The Road To Crazy_ A Romantic S - LaRocque, Lily

THE ROAD TO CRAZY

Lily LaRocque

PUBLISHED BY: Lily LaRocque Copyright © 2016

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

This is a work of fiction. All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Chapter 1 LEVI I will never forget the first time I saw her face. And I swore that if I made it through the night I would come back and

find her again, however long it took. Okay, she looked a little prissy in her crisp white blouse and drab gray skirt—she was probably a lawyer or something equally dull—but no fabric designed by man stood a chance of hiding what was underneath. You've got to admire the strength of those buttons on her blouse. She certainly wasn't skinny like the two women down the bar who keep staring at me, and I reckon if she took too deep a breath all those buttons and seams would throw in the towel and those perfect curves would explode. Her dark hair fell in loose curls around her shoulders and her full pink lips were sipping on a drink. Next time I'm coming

back as a cocktail glass in a bar, that's for sure. I sat at the bar watching her for a while—I'd made sure I got here early and so I had at least an hour to kill. Down the bar the two women were still staring and occasionally giggling to each other so I made sure I didn't make eye contact—the slightest encouragement and they'd be on me like a rash. Not that it was difficult. I couldn't keep my eyes off the brunette across the room. I was so absorbed that I didn't notice that one of them had oozed along the bar and was right next to me. 'Hi,' she said.

I turned to look at her. Even if it wasn’t for the brunette taking all my attention, she just wasn’t my type—sure, she was pretty but she was way too thin, too perfect, like a doll. I’d be scared I might mess her hair up or she might break if I squeezed her too hard—unlike the girl across the room whose body looked to me like it was just about a perfect fit for my hands. 'Hi,' I said back, pretty much on auto-pilot. 'I couldn't help noticing that you keep looking down at my friend and me.' That was rich. If I'd had an alcoholic drink, I'd

probably have choked on it, but it was water all the way tonight. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude,' I said, looking back over at the curvy brunette so the blond couldn't see the effort it took to keep a straight face. The brunette had her back to me now and it was if her beautiful round ass was calling out to me. 'That's okay,' the blond said and put her hand on my arm, sending a shiver through me—not a shiver in a good way, I have to say. She cocked her head theatrically. 'Don't I know you from somewhere?'

'I don't think so.' 'Are you sure?' She pinched her eyebrows together in mock concentration. I shook my head 'Pretty sure. I don't think I'd forget you.' You can take a comment like that either way and she was obviously a glass half-full sort of person, so she took it as a come on. She smiled, showing me her perfect teeth and the tip of her tongue and I know a lot of guys would have been getting excited about how their evening was going so far. Just not this one. Then she laughed out loud for some

reason. To let everybody in the room know how well we were getting along, I suppose. Across the room the brunette turned away from her friends and looked towards me, pushing her hair back from her face and again I was struck by her beauty. Our eyes met and she turned away quickly, embarrassed. Yes. Except that I've got things to do tonight. The blond woman’s grip tightened on my arm; whether or not she’d caught me looking and was trying to assert her claim over me, I don’t

know. She leaned closer into me and I was aware of the top of her dress gaping and could feel her breast warm against my arm. I almost felt sorry for her—she wasn’t to know that all it did was make me wish it was attached to the brunette. 'Isn't your name . . . ?' She bit down on her bottom lip and looked up at me through her eyelashes. I knew those other guys would have been sticking a couple of fingers down their shirt collars by now to try to stop themselves overheating. I didn't give her any help. Any minute now she was going to start clicking her fingers on the hand that

wasn't resting on my arm. I tried to ignore her, to make it look like I was playing the game by making her remember my name on her own instead of just wishing she'd get lost. Suddenly I saw my chance to get away. A guy was making his way towards the brunette, bumping into people and weaving unsteadily as he went. I told myself that nothing good ever came out of a guy walking towards a woman like that. But was there something else as well? 'Excuse me,' I said, pulling my arm gently out from under the blond’s hand and heading across the room.

Chapter 2 HARPER I will never forget the first time I saw his face. I saw him before he saw me, but I knew then, even before he first looked

at me, that my life had already changed forever. He was standing at the bar when some gorgeous, slim blond walked up to him and started draping herself over his arm, smiling and whispering something in his ear. Whatever it was he said to her made her roar with laughter—so not only is he handsome, he's amusing too— but then he looked over and our eyes met. Years of reflex kicked in without me having to think about it and I looked away—quickly. Like, make it really obvious you're embarrassed because he caught you staring. And there was lots to stare at. Tall with broad shoulders, dark

hair framing a rugged face, the only concession to softness in the full lips. But it's always a one way street. Men like that aren't interested in women like me—just take a look at the waif-like woman on his arm. She's probably a model or something glamorous. I looked at Skylar—we were here to celebrate her promotion to junior partner in the firm we all worked at— and not for the first time wondered if that was what I wanted for myself too. Her face was flushed with laughter and booze, but how long would that last? You make it to junior partner and you're telling them you're in it for the long haul so that's when they really get their pound

of flesh. It was bad enough as a junior associate, working like a dog all the hours God gives. I needed some fresh air. I moved away from the noisy gaggle of sober-suited, prim and proper lawyers and was suddenly aware of a man at my side. My heart leapt stupidly and I turned, but it wasn't the sexy guy at the bar. It was a different sort of guy altogether; the sort who always hits on me. He was short, shorter than me in fact, with a beer belly straining the buttons on his shirt and greasy hair. And he had fat, feminine hands; the sort of

hands that look more like a rubber glove that had been spun round until it filled with air. And of course there was a wedding ring biting into the pale flesh of his finger. Not that I was looking to see if he was available—ha, ha—but just to confirm that this was the sort of married creep who thought because I wasn't like the skinny blonds at the bar, I'd be so desperate and grateful that I'd let him fuck me and then not complain when he slunk back to his wife and kids. 'Let me buy you a drink,' he said to my cleavage. 'I'm fine, thanks,' I said to the top of his greasy head. I waved my Margarita under his nose in case the

words were too long for him. 'No, really, let me buy you a drink,' he repeated, to my face this time. 'I'm fine, really.' I didn't get a chance to find out what his next winning gambit would have been because we were joined by another man. Joined; as in joined physically and forcibly together. The second, equally drunk, guy stumbled and fell into his friend, who in turn crashed into me, spilling most of his drink down my blouse. Everybody stood back a pace. The newcomer didn't seem to be aware of what he'd done. Like we were just

people-shaped dodgems and bumping into each other was what we did. 'Hey, Sidney, who's this foxy lady?' I almost laughed out loud. Foxy lady? The only thing stopping me was the dampness soaking through my blouse and into my bra. Then Sidney's friend saw the wet stain on my blouse and tried to stifle a laugh. Sidney started to giggle. 'Looks like you spilled your drink all over her tits,' the friend said. 'Maybe I can suck it out again,' Sidney said, eyeing up my cleavage and

swallowing. 'Not your fault anyway. Wouldn't have happened if they didn't stick out so far.' They looked at each other and started to laugh. I was so shocked by the whole episode that I stood there frozen to the spot, the cold wetness seeping further into my bra. I could feel their four eyes burning into my chest and knew some crack about wet T-shirts was on its way, but before I knew what was happening the guy from the bar was standing behind them. He put one massive hand on the side of each of their heads and banged them together sharply. Not hard enough to knock them out but

hard enough to make them ring for a week. He pulled their heads apart again. 'Do you think that knocked any manners into them?' he said to me from between their dazed faces. 'No, me neither,' he said before I could answer and cracked their heads together again. Dropping his hands from their heads, he gave them both a shove. 'What the fuck?' one of them started to say, but when he saw the look on my rescuer's face the words dried up. He took hold of the other guy's arm and the pair of them scuttled away across the bar towards the exit without even looking back.

'You okay?' the stranger asked. 'I'm fine.' I said although I was sure I didn't sound it. My mouth was dry and I went to take a sip from my drink but it was empty. I must have spilled it when the idiots bumped into me. Maybe it was my Margarita that I could feel sticking to my skin. 'Can I buy you a drink?' I let out a sharp laugh; I just couldn't help it. He grinned which made him look even more sexy than before. 'I guess that was his first line too,' he said, inclining his head towards the door.

