He sucked on her lower lip, and felt her push up against him.Her hard nipples rubbed against his chest.Her lips softened against his, the sensation new.More than just arousal.A layering of feeling he wanted the power to ignore.This one moment was irrevocably different.The flash fire becoming a steady burn.
Her hands were on his chest now, only she was no longer pulling him in.She was pushing him away.Why?She’d been right there with him, he knew it.He’dfeltit.
Hard eyes studied him.“Don’t do that to me again,” she said quietly and walked away.
***
Her hands were shaking so hard, it was a wonder the car wasn’t weaving all over the road.What the hell had Cujo been thinking, kissing her like that?
Her insides were eviscerated.Heat radiated through her arms where he’d grabbed her.She looked in the rearview mirror, catching sight of her swollen lips.No man had ever churned her up the way Cujo did.
“Aargh!”She reached for the radio, jacking the volume.Cuban music filled her car.
A loud pop from the front of the car made her jump.What the hell?White clouds of steam erupted from under the hood, obstructing her vision of the road.A loud pinging sound accompanied a flashing light on the dashboard.
No.Not now.Drea pulled over to the side of the highway.She rested her head on the steering wheel and contemplated just climbing into the backseat to sleep.“That won’t solve anything,” Drea said resolutely, unclipping her seatbelt.
Traffic hurtled by as she made her way to the front of the car to see what had happened.
“Ouch.Motherfucker,” she cried, shaking her hands.The hot steam made it impossible to open the hood, the little catch too close to the source.An angry red blister had started to form on her finger sending throbbing pain up her hand.
Not that she was a mechanic, but even with her limited knowledge, she knew the damage was out of her pay scale.
Maybe she should call Trent.She didn’t want to.Today was his engagement party and he was covering for Cujo at the shop right now.And the way her life was going, she might have to take him up on the offer of a loan.The idea of asking for anything squeezed her chest.
Who else did she know?Scrolling through her phone contacts, she considered and dismissed José because he was covering both shifts for her today.Aunt Celine might know someone, but she was already looking after her mom for the weekend while Drea organized the party.Her mom had hated the idea and was no doubt making life miserable for Celine.
She was up to her ears in physical and emotional debt.All these people were already helping her.
Cujo?No way was she going to end up owing him anything.Not after what just happened.
If she could get the car towed, maybe they could just hold the car until her mom… well, until the expenses weren’t so heavily outweighing the income.Drea sat on the metal railing along the side of the road.So what if the highway patrol advocated moving away from the road to wait for roadside assistance, hiking up the verge required energy she didn’t have.She’d take her chances where she was.
How much did towing cost anyway?More than she had likely.She seriously considered abandoning the car.Let the police deal with it.One less worry.But then she’d never be able to make it between home, José’s, and the hotel.
Drea blinked furiously to stop the tears on the verge of spilling.Too tired, too broke, too alone to figure out what to do with her car and no energy left to move.She dropped her forehead to her knees and let the tears fall.
***
Cujo steered the truck onto the highway, headed for home.The idea of getting in the water had lost its appeal the moment he’d watched her car leave.It sucked.He’d approached it all wrong, certainly, but why did she have to push him away without giving him a chance to explain.And why the fuck, after doing fine without a woman in his life, did he now have two?
No, it was worse.He didn’t want his mom there, and she was desperate to be.And he wanted Drea there, and she wasn’t.When had life become so fucking drama-filled?
He was past the little red car before he realized it was Drea on the side of the road.Why the hell hadn’t she moved away from the car?
The truck roared as he stamped the pedal to the floor to cut across two lanes of highway.He braked hard on the shoulder, the sound of sand and gravel spraying the underside echoed through the cab.
He flicked on the hazards, slammed into reverse, and backed up until he was within a few feet of her vehicle.
Traffic was heavy.His first concern was for her safety.Sobs so violent they jerked through her body broke his heart into a million pieces.Watching emotions pour out of her in such a powerful way brought him to his knees, literally, in front of her.
“I got to move you, Shortcake, okay?”
She looked at him, her face red and blotchy, her nose running, tears pouring down her face.
Cujo picked her up gently, one arm round her back, the other tucked under her legs.He cleared the metal railing and walked a short distance up the grassy embankment and found a relatively clear spot to set her down.He unzipped his hoodie and draped it over her shoulders.
Crouching in front of her, he lifted her chin with his finger and used the sleeve of the hoodie to clean up her face.
