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Damn, he looked good. His stride was fluid and graceful, despite how big he was, and her eyes fell to the taut globes of his ass, watching as they moved with his steps. She felt damned near mesmerized, unable to look away until he disappeared inside.
Blowing out a breath, she fanned her face as she made her way back to the truck. She didn’t think she’d ever seen a man as gorgeous as Colton in real life, and she honestly wasn’t sure how she’d managed to ignore his presence long enough to finish her sketches.
It was too bad they met under these circumstances. What she wouldn’t give to have met him in a normal setting, to be with him right now because they were maybe on a date—not because his cousin disappeared, and he was trying to keep her safe from the men who had him.
The warmth that had been building in her belly as she watched him dissipated, turning to a heavy knot of dread and fear. Suddenly feeling chilled down to her bones, she wrapped her arms around herself, shuddering as an image of the severed finger flashed through her mind.
This whole situation was fucked up and it felt so surreal. How did she go from her pathetically boring life, longing for something more to happen than just going to work and school, and spending every spare moment studying—to this?
She’d wished for something to happen that would shake up her life a little, but she hadn’t wanted her whole existence to turn upside down, and definitely not for this reason. When the Bad Guys walked into the diner the night before, it started a domino effect that was still in motion, with no signs that it was going to slow down any time soon.
First having the horrible misfortune of being able to identify the creeps, and then seeing that finger. And now fleeing from everything she knew and was familiar with in order to stay safe—and the whole time, even when she was zoned out as she sketched, there was a lump in her throat and a ball of fear in her gut.
Katia shook her head, disgusted with herself. There she was, being selfish again. Because she knew as hard as the situation was on her, it was a million times worse for Colton. His cousin went missing and then he found out that the men he was with had cut off his finger, and Lord only knew what else they’d done to him. He had to be worried out of his mind.
And poor Justin… there was no telling what he’d been through, what he was going through in that very moment.
Out of the three of them, she had it the best in their situation, and she resolved to stop feeling sorry for herself. She’d made strides in trying to help out on the drive, but she was going to do whatever it took to do more.
At first, she’d hoped Colton was taking her somewhere she could hide out while he continued to look for Justin. But she made up her mind then and there to stick to him like glue until everything was over so she could help.
Maybe it was because it felt like she was living in a movie and none of this was real, but as soon as she made the decision, determination replaced the fear in her stomach. Inhaling the first deep breath she’d been able to take since she saw the finger, she glanced over as the door to the store opened and Colton emerged.
Her breath caught as she watched him walking toward her, cowboy hat perched firmly on his head and a smile directed her way. Butterflies teased her belly, and she decided that rather than viewing this as a horror movie like she had been, she was going to pretend it was a romance.
Maybe it would help her keep the fear of their reality at bay—she just had to make sure she didn’t forget that this wasn’t truly a love story. Viewing it that way was probably one of the stupider ideas she ever had, but that was okay as long as it helped her overcome her fear to do what was right.
Instead of rushing after the Creepy Dudes who had his cousin right away and rescuing Justin, Colton got her the hell out of Dodge first to keep her safe—possibly costing him the opportunity to find them quickly. Didn’t she owe it to him to help him?
The guilt welling up inside her over the fact that she could be the reason Justin was hurt worse, while she herself was perfectly safe, said she sure as hell did.
Walking over to the truck, her eyebrows rose as she saw him opening her door for her. She put her foot on the step side and started to smile as he put one of the drinks down, cupping his big hand around her arm to help her inside.
But in the next moment, her smile faded as the warmth of his hand sunk into her, and she sucked in a breath as she felt her eyes widen.
Good Lord Almighty, what was that?
It felt like a bolt of electricity arched from his hand to her skin, and tingles raced down her arm, goosebumps raising the hair on her arm in its wake. Swallowing hard, she tried to compose her expression before he could see just how shaken she was.
Had he felt that too, or was she a little too good at pretending this was a romantic movie?
Settling into her seat, she inhaled shakily as she searched his eyes for any hint that he was as off balance as she was. “Thank you,” she whispered, not able to give her words any substance.
He nodded silently, his hazel eyes seeming to turn greener as she gazed into them. He was sea
rching her eyes intently, like he was looking for confirmation of his own, and it made her think that maybe—just maybe—he’d felt it, too.
“You’re welcome,” he replied huskily, stopping to clear his throat. “I would have done it earlier, but we were in a hurry.”
Nodding, she watched as he closed her door and walked around to his side, not taking her eyes off him until he climbed inside. Handing her the Coke, he started the truck but only went as far as the parking lot of the hotel next door.
Puzzled, she glanced at the clock to find it was only four in the afternoon before looking over at him. “What are we doing?”
“I figured this is as good a place as any to stop for the night and work out a plan. We need to figure out where we’re going next before we keep driving.”
Narrowing her eyes, she started to protest, but he was out of the truck and getting their bags before she could. She didn’t think they needed to stop for the whole night, but he was right when he said they needed a plan.
Shoving her sketchpad into her backpack, she zipped it up just as he opened her door and held his hand out for her. Curious to see if the spark happened again, she placed her hand in his, butterflies exploding in her stomach as electricity raced over her skin.
