“Damn right I am,” Cora replied. She put on her seat belt, a thousand ideas rushing through her mind at the night ahead. “I’m more than ready to shake my ass on the dance floor.”
Kyler dropped down into the driver’s seat. “A good show for all, I assure you.”
Cora smirked at him in the rearview mirror. “Of course it will be. Let me tell you, it was a workout to get these damn jeans on.” Jeans that currently dug into places she’d rather not think about, but hell, her butt looked great.
She bounced in her seat. “Okay, drive, would ya?”
Kyler snorted. “Sounds as if you need to get back into the dungeon, too.” He held her gaze in the rearview mirror, arching his brow. “Bossy little thing tonight, aren’t you?”
She lifted her chin. “We aren’t in the dungeon, are we?” That was a quirk of being a Club Sin submissive. The Doms who played there didn’t want 24/7 submissives. They wanted sexual submissives, but only in the dungeon. Out of the club, submissives had free rein with that type of stuff. Narrowing her eyes, she pointed to him. “Drive.”
Kyler chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Bossy indeed.” After he buckled up, the engine roared to life and he hit the gas.
Cora smiled and glanced out her window, watching Vegas streets pass by. For all the fatigue she’d experienced lately, the adrenaline coursing inside her made her feel wide awake. She hadn’t crossed Aidan off the list, not by a long shot. Deep inside her, she still held out hope that he’d come around. She hoped that he simply needed time and then he’d come for her. Maybe that was wishful thinking, even mindless dreaming, since he hadn’t reached out to her. But her heart couldn’t forget his touch.
She still loved him. She still wanted him. But she could no longer support him and be thoughtful of his pain—not when it hurt her in the process. He needed to realize what they had and that he loved her, and she hoped he realized that before it was too late.
Time was passing.
At some point, her hurt would turn into anger, even she knew that.
Though, she knew perhaps that was her compartmentalizing her feelings and making sense out of all. She had yet to decide if that was pathetic or if destiny was simply a bitch for giving her a taste of happiness and then taking it away.
She stayed silent on the drive, but within half an hour, she was frowning. Kyler wasn’t heading toward the strip. He drove in the opposite direction. As the truck turned down Kyle Canyon Road, Cora scrunched her nose.
The road led to Mount Charleston, far away from Sin City … or any city that had a dance club. She nibbled her lip at the high mountain peaks with the sun setting over tall trees. “Either you’re driving me out in the middle of nowhere to kill me, or we’re going hiking. So you know—neither will make me happy.”
Kyler barked a laugh. “It’s a secret, remember?”
Dammit! Secrets were only fun when Cora had a hint about the plans. She wasn’t aware of any nightclubs in Mount Charleston. Unless Kyler had some secret information about a party in the forest. “How about a hint?”
“Dream on.” In the rearview mirror, Kyler winked. “And, so you know, I like you too much to kill you.”
She snorted, folding her arms. “Good to know.”
Another twenty minutes went by and her mind raced on ideas of their plan. By the time the truck slowed, she still had no clue. She bounced her leg over her knee as Kyler pulled into a driveway.
Her eyebrows rose at the beautiful log cabin with a stunning view of the mountains. She put two and two together. “If you planned to take me away for the weekend, you could have said something.” She dragged her gaze from the ho
use to Kyler and to Porter. “No toothbrush means morning breath.”
Kyler stopped the truck and cut the ignition. “That is a problem.” Laughing, he opened his door and Porter joined him outside.
Cora exited the truck, inhaling the fresh air that was different than Vegas, even if it wasn’t that far away. It smelled a hell of a lot cleaner and without the cars around it was definitely less polluted. The biggest difference from Sin City was the eerie silence. The only sound at all was Kyler’s boots crunching against the small rocks on the ground.
She scanned the area, and the lawn wasn’t manicured. It was rustic with a world of charm, growing wildly out control. She smiled; it was perfect. Heck, she could practically smell the campfire and taste the toasted marshmallows.
Cora approached Porter at the hood of the truck, and her ankle gave out as her heel connected with a rock. Looking down to her clothing, she heaved a long sigh. She would’ve preferred sneakers and comfy clothes while enjoying the wilderness.
As she took in the natural surroundings, she wondered if this was the location of a BDSM play party. She’d heard of resorts that catered to individuals who didn’t enjoy club life. Curious to discover why she stood in the smack dab middle of nowhere, she settled in next to Porter and eyed his oddly soft look. “What?”
He smiled. “You’ve done good, girl.”
“Thank you.” Weirdo. “Care to tell me what I’m so good at?”
“I’m proud of you.” Porter took her hand and his eyes warmed. “You made it through all this with your chin high. You were open and honest when you put everything on the line.” He lowered his chin, looking her head-on. “You should be proud of yourself, too.”
The love oozing off him descended into her heart, touching all the places that he and Kyler had bandaged up. “I am proud of me.”