I let my eyes flutter shut, mostly because I can’t keep on staring at him. There’s too much sexual tension firing between us. And right now, screwing is the last thing I should be thinking about. I sigh heavily and roll away from him. He doesn’t seem to mind, though. He takes the opportunity to play with my hair, stroking it softly.
When the van stops, I pop open my eyes. It’s pitch black, wherever we are. Cruz’s fingers are intertwined with mine, and I can feel his eyes on me, but I can only just make out the shape of his face. “Where are we?” I whisper, mildly freaked out.
“Someplace safe. The boys will get some lighting on, and then we can move you.”
I stare up into the dark. “Cruz, do you think I’m some fragile damsel in distress, and Jagger is right, this is just your savior complex kicking in? Is that why you’re helping me?”
He huffs out a laugh and grips my hand tighter. I feel his breath ghost over my neck and know he’s close. “You’re so damnstrong, baby, so strong I need you to save me just as much as you need me.”
“What do you need saving from, Cruz?”
“Myself.” His lips brush over mine, and I breathe him in, suddenly wanting to be consumed by him.
I wrap my hand around his neck as I pull him closer so he can really kiss me. As his tongue fills my mouth, my lips tremble slightly, my body lighting up. I’m alive again, and I might not be well right now, but I need this. I need him, them, and every dirty, depraved detail of what that entails.
Lights flicker through the vehicle as Jagger appears in the opening of the back door. “Leave you two alone in the dark for one fucking minute and you’re making out,” Jagger grumbles, but there’s humor in his voice that tells me he’s not pissed about it.
I squint, trying to make out where on earth we are. “Are we in a cave?” I ask, feeling silly, but all I see are dirty walls covered in moss. There’s also a distinct musty smell and a persistent drip of water coming from somewhere close.
Cruz takes my hand and helps me up to standing and out of the van. “We need to change cars.”
He helps me out of the van and over to a fancy new Range Rover, helping me into the back seat. Jagger and Ash toss a couple of bags in the trunk then slam the back closed. Asher takes the driver’s seat and navigates his way out of what appears to be a cave of sorts. We follow a dirt road until we’re back on the highway. Nervous butterflies stomp around in my stomach. They’re going to so much trouble to make sure no one can tail us. But what if my family is smarter?
“Won’t be too much longer now.” I let Cruz pull me closer to him, and I rest my head on his shoulder.
I doze in and out of sleep, my head still so foggy it’s hard to stay away for too long. Until I feel the car pull to a stop. When Iglance out the extra-dark tinted window, I find Asher typing in a code on a familiar security fence. I look at Jagger. He’s already looking back at me and offers a small shrug like it’s no big deal when we both know this is huge. This is his place.
Asher moves the car through the open gate and down to the clearing where Jagger parked his bike last time.
Cruz takes my hand. “We’ll have to walk this part. I can carry you if you need me to,” he offers with a damn cheeky smirk.
“That would be more fun for you than for me.” I grin back, not able to help it.
“It would.” He chuckles, and I know we’re back to what we had before. He’s forgotten that I ever ran from him scared.
When I’m down on the dusty ground, Jagger passes my duffle to Cruz then throws another over his shoulder. “We needed someplace your family would never suspect. This is vacant,” Jagger explains.
Asher shines a flashlight in front of us so we can start down the rocky path. “Best part is this place doesn’t exist on any map, making it fucking hard to find. Unless you know what you’re looking for,” he adds.
“Smart,” I murmur, clinging on to Cruz so I don’t slip. I can’t lie, when I told him to get me out of town, I had hoped for maybe Jagger’s cabin in the woods. This place is rustically beautiful and about as remote as can be.
The three of us follow him down the dusty path until we make it to the clearing where the security lights all flicker on.
Jagger watches me and Cruz as we walk over the front lawn. “It’s a purpose-built safe house. No one would have been able to see us drive in here, and if they did, they wouldn’t have gotten past all the security checks. Every room is monitored by a top-of-the-market security system so no one will get in or out of this place without us knowing about it. We also have trained security arriving in the morning.”
His words should fill me with confidence, but instead, unease sits in the pit of my stomach as I take the front stairs. The last time the two of us were in this place feels like a lifetime ago because so much has happened since. I wish I could go back to then, before I knew my brother was the one betraying me. Before so much doubt was instilled in me about the three of them. Before I nearly died. I take hold of the kitchen island when my vision blurs.
Cruz is right there holding my side. “Are you okay?”
“I’m just tired, it’s late.” And this is a lot to take in. Their being so understanding and accommodating is a lot to take in. Why are they being so kind to me?
Cruz laces his fingers with mine. “I’ll show you to your room.”
He directs me in the same direction of Jagger’s room, but we go an extra couple of doors down the hallway. “Jagger is the first room, then it’s Asher’s, and I’m at the end. If you need anything, we’re all right here with you.”
“Thank you.”
He shoves open the door and flicks the light to a warm room with sheer curtains and soft plush carpet. He tosses my bag down, then pulls back the luxe-looking covers for me. The delicious linen calls my name; it looks so comfortable. “Get changed into those cute pajamas, and I’ll tuck you in.”
