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Shane opened the passenger door and tucked their bags away. Not trusting himself to touch her right now, he gave her a wide berth to go around the car. She hoisted herself in and settled into her corner with her car charger for her phone. They waved as he pulled out onto Main Street. Silence permeated the cab of the truck. She didn’t speak, and he didn’t have anything to say.
Three hours later, they’d crossed the border into Utah.
The dusty road was as flat as Arizona with the hazy blue of mountains to come. The sun blazed, belying the middle-of-November date. Kendall stripped down to a T-shirt. She had lightweight khakis on, and her legs crossed in her usual fashion. The silence was heavy, but he didn’t know what to say to her. He didn’t know how to handle the jealousy and the emotions she dragged out of him so effortlessly. None of this was in his plans. And all he had right now was his plan.
Those days he’d left her with Kain he’d finalized his life in California. The fact that it had been so easy to do didn’t sit well on his shoulders. California had been his home for most of his life, and yet the moment he’d lost his father, the disconnect was like cutting a string. When he hit New York, he’d get to work on the orders he was behind on, figure out a space for his shop. Maybe a little apartment over it until he got himself established.
Work was his solace, and it made sense. It was all he had—all he’d ever wanted. Now he had a bed-and-breakfast he didn’t know what to do with and feelings for a woman who made him think of sunshine and…well, something other than work.
Kendall finally looked up from her phone. “There’s a rest stop coming up.”
“Need to stop?”
“I could use a bathroom break and a refill. I need caffeine.”
He nodded. “We need to make it—”
“Quick, I know. Five minutes is all I need.”
She shoved her feet into her sneakers and pulled out her wallet as he drove up to the gas pump next to the mini-mart. “Go on ahead. I’ll fill up.” She nodded and slid out, then slammed the door. While he was alone, Shane fanned out the money in his wallet. Six hundred dollars to get them through the next few states. He drew off one hundred for gas. Make that five hundred. With his background he could find a day laborer job, but that wouldn’t haul in much more than gas money. And that was only if he was lucky and a crew needed an extra pair of hands. Shit.
He hopped out and paid the attendant, pumped his gas, and followed Kendall into the store. She had a sneer on her face when he found her. “That was gross.”
“The joys of gas station bathrooms.”
“There’s no joy. I need to bathe in Purell.”
His lips quirked. He missed her voice. The ride was getting stale because he couldn’t get his act together when it came to this woman. “Luckily I don’t have to touch anything.”
“It’s a good thing, believe me. Want something to drink?”
“I’ll get it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Suit yourself.” She disappeared into the aisles, and he took care of business. He met her at the registers. Diet Coke, water, and a bag of peanut M&Ms. She did like her junk food. He wasn’t sure where she put it, but she sure liked it. He put his Coke on the counter and pulled out a ten.
“Don’t be stubborn about money now, Shane.”
Ignoring her, he gathered his change and their bag. “I figure we’ve got another six hours, and we can stop for dinner. I’d like to drive through as long as we can.”
“My butt says no, but yeah, that’s probably for the best.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been a bear, Sunshine.”
Her eyebrow rose. “I’m sorry. Did you apologize?” She cupped around her ear. “I heard that right?”
He sighed and hooked his arm around her neck to drag her into his chest. “Funny girl.”
She circled his waist and tucked her hands into his hip pockets. “We kind of forgot the fun part of our road trip.”
“Yeah. The church thing was definitely a sexy-road-trip killer.”
She looked up at him, her sly grin back and her eyes twinkling. She squeezed his ass. “Well, we’ve got a few more states to debauch.”
He lowered his head and found her mouth. He traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, and she dragged him closer. She softened for him, her tongue teasing his as playful Kendall emerged.Keep it light. Just enjoy the moment.There wasn’t anything they could do about their situation but get through it. And at least he got to touch her. He bent his knees, and she shifted her hands out of his pockets and up his back.
He held her closer, dragging in the taste of her until his muscles stopped throbbing. He dropped their bag and gripped the waist of her pants and hauled her up. Her arms went around his neck, and her legs curled around him. Just like that they were locked in. But he couldn’t be pissed off. Not when she tasted so fucking good.
“Get a room!”
