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And oh, it is so good.
My body tenses before shuddering, tears trickling from the corners of my eyes. “June . . . June . . . fuck!” He slams himself deep one last time, grunting like an animal when he comes. I’m barely aware of it, still lost in bliss, sinking into darkness, melting into the bed.
When the pressure on my throat disappears, I pull in a deep breath, releasing it with a broken sob. “Oh . . . Oh God . . . that was . . .”
He collapses next to me, breathing hard, his fingers gently grasping my jaw so he can turn my face to his. “Are you all right? Was that too much?”
I know the question shouldn’t get to me the way it does. Maybe it’s the oxygen still returning to my brain. Maybe it’s the aftermath of what he just did to me. My heart warms, almost swelling when I see the concern on his chiseled face. “It wasn’t too much. I’m fine.”
“Good.” Flopping onto his back, he stares up at the ceiling while I watch him, fascinated. He has so much power over me, but he doesn’t abuse it. I really need to stop thinking about him this way, don’t I?
“I’ll help you get cleaned up,” he offers, sitting up with a sigh. “Then we had both better try to get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”
So much for pillow talk. “Why? What’s happening tomorrow?”
The water is running in the sink before he answers. “We’re taking a long drive. I got some information tonight on who ordered the hit on my life. I won’t be able to fix this problem by myself.”
All the warmth flooding my body turns to ice. I was right. Something did go wrong tonight, something so bad he can’t handle it on his own.
It looks like I won’t be going home anytime soon.
But somehow I can’t bring myself to be entirely unhappy about that.
Chapter Fourteen
Adrian
“Oh no. No, no, this is the worst. I don’t know what I expected. I guess I didn’t really think about it. Why didn’t I think about this?”
I’m not sure if I should ask, but I can’t shake the feeling she wants me to. “What didn’t you think about?” I glance at June to find her staring down at my laptop like it’s a live bomb she expects to go off at any second.
Sighing, she scrubs her hands over her face. “Oh, nothing. Only what I get for being bored in the car and googling my name.”
“What, did you get a bad review?”
She scoffs. “I wish it was something as meaningless as that. Jesus, what am I even saying? Bad reviews are terrible. That’s why I deliberately avoid looking at them. And after all, reviews are for readers, not authors. It’s best to avoid them like the plague.”
I learn something new every day. “So what is it?”
“Besides readers and the signing event hosts being upset Piper Pen didn’t show up, Emily put out a missing person report on me.”
It was bound to happen. I don’t have to be happy about it, but it was only a matter of time before June’s sister took action to find her. “I’m sorry to hear that. At least we’re far enough away from Vegas now that the chance of anyone looking for you out here is slim.” We left Nevada several hundred miles ago, now cruising through Utah on our way north.
Making a choking sound, she asks, “Is that all you care about? Seriously?”
“Do I care about you remaining anonymous for the sake of your safety? Yes, I do care about that.” Not to mention my own safety, considering she’s in my company. All I need is a SWAT team closing in on us.
“Well, I care about knowing Emily must be going out of her mind with worry.” Her voice is thick with emotion when she adds, “This is all my fault. It’s torture, knowing she’s scared for me.”
I know what’s coming next. It’s as inevitable as the missing person report was. “I need to reach out to her somehow,” she decides.
“Absolutely not,” I snap, my eyes on the road.
“Please don’t think about it or anything. Just blurt out your answer. Shut me down without thinking about it.”
“There’s nothing to think about, June.”
“But there is! My sister is probably frantic. I know for people like you and your brother, there’s nothing wrong with being estranged for years, but—”