I nodded, the laugh subsiding to a smile. 'You don't have to worry—I haven't got a friend with me.' I couldn't stop myself. I immediately looked over at the two blonds standing at the bar and hated myself for it. He saw me look and gave me a reproachful frown like I'd just disappointed him. 'So, what are you drinking?' I looked down at my blouse and pulled the wet fabric away from my skin. 'Well . . . It looks like . . .'

He smiled again and it made me wish it was him offering to suck the sticky liquid out. I knew one thing for sure; if he had we'd have been arrested for gross indecency. 'I'm sorry,' he said, pulling off his suit jacket and draping it around my shoulders. 'You must be getting cold.' I didn't care that it was my front that was wet and cold, not my back and shoulders. Who cares about details like that? I just looked down to where his jacket ended half way down my thighs. I could almost taste the beautiful smell of him rising up off it. 'It's

years

since

I've

been

camping,' I said, flapping the enormous garment with my arms. 'And it was a Margarita,' I added quickly. I watched him as he walked back towards the bar. He was big—probably six three or four with broad shoulders and I got a mental flashback of his huge hands—real man's hands—as they cradled the two drunks' heads and smacked them together. He moved with a lean, powerful grace that made me itch to touch him. Heat flooded through me and it wasn't just from the warmth of his jacket. I imagined what it would feel like to have those hands on my body and felt a stupid, irrational surge of pride when the two blonds at the bar moved

away as he approached. Scrawny bitches. 'Try not to spill this one down your front,' he said as he handed me my drink when he got back. 'I'll do my best. What's that you're drinking?' I nodded towards the glass of clear liquid in his hand. He held it up and examined it as if it was a fine wine and swirled it around in the glass. 'Water.' 'You don't drink?' I hoped it didn't sound too incredulous—or worse, that I'd marked him down for a serious

personality defect. 'Oh, I do. Just not tonight. I've got things to do.' My heart sank and I felt stupid. I'd only known him two minutes and here I was feeling like my whole evening was ruined—and after such an unexpected and promising start. Had I really thought that because he stopped a couple of drunks abusing me and lent me his jacket he'd be taking me home next? Seems like some part of me thought exactly that. 'That's a pity.' I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice. 'So, what is it you do that you have to do it at this time of night?'

He gave a small shrug. 'Just some stuff. Nothing important, but I need a clear head.' I nodded like I knew how it was and didn't mind if he chose to do nothing important instead of stay and have a drink with me. His eyes ran over my body as if he was deciding what he should do about me: drink or do nothing important? I suddenly felt very self-conscious which wasn't helped by the wet patch on my blouse and his jacket around my shoulders. 'Besides, it looks like you're here with friends.'

I looked around at the others and wondered if anybody had noticed what had happened. Or that I was wearing a man's jacket about ten sizes too big for me. I'd soon find out Monday morning. 'What is it? Some kind of office celebration?' I laughed. 'Yup. Skylar—that's her over there looking like she's just about to be sick in her handbag—just got hitched to the firm.' His eyebrows raised a fraction. 'The firm? As in John Grisham and lawyers and all that legal intrigue.' I took a sip of my drink and looked at him over the rim of the glass.

'You got it. Only much more exciting.' His blue eyes lingered on me, a faint smile curling his mouth. It was a beautiful mouth, just full enough without being too much. 'Hitched, you say?' I nodded again. 'More like joined at the hip.' 'And are you hitched?' The faint smile was back on his lips. 'To the firm?’ There was a slight pause. ‘Or anything else?' I felt a surge of heat rush through me. Or was he just playing with me? Passing the time until he had to go and

do whatever nothing important thing it was. 'Uh, uh.' I shook my head. 'I'm just a lowly junior associate. I get minutes and minutes to myself every single day.' 'Lucky you.' That wasn't exactly how I'd describe my life at the moment but I didn't want to get into any of that with a man I'd only been talking to for five minutes. I might as well ask him to go away and talk to somebody more interesting. 'So, what about you?'

He gave the same small shrug as before, and then shook his head. A strand of dark brown hair fell across his eyes. I took another sip of my drink to stop my hand from stretching out and putting it back in place. 'This and that, nothing—' 'Important?' He didn't know what to say for a moment, a slight furrow creasing his brow. 'You got it,' he said recovering, 'only not quite so exciting.' The Margaritas I'd drunk were starting to get through to me; I wasn't

drunk but I wasn't completely sober either. I leaned in closer to him and the smell of him made me want to reach up and taste his neck. 'I understand,' I said in a whisper. 'I think you probably work for some secret department in the government. A secret agent or something like that.' He smiled and leaned in closer still. It was all I could do to stop myself from biting his lip. 'If I told you I'd have to kill you —' 'What's going on over here?' a voice said from behind us. We both spun

around to see Skylar standing there, swaying gently, an empty wine glass in her hand. 'Skylar. You look like you're having a good time.' Skylar smiled and swayed a bit more in front of us. 'Why are you wearing that jacket?' she said to me. 'It's far too big for you.' She sort of jerked her head backwards as if she'd just noticed the guy next to me. Like he was the sort of guy that you might not notice the second he walked in the room. 'Hello. I'm Skylar,' she said and thrust out her hand.

He took her hand, dwarfing hers in his, but didn't introduce himself. I suddenly realized I didn't even know his name—and he didn’t know mine either. 'Congratulations hitched.'

on

Skylar's puzzlement.

creased

face

getting in

'Don't worry about it,' I said. 'I have to make a call,' my mystery man said, looking at his watch. 'I'm really sorry.' The moment had passed. More like Skylar had kicked it into touch. 'I know. Things to do,' I said.

I shrugged out of his jacket and handed it back to him. He fished his phone out of the inside pocket and checked the screen. I saw something pass across his face, but then it was gone. A moment later, so was he. 'What happened to you?' Skylar said, staring at the stain on my blouse. 'Come on, come back and talk to us,' she continued without waiting for a reply. She took hold of my arm and tugged gently but I didn't move. I suddenly felt incredibly tired. All I wanted to do was flop into bed and sleep for a week. I wasn't even sure if I'd feel any different if my good looking friend came back and

said he'd changed his mind, let’s go back to my place. I certainly didn't want to stand around talking shop and drinking more drinks I didn't need or want. I made my excuses to Skylar and headed towards the ladies' room on my way out. I pushed through the door that led to the rest rooms and there he was, leaning against the wall in the narrow hallway. He had his back to me, his shoulders almost blocking the way, with his phone clamped to his ear, although he wasn't talking. I stopped mid-stride. He hadn't seen me yet. He'd probably think I was stalking him. I'm sure it happened to him every day of the week. But before I

could decide what to do he dropped his phone back into his pocket and turned. 'Oh, hello again. You looking for me?' I felt the color rise up my face as surely as if I'd been doing exactly that. 'No, of course not . . . Actually I was just leaving,' I said and added 'I'm really tired,' as if I needed to reinforce what a party pooper I was. 'That's a pity,' he said, sounding like he actually meant it. 'Any other time I'd offer to walk you home, but . . . I really need to wait here.' I groaned inside. Why the hell

couldn't I have just left without going to the bathroom? This just made it ten times worse. 'That's okay.' 'It doesn't look like it's okay to me.' Was obvious?

my

face

really

that

He took a couple of strides towards me and stopped, resting his hand against the wall above my shoulder, his chest so close it touched my breasts, his face only inches above mine. I felt my breath catch wondering if he was about to put the other hand above my other shoulder, boxing me in,

trapping me with his body. Neither of us moved for what seemed like an agonizingly long time. I tried to ignore the tickle of his breath on my neck as he leaned in closer. We just stood there looking at each other, heat flaring in my stomach and flowing south to settle between my legs until my bra wasn’t the only part of my underwear that was wet. Then he pulled his hand away from the wall and stepped back. 'Sorry. You need to go.' His tone made it clear he knew I wasn't going anywhere. He was waiting for me to decide what to do. My head

screamed at me to go, right now, before things got out of hand which would only make it worse when he went off to do whatever it was he had to do. My whole body was screaming the opposite and I just stood there doing nothing, my breath coming in short, fast gasps. Then the hand that had been resting on the wall reached out for me, touched my hair and tightened into it as he caught my mouth in a searing kiss. I couldn’t stop the moan as his tongue turned delicious circles around my own. My nipples tightened as he pushed his body up against mine, his tongue probing my mouth. He broke the kiss and began to move in a line down my chin, my

neck, along the midline of my chest. 'Mmm, mmm, mmm,' he murmured. 'Exactly how I like my Margarita served.' I felt his breath hot on my nipple as it strained against the still sticky wetness of my bra. As it drew tighter still, throbbing and aching, all I wanted was for him to take it in his mouth, here, in the hallway, but then he stood back up, bringing my mouth to his as he wound his fingers tighter into my hair. As his tongue tangled around mine, my brain kept telling me to stop, to hold onto my self-respect, who knows who might push through the door behind us.

