“Just the opposite, actually. The road back to the ferry terminal has two speed traps. If I got pulled over”—he made a production of glancing at his watch—“we’d miss the next ferry back to Hudson Island, thus postponing the possible future naked hot tub times. And that, my beautiful girl, is unacceptable.”
“True. That would be a damn shame.” A grin lit her gorgeous face. “But to clarify, it’s a stop by my place, a stop to pick up lunch, andthenhot tub. Possible nakedness is to be determined.”
“You know I’m just teasing, right, Frey?” The last thing he wanted was for her to feel any kind of pressure. She’d been right earlier, he was trying to lighten the mood, trying to keep her mind off what had happened, of how close she’d come to disaster. Knowing she’d gotten hurt—seeingher hurt, no matter how minor—tore him up. He should’ve protected her. “I think the hot tub will really help your knee. When I was washing it out, I could already see the bruising. I’m sure your side is the same. And if you so happen to decide to wear a skimpy bikini in the hot tub, who am I to stop you?”
She laughed—as he’d intended—and playfully slapped him on the arm. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Seriously, though, you have to know that I’m all in with you, with whatever this is that’s going on between us.” Driving withone hand, he took her hand and brought it to his lips. “You’re in charge. Always. You set the pace for whatever’s going on here, okay?”
“I know. And I’m all in too.” His heart squeezed when she kept his hand in hers and brought it to rest on her lap. “We’ll just see where things go.”
“Deal.” He glanced at her and grinned, arching his eyebrow. “So is that a yes on the skimpy bikini?”
She chuckled, and for a few moments, a comfortable silence filled the vehicle. He peeked over at her and noticed her shifting in her seat. “How’s the side and knee? For real?”
“A little uncomfortable. Truthfully, the hot tub will probably help a lot.” She frowned. “I landed hard.”
His mind flashed to what had happened, and a feeling he couldn’t quite describe twisted his gut. One second Freya had been standing beside him, and the next she was flying toward the ground. With fucking dirt bikes racing her way. He hadn’t been lying earlier when he’d spoken to the riders. Had they not been as skilled as they were, had they not swerved at the very last second, their day would have taken a tragic turn.
A prickle of unease ran down his spine. It didn’t make sense. “Can we talk about what happened? About how you fell forward?”
She remained silent for a moment, and he could see the wheels turning in her mind.
He hadn’t wanted to ask her while they were in the street. Immediately after she’d fallen, his priority had been her safety—to keep her close and tend to her injuries. He hadn’t seen anyone lingering, didn’t observe anyone who’d set off any alarms in his gut. Regardless, he had a feeling he knew what had happened, but he wanted to hear what she had to say.
“Frey?” he prodded when she still hadn’t said anything after a minute.
“I’m not sure. It happened so fast.” She shrugged. “I must have tripped.”
One glance in her direction, and he knew she didn’t believe that for one second. He gently squeezed her hand and stated the obvious. “Freya, baby, you were standing still.”
A couple of seconds of silence ticked by. Then she sighed and whispered, “I know.”
He felt a shiver tear through her, and he wanted to pull the car over and yank her into his arms.
Before he could do exactly that, she cleared her throat. “I felt something hit my back really hard. I think someone pushed me.”
“I think so too.” He recalled that earlier feeling of eyes on him when they’d first arrived in town, and he bit back a curse. “Would you be okay if I look into it?”
“Um, I’m not exactly sure what that means or entails, but okay.”
He glanced at her, and the worry on her face made him want to howl. His fingers on his left hand flexed on the steering wheel, and he made a conscious effort to loosen his grip.Relax, dammit. The last thing she needs is for you to lose your fucking shit.
Releasing her hand, he pulled up the phone function on his on-dash display. Clearing his throat, he looked over at Freya once again. “Trust me on this. If there’s anything to be found, my team will find it. If it’s alright with you, everything you hear needs to be kept between us.”
Her eyes widened, but she nodded. “Of course.”
With a couple taps on the display, a ringtone sounded over the SUV’s speakers. Seconds later, a familiar voice answered. “What’s up, Xan?”
“Hey, Bean. I’m in the car with Freya, and you’re on speaker.” He gave his colleague a quick recap of what had happened at the parade. “Not sure what’s available, but can you pull any securitycameras in the area? I’d like to see if we can get a visual of who pushed her into the street.”
The sound of typing filled the vehicle. “On it. I’ll give you a call on your cell if I turn up anything. Fingers crossed it was just some oblivious dumbass not paying attention.”
Exactly. Because the alternative would be... Holy shit, it would be completely fucked up.
“Thanks, B.”
“Of course. I’ll loop Gavin in too. Later.”
