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Nodding again, I push off the wall and slowly make my way over to the white pickup truck. Ryan opens the back door for me and I grip the inner handle hard, using all the strength I have left to lift myself up inside.
He rounds the truck and talks to his brother for a minute, and then steps away, letting Jake drive off.
Closing my eyes, I lean my head against the window, the cool glass relieving my heated skin as I drift off to sleep.
Chapter 4
Something warm touches my face and my eyes jolt open, searching the dark.
“It’s just me,” a low voice says that I immediately recognize.
“Where am I?”
“At Jake’s. But I’m going to take you home now.”
I pull the blanket that’s around me a little tighter. “Uh…”
“I promise I’ll be good.” He chuckles softly. “I just need to get your statement about tonight. And I doubt you want to still be here when Jake and Ally start going at it.”
“Oh my God.” I groan, throwing the blanket off of me. “No, I don’t. That’s why I’m at Dottie’s.”
Standing too quickly, my head pounds, and I start to sway. Reaching out into the dark to grab onto something before I fall, an arm wraps around my waist before I get the chance to.
“I got you,” Ryan whispers in my ear. His warm body against mine sends a shiver down my spine, and he tightens his grip before letting go and taking my hand.
I look around, but I can’t see or hear anything. The moon is hidden behind the clouds tonight, so there’s no light coming from anywhere. The only thing keeping me steady is the strong, warm hand engulfing mine. But then he releases it, and I panic for a second, until I feel him behind me again.
“I have your coat,” Ryan whispers, helping me put it on.
Opening the front door, he takes my hand, and we step out into more darkness. Shuffling closer to him, my head turns in every direction, ready for something to jump out at us. “I’ve got you,” he says again, and my heartrate kicks up. “There’s nothing out here, I promise.”
“Okay,” I whisper, somehow knowing that he’d protect me even if there was.
Ryan opens the passenger door of his black pickup truck for me, and I hop up inside. When he rounds the front and climbs in, the second he closes the door, it feels like the cab shrinks to the size of a thimble–allowing me only short, shallow breaths.
Starting down the driveway, I focus on breathing evenly so he doesn’t see how he affects me. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I keep them hidden so I don’t give in to my urge to reach out and touch him.
The ride seems to go on forever as he winds through the pitch-black streets of Pine Cove. When he finally pulls into the driveway of the cottage, I practically jump out of the truck the second he puts it in park.
I need air. His scent is everywhere, and I can’t take a breath without the spicy, woodsy smell filling my lungs.
Hurrying to the front door, I pull out my keys, but it’s dark, and my fingers are numb. I can’t find the right key.
“Let me,” he says, covering my hand with his. Slipping the keys out from between my fingers, he unlocks the door and pushes it open, motioning for me to step inside.
When I hear the door close, I turn and find him behind me. “What are you doing?”
“I said I have to ask you a few questions.”
“Now?”
“Would you rather come by the station in the morning? Or maybe I should stay the night and you can tell me over coffee?” He smirks.
The audacity of this man.
“No. You’re not staying the night. Let’s just get this over with. But I’m tired and still a little tipsy, so I’m making coffee first.”
Unwrapping my scarf, I toss it on the couch along with my jacket, and walk down the hall to the kitchen. Placing a fresh filter in the coffee maker, I scoop out the grounds, and press brew. I need water first, though. My throat feels like the Sahara. Grabbing a bottle from the fridge, I down half of it in a matter of seconds, reviving myself slightly.