Then, as if just by thinking about it I made it happen, the door burst open and a man pushed through on his way to the men's room. My heart leapt into my mouth as we pushed away from each other. But it was just some guy; nobody I'd ever seen before. Thank God it wasn't anybody from the office. I don't know what I'd have done. Resigned, probably. 'Go for it, buddy,' the guy said with a smirk as he squeezed past. I turned and ran. The cool, fresh night air hit me as soon as I got outside and made my head spin. My legs felt weak, unable to

hold me. Was that the booze or what had just happened? I must have drunk more than I thought or I'd never have behaved like that. I walked slowly down the street towards my car a couple of blocks away, resting my hand on the parked cars to steady myself and taking great lungfulls of air to clear my head of the drink and everything else that was spinning crazily through it, but by the time I got there I knew I was in no state to drive. I got a blanket out of the trunk and then climbed into the back seat and stretched out as best I could, snuggling down and pulling the blanket up around my chin. I set the alarm on my phone for

exactly an hour and closed my eyes. I'd see how I felt when I woke up.

Chapter 3 LEVI When I came out of the men's room she was long gone; there was no way she'd still be in the bar, the way she shot off so fast. Probably for the best. Things to do, as I told her. Any other night it would

have been different. I closed my eyes and could taste her again, feel the curves of her body, the way her wet blouse clung to her breast. I honestly don't know how I ever managed to stop myself from taking her nipple in my mouth, to make myself stand up again. It was stupid, but already, after only a few minutes, I felt like I wanted her more than I'd wanted any woman in my life. But it would have been unfair to carry on. Even if that guy hadn't come along so conveniently and scared her off, I would've had to get away from her so she did get caught up in any of this. Where the hell was Gabriel

anyway? I looked at my phone again but nothing had changed since I looked at it two minutes ago. He was an hour late already. Then I made the mistake of glancing down the bar to where the two blond stick insects were still watching me hungrily. I looked away again quickly, but it was too late—the one who hadn't already tried her luck was on the move. Time for some air. I turned and headed for the door. I wasn't going to make the mistake of heading for the men's room again and risk getting caught in there by her.

A big guy sort of filtered in from the side and made for the door ahead of me. What with getting away from the blonds, wondering where Gabriel was and, more than anything else, thinking about the gorgeous brunette, I didn't really pay him much attention. He paused at the door, seemed to become aware of me just behind him and held the door open for me, a friendly expression on his face. I sailed straight through without a thought and he followed, closing the door behind him. Outside on the street another big guy was standing in front of me like he was trying to come in. I went to step to the side and felt an arm loop around my

neck at the same time as the guy in front of me buried his fist in my stomach. The air went out of me like it wasn't ever coming back. I'd have doubled over if it wasn't for the vise-like grip choking me from behind. The guy in front drove his fist into my gut again and then the two of them dragged me into an alley at the side of the bar. The whole thing took less than five seconds and anybody who might have seen what happened had more sense than to interfere. Then the one who'd hit me pulled out a nine millimeter automatic while the guy behind released his choke hold, pulled my arms behind my back and cuffed my wrists with plastic ties.

Behind us, a nondescript sedan pulled to the curb and the two guys bundled me into the back. The guy who'd cuffed me got in the back with me while the one who'd sucker punched me went back inside the bar. He came back out after a minute—maybe he had to take a leak— climbed in the front and we all headed off. Very slick. Very stupid of me. If I was a paranoid sort of guy I might even have thought that the whole thing was a set up, the two drunks included, but that couldn't be true. Or could it?

Chapter 4 GABRIEL Some days nothing goes right and today was one of those days. I got to the bar over an hour late and Levi was already gone. All because

of some stupid old fool who shouldn't have been on the road in the first place jumping a red light and totalling my car. It must have been the angle he hit my fender because the front axle snapped like a dry twig, so although it wasn't a write off I couldn't drive it. Then we all had to stand around waiting while the cops made a meal out of it and then we waited for the recovery truck to get there — which took us right up to clocking-off time for every cab in the city. And on top of all that my phone's battery decided to die right then. It was clear as soon as I walked into the bar that Levi wasn't there; you can't miss a man as big as he is—or me,

for that matter. The only difference is I don't usually have a large number of beautiful women draping themselves over me, fighting for my attention. I went over to the counter and dropped my backpack on the floor, scanning the room one more time but he wasn't there. The bartender wandered up behind me and I turned towards him. 'I'm looking for a big guy, about the same size and build as me, dark hair, blue eyes.' He grinned back at me. At least I think it was a grin. It could have been a grimace, now I think about it. 'What?'

'There was a guy like that in here a while back. He got into a situation with a couple of drunks who were pestering a young woman.' I groaned inwardly. That sounded like Levi all over—everybody's knight in shining armor. 'Yeah, that sounds like him. Don't tell me he left with her.' The bartender shook his head. 'No, I don't think so, although they seemed to be getting along pretty well.' That didn't surprise me. All Levi had to do was look at a woman in a

certain way—I'd seen him do it hundreds of times—and something seemed to happen to the elastic holding up their panties. 'She left on her own first,' the bartender carried on. 'He went outside himself shortly after and I haven't seen him since so I suppose he might have gone after her.' I kicked the bag at my feet and slapped my palm down on the bar top in frustration, making a couple of blond women at the end of the bar look over. All of this was Levi's own stupid fault, so he better not have just run off after some woman leaving me to pick up the pieces.

'You couldn't blame him if he did,' the bartender said. 'She was hot.' he made an hourglass shape in the air with his hands. Then, suddenly, all amusement drained out of his face.

the

'But I don't think that's what happened.' The sudden change in his tone and attitude made me look up sharply. His face had taken on a sickly hue and a nervous tic had started up in his cheek. 'What?' I said, a small worm of fear starting to squirm in my stomach. 'Well, after your friend went

outside this guy came in'—he swallowed nervously—'and he was a big guy too, but mean looking with it, and he said if anybody came in asking around I should give them this.' He reached under the counter and put an envelope on the counter, a slight tremor in his hand. 'I don't get paid enough to deal with this kind of shit,' he said and walked off. I looked down at the envelope and felt something take hold of my innards and twist. Why the hell wasn't I surprised?

I picked it up, hoisted my bag over my shoulder and went outside. It didn't take long to read the note and there wasn't anything in there that I wasn't expecting. Unfortunately it doesn't make it any better just because you saw it coming. I needed to find a car.

Chapter 5 HARPER It wasn't the alarm that jerked me out of my sleep; it was my head banging into the hard plastic armrest. It took a moment to work out

where I was—then it came back to me. I was lying on the backseat of my car. It was still dark outside and I'd obviously slept through the alarm, but I had no idea what time it was. But something was wrong—the car was moving I lay still, hardly daring to breathe, and tried to think what to do. I could make out the shape of a man—a large man—in the driver's seat. My heart lurched and for a fleeting moment I thought it was the good-looking guy from the bar, but then I caught a glimpse of his profile and I knew it wasn't him. I must have forgotten to lock the

doors and some opportunistic car thief had come along. I was sure I'd locked them but I'd been so tired. Maybe I hadn't even set the alarm properly either. The man was driving very fast and the car was rocking around all over the place. I must have been thrown against the armrest as he took a fast curve which is what woke me up. How come he hadn't seen me asleep in the back? But then again the dark blanket covered me from head to foot and nobody expects to find a person asleep in the back of a car. A thought suddenly crossed my mind which made my blood run cold.

