Vegas Virgin (Nevada Bad Boys 1)

So much for starting my last day with an orgasm.

I packed my bag, stuffing everything I had worn over the course of our time together inside of it. I would just have to deal with sorting the laundry when I got back home. There was very little hint of the man I had spent all my time with behind the coldness I felt as he helped me get everything into the truck.

I guess we’re done...

r /> He seemed like he had retreated into the shell I imagined he lived in all the years alone in the cabin. He drove down the mountain carefully, avoiding the tough spots on the road thanks to the size of his truck. When we hit the main highway, I saw that the ice was already melted into slush that was fairly easy to drive on.

The town was alive with people, and I saw my car sitting in the parking lot of the gas station where the man on the radio said it would be. When we got closer to town, my phone erupted with nearly a hundred text messages and dozens of missed calls. The world was finally starting to catch up with me.

“I guess there is cell service here.” I stared at the screen and flipped through messages from my family and friends.

“Yes.” He nodded. “It’ll get better as you head north.”

“I’ll be up all night responding to these messages.” I put my phone in my lap and looked over at the gas station where I saw a number of people gathered. “Wow, I didn’t realize there were this many people in Wolf Creek.”

“What the fuck...” He tensed up as we turned into the parking lot of the gas station.

It was a strange sight when his truck came to a stop. It was like someone took a scene from Hollywood and dropped it right in the middle of Wolf Creek. I saw news vans, reporters, and all of them started pointing at me. There were several people who appeared to be locals, staring at the sight. Several people that appeared to be reporters ran up to the truck and camera lights started to flash.

“This is nuts. Who are all these people?” I stared at the crowd, which seemed to get larger as each second passed.

I pushed open the door and held my hand over my eyes as the cameras rapidly flashed. The ones that weren’t snapping pictures were videoing the entire thing. Microphones got shoved in my face and there was a roar as the questions just overlapped each other. Shane remained inside, a scowl across his face. I had no idea what was going on. People were talking over each other, pushing against the crowd to get closer to me—everyone seemed to know my name.

What the hell is going on?

I looked to Shane for comfort as I closed the door. He must have saw the panic in my eyes. He pushed his door open and weaved between the mob of reporters, pushing them aside to take me under his arm. We quickly walked towards the gas station and once we were past the mob, we ran the rest of the way. I could tell by the shock on his face that he was as surprised as I was. His eyes were wide and confused.

“Why are all those people here?” I took a step towards the window and stared at them.

“You’re a celebrity, ma’am.” A voice surprised me and I turned to see a man in overalls at the counter. “You’re safe in here though. I told them I’d get out my shotgun if they didn’t stay twenty feet from the gas pumps—unless they’re buying gas, of course.”

“A celebrity? What?” I walked towards him as he pointed at the television.

“It has been on the news all day. The girl that got lost in the snowstorm.” He looked over at Shane. “And the man who saved her from it. It’ll probably be good for business.”

“Fuck me...” Shane muttered angrily.

I stared at the television screen as a picture of me was shown. There was an aerial view of Wolf Creek covered in snow, and a circle around the spot where my car was. My friends were interviewed from their cabin, the destination I never arrived at, talking about how I was supposed to be joining them.

After they got their words in about how worried they were, the news anchor cut to my parents. My mother was crying and my father was as stoic as ever. They talked about being afraid something had happened to me—afraid I was dead. My mother started to gush her thanks to the mysterious Shane Black who saved me.

I bet neither of you would be thanking him if you knew what we did.

The reporter then started talking about Shane, showing an image of him that I didn’t recognize. He didn’t have a beard and he looked ten years younger. Several locals were interviewed and they talked about how nice he was and how he treated everyone with respect, even if he was a bit of a loner.

I wanted to be in Shane’s arms. I wanted to run away from it all. When I looked at him, I saw a different man staring back at me. He had a gaze on the screen that was filled with terror—it was almost like he had seen a ghost.

“I should go.” He gritted his teeth and looked at the door.

“Go?” I shook my head. “Not yet...”

“Heather.” He sighed. “Things are about to change. I want you to get in your car and I want you to drive. Don’t listen to the news. Don’t watch television. Just drive.”

I reached out for him, but he was already leaving me. He moved through the sea of reporters and got into his truck, driving away without even saying goodbye. I looked towards the man at the counter who just shrugged.

What the heck was that about? What was he afraid of?

“Can you take a credit card?” I dug into my purse and pulled out my wallet.