“We will.”
Shane let her hand go the minute they got through the
doorway. He dropped his duffel and paced along the stone walk.
“All right. Tell me what’s going on.”
He jammed his hands into his pockets. “We’re fucked is
what’s going on.”
She winced. “How bad?”
“Nine hundred twenty-three dollars fucked.”
Kendall hooked her hand through his arm and stopped him.
“That’s got to be most of our money.”
His arm was rock hard with tension. His face was that
careful blank she was coming to know as his I-don’t-want-to-worry-Kendall face.
She’d had boyfriends for months before figuring out their quirks. Less than a
week with Shane and she was so in tune with him her skin itched. It was so
fast. So much more than it should be. And God, she wanted it—wanted him—so very
badly. She tugged one of his hands out of his pocket and laced their fingers.
“We’ll figure it out.”
The little tick in his jaw fluttered, and he nodded. He
rubbed her hand between both of his and slipped away to pace again. A battered
pickup came into view a few minutes later. A kid rolled down his window. He was
a carbon copy of Jasper minus thirty years. “You Shane and Kendall?”
Shane swiped both bags off the ground. “That’s us.”
The kid smiled wide with perfect white teeth gleaming out of
his tanned face. “I’m JC. Hop in.”
They both rounded the truck, and Shane opened the door for
her. “In you go.” She looked down. No running board this time. The truck was so
old there was no handle. Just as she was going to boost herself, the bags hit
the floorboards, and Shane’s wide hands grasped her hips. One touch and her
skin charged.
She gave JC a small smile. “Hey there.”
“You all right, ma’am?”
She winced. No matter how many times she heard it with the
bed-and-breakfast, she hated that word. “Yeah, just too short.”
“I hear ya. My dad is a kick-ass mechanic, but he definitely
didn’t bring height to the gene pool.”
Shane stepped in because he was tall enough—the jerk—and
slammed the door behind him. He dropped his arm over her shoulder. She gave him
a sidelong glance. What the hell was with the proprietary bullshit? Her death
stare had little effect; his focus was on the road ahead.
Kendall shifted and jammed her back into Shane’s chest.
Instead of moving, he stretched his arm across the bench seat. Ass. Ignoring
him, she turned to JC. “We really appreciate the pickup.”
“It’s too blasted hot to walk, that’s for sure. Dad was
taking the Silverado off the lift when I left, so you should be ready to go.”
“We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”
Shane grunted behind her.
“Yeah, Dad told me you guys were heading to New York.
Helluva haul.”
Shane shifted, and the end of her braid loosened. She nudged
him, but he didn’t stop. Her hair tie dropped into her lap. She rolled her eyes
and snapped the band around her wrist. Still no expression on his face.
“Three thousand miles plus a few detours.”
JC’s toothpaste-commercial smile flashed again. “I made the
trip with a couple of buddies after college. We stayed at a bunch of hostels and
worked our way across the states. We zigzagged a bit so we could see the high
points. Was a fun two weeks.”
She looked at Shane, but he shook his head. That would
definitely help them with the money situation. Then again they had subzero
sleeping bags, so they could sleep in the truck if they had to. JC chattered on
about his trip, and it was a short drive to the garage. He pulled in and
stopped in front of the pumps. “I’ve got to get a part. Just head on past the
pump. Dad’s got the bay doors open.”
“Thanks for the ride.” Shane hopped out and reached for her,
then set her down in front of him. He played with the ends of her hair just
above her waist, tugging lightly. Her skin tingled, and the restless itch
returned sevenfold.
Kendall waved and shut the door. “All right. What was that
about?” Shane hadn’t touched her all night, most of the way through breakfast,
and now he was all hands?
He shrugged. “I like your hair down.”
That wasn’t it. Yes, he liked her hair, but that wasn’t the
reason he’d been so handsy in the truck. “It’s not even nine o’clock and I’m
already sweating, and you want all this down? No.” She lifted the heavy mass
off her neck and rolled the tie off her wrist. “You try having all this hair.”
He covered her hands to stop her. His chest brushed hers as
he shook out the curls. She closed her eyes at the light tugs. Just when she
thought she understood him, he threw her off with this power play crap. And she
didn’t want him to stop. He finger combed the curls and cupped the back of her
neck. “You’re too goddamn beautiful for your own good.”
