Desert Snakes" was written in a large font under the light brown tone of a wide band, just above my eyes I saw the perfect and realistic drawing of a greenish snake, its reptilian eyes conveying a predatory and experienced look, the fangs were long and sharp, shown by the open mouth that made a point of displaying the vibrant tongue and its instrument of attack.

"Hold on." I wake from my analysis to hear Mads' deep voice, muffled by the helmet and the engine vibrating in a wild, polished sound. I wrap my arms around his waist and press my body against his without blinking. "Hmm, like that, darling." He says in a teasing, sensual tone that hallucinates me, his hoarseness making me involuntarily shiver. I smile and rest my cheek against his spine, where the scent of leather, perfume and tobacco fills my nostrils.

He drives as if this is the fuel of his life and at that moment I feel everything, I feel that he lived for all this, that the wind in his face, the adrenaline and the speed filled his lungs with life and passion.

I felt his torso in my hands, alive and yet silent. Mads took me to a place away from downtown, where there were fewer people compared to the main streets of New York. The lights were still on, but the place itself seemed asleep. Mads nimbly parked in front of an establishment with a more subdued style, the lights on the facade were a shade of red and green, modest in their partially faded lettering: "The Crow Pub." The place gave the impression of being narrower but higher. Through the blurred windows, obscured by the reflection of the lights from inside and outside, you could see bodies moving back and forth, their faces blurred, I was quite sure that the name didn't do the place justice, its lighting was mostly green and red, and there was no crow symbolism.

Above, the small building had a different architecture, smooth walls with weathered paint, and there were two large open windows for renting rooms. I realized the purpose of the place when I saw the neon sign that read "Motel". One of the rooms was empty, the other had the light on, the window open, and a naked male body that looked young and slender from behind. I heard murmurs and noticed that the man in question was kissing the breasts of a brunette woman who was smiling with her eyes closed. The man's buttocks tightened and a female moan was heard in the silence of the night.

"We can do better than that." I look away as soon as I hear Mads' voice, staring at me instead of watching the scene. He smiles at my surprise and holds out his hand, the open palm offering in a way I wasn't expecting. I touch it with my fingers, then wrap them in his. I feel the stiffness of his hand and the heat that warms me.

His touch comforts me and I feel like nothing could ruin it.