When I’m with Cain, things don’t feel so heavy. I feel like I get to be a twenty-eight-year-old woman, alive and unburdened having a fun time with a guy that I'm into.
The thought clings to me like a stubborn shadow, but I shake it off and force myself to focus on the blur of passing scenery for the rest of the two-hour ride. By the time I finally reach my front steps, it’s well after midnight, and exhaustion has replaced the confusion that’s settled deep in my bones.
I head straight for my bedroom, not even glancing at my inbox or the comments piling up on my socials. I can deal with all of that tomorrow. Right now, I just want sleep and a clear mind before my meeting with Rebel tomorrow.
I fall onto the bed, still too wired to even close my eyes. After a beat, I get back up, lock the door, and slide my hand into my underwear. It’s reckless and a little pathetic that I’m doing this instead of letting Cain take care of it earlier, but the second my fingers hit my clit, the thought disappears. I chase the orgasm I denied myself; my mind flooded with him.
Cain. His mouth, his hands, the way he’d whisper against my skin like he owned every part of me. And the image that finally pushes me over the edge is him finishing inside me, no condom between us, just heat and pressure and the kind of trust that terrifies me more than anything else.
Chapter 29 – Rhiannon
“Rhiannon! Why the hell is your car being dropped off by a tow truck right now?” Gabriel’s voice booms from downstairs the next morning.
“Hold on, Gabriel’s calling me,” I say into the phone pressed to my ear.
“Okay I’ll wait,” Leo replies.
I roll out of bed, still in my pajamas, my hair a wild, slept-on mess. I twist it into a messy bun and pad down the carpeted stairs before pocketing the phone in my pajama bottoms.
Gabriel’s standing in the open front doorway, cold November air spilling in from last night’s snow, his dark brows raised to his hairline.
I follow his gaze outside. Parked at the curb is a tow truck withRossi’s Auto Garagestenciled along the side. The truckis unhooking my beat-up SUV which, somehow, looks slightly lessbeat-up than it did when I saw it yesterday.
“Did your car break down last night?” Gabriel asks me.
I shake my head. “No. I took the train into the city and back. I have no idea what’s going on, but I’ll find out.”
Slipping into my snow boots and winter coat, I step out onto the frozen ground. The snow crunches softly beneath my feet as I walk around my vehicle inspecting it.
“Uh, excuse me?”
A man looks up from the hitch he’s unclasping, a friendly grin flashing under the brim of his wool beanie. He looks to be in his late thirties, with the slightest bit of grey dusting over his dark, black beard. Dark brown eyes and muscles that tell me this guy knows how to fix cars.
“Hey there.” He yanks off his gloves and holds out his hand for a shake. “I’m Nick Rossi.”
“Um, hi. I’m Rhiannon Carpenter. The owner of this car.”
He gives me another polite smile. “Well, she’s as good as new now.”
“She’s… what?”
He blinks and tugs at the back of his neck. “Ah, shit. Cain didn’t tell you?”
My heart races. “Cain Prescott?”
Nick laughs lightly, tugging off his hat and scratching his head. “Yeah. Cain called me late last night and asked for a favor. Said there was a car that needed some urgent work and an updated inspection. I own Rossi’s Auto Garage.”
“Oh.”
“I picked it up around midnight last night,” he continues, matter-of-factly. “Didn’t want to wake you. My guys got right on it this morning. Hope we didn’t inconvenience you by getting it back too late.”
I shake my head, still stunned. “No, I had no idea it was gone. I just… had no idea Cain was doing this.”
He grins knowingly. “Cain’s always done things his own way. Anyway, it’s been inspected, oil changed, brakes replaced, filters too. Your wipers were shot, so I threw in some new ones. Put on winter tires so you won’t go sliding all around the interstate and fixed the radiator. That thing was busted. She’s solid now. Should run smooth for a good while.”
“Oh. Wow. Um… all that? Thank you.” I swallow hard, aware of Gabriel still hovering behind me like an inquisitive crow. There’s no way I can afford all this. And the extra money that I made last night from Cain’s appointment is supposed to go to straight to Eden and her school trip, not to fix up my car that was getting along just fine with a few extra bumps and screeches.
“Um, how much do I owe you?”
