She placed a soothing hand on my cheek, her thumb stroking my clenched jaw. “We were in my father’s den. With his hand shoved in my panties, I told him very convincingly—her blue eyes flashed—I wouldn’t be quiet about it, during or after. I threatened to tell everyone, the cops, Collin, the media.”
My need to protect her seethed through my blood. My vision tunneled, and my heart banged against my ribs.
She rolled on top of me, her breasts pressed against my chest and her hands on my face. “Had I been anyone else, he would’ve taken what he wanted and quieted me permanently. But I wasn’t worth the risk. My parents suck, but if he killed their only child, that might’ve put a strain on their partnership.”
Her words were delivered with a shrugging kind of acceptance. It made me feel sick and helpless. I wanted to guard every moment of her life, including her past. I wanted to wipe away all the bad shit until there was nothing left but laughter and contentment. “The office bathroom…”
“He never tried to cross the line again, though he taunted me with it every chance he had. But you know what?” She touched her lips to my throat, producing a shiver that sliced through my anger. “I’ll never have to see him again.”
I guided her face to my chest, tucking her head beneath my chin, and we lay skin-to-skin for an eternal moment. I wished we were already in Italy with all my fears behind us.
It wasn't long before she rolled off me and dragged me with her, the brightness in her eyes begging for the one thing that could put our thoughts on hold. I crawled over her, bracing my arms on either side of her head, and devoured her with my eyes.
She looked so damned young. Her hair fell in shiny waves over the pillow, her skin flushed and smooth, yet her gaze was wise beyond her years.
Her lashes lowered, her lips parted, and her hips rocked against mine. I was instantly hard. I wanted all of her wrapped around me. Not just her pussy, but her need, her love, and her future. Our future.
And so I consumed her as she consumed me. Warm arousal replaced the chill on my spine, our bodies sliding and tangling together. When I pressed inside her, I let everything else go. Then I made love to her until all that existed was her and me and our finish line.
28
Logan
Four hours before the race, and the old chapel walls were closing in and thinning the air. My nerves rocked my body so hard I couldn’t sit down, couldn’t stand, couldn’t fucking breathe. I never felt like this before a race.
But this wasn’t about the race.
I strode to the bed where Kaci lay curled around a pillow, lashes spread over her cheeks, breathing steady with deep sleep. I crouched beside her and hovered a hand over her nude shoulder, her hip, her long, silky legs. Every inch of her was exposed except for the cover of her lacy black bra and panties. I wanted to touch her, needed to feel her. But I couldn’t steal her rest.
She’d risen hours before dawn, racing the MTT Turbine up and down the gravel road, learning the nuances of the bike and the technology in the helmet. She was as ready as she needed to be. I just wasn’t sure if I was ready.
I pushed away from the bed and paced the length of the building as the anxious voice in my head rose over the pounding of my heart.
There were a few who placed bets on her, mobsters and other vile criminals who would hunt her down after she lost the race and their money. But they wouldn’t find her. Not on another continent. Not under her new identity. Hell, they wouldn’t even know her true identity. I reminded her repeatedly not to take off the helmet, not once between my front door and the prearranged safe spot.
I wiped my slick palms on my leather pants and pulled in a ragged breath. The biggest threat to her was Trent. He would lose a fuckton of money at the same time that Kaci disappeared. Even if Benny raced in her place, he could connect Kaci to the scam. How hard would he try to track her down?
Fucking hell, I hated leaving that loose end. It made me feel itchy, restless, entirely too goddamned vulnerable.
The soft rhythm of Kaci’s breathing changed, but it was the quiet alarm above the front door that caught my attention. A motion sensor alarm that only went off when someone or something approached the property. My stomach caved in, and my pulse skyrocketed.
Benny was in a remote location near the county airport, setting up her gear to monitor the race. No one else knew where I lived.