What if I had set the alarm properly after all and it just hadn't gone off yet? Right on cue it started to chirrup in my bag. The driver's whole body jerked at the sound and his head spun around. A look of shock doesn't present anyone at their best with eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open, but despite that this guy was good looking. Definitely not what I was expecting a man who steals cars for a living to look like—he had a strong nose but it didn't look as if it had ever been broken and even in the gloom I could see he had piercing eyes, not the nasty piggy little

eyes you'd expect a low life to have. Maybe I'd watched too many bad movies. 'What the—' he started to say, before the blaring of a horn grabbed his attention back again. In his surprise he'd let the car wander into the path of the oncoming traffic. He wrenched the wheel to the right as a car flashed past us, its lights illuminating the inside of the car, the sound of its horn fading into the distance behind us. In the light from the oncoming car I'd got a better look at his profile which only reinforced how way off my prejudices had been. 'What the hell are you doing there?' the guy shouted, but keeping his

eyes on the road this time. And even though he was shouting, there was a certain something to his voice which made me shiver. 'What am I doing?' I shouted back, under no illusions about whether my voice had a hint of sexiness in it. 'This is my car.' 'You nearly made me crash.' My mouth opened and closed a couple of times before anything came out. 'I nearly made you crash? You shouldn't be stealing my car.' 'I'm not stealing it—'

'You could've fooled me.' '—I'm borrowing it.' Great. Not only has my car been stolen with me in it, it's been stolen by a complete lunatic who wants to play word games. I didn't bother replying. What would you say to something like that anyway? 'Just stop and let me out, okay,' I said instead. To my amazement he came off the gas and started to look for a place to stop. But my elation was short-lived. Why would he just let me go when the

first thing I'd do is phone the police and give them the license plate number? My mind started to run through all the possible scenarios and none of them looked good. At best I could expect to be dumped somewhere, tied up and out of sight, to give him plenty of time to get wherever he was going. I didn't want to think about what the worst possible scenario might be. I needed to be ready when he stopped. He saw a gravel run-off illuminated in the beams of the headlights and started to slow. I didn't wait for him to stop; as soon as I heard the crunch of the gravel under the tires I

opened the door and jumped out. We couldn't have been doing more than five miles per hour but I still stumbled and fell, skinning my palms and knees on the sharp grit. I pushed myself up and started to run back the way we'd come, desperately praying for another car to appear. Behind me I heard the car skid to a halt and the driver's door fly open. I wasn't wearing what anybody would call high heels but they were still too high to run for your life in. The tightness of my skirt around my hips and thighs wasn't doing anything to help me stride out either.

The man behind me was big, but he was fast too and not hampered by skirt or heels. I could feel his presence right behind me almost immediately. My hair was flying in the wind behind me and my head jerked backwards as his hand caught hold of it. He lost his grip again and I stumbled forward and then it was as if a house fell on top of me. I crashed into the undergrowth at the side of the shoulder with his full weight on top of me. All the breath exploded out of me like somebody had stood on a tube of toothpaste, my head hit the ground with a sickening jolt and everything went black.

Chapter 6 GABRIEL I didn't mean to hurt her, certainly not knock her unconscious, but I couldn't let her get away. She has no idea what's going on and the last thing I need is every cop in a hundred mile radius

looking for me. I had no idea she was asleep in the back but I don't reckon you'd need to be much of a prosecutor to make it look like I kidnapped her. Despite all that, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the feel of her in my arms as I carried her back to the car. She's not the lightest woman I've ever picked up but she's definitely one of the shapeliest and I couldn't help but think it's a shame she had to be out cold for me to have her lying in my arms like that. I rooted around in the trunk and found some bungee cords amongst all the other junk in there and used them to bind her wrists and ankles. And I'd be lying again if I said it never crossed my mind

as I closed her legs and bound her ankles tightly together that I was missing a trick here somehow—what I should be doing is . . . Anyway, she's still out cold in the back and we're just going to have to make the best out of the situation we can. Easy for me to say, I know.

Chapter 7 LEVI My head snapped sideways as the guy backhanded me hard across the face. His ring split my lip sending a trickle of blood dribbling down my chin. I flexed my arms against the plastic ties around

my wrists and thought about the beautiful brunette in the bar who put me off my guard. I'd thought about it all through the ride on the way over here and I was pretty convinced she didn't have anything to do with setting me up. The way she looked away embarrassed when our eyes first met was just too natural—you couldn't fake that. Or the way she looked so vulnerable standing there in her wet blouse while the two assholes laughed at her. No, it was one hundred per cent my own stupid fault. I’m not saying it was worth it, but at least it wasn't because I was too interested in the

skinny blonds. The guy hit me with his open palm, knocking my head back the other way. Seemed like they were just having some fun, because nobody had asked me a thing. So I sat there—not that I had much option, although I suppose I could have fallen sideways onto the floor for a bit of variety—and let them get it out of their systems, thinking in equal part about squashing their ugly faces between my hands if I ever got them free and then, afterwards, what I'd do to the jawdroppingly, gorgeous brunette. I closed my eyes and felt a thrill begin to surge inside me as I remembered the swell of her breasts, the

tightness of her nipple as it strained against the wet fabric of her blouse as if it was seeking out the tender bite of my teeth, and the flare of her hips as they flowed into the perfect curve of her ass. The guy hit me again, flicking blood across the floor, but what did I care as I imagined running my hand down the length of her thigh, slipping my hand under her too tight skirt, the hem rucking up as my fingers explored the smooth skin of her inner thighs before leaning down to kiss the skin I exposed. Through the pain I could see her eyes as they met mine when I looked up at her—as if I needed to ask permission —before trailing my lips up her inner

thigh and grazing the heat between her legs. Above the roaring of the blood in my ears, I could hear her moan and feel her buck and arch her back, feel her legs tremble against me, the moistness of her underwear wet against my lips as I reached up to pull aside the crotch of her panties and lose myself . . . Was there any way that Gabriel could possibly know how much was riding on him getting me out of here?

Chapter 8 HARPER I opened my eyes slowly and closed them quickly again. My head was splitting and I felt sick. My hands and feet were numb, a dull ache throbbing in my arms and legs. I opened my eyes

again and raised my head a fraction and saw the bungee cords that I keep in the trunk wrapped tightly around my wrists and ankles. I tried to flex them but they weren't budging. Letting my head flop back down onto the seat, I let out a resigned sigh. 'So, you're awake,' the driver said without looking around. His voice was soft and reassuring; in any other situation I might have said there was a hint of concern in it. 'No thanks to you.' He chuckled softly. 'Sorry about that. You must have hit your head a little too hard when you landed on the ground.'

I let out an astonished gasp. 'When I landed on the ground,' I repeated slowly, almost amused by his choice of words. 'You know if you ever get bored of being a kidnapper and a car thief you could be a politician. You seem to have a way with weasel words. An inability to call a spade a spade. I think what you mean is when you wrestled me to the ground and something the size and weight of a brick outhouse mashed my head into the dirt.' He chuckled again and I was amazed that the sound didn't make me want to punch him. 'You're not too bad with words

yourself, Harper.' That shut me up. Before I could reply he carried on. 'Although you would be, wouldn't you, being a hot-shot lawyer an' all.' 'How the—' I started and then looked down at the seat beside me. My wallet lay open, the sour-faced picture on my work I.D. card that I'd always hated staring back up at me. 'I suppose you helped yourself to my money while you were going through my things,' I said instead. He tut-tutted from the front seat, but I could see that my barbed comments

just washed over him. In fact I was pretty sure that I could see the corner of his mouth curled up in a slight smile. I didn't want to look in the mirror because I was sure he was watching me while he had his fun and I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing the fear in my eyes. 'Why are you doing this?' He let out a sigh like he was being asked to explain something simple to a particularly slow-witted child for the tenth time. 'All you need to know is that I'm not going to hurt you.' I snorted.

'Really? If my hands weren't tied, I'd touch my head and let you know how much I believe you.' He nodded to himself in the front seat. 'I'm sorry about that but I couldn't let you get away.' 'Why not?' He shouldn't really have bothered answering a stupid question like that, but he did. 'I can't have you calling the police the minute I let you go.' 'So take my phone.'

