AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What’s wrong?” Fiona asked.
“I’m not sure that there’s anything wrong, but I thought I saw something lurking just outside of my taillights. Normally, I’d just dismiss it, but with Daniel’s violent death and the threats to you, I’m not willing to risk it. Ever wanted to ride in a cop car with sirens and lights?”
He could see her grin, even though she was frightened. “As a matter of fact, I have.”
“Then screw stealth, we’ll let ‘em know we’re coming.”
Slade hit the sirens and the flashing lights and floored the SUV, which gave him everything it had. As he recalled there were no streetlights, stoplights, or side roads until they got to the onramp to the interstate. He couldn’t be sure they were being followed, but the hair was standing up on the back of his neck, and he wasn’t taking any chances with Fiona’s life.
CHAPTER9
FIONA
Slade kept the pedal to the metal as they sped through the night. Fiona knew she should be scared, but she wasn’t. There was something exhilarating about flying down the highway with the lights and the siren going. Slade was an excellent driver. Fiona was sure this wasn’t the first time he’d ever driven at this speed. His turn onto the on ramp was masterful and smooth and he was in full command of everything. She wondered if he knew how incredibly sexy he was at that moment. The boy who had been a leader in high school had grown into a man who was someone you could look to and count on. She turned around to see if she could see anything as they roared up the entrance to the interstate. Nothing. If there had been anyone back there at all, they’d have broken off the chase before they could be identified.
Once they were on the highway, Slade slowed down and looked over at her.
“Well, you certainly know how to show a girl a good time,” she teased.
He looked at her askance and then started to laugh. “You’re something else. We get into a high-speed chase, and you just take it in stride like a simple drive to see the scenery. You act like no one threatened you this afternoon.”
“Given that it’s nighttime and you were driving at an excessive speed, there wasn’t much to see, but yeah, I liked the sirens and lights. As for the threats…” She shrugged. “You said you’d keep me safe, and I believe you.”
Within short order, they were in Bangor. Slade opted for a two-bedroom suite and dinner in their room.
“What’ll you have?” he asked as they scanned the room service menu.
“If I was trying to impress you, I’d order something swanky and really expensive. But what I should do is think about my diet and order a salad.”
“You don’t need to diet.”
“Oh, but I do.”
Slade shook his head. “Not in my opinion. I’ll bet under that slouchy sweater you have curves that a man could get lost in forever.”
Fiona searched his face, looking to see if he was just teasing her and saw no trace of anything other than honesty and the lust that was flickering in his eyes. Lust? For her?
“I’m sorry if I spoke out of turn. I just think you downplay your looks, which is probably for the best or else you’d be beating guys like me off with a stick.”
“For the record, Slade, I’d never beat you with a stick or anything else. And thank you for saying what you did. It’s nice to hear, and in that case, I’ll have the burger with the bourbon-bacon jam, caramelized onions, and smoked cheddar. Ask them if I can substitute onion rings for the fries.”
He grinned at her. “My kind of girl. What’ll you have to drink?”
“I’d kill for a peach margarita on the rocks, nothing on the rim.”
“That sounds good. I think I’ll have the same but substitute an IPA for the margarita. Why don’t you pick a room and get comfortable while I call in the meal. When they knock, I want you in whichever room you choose with the door locked. If there’s trouble, get in the bath and call nine-one-one.”
“You really do think someone was after us tonight.”
Slade nodded. “I told you I would keep you safe; I mean to keep that promise.”
“Do you always keep your promises?”
He turned, closed the space between them, and said, “Always.” Slade put his hands on her arms and leaned down as if he was going to kiss her, but then thought better of it and stepped back. “I need to call down our order. Pick a room.”
Slightly stunned but in a good way, she did as he asked, pulling off her boots and putting her toiletries in the bath. Fiona looked in the mirror. Two days ago, if you’d told her Slade Rafferty would be attracted to her, she’d have thought you’d lost your mind, and yet here she was thinking that was absolutely the case.Weird how things worked.
She followed Slade’s instructions to the letter when their food came. She heard the waiter setting up their food and Slade closing the door.
