“I don’t need it.”
My fitted turtleneck and jeans weren’t the mostcomfortablesleepwear, but the silk pajamas I’d packed for the trip weren’t exactly made for extreme weather.
“That flimsy little sweater won’t be warm enough once we turn the heat off,” Sebastian said.
“I have a coat.”
“You’re going to sleep in Max Mara cashmere.” He sounded skeptical.
“No. I’ll use it as a blanket.” I draped the coat over my torso. “See?”
Sebastian released a sharp exhale. “Maya,” he said. “Put the damn sweatshirt on.”
I looked down at my wool turtleneck. Then I looked at the thick, oversized-on-me hoodie in his hands.
Dammit.
I took his offering without another word and slipped it over my head. Warmth cocooned me, and I almost sighed in bliss. I hadn’t realized how cold I was until I’d added that extra layer.
The sweater smelled like him, crisp and clean with just enough spice to tease my senses. I resisted the urge to bury my face in the fabric.
“Did you bring any snacks?” I asked. Now that we were out of imminent danger, my stomach took center stage again. As if on cue, it released another angry growl. “I only have two protein bars and a bottle of water.”
I usually packed a bunch of snacks when traveling, but since Sebastian picked me up straight from Vivian’s building, I only had what was in my purse.
“I have some Gatorade and pretzels, but that’s it,” he said.
I forced myself not to think of the pizza and fries I’d planned to order from room service as we split the bag of pretzels and a protein bar. We saved the second bar for breakfast, and I was about to wash my food down with a sip of water when an eerie howl pierced the air.
I froze, my pulse skittering. “Did you hear that? What was that?”
“Probably just the wind.” But Sebastian double-checked to make sure the doors were locked before he cut off the engine again.
Ominous silence fell. There was another howl in the distance, followed by a loud clatter that I had no interest in investigating.
I sank deeper into my seat and pulled the hood up over my head.
This was going to be a long night.
Despite the temptation to stay awake until morning so I wouldn’t get murdered in my sleep, exhaustion won out.
I didn’t remember falling asleep, but when I woke up the next morning, I was lying across the back seat of the car. How did I get here from the passenger seat?
My coat was draped over me like a blanket, and a folded men’s sweater served as my pillow. Sebastian’s duffel sat on the floor, partially zipped.
I propped myself up on one elbow and blinked the grogginess out of my eyes. It took me a second to orient myself and remember what happened last night.
Thunderstorm. Faulty GPS. Stuck in the woods.
I groaned, wishing I’d had the foresight to hire a professional car service instead of road tripping with Sebastian.
At least it’d stopped raining. The sky was bright and sunny, and I could even hear a few birds chirping outside.
I sat up all the way and leaned forward. “Seb, did you…” My sentence trailed off when I noticed both front seats were empty.
Sebastian was gone.
My stomach clenched as I frantically scanned the area around the car. Nothing.