'Yeah right. And every trucker who sees you standing by the side of the road looking like you do with your thumb stuck out is just gonna say to himself keep going buddy, don't even think of stopping. I reckon you'd be in some nice warm truck cab within five minutes and I'd have the cops on my tail within six.' I wasn't really listening any more. My mind was stuck on the words looking like you do. What did he mean by that? Maybe he was talking about the wet blouse, but it was dry now. 'Look, I promise I'm not going to hurt you and when this is all over you can have your car back again and go

home. I just don't have time to fight with you.' I glanced quickly at the rearview mirror and saw his cadet blue eyes looking back at me. They didn't look like the eyes of a murderer or a maniac but you just never knew. 'I'd like you to lie back down again now,' he said. 'Why?' 'Were you aware you start every sentence with why?' 'Just tell me why I have to lie down.' 'Because I don't want you waving

at every car we pass with your hands tied together, like hey, look at me, I’m being abducted. Or maybe it never even crossed your mind to do that?' 'And if I won't?' He laughed softly again and I knew what was coming. 'There's always the trunk. It'd be a tight squeeze but I wouldn't mind helping to squash any bits in that won't quite fit. I think I can see where the main problem areas would be from here.' I felt my face burning and threw myself back down before he could get a look at the color of my cheeks, or see in my eyes that some small part of it—or at

least that’s all I was prepared to admit to —was arousal.

***

I lay back and stared at a stain on the roof lining of the car that looked a bit like a map of Texas. Outside it was getting light but I had no idea where we were. I looked at my watch and doing the math worked out that we must have been driving for five or six hours at least. I really couldn't work out what was going on. If he'd wanted to kill me

or rape me, he'd have had plenty of opportunity by now. And if you were planning on doing something like that, why wait until it got light? Night time was when the predators were at their most active. I think I must have dozed off, although Lord knows how. I was suddenly aware that we were slowing down. 'Okay, we need to get some gas,' he said from the front. 'Can I borrow some money?' 'What?' myself upright.

I screeched,

jerking

He turned to look at me, his face

split in a massive grin, and I got my first real look at him. All my impressions from catching glimpses in the semi-dark and fleeting eye contact in the rearview mirror were confirmed—and some. I knew there were plenty of women who actually fantasized about being kidnapped by a guy like him. 'Only joking.' 'Ha ha.' 'Don't be such a sour puss.' It wasn't that; I just felt stupid he got a rise out of me so easily. I gave him my sweetest smile, one that almost went as far as the eyes.

'Right, I'm going to fill up and then we're both going to take a walk to the bathroom so you can do anything you need to do.’ He made a big show of sniffing the air. ‘From the smell of booze coming off you I'd say you were out drinking last night and trying to sleep it off in your car.' He paused for confirmation but I didn't say anything. 'So I guess you're probably busting for a pee. If you promise to be a good girl, then you get to use the nice gas station bathroom.' He gave me a grin. 'You know—the one with the dirty, cold,

cracked toilet seat and all sorts of unspeakable things in the corner—not to mention the spy hole the owner drilled in the wall.' 'I can't wait.' 'Otherwise, you can stay right there and piss your panties and sit in the wet patch for the rest of the journey for all I care. It's not my upholstery. So what's it going to be?' If I hadn't been tied up I'd have put my finger on my bottom lip while I thought about it. I cocked my head instead and said, 'I pwomise.' He laughed out loud at that, a deep, throaty laugh that made me think he

didn't get to laugh much. 'Have you got any idea how cute you look when you do that? I think I need you to say it again just to make sure you mean it.' I felt the heat rushing up my face so fast I couldn't think of a thing to say. 'However,' he said, lifting a finger and pausing to let me know the really important stuff was coming next, 'if you struggle or call out or try to get away or anything like that you'll be unconscious and stuffed into that trunk so fast you . . .' He trailed off, unable to think of a suitable expression, but his face told

me how serious he was. 'Okay, I get the picture,' I said. I watched him climb out of the car and stretch, not quite sure how he'd changed mood so fast. The only explanation I could think of was that whatever he was up to was all that mattered to him at the moment. That still didn't mean I had to go along with it.

***

I watched him as he walked back towards the car after paying for the gas, an easy confidence in his stride. He pulled the back door open and knelt down in the open doorway, his massive frame blocking me from view, should anyone happen to glance our way. 'You're not going to kick me, are you?' 'Uh, uh,' I said, but I can't have been very convincing. 'I think we'll take your shoes off first, just in case.' I watched as he pulled them off one after the other, as if he was pulling them off somebody else's feet. I was so

numb I couldn't feel a thing. His strong fingers started working on the knots in the bungee cords that had pulled themselves tight over the past hours. 'Better?' he said when he finally got it all undone and my feet sprang free. 'I'll tell you when I can feel something.' He took hold of my left foot and started massaging it, working his thumbs into the arch. 'I don't want you falling flat on your face because you can't walk,' he said, as if he needed to explain himself. I still couldn't feel anything but I

liked looking down and seeing his hands make my feet look small and dainty, his fingers moving deftly over my skin. 'You know, if you get bored being a kidnapper, a car thief or a politician you could always be a masseur.' 'I thought you couldn't feel anything,' he said and grinned. 'I can't. I'll let you know when I can.' 'Don't think I'm doing this for half an hour. Two minutes per foot and after that if you fall over, you fall over.' I leaned back and enjoyed the

sensation that was creeping back into my foot. To tell the truth, the other one was coming back to life of its own accord but I wasn't going to tell him that. 'Which one are you doing now?' I said, smiling to myself. 'Funny.' For a moment it was almost as if I could forget about the situation I was in. I'd always loved it when a man massages my feet. The deep caress of his fingers in the center of my arch released a pressure I hadn’t realized was trapped there. Before I knew it the warmth of his hands and the slow, deliberate strokes had uncoiled something else and then, as

if we were both on the same wavelength, he suddenly said something that sent a flush of heat straight through me. 'So help me out here, Harper, me not being a trained foot masseur, I'm not sure where your foot technically ends? Is it here?'—he stroked my ankle—'Or here?'—I felt his fingers run up my leg six inches—'Or even higher?' I sat up and stared into his face. I couldn't believe he was flirting with me. He dropped my foot and jumped up. 'Okay that's it for today. Out you get.'

'What about my hands?' 'What? You walk on all fours?' I gave him a tight little smile. I knew I wasn't going to win that one. 'Can I put my shoes back on?’ 'Sure. I'll catch you faster if you try to run in them.' It infuriated me that, despite the laughs and the flirting, he still had the situation firmly under control. He was just playing with me. 'You want to do it for me?' He gave me that small smile again and I swear I saw him swallow

thickly. I leaned down and recovered my shoes and slipped my feet into them, squashing the backs flat rather than putting my feet in properly. For one it was easier to do with my hands tied, but there was another reason too. I must have been taking too long about it. 'Come on, out you get,' he said, grabbing my wrists and pulling me out of the car. 'We haven't got all day. And don't forget what I said about the trunk.'

***

We walked together to the bathroom looking like a pair of love-struck kids who can't let go of each other for two seconds. He circled my shoulders with his arm, hugging me tightly and pulling my body into his, making it almost impossible for anybody to see my tied hands. I could feel the strength in his arm, his muscles rock solid under his shirt and I knew it wouldn't be easy to get away from him—but I had to at least try. He pushed opened the door and I stepped inside. I started to close the

door with my hip when he followed right in after me. A surge overwhelmed me.

of

panic

almost

'You can't come in here.' His look said: try to stop me. 'What? You think I'm going to let you lock yourself in here and then start screaming to high heaven? Do I look that stupid?' 'Pervert.' He laughed and pushed all the way in behind me. The facilities were pretty much

exactly as he'd described them, all the way down to the cracked toilet seat, except for the fact that I couldn't see the gas station owner's spy hole. I couldn't stop a laugh escaping when it crossed my mind that for once I'd welcome somebody watching me through a hole in the wall—it would be my best chance of escape so far. 'What's so funny?' I shook my head. 'Doesn't matter.' But he'd made his first mistake. I hadn't planned it that way, but my laugh had distracted him—he'd forgotten to lock the door behind him. I needed to keep him distracted.

