“I need to stay behind and get some work done,” Gerald said, wrapping his arm around Josie’s shoulders. She was so much more comfortable with physical touch now, something that filled me with warmth and satisfaction. Ben and Cam both looked at her with tenderness.
“Drive carefully, please,” Gerald said with a wink.
“I’m a great driver,” Josie responded, flouncing her hair.
“Uh huh,” Gerald said, “I’ve heard the stories.”
Josie pushed his arm off her playfully. “Sam is a very unreliable source,” she said as she strode towards the car.
I opened the passenger’s side door for her.
“Should I be concerned?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
Josie rolled her eyes. “Sam likes to exaggerate. I’m a great driver.”
She leaned in for a kiss, and my anxieties melted as her soft curves pressed against mine. I reluctantly pulled away and lifted her into the car. Everyone else piled in and we got on the road. I would drive until we were in a secluded spot in the mountains where our mate could drive without the fear of being caught.
* * *
“We are going to die,” Cam muttered from the backseat.
I would have teased him for his reaction—this was an alpha who had undertaken dangerous missions and seen death and mayhem in his years of military service—but I was too busy gripping my seat, hanging on for dear life as every muscle in my body vibrated with tension.
“Wow, look how pretty the sunset is,” Josie exclaimed as we flew over the crest of a hill, revealing the picturesque mountain view at the exact moment our stomachs bottomed out. The car swerved as Josie turned her head to take in the pink and orange sky.
I leaned over to grab the steering wheel and straighten us out so we didn’t gocareening off a fucking cliff.
“Angel, why don’t we switch off now? That way, you can take in the views more easily,” I suggested in a strained voice.
“Nice try,” Sam coughed from the backseat.
I glared back at him. He had a shit-eating grin on his face. Why the fuck hadn’t he taught her how to drive more safely?Yeah, like you’re saying anything to correct her.I rolled my eyes at myself. While I was reasonably confident we would all die in a fiery crash after rolling off a cliff, I didn’t want to tamp down Josie’s joy. She was beaming, her bright cupcake scent saturating the car.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this turned on while fearing for my life,” Ben muttered, shifting in his seat. His brow furrowed slightly, possibly from the last nausea-inducing switchback, before he added, “Oh my god. Is this my new kink?”
“No, no, it’s not,” Cam grunted. “No kinks that put our mate at risk.” He raised his voice and added, “Baby girl, could we maybe slow down just a touch?”
I smirked at Cam’s gentle tone, so in contrast with the commands he used to bark out as a military officer.
“But it’s so much more fun to go fast,” Josie said, bouncing up and down in her seat.
“Josie-girl, you’re scaring the fuck out of your alphas,” Sam called out.
“What?” Josie asked, her face falling.
The three of us all turned towards Sam with furious expressions.If our mate wanted to kill us all in a car crash, she could do that, damn it, and no one was going to make her feel bad about it.
Sam chuckled at our expressions, completely unphased.
Josie turned to look at us, causing the car to swerve dangerously close to the edge of the mountain. I let out a strangled noise as I grabbed the wheel again.
“You’re doing a great job, love. These roads can just be treacherous,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. Josie’s face brightened a bit.
“That’s true. I could see it being hard for some people to drive on these roads, especially if they’re scared of heights,” she responded.
We flew over the next hill with so much speed we were practically airborne for a moment. Cam swore loudly.
“Oh, Cam, are you afraid of heights?” Josie asked sweetly, clearly concerned.