She peered up at him through heavy lids. What the hell did
that mean? His fingers kneaded the base of her neck. His beard was softer with
growth against her cheek as he nipped at her ear. “Keeping my hands off you
gets harder every day, Sunshine.” And then he was gone. She opened her eyes,
and he was stalking toward the bay doors with both their bags.
“Son of a bitch.”
Her whole body was on fire, and he left her.
Again.
She scraped her hair back and tied it into a high ponytail.
Damn that man for keeping her so off balance.
Shane dug his wallet out of his pocket. He untucked his
T-shirt to bunch around his zipper. He was a goddamned walking erection lately.
All that pale corn silk followed him in dreams. He could feel it against his
thighs, across his chest, and the scent of her scraped him raw. Fucking apples.
He’d woken in the night to find his chin buried in her neck,
her scent invading his dreams. He’d been curled around her, holding on to her
as if he couldn’t bear to let her go. He tipped his head back, scratching at
the dense scruff that climbed down his neck.
He dragged in a deep breath of oil, gasoline, and the
lingering overlay of cigarettes. Familiar scents. Enough to snap him back to the
task at hand. Jasper’s bill. He had just enough on his credit card to cover it,
but the fear of something far worse happening to them made him cautious to use
the last of his credit. Everything about this trip was out of his control.
Kendall included.
He forced his lips into a smile. “Jasper.”
“There’s my favorite twosome.” Jasper peeked around him.
“Well, part of it. Where’s your pretty girl?”
“She’s coming.”
Jasper tucked a rag into his back pocket. “I did the best I
could to keep the cost down.”
“I know you did. And I appreciate it. ”
“Hard times are everywhere.”
“Kendall and I know that all too well.” A new thing for him
to deal with. Living an easy life within the family empire was the only thing
he knew. Scraping his way across the states wasn’t the plan.
“Hell, the only reason we’re still going strong here is
because of my son. He’s got an affinity for classic American cars and brings in
a lot of traffic from the Richie Riches. They like their old muscle cars to
show off. Of course they fuck them up by driving like assholes, but it keeps us
in business.”
Shane’s belly loosened, and his hard-on eased. “I’m from
Monterey, man. I see the assholes firsthand.”
Jasper dragged his hat off and smoothed his hand over his
buzzed head. “That coastal road? Yeah…that’s one helluva road to hit with a
good engine.”
Shane tipped back on his heels. “I had a Mustang when I was
in my twenties. I scared the hell out of my dad with that car.”
Kendall stalked in, her mouth tight and murder in her eyes.
Damn, she was gorgeous when she was angry. He knew he’d been pushing her
buttons, but if the kid in the truck had been a puppy, the drool would have
soaked her shirt. She had no idea just how appealing she was, which was part of
the problem. A woman like her should be settled with a man who wouldn’t let her
out of his sights. Just what kind of men did she have in her town who wouldn’t
have snagged her with a ring?
His shoulders tensed again. Rings and marriage had never been
in his periphery. His focus had been his furniture company for so long. The
minute marriage had been mentioned, he’d been fucked-up about it. Each time
another guy looked at her with anything close to interest, he was fucked-up
about it. He couldn’t remember the last time he gave two shits about a woman
enough to get bent. And it had to be this woman?
She held his future in her tiny hands. A future that had
been manipulated by the one person he’d thought he could trust. He had to be
out of his mind to think he could control any part of this situation. All he
could do was drive through and hope to shit they got to New York with both of
them intact. Kendall kept her distance, and their sham of a marriage was null
and void here. His wallet dug into his palm. Son of a bitch.
Jasper shuffled off to a desk along the wall and came back
with a work order. Shane traded it for cash and stuffed the receipt in his
wallet. Kendall came forward and smiled at Jasper. “Thanks for finding us a
place to stay last night. Delinda and her family were amazing.”
“They’re good people.”
“The best.”
Shane jammed his wallet back in his pocket. “Well, we better
get on the road.”
Kendall jerked her thumb at him. “We’re behind this one’s
schedule.”
Jasper held out his hand to Shane. “Good luck.” He turned to
Kendall, but she stepped forward and wound her arms around the wiry older man.