I held out my wrists towards him. 'Can you take these off now?' He smiled and shook his head slowly. 'You just don't give up do you? But don't worry—if there's any part of the proceedings you feel you can't do for yourself, getting your panties down, whatever, I'm right here to lend a hand.' The smile morphed into a wolfish grin. He put a lot of emphasis on the right here—as if there was any way I could forget. 'Pervert,' I said again. He gave a small nod like I'd just paid him the biggest compliment he'd had all year.

'I suppose you're going to take a video on your phone to show all your pervert buddies.' He grinned even wider. It was infuriating me that he had it all his way and I couldn't even insult him. It just amused him and washed over his head. 'Now there's an idea,' he said and stuck his hand in his pocket. 'I think that's the first sensible thing you've said.' 'No!' I shouted. 'I didn't mean it.' Faster than I would have believed possible his hand was clamped over my mouth. I tried to twist my head away but his fingers kept their grip, squeezing my cheeks tightly.

'Shush.' He dropped his hand slowly from my mouth, ready to clamp it back again if necessary. 'That was my fault, but no more shouting, okay.' I nodded glumly. The guy was big, strong and fast. What chance did I have? On the other hand, I didn't have anything to lose by trying. 'Do you think you could at least turn around to give me some privacy?' He glanced around the room, looking for potential weapons. There was nothing that wasn't bolted to the wall apart from the trash can, which he kicked into the corner farthest from me. Then he went and stood in front of the

door, turned his back and folded his arms. There might as well have been a stone statue blocking the way out. 'I can still hear you though,' he muttered under his breath and I knew that smug smile was at the corners of his mouth again. 'Will you just shut up,' I hissed at him. 'How do you ever expect me to go?' 'Sorry. Not another peep,' he said, but I could hear the laughter in his voice. I twisted around and slammed the toilet seat down loudly, but instead of sitting down I put my right foot up onto it and slipped the shoe off. It wasn't

much of a weapon but the heel was solid and chunky and it was all I had. If I could hit the right spot it might daze him long enough for me to get away. Trouble was I had no idea where the right spot might be. I stood there staring at the back of his head, wondering where to hit him. 'I don't hear any tinkle tinkle. Time's running out.' I took a quick stride forward, raised my arms above my head and brought the shoe down as hard as I could, all ideas about aiming going out the window. He must have heard something at the last second and started

to turn towards me. I don't know if it helped or not, but the heel caught him right on the point of his temple with a satisfying thud. 'Ow, that hurt,' he squealed. I raised my arms to hit him again seeing as he hadn't so much as flinched, let alone staggered sideways away from the door or crumpled to his knees, which is what I'd been hoping for. I'd underestimated his speed again. His left hand shot up and clamped my wrists in a vise-like grip, lifting me up on my toes, while his right arm caught me around the waist and for

one brief moment, my body was pressed to his as he held me there. Breasts to chest, my belly to the flat concave of his, our thighs aligned down to the knee. My belly churned, whether from the adrenalin rush of attacking him or from the closeness and heat of his body I have no idea. It only lasted that one brief moment. 'Drop it.' I dropped the shoe. It bounced on his head and fell to the floor. 'Ow,' he said again. 'I think that was harder than you hitting me.' The smile was back on his lips but I didn't

feel like laughing. I was never going to get away from him. He was just too fast, too strong. He let go of my wrists and waist and stepped away. A shiver went through me as our bodies fell apart, but that was just the chilly air, right? 'So, tell me, Harper, what would you do now?' He folded his arms across his chest again and all I could think of was that he'd have to turn sideways to get through the door like that. And, despite the fact that he was probably really pissed with me, I liked the way my name sounded in that deep voice of his.

I felt like a naughty schoolgirl standing there in front of him. It was ridiculous. He kidnapped me and stole my car and I'm the one feeling guilty. 'Well?' I'm going to be sent to my room any minute now. I shrugged and shook my head, looked down at the dirty washroom floor. 'You want to drive five hundred miles in the trunk of your own car? Jesus Christ, I've seen all the crap you keep in there. I thought men were supposed to be the messy ones.'

I looked up at him, looked into the righteous indignation in his eyes. Screw that. 'Stop talking to me like I'm the one who's done something wrong,' I shouted at him. He didn't even try to quiet me down this time. 'Treating me like I'm the one who should be punished for bad behaviour. What are you going to do? Bend me over your knee and spank me?' It was out before I knew it. If my hands hadn't been tied I know I'd have covered my mouth, tried to push the words back down my throat. Where the hell did that come

from? He gave me a strange look, his piercing blue eyes drilling into mine, making me squirm uncomfortably in my skin. He shook his head angrily. 'I really haven't got time for this, Harper. If I don't get where I'm going on time—' His voice trailed away and I watched all the mocking amusement of a moment earlier drain from his face. And then, as he marched me back to the car in the same way as before— arm around my shoulders, strong fingers digging into the flesh of my upper arm while he hugged me tightly into his body

—I had the strangest feeling come over me. I tried to ignore it, deny its existence but I couldn't push it all the way away. Not even close. Even as the dumped me in the back seat of my own car, pushed my legs together roughly and tied the bungee cords around my ankles again, tighter than before, it wouldn't go away. It didn't matter that I didn't know anything about him or what he was doing or what he was going to do to or with me. I didn't know if I believed a single word he'd said to me; his promises that he wouldn't hurt me. None of it made any difference to that one irrational emotion that hijacked my whole body as he hustled me back to

the car. I didn't know if I wanted to get away from him.

Chapter 9 LEVI The rough concrete floor felt cold and damp on my face. I was almost glad it was so dark in there and I couldn't see what I was lying in—for all I know it could've been my own blood that I could feel wet against my cheek. I didn't really

want to think about what else it might be. I couldn't feel my arms any longer. I think I must have passed out at some point. The last thing I remembered was thinking about the brunette in the bar. As far as I recall I'd just pulled the crotch of her panties out of the way and I was about to run a long, heavy lick of my tongue up into the beautiful moist warmth of her . . . and the next thing I knew I was lying in the dark, on my side and still tied to the chair with my face in a pool of something I didn't want to think about. I ran my tongue over my front teeth and they all still seemed to be there; they didn't even feel chipped or

broken which was a miracle. But I could feel dried blood in my nostrils—not with my tongue, of course—and a split in my lip. I didn't suppose the brunette would've been very interested in me looking like I must have done then. I guessed the guys got bored hitting me. I suppose it doesn't matter what kind of a hard case you are, it can't be easy whaling on a guy you used to know and think of as a brother. And I don't suppose there's much satisfaction hitting somebody who's already unconscious. Or maybe their hands just started to get sore. It was hard to tell how much time passed lying there in the dark like that—

it could've been three or four hours or it could've been only minutes. Hopefully just a few minutes, because if I'd been out for longer they must have done some serious damage. But my memory was still working fine; certainly at least as far as the girl in the bar went—so I just closed my eyes again and pretended I'd got my head wedged between her thighs, my tongue making deep, exploring thrusts as she moaned in pleasure . . . The door burst open and the lights went on. I kept my eyes shut for a few moments longer, enjoying the last of my daydream, and then opened them slowly. A couple of guys bent down and took hold of my arms and lifted me and

the chair and set us down on the floor the right way up. Then another guy appeared from behind them and placed a small, wooden table next to me. It had a number of stains on it I didn't like the look of. 'I'm not sure I'm hungry right now,' I said. 'Maybe come back a bit later.' Nobody laughed. The guy who'd put the table down held out his hand. Somebody passed something to him and he turned back to me and carefully placed the items on the table. I glanced down at them and looked away again. It wasn't what I'd normally use to eat my dinner

with, unless I was eating an unusually tough steak. The guy stood back and looked at me, a twisted grin splitting his face. The he took hold of the flesh along the line of my jaw and gave it a playful tweak. 'Don't you worry, Levi, we'll be back.' 'Wouldn't miss it for the world,' another voice said. There was a ripple of excited laughter ran around the room and then they all filed out, leaving the light on this time. They needn't have bothered— even with the lights off I'd have had no

problem seeing in my mind what was sitting on the table, demanding my attention. If the table had been made of stainless steel and not wood, I'd have thought I'd woken up in a hospital operating theater.

