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Thalia woke with a start as he buckled her into the passenger seat. “Where arewe?”
Grant smirked. He wasn’t sure why, but he pressed a kiss to her fevered forehead before he closed her door, running around to jump into the driver’s seat. As he pulled away from the dock he laid a hand on her neck and cursed. “You’re burning up, fossa. I’m taking you to adoctor.”
He grabbed her wrist when she reached for the seatbelt buckle in a panic. “You’re not going to win this fight, Thalia. Your body is shutting down with or without your consent.” When she tried to jerk her hand away he tightened his grip, his gaze darting between her and the narrow road as he weaved through the old marine district. “I’m taking you to someone who knows how to keep their mouthshut.”
He could see how badly she wanted to fight him, to deny what was so obviously the truth. He’d never wanted to kiss her more than at that very moment. He was a little stunned when she cast her haunted eyes to her lap and relaxed against her seat without more of a fight.What the hell is that about?He let it go, determined to get her leg seen to so they could get to ground and he could get some damnanswers.
Thalia looked down and studied her tan shorts, the tiny gray checkers in the seat cover, anything to keep from looking at Grant. She could barely hold her head up as it was. She couldn’t handle the jumbled up ball of confusing need that knotted in her stomach when he looked at her with such fierce intensity. No way could she handle that kind of assaultagain.
Her head felt like the fluid surrounding her brain had drained away, leaving behind nothing but sticky cotton. She couldn’t remember anything beyond her ill-timed panic attack back at the cabin. The ache in her leg had bloomed, spreading tendrils of pain throughout her entire body. She hated feeling helpless. It was more suffocating than the damn nightmares. She hated that Grant was right again even more. She’d have to let him help her. At least for a day or two. The moment she could put one foot in front of the other though, she wasgone.
I need a phone.Even in a daze, Thalia kept a tight hold on her plan. She cringed against the inevitable. She wasn’t going to make that drop. If she could get to a phone she might be able to convince Jauhar to reschedule.He’s going to kill me anyway.She shrugged, looking down at the mangled, swollen flesh on her leg.Death might not be so bad at this point.No. Death was not an option. Not until Issa’s death had been fully avenged. A phone and a slight adjustment in her plans was all sheneeded.
“Where are we?” she asked again. The one and two story sandstone slums went by in a blur as Grant plowed down the narrow streets. Hopefully they were near an airport. Mozambique was only an hour’s hop from Madagascar, an hour and a half at most by plane. It would take half a day if she had to stow away on aboat.
“La Panch.” Thalia braced her palm against the dash as the SUV lurched to a stop at an abandoned four-wayintersection.
“La Panch? Where the hell is that? I’ve never heard of it.” She turned her head to see what Grant was looking at out the backwindow.
Grant shifted into reverse, throwing his arm around the back of her seat as he backed down the street. “It’s a small island near Reunion. Working class for the touristislands.”
Dammit!Reunion was about as far away from where she needed to be to get to where she was going. And it was full of elitist, high class vacation homes. No freighters coming and going around this place. “I don’t suppose they have an airport, huh?” Just her luck. Tarzan had her marooned on another shittyisland.
She chewed on her thumbnail as he reached a small alley they’d passed and slammed the SUV back into drive, pulling down the dark and narrow side street. “Nope. Why? You’re not planning on leaving me so soon, are you?” Thalia deadpanned her expression, determined to keep him from seeing the truth in thatsuggestion.
“Good,” Grant said when she didn’t reply. He parked alongside one of the taller buildings that made up the alleyway and cut the engine. Leaning up, he wrapped his arms around the steering wheel and looked up at the pale orange sky, the first rays of the sun peeking through the darkness. An incredulous smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. “Because I’d sure miss that sweet, rosy disposition and beauty pageant smile ofyours.”
