I did, but I didn't say it.
Instead, she threaded her hand into the back of my hair and pulled me in close. Her breath hitched. She wasn't faking. Her whole body trembled against mine.
The kiss was the kind they put in movies. Teeth, tongue, every ounce of need that had been building since the second I laid eyes on her. I wanted to mark her, leave her gasping and sure of it, but instead I just held her, let her taste the promise in my heart.
She broke away first, sucking in air like she'd run a race. "Wow," she whispered.
"Yeah."
She smiled, weak but real. "That's why I need to go home for a bit. You're too damn distracting."
"I get it."
Caden preened but also whimpered that she was leaving.
She hitched her bag over one shoulder, squared up, and checked the mirror once. The sight of her, messy hair, swollen lips, almost ruined me.
I followed her to the door, fighting every instinct to drag her back inside like a caveman and lock the world out. She lingered on the porch, searching my face for any sign of doubt.
"We're good?" she asked.
"We're fucking great," I answered. Caden wanted to put her over my shoulder, drag her to the bedroom, and keep her until the sun burned out.
But I held the line.
She gave a shaky laugh, then unlocked her car with a flick of her keys.
"Text me when you get home," I said. It'd been long enough since she'd had her last drink that I didn't worry about her being too tipsy. It was nearly dawn now.
She nodded and got in the car. I memorized every move. The way her hands shook on the wheel, the set of her jaw as she reversed out. She gave me a single, loaded look through the window that said everything she couldn't speak before she headed for the street.
I stood outside until the taillights faded.
Caden seethed, but this time he didn't fight me. It was patience, not pain. The certainty that she'd be back.
She was my mate. No matter how long it took, I'd wait for her.
Tash
The mountain road stretched ahead,ink-dark and empty except for the wet gleam on the shoulders. For about five minutes, I fooled myself into thinking this was peace. A clean break from the noise, from Chance's wild promises, and the hungry way his kiss had lingered.
I'd barely hit the switchbacks when a set of headlights gunned out of nowhere and glued themselves to my back bumper. Too bright. Way too close. The light clawed at my mirrors, burned holes in the rear glass, and then the SUV behind me edged tighter, big as a tank.
Jesus.
I checked my speed. I was just at the limit. The chunk of metal behind me didn't care. It prowled aftermy little car, engine revving high, so close now I couldn't see anything but spots.
I tapped the brakes and moved over to the shoulder to let them pass. The SUV pulled into the oncoming lane and surged up beside me, windows so blackened they looked painted.
My gut dropped. This wasn't good.
They veered, hard, and very nearly hammered into my car. I swerved onto the shoulder just in time, every nerve screaming, and skidded to a stop at the lip of the ditch.
My heart was sprinting. I hadn't even processed fear yet, just the need to fucking run.
Two men were out before I could put the car in reverse. They used some sort of key fob to unlock my car doors. I didn't even know such a thing was possible.
William led the charge. Even in the weird light, I recognized the smug expression on his face.
