Swiping the clinging wet strands of my hair aside, I looked sideways up at him.
Pierce kept his eyes on the road. Anger made his full mouth a tight, thin line as he inhaled deeply through his nose.
The rain pelted the windshield as he took me further and further away from the courthouse.
This man had just turned me into a fugitive from the law.
And the worst part—the part that made me want to scream—was that pressed as I was against his thigh with his hand on my neck, I didn’t feel trapped. I felt held. And that terrified me more than the bullets.
CHAPTER 16
HAILEY
Icy drops of rain stung my heated cheeks as Greyson pulled me out through the heavy doors of the courthouse.
My shouts lost to the wind, he pulled me past several startled onlookers and through the parking lot.
In my struggle to keep up with his long stride, my foot slipped on the slick pavement and my knees buckled.
If it weren’t for his powerful grip on my upper arm, I would have fallen flat on my ass in a mud puddle.
He tightened his hold, casting a frustrated glance down at me over his shoulder. His brow furrowed. “Stop fooling around and come on.”
I dug my heels in. “I’m not fooling around. Sorry if I’m not accustomed to being dragged across a stupid parking lot by a Neanderthal posing in a thousand-dollar suit.”
He stopped walking and looked down at me with a stare that dared me to keep talking. “It’s a five-thousand-dollar suit, and would you rather I toss you over my shoulder?”
Damn, this man rattled me. He carried himself like the thought that someone might object or rebel had simply never occurred to him.
The gray skies and fragmented light carved deep shadows beneath the cut of his jaw. His dark eyes looked nearly black, giving him the sinister appearance of an avenging demon.
I pulled back. No, the threat wasn’t idle.
He wrenched me forward.
Our bodies slammed together, robbing my lungs of air. I braced my palms against his chest on instinct, and my fingers splayed wide but couldn’t span even half the width of him. I was five-foot-five and furious, and none of it mattered against the sheer size of this man.
Again, the man seemed to have the power to stop time.
I swore I could see the crystal sheen of each individual raindrop hanging suspended in the surrounding air. I no longer felt the chill of the wind or the damp cling of my clothes. My entire reality was centered on him and the heat radiating off his body.
Greyson notched a finger under my chin and lifted my face to his. “You really are adorable when you get your feathers ruffled.”
His gaze drifted over my face to land on my mouth.
My tongue flicked out to moisten my lips.
A low sound emanated from deep in his chest.
If I hadn’t felt the vibration under my fingertips, I would have thought it was thunder in the distance.
His arms enclosed my waist and drew me closer.
Somehow, I’d stopped breathing and yet my breath came in quick, erratic gasps all at the same time. My fingers found his collar. I wasn’t pulling him closer. I wasn’t pushing him away. I just held on, knuckles white.
His lips parted as he leaned in.
He is going to kiss me.
