We reach the rented motorcycle parked on the side of Ari's father's house. I say a tiny prayer that her scary dad doesn't catch us and pulverize me for taking his precious daughter on an unsafe ride. Straddling the classic bike, I kick-start the engine, and it rumbles to life. Ari climbs on behind me and hooks her fingers through my belt loops, and I pry them away, guiding her to wrap her arms around my waist instead. Her body tenses as it presses against mine, but she relaxes and rests her head on my back. I steer the bike out of the driveway and start down the road with caution.

Every so often, Ari brushes her lips against my ear as she gives me directions. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stand straight up, and I clench my jaw, forcing my eyes to stay open.

When we end up on a vacant straight-a-way, she says, "Go fast."

I smile and nod as her thighs squeeze mine and her arms hug me tight. This is a minor act of rebellion on her part, and I'm happy to participate if it means I get to feel her body pressed to mine. To hell with the consequences and her dad's fist pummeling my face, I'll gladly accept physical harm as payment for this moment.

As we set to our new speed, she unlocks her hands from around me. I glance over my shoulder and catch a hesitant look in her eyes. Her legs clench my hips and she lets go, raising her hands above her head. Her eyes close and her head falls back, strands of her hair whipping around her face. It's like she's letting go of her fears and living in the moment.

After a while, she tells me to pull off the main road and follow a crude dirt path lined with trees. At the end stands a dilapidated wooden fence, marking an overlook. Her small ocean-side town is spread out beneath us and beyond is the sea; it's an incredible view.

She climbs off the bike for a closer look. Leaning over the fence, she peers down the steep drop, and my heart pounds against my chest. If she's looking for a little excitement and a small uprising against the world, I have a better idea, and it doesn't consist of her falling to her death.

"Come here." I motion her over to me with a side jerk of my head.

I place the bike's kickstand on the ground and move back on the seat, giving her room in front of me. She straddles the seat facing me, and I hook my hands under her knees, bring her legs over mine, and pull her close. If she wants a wild afternoon on a motorcycle, who am I to deny her?

Ari's arms wrap around my neck, and her fingers dive into the hair at the back of my head. Moving my hands up her spine and pulling her forward, I brush her lower lip with my tongue. I have been dying to taste her for days. Her lips haunt me during long nights alone in my hotel room, leaving to the devices of my wandering hand.

She opens her mouth, and my tongue moves with hers. Her legs cross behind me, and her hips roll in small circles over mine. My moan brings me back to reality; I need to stop her before she drives me mad. I trail kisses down her neck intending to distract her while I lick the sensitive skin just below her ear, but her breathing speeds up, and I want more. My hands travel to the soft skin just above each of her knees and continue up her thighs and under her dress. I grip her ass and pull her tightly against me, and she skims my stomach just above the waist of my pants. I have never wanted anything as badly as I want her, but this isn't the place or the time.

I don't want her to look back at her first time and remember being taken on an old motorcycle. It should be special—gentle and candlelit with all the things I know I can give to her.

I remove my hands and place them on each side of her face, giving her several pecks to let her know I don't want to stop. "We need to slow down."

Disappointment washes over her, and I pull her to my chest, kissing the top of her head. "You deserve better than this. I don't want your first time to be on a bike."

She nods.

My little rebel is a good girl, and deep down, she doesn't want her virginity taken crudely on the back of a motorcycle.

"You don't have to feel obligated to be here because of Nonna."

I'm taken aback by the words she muffles against my chest. I lean away from her and look her in the eyes. "Is that why you think I'm here?"

She shrugs.

"Are you kidding me, Ariella? I'm here because I love you. I promised you I would heal every wound inflicted upon your heart. Whether some asshole or the uncontrollable realities of life caused it doesn't matter. I intend to keep my word. I want to love you the way you deserve. I want to love all of you, broken, torn, hurt, and perfect with every ounce of who I am."

Tears flow down her face, and I wipe them away.

How I ever thought this girl was anything less than the beautiful creature sitting before me, I'll never understand. I fought so hard to hate her because I hated Asher Prescott. In my mind, I fashioned her to be the kind of vile girl who I knew he warranted. The thought of him winning the affections of someone so compelling made me sick. I'd watched him rip out my sister's heart, and I listened night after night as she cried for a guy who was the scum of the earth. I wished for fate to step in and administer to him the same pain he'd given to Georgia, but it never happened because Prescott had Ari. Funny, sensitive, unwavering—I couldn't find any fault with her from the minute we met, so I made them up. I tried to hurt her to get back at him. I was blind, and now, all I want is to take who he tried to ruin and make her entirely mine.

"You love me?" she asks.

"Yes, I love you, Ariella James."

"I'm scared, Kade. I don't know if I'm ready to open myself to being loved. I've lost so much in such a short amount of time, and the hurt is so raw."

The ache in my chest feels like someone is strangling my heart—it hurts so fucking bad.

She bites her lip and shakes her head. "But I can't deny that I love you."

Her words change everything.

I pull her close and kiss her again.

If only there were a way to show her how much her adoration means to me. Nothing I do will convey the happiness I feel knowing she loves me in return. I love you is overused, and for many, it's lost its significance, but they have never seen how spellbinding Ari's eyes are when she says it. The way the gold around her pupils shines like the sun's rays breaking free from an eclipse in the darkest blue sky.