Chapter 25 Chapter: 25
ADDISON
For a suspended moment, Shepherd just watched me as always, his face unreadable, but it was those stormy grey eyes that gave him away; they darkened, intensified as they trailed over my body in a way that felt both flattering and, at the same time, made me blush.
Instead of saying the words any other boy would have said, Shepherd pushed against the car and rounded to the driver's side. “Don, don't just stand there, get in.”
Asshole!
What was I expecting? For him to compliment me? Tell me I look good and sexy? I opened the car, my face red with mortification, and sat my ass down on the soft leather.
“Where are we going now?” I asked as I put on my seatbelt.
“We’re going to meet up with the guys,” Shepherd replied as he revved up the engine.
I frowned. I thought we were heading back to school, and I was already dreading it. Now that I was no longer drowning in self-pity, I couldn't help thinking about the punishment for skipping school.
Shepherd could probably get away with it, but what about me? Would I be suspended or expelled if the school found out I’d left the premises without authorisation?
Loud rap music blares through hidden speakers as Shepherd parks the McLaren beside a long line of flashy sports cars; some of the vehicles have their hoods popped open, and their engines roar and purr.
Guys and girls in tight skirts and skimpy tops laughed loudly, leaning against car doors, some formed small groups while they drank and chatted animatedly.
A few of them were busy sucking face, making out without a care in the world. A large group of guys crowded around an older man with a buzz cut, shouting at each other, placing bets as money changed hands.
My eyes widened when I saw Trick talking intently to the man with the buzz cut. Most of the guys are around Shepherd's age, a few were somewhere around early twenties.
Except for the man Trick was talking to, he's much older than the guys here, probably around early to mid-thirties.
I stepped out of the car after Shepherd, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness, my eyes wide as I took everything in.
“Wow! This is,” I said, turning around slowly.
“Not what you expected?” Shepherd asked, his brow arched.
“Honestly, I didn't know what to expect? Isn't this illegal, though?”
He grinned. “Watch it, don't let the guys hear you. Might think you're an undercover cop or something?”
I snickered. “You think I look like an undercover cop?” Shepherd pulled his bottom lip with his sparkly white teeth as his grey eyes turned heated, running over my bare legs, thighs, and the dress he'd specifically chosen for me.
When he looked back at me, I was physically trembling. I'd felt that look all the way down to my toes. He takes a couple of steps, covering the distance between us.
Then he leaned closer until all I could see was him, his eyes lower to my lips, then up to my wide eyes. “No, Addison. A real undercover cop will try to fit in, show a little skin, some ass, and tits.” He pointedly lowered his gaze to my chest, then glanced up and winked.
“You pervert!” I gasped, and I shoved him back, my cheeks flaming. He chuckled and was about to say something, but
Shepherd never had the chance because before I could blink my eyes, an army of gorgeous women suddenly surrounded him, definitely older, their attention fixed on him.
I was unceremoniously pushed to the side by a tall, gorgeous blonde.
My jaw dropped seeing how they had their hands all over his body. “You racing tonight, Pres?” the same blonde who shoved me asked, leaning too close for comfort. Well, comfort for me, I didn't want to dirty my eyes with such nonsense.
“Haven't been in a long time, just needed a bit of adrenaline.”
“Well, we're happy to see you here. Are you staying for a while?” Shepherd tries to pry her hands from around his neck.
“Sorry, can't.”
I scoffed. Manwhore.
I glanced away from Shepherd and his little groupies, hugging myself with my arms. Maybe I should look for Nathan or Cole. They should be here somewhere.
Instead of standing here like the sad heroine of a low-budget Hollywood romcom.
I wonder what’s so special about a bad asshole like Shepherd? One minute, he's been nice, and the next, he's a total asshole and a manwhore.
“Nervous?” a voice asked beside her. I startled, turning to see Asher leaning against his bike.
“Am I that obvious?” I asked.
He flashes me a lopsided grin. “It's okay, I get this isn't your usual scene, but you'll get used to it.”
I glanced back at Shepherd. He was still surrounded by his fangirls, and I quickly looked away when he caught me watching.
“Doubt it, so do you race too?”
“Sometimes, not as much as Shepherd and Nathan.”
“Nathan too?” she asked, surprised. “I didn't peg him as an adrenaline junkie.”
Asher chuckled, amused. “Don't let his innocent act fool you. Nathan is brutal when he needs to be. Of course, no one is better than Shepherd; he's a legend around here.”
My brows scrunched. “Why, though. This is… illegal, right? They could be arrested if they got caught.”
Asher’s expression shuttered. “For the game, the adrenaline rush, the money, and of course the win.”
“But Shepherd doesn't need money,” I said. Something in Asher’s expression changed. “Or does he?”
“Careful what you're asking, Addie,” Asher warned. I bit my lip, my eyes flicked to where Shepherd is now talking with the buzz-cut. The throng of women was nowhere in sight. Something inside me loosens.
“But what do you do if someone gets hurt?”
“People get hurt all the time, it's inevitable,” he replied simply. I frowned, not liking that.
“I don't have to warn you why you don’t talk about it. Ever do I?”
I roll my eyes. “You just did.”
“I'm serious, you don’t post it. You can't tell others about it, and you certainly can't call names.” He sounded so serious that he suddenly made me nervous.
“Geez, relax, you don't have to worry about it. I'm not a blabbermouth.”
Her stomach tightened. “Why didn’t Shepherd tell me any of that?”
Asher glanced toward Shepherd, who was now watching us with narrowed eyes, although the man with the buzz cut was still talking to him, he wasn’t looking at him.
“Yeah,” Asher replied. “Shepherd doesn’t like other people knowing about his world. I'm honestly surprised he decided to bring you here. He'd never done that before.”
My eyes flicked over to Shepherd. He glared at me, or was it Asher? His jaw clenched as he nodded at something the other man said before he started walking towards us.
Did he guess what we were talking about, and was angry about Asher telling me about him? Or was it something the buzz-cut said that upset him?