Another quick glance offered no indication of what she’d snagged. The darkness was oppressive along the two-lane road.
“What are you doing?”
She wasn’t impressed by my insistence. “Open your mouth.”
“Why?”
“Just trust me for once. You continue to toss that in my direction, so you do the same.”
“Fine.” I gritted my teeth first and my hesitation was rewarded with something being shoved in my mouth.
It was good to hear her laugh even if it was at the expense of me choking half to death. “What the…”
“They’re Tilly’s famous double chocolate brownies.”
After swallowing the hunk, I teased, “I’m deathly allergic to chocolate.”
“What?” Her instant alarm brought a smile. “Oh, my God. We need to find a twenty-four-hour emergency care. A hospital. Something. You could go into anaphylactic shock. You could die.”
As soon as she heard my laughter, she punched me on the arm several times. “You bastard. After the ugliness of today, you’re teasing me?”
“You’re right. I am a bastard. How many times do I need to share that with you?”
“Never again. I was worried sick about you.” The venom in her voice was amusing while creating another wave of desire. She scooted as far across the seat as possible, hugging the passenger door.
“Careful, missy. You might fall out. With being short on time, I won’t be able to come back for you.”
“I assure you I’ll find a way home. Or somewhere anyway. Maybe I’ll head to the Caribbean and find a nice, hunky island boy.”
“Not a chance. I guess I’ll need to tie you to your seat.” When I reached for her, she laughed again, but I could tell she was fading into the same despair she’d been fighting for hours.
When she yawned, I made my decision.
“There’s a motel about fifteen miles away. We’re going to stop for the night.”
She leaned her head back. “Good. I need a hot shower. And I’m starving.” She shoved a chunk of brownie into her mouth.
While I should be paying complete attention to the curvy road, what I was I doing? Sneaking small glances, as uncomfortablein my seat as I’d been around her before. The way she was attacking the dessert was very much like the way she handled every other aspect of her life. Both guns loaded, refusing to back down.
Adorable yet still irritating even after the time we’d spent together.
Another yawn and she pressed her hand across her mouth. “I don’t think I’ve been this exhausted before. At least not since the first week after opening Sunlight and Sparkles.” She fiddled with the radio while still munching on her brownie.
“My guess is you won’t find any reception. There’s no fancy satellite radio in the Blazer.”
“Fumblesticks.”
“I think the expression is fiddlesticks.”
Another yawn, deeper this time. “Is that something your grandmother taught you?”
“She might have used the expression now and again.”
“Tell me about her.”
I shifted in my seat, glancing into the rearview mirror. Noticing headlights, I instantly reached for my weapon on the dashboard just as we were headed through an area with a brightly lit gas station and some old diner than had seen better days. The heat of her stare prickled my skin. “She’s a formidable woman.”
“We’ll never be out of danger. Will we?”