Thalia flipped him off, but he didn’t see it. By the time her pain rattled brain caught up to his sarcasm he’d pushed open the door and rolled out of the SUV. She flinched when the driver’s door slammed hard behind him.Dammit!There was that guilty feeling again, clawing at her insides. Even though she didn’twantto need his help, she did. He hadn’t asked one thing of her in return yet. The least she could do would be to keep her mouth shut. When he rounded the front of the car and opened her door, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him, focusing instead on the suddenly interesting crushed soda can on the floor at her feet. “You’re good at it, youknow.”
“I’m good at a lot of things, sweetheart.” He unceremoniously unbuckled her seat belt and scooped her from the front seat. “I don’t need you to tell methat.”
She pounded her fist on his shoulder as he walked to the only visible door into the building. “I was talking about being nice!” She pushed against his hold on her but got nowhere fast, as usual. “I was trying tobenice, youjerk!”
Grant stopped in his tracks and peered down at her, his amber eyes searching hers. Searching for what she had no clue, but damn if that panty-melting fire in his eyes didn’t cut right through the bullshit in her brain. “You think I’m good at beingnice?”
Thalia forced herself to look away. “I take it back. You totally suck at being anything but anasshole!”
He studied her, a big goofy grin on his face. “I think you like me, fossa.” Heat flushed her cheeks; heat having nothing to do with her infection or fever.You should have kept your big mouthshut!
Grant continued to the door, still holding her cradled in his arms. “You hate needing my help, but,” he reached up and pounded three times on the door, then three more, “I think you like me and you don’t know what to do withthat.”
When no one answered he carefully sat her on her feet. “Okay, Captain Psychology, what does this mean?” She elbowed him in the gut, extracting a satisfyinggroan.
Grant recovered and struck with the stealth of a panther. Lacing his fingers into her hair he pulled her head back, forcing her to look at him. His breath billowed out, hot and moist against the shell of her ear as he leaned in and spoke with a growl. “It means my little fossa, that as soon as I get you someplace safe and your leg is healed, I’m going to bend you over and spank that smart ass ofyours.”
Thalia froze, unwanted images of being naked and on display flashed through her mind. His heavy hand splayed across her ass and she could almost imagine the sharp bite of erotic pain. Grant’s hot tongue slipped out and traced along the outer shell of her ear, sending a tingling blanket of electricity dancing along her skin as he sucked on her sensitivelobe.
“Then I’m going to fuck you.” He turned her face and kissed along her jaw. “Long,” he sighed, the tip of his tongue tickling the corner of her mouth. “And hard,” he said in a low, baritone whisper before his hand tightened in her hair and he crushed his mouth to hers. Devouring her, his tongue rushed along hers in long, demanding strokes like a prophet to his promise.Oh, damn! That feels incredible.She could almost feel his long, hard cock tunneling through her, sliding in slowly to the hilt, filling herfully.
Thalia cursed the moan that escaped through the tattered bare threads that were left of her control. Again her instincts were screaming for her to fight against his hold. Again some insane part of her welcomed his power overher.
Three pounding knocks barely registered as she floated in Grant’s arms. The reality of her situation crashed full force into the fog of erotic need that had engulfed her. She opened her eyes to see Grant’s amber irises focused on her, his lips still tasting hers. His fist pounded on the door with three more rapid knocks before his lips left hers, his other hand still clenched in her hair. “Get ready for it,fossa.”
She saw the promise in his eyes. There was no escaping this. No escaping him. She wanted him. She truly wanted him. For the first time in her life, or the parts she could remember, she actually wanted sex. And he was right. She hadn’t a clue what to do with that. She had a feeling she didn’t need to know. Grant was going to show her exactly what she could do. What he could dotoher. The mixture of anticipation and anxiety had her nearly gasping for breath by the time the door creaked and a petite, young woman peeked out through the smallopening.
“Salina.” Grant nodded and scooped her back into his arms. The woman opened the door, looking around the corner before she backed up and motioned for them to come in. “We’re clear.” He turned to watch as Salina closed and bolted the door behind them. “No one followed. I’ll ditch the car while you’re seeing to herleg.”
“Who is she?” Thalia asked as Grant followed the woman down a long, narrow hallway, the scents of sandalwood and antiseptic jarring her senses.What a disgustingmix.
