Page 28 of One Forbidden Moment

Chapter 12

Jillian

––––––––

The second crack ofthunder didn't sound like thunder at all.It was deeper and lower, as if the ground itself groaned beneath Everstill.Jillian jerked her head toward the window.The sky, moments ago a dull gray, had an amber hue.

Moe was already moving.

He grabbed his jacket, then hers, tossing it to her with a sharp, "We need to go.Now."

Her pulse raced."Is this—?"

"The storm," he said, voice tight.

Another rumble rolled through the town, shaking the walls.The lights flickered.The air thickened, heavy and electric, like the moment before a lightning strike.

Moe took her hand and pulled her toward the door.

"Get your shoes on," he said."We're taking the Harley."

She shoved her feet into her sneakers, fingers trembling."But how do you know where to go?"

"We need to get out in the open, on the street, away from the center of town.It hits hardest there."

Hits?Like a thing?Like a force?

The wind slammed against the house, rattling the windows.She screamed, startled by the violence.The sky swirled, clouds twisting into a spiral that made her stomach drop.It was just like when he'd kidnapped her, and they arrived in Everstill.

Moe yanked open the door.The wind ripped it from his hand.

"Stay close," he shouted, linking his fingers through hers."Don't let go of me."

The wind whipped her hair into her face and dust stung her skin.The storm held the whole town in its grip.

Moe pulled her toward the motorcycle parked at the curb.He swung a leg over and pulled her in front of him.

"Jillian, now!"He grabbed her leg, lifting it over his lap.

"I can't."She sobbed, fighting to turn around.

"No."He lifted her until she spread her legs."I need you facing me.Wrap your arms around my waist and bury your face against my chest."

She scooted closer until she slid off the gas tank and rested on his thighs.The moment she touched him, she clung to him.The wind screamed, the sky churned, the world tilted on its axis, but Moe was solid, warm, and unmoving in the storm.

And deep in her chest, that strange, impossible certainty that if the world split open beneath them, he'd still find a way to keep her from falling.

Not because he promised.Not because he said the right words.But because something in him recognized something in her, like two pieces that had finally found where they fit.She didn't understand it.

"I trust you," she yelled over the noise.

Moe kissed her forehead and then jerked his head to the side.Unable to process the kiss, she followed his gaze.