Chapter 10 GABRIEL That was fun—almost. It's not even as if it hurt when she hit me with her shoe. There was no way she could have got past me anyway—

certainly not with a little tap like that. I was pretty much expecting her to try something—she seems that kind of girl. Got a bit of spirit; not one to take things lying down and I like that. So long as I can still keep it under control, of course. I could have just knocked the shoe out of her hand but it was kind of fun stretching her up like that so that it strained her blouse over those perfect breasts and then pulling her into me. For a moment there when we were pressed tightly up against each other I could feel myself getting hard. And then when she asked me if I was going to bend her over my knee and spank her I felt sure she must have

noticed what was going on below the belt line—or maybe that's just my vanity. Maybe I could have got a full-on erection and she wouldn't even have noticed. I suppose that's the last thing you'd be thinking about if you thought you'd been kidnapped and you were scared. But that's not true. Her face colored up so fast when she said it, and that doesn't happen unless you realize what you're saying and you're embarrassed by it. I'm sure I saw her lick her lips and swallow thickly. Anyway, I've really got to stop

thinking about it before it starts to be a serious distraction. I didn't know what was going on with her in the back—she'd gone very quiet and lay down out of sight without me having to tell her to. That surprised me because, as I said, she really doesn't seem like the type to just give up. Maybe she can tell I really do mean it when I say I'll put her in the trunk if I have to. I really don't want to, but I will if she forces me.

Chapter 11 HARPER I lay back on the seat without him telling me to. I didn't know if he meant it when he said he'd put me in the trunk; his mood changes back and forth so quickly I can't keep up, so who knows? But it

wasn't just that. I didn't want to see him watching me in the rearview mirror; didn't want to make more eye contact than necessary. I just didn't know what to think about any of it. I couldn't deny something happened in the gas station washroom when he put his arm around me—well, it did for me; I don't know about him. And then that stupid, irrational—and dangerous—feeling I got walking back to the car that I wasn't sure if I wanted to get away. Luckily that passed once we got on the road again but I wasn't going to take any chances by making unnecessary eye contact. In any other

circumstances he'd seem like a nice guy but even serial killers aren't raving lunatics all the time. It's not much consolation if they're the most charming guys in the world most of the time if they kill you on their one bad day. But the silence was driving me insane—I had to say something, just to stop all the thoughts going round and round in my head. Or at least think about something else. I closed my eyes and tried to think back to what I was doing before the nightmare started . . . I almost sat up in surprise. How the hell could I forget? The gorgeous guy in the bar and then what happened in the hallway—and what else might have

happened if we hadn't been interrupted and I came to my senses. I felt a shiver run through me as I remembered the feel of his lips on my skin as he moved down my neck and over my breasts; the ache in my nipples and how I wanted more than anything for him to . . . 'Are you okay back there?' the guy in front said, snapping me instantly out of it. I felt like hitting his head again. 'You're very quiet. I don't think I've ever met a woman before who could be quiet for so long. It's got to be some kind of record.' 'What? You mean all the other women you've kidnapped talk a lot?'

He let out a weary sigh. 'I'm not kidnapping you. I told you that.' A short laugh escaped my lips. 'I have to say, even though it's my first time, it's exactly like I imagined being kidnapped would be. You know, hands and legs tied, being taken who knows where against my will.' I watched the back of his head as it slowly shook from side to side. 'It was never my intention to kidnap you—' 'Ha. So you admit it. You didn't mean to but you did it anyway. As if that

makes any difference to me.' He slapped the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. 'I needed a car, that's all. How the hell was I supposed to know there'd be a woman taking a nap in the back of it? If it was a campervan or an RV, then maybe, but it's not, it's just a regular sedan.' 'And you didn't see me lying in the back? I mean. I'm so easy to miss, being so petite, I could almost get lost down the crack between the seats.' He laughed at that and I wished I hadn't said it, hadn't brought attention to myself. It made me think about the two

slim blonds in the bar. The ones who'd been talking and laughing with the gorgeous guy. But it was me he’d chosen ... 'This isn't the time for selfloathing, Harper, but, you're right. I saw this car with its hood almost pointing at the sky and I thought there must be some big ol' momma asleep in the back of that, so I think I'll borrow that one.' 'Steal, not borrow,' I snapped, trying to ignore how easily he put his finger on my insecurities. 'Uh, uh, it's only stealing if you don't get it back. And you think I wanted all this aggravation making everything

ten times more difficult?' 'So why not just use your own car?' 'Some idiot totalled it.' ‘You need carefully then.’

to

drive

more

‘I don’t mean me—‘ 'Ever heard of a rental?' He was quiet for a moment; didn't come straight back at me with a ready answer. 'Well? Cat got your tongue?' 'There was no time. You know how long the paperwork takes when you

rent a car.' 'Bullshit.' Before he could come back at me —maybe threaten to put me in the trunk for my bad language—it came to me. It was just so obvious. And scary. 'That's it.' 'What?' 'The paperwork.' He went quiet in the front and I knew I'd hit the nail on the head. 'You didn't want any paperwork.' My logical, lawyer's brain kicked in. 'Why wouldn't you want any paperwork?' Once again, silence from the

front seat filled the void between us. I suddenly didn't know if I wanted to follow my logic through; to say the words out loud. To make them real. But I couldn't help myself. 'Because you were planning on committing a crime, doing something illegal.' Like kidnapping somebody, I whispered to myself.

***

I wasn't sure if that made me feel any better or not.

If I believed in my own logic then he had plans to do something illegal —rob a bank, whatever—and needed a vehicle that couldn't be traced back to him. It was good from one point of view if it meant he wasn't a sexual predator out hunting his latest victim to abduct when he came across me—but it wasn't so good if it meant he was a professional criminal putting his plan into action. What did that make me? Collateral damage? A loose end to be tied up later on? 'It's not what you think,' he said. 'You don't know what I think.' 'Yeah, I do.'

Then he pretty much ran through my exact thought process of a moment earlier. 'And now you can't decide which alternative is worse.' What could I say? My silence told him how right he was without me wasting my breath. I hated him for reading me so easily. 'But it isn't either of those things,' he said softly. 'You don't have to worry.' You don't have to worry. I wanted to scream with frustration. I took a couple of deep breaths to try to calm down but it didn't work. Like, has it ever? The fear that had sparked into life when I made my

brilliant deduction and then blurted it all out had taken hold of my insides and was threatening to overwhelm me. I felt lightheaded; I couldn't get enough air. I had to do something, anything. I laced my fingers together and jerked myself up off the back seat, swinging my hands like a club at the side of his head. 'Just let me out of the fucking car, you bastard,' I screamed at him. I was way too slow. Maybe he'd been watching me in the mirror, I don't know, but he leaned almost casually to the side and my arms crashed uselessly and painfully into his headrest, my

clenched hands stopping abruptly in mid-air, a good six inches from his face. 'Let me know when it's safe to sit up straight again,' he said and I could hear the grin in his voice. 'Bastard,' I spat and threw myself backwards against the seat. There was no way I was lying down again. I looked in the mirror and our eyes met. His were alive with the fun of it all, because that's all it was to him, just one big game where he held all the cards and always won. I hoped he saw in mine even some small fraction of what I was feeling. 'That wasn't bad for a girl, you know. I think you're getting faster, but

you still need a lot of practice.' I looked down at my hands resting in my lap and ignored him. 'Hey, do me a favor will you?' I refused to look up; I wasn't going to play his stupid game. 'Where's the lever that opens the trunk? I can't find it.' 'Fuck you.' He howled with laughter. 'I'm glad you think all this is so funny,' I said sullenly. 'Maybe we'll try reversing the roles and see how funny you think it is then.'

He stopped laughing and caught my eye in the mirror, almost as if I'd made a serious suggestion. 'Let me get this straight—you mean you tie me up?' I nodded like that sounded a good idea to me. 'Yeah, why not?' He paused for a split second and I immediately knew I'd slipped up somehow; I knew there was something coming and I was going to be on the losing end of it again. I could see him working hard to keep a smirk off his face. 'Would that be before or after I bend you over my knee and spank you?'

