I nod, trying to mimic his motions as he takes deep breaths with me. My knees wobble, and he catches me before I can fall. His solid arm wraps around my waist, anchoring me to him as he supports my weight.
“Wrap your arms around my neck, Sunshine,” he whispers in my ear. Everything is becoming numb as I do as he instructs. “Hold tight.”
I grip my forearms the best I can before he scoops me up with a single arm and trudges back to the passenger side. His strength is impressive, but all I can focus on is not losing my mind as he sets me down in the seat. He buckles my seatbelt before closing the door and jogging around to the driver’s side.
“You’re okay,” he says again as he pulls away from the shoulder.
I can’t move.
Everything feels like too much as he joins the steadily building morning traffic. I’m silent beside him, a million questions plaguing me, but my mouth remains sealed tight as if talking will break the peace that settles over us.
“Talk to me, Addison.” Rowan urges. “What’s something you and your dad liked to do?”
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth as it goes dry. I unfeelingly reach for my purse, grabbing my travelmouthwash to get rid of the acidic taste lingering on my tongue.
“You’re in shock—”
“I fucking know that!” I snap, whipping around to him.
The corner of his mouth quirks. “I’ll take your anger. Bitch at me. Tell me how you feel right now.”
I swish the concentrated mint around my mouth before rolling down the window and spitting it out. “I feel like you're a fucking creep and you’ve been stalking me. I feel like I just witnessed a murder, and I don't know how to cope with it. And I feel like you're hiding something from me!” My voice hits a crescendo, the sound bouncing off the walls of the cab.
Rowan never flinches. His smirk only grows until he has this ruggedly handsome glow to him. It breathes life into him, and I nearly gasp at how it transforms his face.
He’s beautiful.
“Good, Sunshine,” he purrs. “You’re so fucking smart. You’ve been onto me since the beginning, haven't you?”
“Did you just admit to stalking me?” I ask in disbelief. I know he's trying to distract me, and it's working.
“I never said that.” He challenges.
“You don't have to when we ran into each other three times all within the span of a few days.” I counter.
He shrugs. “Maybe it was a coincidence.”
My mouth falls open. “No, no! You don't get to do that! Don't gaslight me into thinking it was a coincidence. Iknowit wasn't.”
He keeps smirking, popping his shoulder again. “Or maybe I wanted to see you, but didn't know how.”
I scoff, sitting back in my seat and crossing my arms. “Why don't you take a picture? It’ll last longer.”
His smile fades slightly as his eyes darken. “And who says I haven't?”
“Wait, did you takepicturesof me?” That uneasy feeling returns as I observe my travel companion. My neck prickles as those dark, half-lidded eyes shift to me. The atmospherebecomes thicker, and I suddenly feel trapped rather than saved.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Addison.” He sighs, sounding a little resigned.
In times of distress, I often revert to sarcasm. It’s my best defense, and I can't think of the rising chill that's climbing along my spine. “Oh, thank the heavens for that! I learn you’ve been taking pictures of me, and I'm supposed to believe you won’t hurt me?”
“I won’t,” he offers. “If I wanted to…” His voice trails before he runs a hand across his mouth. “Let’s change the subject.”
“Change the subject?” My eyes widen. “What were you going to say? Why are you being so cryptic?”
“What happened back there was a misunderstanding. They thought we were someone else.” He speaks slowly, as if cementing his lie with no room for argument.
But I'm not having that. “It wasn't, and we both know it. You have to tell me what’s going on. Is Loxley in trouble? Is that why she sounded weird on the phone?”
