guessed at.
How had she not?
But oblivious, she’d gone in search of the easy love she hadn’t found with her father, and had mistakenly believed Alan would offer it. In reality, she’d just exchanged one charming, wealthy, smooth-tongued man for another, like a meek little puppy searching for that elusive acceptance.
Alan had treated her well enough, if not a little distantly, until the day he’d gotten himself killed.
Now she was left to face the music. But even bankruptcy and social humiliation didn’t touch the fact that the very people that had once kissed Alan’s ass now expected her to lead them to the money she’d never even seen. It was beyond a nightmare at this point because she couldn’t wake up.
The road opened up, and instead of a cliff on their left now, they were passing a vast, unending forest. Dark. Scary. On the next sharp turn, the Jeep slid on a patch of ice. She gasped, but Noah had the wheel in a firm grip and muscled the vehicle, keeping them on the road.
She let out a low breath. “Close.”
“What’s closer are the guys on our ass.”
Whipping around, she saw the headlights behind them and chewed on her lower lip.
“Who knows you’re here?”
“Only apparently everyone at Sky High Air.”
“No one there told a soul. Who else, Bailey?”
“No one!”
“Kenny.”
“Kenny is my brother. He’s on my side.”
He said nothing to that.
“Turn left,” she reminded him when she saw the large hanging sign up ahead: Sinclair’s Fun and Sun.
“With them right behind us? No way.” He went straight past the turnoff, speeding up until her blood pounded in all her pulse points.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered, forcing her eyes open so she could see it when they plunged off the road.
“Yeah, we’re not going to be so lucky as to get divine intervention tonight,” he said tersely, watching the rearview mirror instead of the road, which was giving her more than a few bad moments.
“Noah—”
“The cops would be pretty welcome about now—”
“What are we going to tell them, that someone’s tailgating us?”
“I don’t think that’s all they have in mind— Shit . Hold on.” In one sudden movement, he flicked off the headlights, whipped a U-turn at speeds that rolled the eyes in the back of her head, and yanked the Jeep to the side of the road and into the woods.
Bailey thought maybe she screamed, but couldn’t be sure that wasn’t just her brain imploding. She had no idea how Noah could even see—she sure as hell couldn’t—but she could hear branches of trees slapping and scraping the sides of the Jeep as they drove into the woods.
Then he hit the brakes and jerked up on the emergency brake at the same time, sending them into a careening, spinning stop. Bailey’s seat belt tightened painfully over her ribs, but before her momentum could take her forward enough to kiss the windshield, Noah thrust out an arm to hold her back.
Her breasts pressed into his biceps, his hand flattened on her belly, and it seemed in slow motion that she settled back into her seat and turned her head to look at him.
Unbelievably, her belly quivered. Her nipples hardened. She didn’t understand the reaction—or hell, maybe she did. She’d gone a long time without sex, maybe too long, and now her body was going to take whatever it could for pleasure.
In the dark, he slid his big palms up her torso, pulling the seat belt loose. She thought for a second maybe he’d been taken over by aliens.
Or maybe that was her, because suddenly she was leaning into him, her gaze glued to his lips, the lips she wanted back on hers.
Crazy.
They were in the Sierras, on the run from some big badasses who wanted her dead.
And she wanted another kiss.
His head was bent. He was trying to see her, and meanwhile his fingers—
She actually closed her eyes to better absorb the sensation, which if she could think, would mortify her. It’d been too long, much too long, since she’d been
How had she not?
But oblivious, she’d gone in search of the easy love she hadn’t found with her father, and had mistakenly believed Alan would offer it. In reality, she’d just exchanged one charming, wealthy, smooth-tongued man for another, like a meek little puppy searching for that elusive acceptance.
Alan had treated her well enough, if not a little distantly, until the day he’d gotten himself killed.
Now she was left to face the music. But even bankruptcy and social humiliation didn’t touch the fact that the very people that had once kissed Alan’s ass now expected her to lead them to the money she’d never even seen. It was beyond a nightmare at this point because she couldn’t wake up.
The road opened up, and instead of a cliff on their left now, they were passing a vast, unending forest. Dark. Scary. On the next sharp turn, the Jeep slid on a patch of ice. She gasped, but Noah had the wheel in a firm grip and muscled the vehicle, keeping them on the road.
She let out a low breath. “Close.”
“What’s closer are the guys on our ass.”
Whipping around, she saw the headlights behind them and chewed on her lower lip.
“Who knows you’re here?”
“Only apparently everyone at Sky High Air.”
“No one there told a soul. Who else, Bailey?”
“No one!”
“Kenny.”
“Kenny is my brother. He’s on my side.”
He said nothing to that.
“Turn left,” she reminded him when she saw the large hanging sign up ahead: Sinclair’s Fun and Sun.
“With them right behind us? No way.” He went straight past the turnoff, speeding up until her blood pounded in all her pulse points.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered, forcing her eyes open so she could see it when they plunged off the road.
“Yeah, we’re not going to be so lucky as to get divine intervention tonight,” he said tersely, watching the rearview mirror instead of the road, which was giving her more than a few bad moments.
“Noah—”
“The cops would be pretty welcome about now—”
“What are we going to tell them, that someone’s tailgating us?”
“I don’t think that’s all they have in mind— Shit . Hold on.” In one sudden movement, he flicked off the headlights, whipped a U-turn at speeds that rolled the eyes in the back of her head, and yanked the Jeep to the side of the road and into the woods.
Bailey thought maybe she screamed, but couldn’t be sure that wasn’t just her brain imploding. She had no idea how Noah could even see—she sure as hell couldn’t—but she could hear branches of trees slapping and scraping the sides of the Jeep as they drove into the woods.
Then he hit the brakes and jerked up on the emergency brake at the same time, sending them into a careening, spinning stop. Bailey’s seat belt tightened painfully over her ribs, but before her momentum could take her forward enough to kiss the windshield, Noah thrust out an arm to hold her back.
Her breasts pressed into his biceps, his hand flattened on her belly, and it seemed in slow motion that she settled back into her seat and turned her head to look at him.
Unbelievably, her belly quivered. Her nipples hardened. She didn’t understand the reaction—or hell, maybe she did. She’d gone a long time without sex, maybe too long, and now her body was going to take whatever it could for pleasure.
In the dark, he slid his big palms up her torso, pulling the seat belt loose. She thought for a second maybe he’d been taken over by aliens.
Or maybe that was her, because suddenly she was leaning into him, her gaze glued to his lips, the lips she wanted back on hers.
Crazy.
They were in the Sierras, on the run from some big badasses who wanted her dead.
And she wanted another kiss.
His head was bent. He was trying to see her, and meanwhile his fingers—
She actually closed her eyes to better absorb the sensation, which if she could think, would mortify her. It’d been too long, much too long, since she’d been
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