“Thanks again.”
Jasper blushed and fussed with his cap. “Don’t mention it.”
Shane opened the passenger door and tucked their bags away.
Not trusting himself to touch her right now, he gave her a wide berth to go
around the car. She hoisted herself in and settled into her corner with her car
charger for her phone. They waved as he pulled out onto Main Street. Silence
permeated the cab of the truck. She didn’t speak, and he didn’t have anything
to say.
Three hours later, they’d crossed the border into Utah.
The dusty road was as flat as Arizona with the hazy blue of
mountains to come. The sun blazed, belying the middle-of-November date. Kendall
stripped down to a T-shirt. She had lightweight khakis on, and her legs crossed
in her usual fashion. The silence was heavy, but he didn’t know what to say to
her. He didn’t know how to handle the jealousy and the emotions she dragged out
of him so effortlessly. None of this was in his plans. And all he had right now
was his plan.
Those days he’d left her with Kain he’d finalized his life
in California. The fact that it had been so easy to do didn’t sit well on his
shoulders. California had been his home for most of his life, and yet the
moment he’d lost his father, the disconnect was like cutting a string. When he
hit New York, he’d get to work on the orders he was behind on, figure out a
space for his shop. Maybe a little apartment over it until he got himself
established.
Work was his solace, and it made sense. It was all he
had—all he’d ever wanted. Now he had a bed-and-breakfast he didn’t know what to
do with and feelings for a woman who made him think of sunshine and…well,
something other than work.
Kendall finally looked up from her phone. “There’s a rest
stop coming up.”
“Need to stop?”
“I could use a bathroom break and a refill. I need
caffeine.”
He nodded. “We need to make it—”
“Quick, I know. Five minutes is all I need.”
She shoved her feet into her sneakers and pulled out her
wallet as he drove up to the gas pump next to the mini-mart. “Go on ahead. I’ll
fill up.” She nodded and slid out, then slammed the door. While he was alone,
Shane fanned out the money in his wallet. Six hundred dollars to get them
through the next few states. He drew off one hundred for gas. Make that five
hundred. With his background he could find a day laborer job, but that wouldn’t
haul in much more than gas money. And that was only if he was lucky and a crew
needed an extra pair of hands. Shit.
He hopped out and paid the attendant, pumped his gas, and
followed Kendall into the store. She had a sneer on her face when he found her.
“That was gross.”
“The joys of gas station bathrooms.”
“There’s no joy. I need to bathe in Purell.”
His lips quirked. He missed her voice. The ride was getting
stale because he couldn’t get his act together when it came to this woman.
“Luckily I don’t have to touch anything.”
“It’s a good thing, believe me. Want something to drink?”
“I’ll get it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Suit yourself.” She disappeared into
the aisles, and he took care of business. He met her at the registers. Diet
Coke, water, and a bag of peanut M&Ms. She did like her junk food. He
wasn’t sure where she put it, but she sure liked it. He put his Coke on the
counter and pulled out a ten.
“Don’t be stubborn about money now, Shane.”
Ignoring her, he gathered his change and their bag. “I
figure we’ve got another six hours, and we can stop for dinner. I’d like to
drive through as long as we can.”
“My butt says no, but yeah, that’s probably for the best.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been a bear, Sunshine.”
Her eyebrow rose. “I’m sorry. Did you apologize?” She cupped
around her ear. “I heard that right?”
He sighed and hooked his arm around her neck to drag her into
his chest. “Funny girl.”
She circled his waist and tucked her hands into his hip
pockets. “We kind of forgot the fun part of our road trip.”
“Yeah. The church thing was definitely a sexy-road-trip
killer.”
She looked up at him, her sly grin back and her eyes
twinkling. She squeezed his ass. “Well, we’ve got a few more states to
debauch.”
He lowered his head and found her mouth. He traced the seam
of her lips with his tongue, and she dragged him closer. She softened for him,
her tongue teasing his as playful Kendall emerged.
Keep it light. Just enjoy the moment
. There wasn’t anything they
could do about their situation but get through it. And at least he got to touch
her. He bent his knees, and she shifted her hands out of his pockets and up his
back.