Ridiculous tears pricked her eyes.Why now that the danger was over, she wasn’t sure.Unable to force words through her tight throat, she nodded and swung out of the car.
Micah did the same, coming around to her side.Then he pulled her into his arms.Surprised, she didn’t resist and buried her face against his chest.
“Why me?”she asked in a choked voice.“Why is this happening to me?”
“I don’t know.”He drew her tighter against him, pressing a kiss to her temple.“I think you’re just a convenient scapegoat.”
He was probably right.Her poor judgment in dating Damien had made her an easy target.Yet she was the most law-abiding person on the planet.She found it unfathomable that the police would believe her capable of killing a man and setting her own house on fire.
“You’re going to be okay, Bryn.”Micah’s chest rumbled beneath her ear.Being cradled in his arms helped calm her rioting emotions.She didn’t want to leave the shelter of his arms, but she forced herself to step back and lift her head.
“Thanks, Micah.”She sniffled and tried to smile.His blue eyes held hers for a long moment.He stood with his head tipped down so that their mouths were only a few inches apart.Without thinking it through, she went up on her tiptoes to close the gap, kissing him.
She’d intended it to be an expression of gratitude, but something potent blazed between them.He pulled her in, deepening the kiss.
And she reveled in his embrace, dimly realizing that Micah’s kiss was far better than anything she’d shared with Damien.
Then Micah abruptly lifted his head, an expression of regret darkening his gaze.“I, um, didn’t mean to let that get out of control.”
“You didn’t.”She licked her lips, then ducked her head.“I’m the one who started it.”
There was a pause as Micah seemed to search for something to say.He finally cleared his throat.“We’d better get out of here.”
“Okay.”She pulled away and turned to round the car.When she reached the passenger side, she realized Micah was still standing there, looking at her intently.Was he trying to read her mind?Good luck with that.She had no idea what had possessed her to kiss him.
Yet she didn’t regret the kiss.It was something she’d longed for since they first met back in high school.
Pushing that thought away, she slid into the rental and buckled her seat belt.Micah did the same, then drove out of the parking lot to head south.Still rattled by the kiss, she tried not to stare at him.Micah was different from Damien in every way, but the most important part of all was the attraction that shimmered between them.
Well, at least on her part.Probably not on his.
She glanced at him from beneath her lashes.He wore his blond hair short, and the stubble on his cheeks only added to his rugged looks.He was all muscle compared to Damien.And she was fast learning that Micah had more integrity in his pinky finger than Damien had in his whole body.
Enough.Micah was off-limits.She needed to stay focused on their next steps.
One thing was for sure; she wasn’t going to stick around in Madison when this nightmare was over.She could head back to St.Louis, maybe see if she could get her old job back.Or at least get a reference for another position.There was no reason to stay here.
Yet that was a problem for later.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”Micah asked.“You look upset.”
“I’m fine.”She wasn’t, but there was no point in complaining.“I was just thinking that we’ll want to call Rex to let him know about the change in plan.”She glanced at him.“I feel bad he’s stuck in the middle between us and Lieutenant Krogan.Krogan is not going to be happy we decided not to come in to provide our statements.”
“I know.”Micah shrugged.“I ditched my phone, so we’ll have to wait until we get to the rental property to power up the new devices.”He sighed and added, “I guess it’s a good thing I bought two disposable phones.”
She had forgotten about how he’d tossed his phone out the window.So much had happened that she was stunned to realize only thirty minutes had passed since they’d left the discount store.Thirty minutes that seemed like a lifetime.
“Do you know where the rental property is?”A horrible thought hit.“Rex texted the information to you, but we don’t have your phone anymore.What if we can’t figure out where to go?”
“I memorized the information, don’t worry.”He didn’t appear concerned.“We’ll find the place and have no trouble getting in.”
“Good.”She let out a long breath, grateful for his foresight.Although it suddenly occurred to her that she was depending on Micah a little too much.
Lapsing into silence, she gazed at the passing scenery.Tiny buds popped out on the trees, signs of new life after a long winter.The bright sun warmed the interior of the car.Typical April, the weather was cold one day and warm the next.
The beautiful day outside her window was the antithesis of the recent attempt to kill her.
“Did you see two men back there?”Micah asked, interrupting her troubled thoughts.