He started to laugh again, but there was something else underneath it this time; something more urgent. 'I think I'm starting to see a pattern here, Harper. You surprise me, dressed all prim and proper like you are.' There was no controlling him now. He laughed so hard I was afraid he might lose control and swerve in front of an oncoming car. 'You shouldn't laugh so much at your own jokes, you know,' I said, trying to keep the laughter that was rising up inside of me from erupting out. I was not going to laugh at his childish comments especially when they were at my expense, but there's something about

laughter that won't be denied. All the pressure of the past hours and all the different emotions that had buffeted me were going to find a way to vent themselves one way or the other. Screaming at him sure as hell hadn't done it. I tried to turn the first giggle into a cough, but I just couldn't contain it and pretty soon I was laughing as hard as he was, harder probably. I laughed until my stomach hurt, my whole body shaking and the tears rolling down my cheeks. At least I think it was laughter, maybe it was fear, but whatever it was, I felt a whole lot better afterwards. I slumped down in the seat feeling totally drained, leaned my head back against the headrest

and closed my eyes. 'Feel better now?' 'A bit,' I admitted, grudgingly. 'Good.' 'Just one question.' After all the laughter I was surprised he still had the breath to let out a sigh as big as he did. 'Here we go again.' 'What's your name?' That surprised him. I opened my eyes and caught him looking at me in the mirror. From the look in them it seemed like I was able to surprise him if nothing

else. 'Gabriel.' 'Pleased to meet you, Gabriel.' I let my head roll gently to the side, looked out the window and did a double take. I wanted to be sick.

Chapter 12 GABRIEL I glanced in the side mirror and an adrenal spike of fear stabbed me in the gut. A police cruiser had pulled out

from three or four cars behind us and was starting to pass—just as Harper was getting antsy in the back seat. I had to keep her calm. You don't have to worry, I told her in a soft, soothing voice, but she didn't believe me; she doesn’t believe a word I say. It didn’t keep her calm either. Just let me out of the fucking car, you bastard. She screamed it at the top of her voice. It wasn’t a good start. Then it got worse. What the . . . ?

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of movement in the mirror as she jerked upright, her arms raised and swung her clenched fists at my head. A lifetime of instinct kicked in. I moved my head easily out of the way—she might as well have sent me a text: I'm about to try to hit you, she's so slow. I glanced quickly down at the side mirror. The cruiser was still coming, moving slowly and steadily past the line of cars, almost like it was in slow motion, the cops taking a good, long, nosy look into each one as they went. They couldn’t be looking for her. She hadn’t been out of my sight.

A few seconds more and they’d be alongside. I had to distract her; do something, anything, to stop her looking out the window. She wasn’t going to lie down again any time soon, not in the state she was in, screaming and cussing at me. I half expected her to take another swipe at my head. But maybe if I got her even more riled up she'd throw herself back down and sulk. Women do that. Where's the lever that opens the trunk? I can't find it. That sure got a reaction. Maybe not the one I was expecting. Fuck me.

It made me laugh, although another glance in the mirror wiped the smile clean off my face. In my mind I saw her lifting her arms up, showing them her bound wrists and mouthing help me, please through the window; imagined their startled faces and their frantic reactions as it suddenly registered what they were witnessing. Then the wailing scream of a siren and blinding flashing lights; a fender nudging me off the road; guns drawn in case I wanted to try my luck and outrun them. Dragging me out of the car and wrestling me to the ground, the cold metal of a gun barrel shoved hard in the back of my neck as they cuffed me.

And Harper climbing out of the car and kicking me hard in the balls while the cops pretended to pull her off, but not before she got a couple of good ones in. A million thoughts racing through my mind, but I couldn’t think of a single thing to say or do—and then she took it out of my hands: Maybe we'll try reversing the roles and see how funny you think it is. Let me get this straight—you mean you tie me up? Yeah, why not? It made me think of things I

didn’t have time for—I saw the silky smoothness of her perfect skin as the weight of her beautiful, curvy ass lay across my legs; imagined slowly working her skimpy panties down as she squirmed with delight my lap, pretending to fight me but laughing and pushing herself eagerly up towards me at the same time. I swallowed hard and pushed the thoughts aside. But it gave me an idea and I knew then I was home free. Would that be before or after I bend you over my knee and spank you? And despite the damp triangle of sweat sticking my shirt to my back and

the churning fear in my gut, the laughter wouldn’t stop. Maybe it was nerves. And even if it hadn't all worked out and the cops had pulled us over, I'd have been rolling in the dirt, fighting to catch my breath, before they had a chance to knock me down. But it did work out. She tried so hard not to laugh, tried to pretend she was coughing, but it was no good. All that fear and tension came flooding out and she laughed like she wasn't ever going to stop. And the police cruiser sailed right on by, the two officers watching and maybe smiling to themselves at the

good-looking young couple breaking the monotony of a long road trip with a proper belly laugh. Probably saying to each other what a pleasant surprise it made in their job to come across two people having such a good time together; not shooting or stabbing each other or doing any of the other shit they had to deal with, day in, day out. And one of them would say how it gives you back a bit of faith that there’s some good left in the world after all. I was sorely tempted to give them a cheery wave, because I was the happiest man on earth at that moment. Uh, oh, she's seen disappearing into the distance.

them

Chapter 13 HARPER I stared in dismay at the back of the police cruiser as it disappeared into the distance. If I hadn't been laughing so hard

at Gabriel's stupid comments I would have seen it as it drove past, waved my tied wrists at them, screamed help through the window, hit Gabriel again— anything to make them stop and this nightmare would have been over. Gabriel was sitting very still and very quiet in the front seat. In the mirror I saw his eyes locked on the disappearing rear end of the police cruiser. It didn't look as if he was even breathing. I don't know what I'd have done if I'd seen the smallest hint of a smile on his lips. Bitten his nose off, probably. How the hell did he make that happen?

How did he manage to distract me right when they were passing us? But I started it, not him. It was all my own, stupid fault. If I hadn't tried to hit him, I'd be free. Or would I? I'd probably still have been lying on the back seat staring at the ceiling and not even known there was a police cruiser passing us. I'd have been better off not knowing; not giving myself a hard time. But he must have seen it before it passed; he was constantly alert; not one of those drivers who never use the mirror. He certainly played it well if he did see it first. Played me well. It didn't make any difference either way now; they were long gone.

But I wasn't lying down again and I wasn't ever going to laugh again. Period. 'I suppose you're laughing to yourself inside.’ He snorted. 'What do you expect me to say? No, I really wish they'd pulled us over. And I'd be lying on the ground with my hands cuffed—' 'Like me.' '—and my face in the dirt. And your foot in my balls from the look on your face.' 'You got that right.’ I kicked the back of his seat. ‘Not just the once

either.' 'And you'd be saying: He kidnapped me, Officer, he kidnapped me and they'd be thinking promotion time here we come and . . . ' He trailed off and I got a flashback to the gas station washroom. 'And what?' 'It doesn't matter.' 'Liar, liar, pants on fire. I can see your eyes in the mirror. I can see how much it doesn't matter.' He didn't say anything for a while.

'What do you care if it matters or not to the bastard who kidnapped you?' It was my turn to be quiet.

***

We drove on in silence for hours—that’s what it seemed like anyway. I stared out the window at the passing scenery, praying for another police cruiser to come along, but I'd missed my only chance. Traffic was light and none of the other cars on the road were inclined to pass us. Gabriel had set the cruise control and we rolled along at a steady

seventy miles per hour; he wasn't about to risk getting caught in a speed trap. From time to time I saw him glance in the mirror but I always looked away when our eyes met. He didn't have a problem not talking, but then he had a lot on his mind—so he claimed. Like I didn't. 'Let's play a game a pass the time.’ His eyes flicked to the mirror, staring at me through eyelashes that should’ve been too thick for a guy, and I held them this time. His eyebrows lifted a hair's breadth and I saw the first signs of the smile at the corner of his mouth.

'The one where—' 'No,' I said firmly, 'not the one you're thinking about,’ but the heat gathering between my legs at the thought of his hands on the full, ripe curves of my ass told a different story. ‘Let's play make believe and pretend for a moment that you're telling the truth and you didn't mean to kidnap me.' The smile at the corner of his mouth turned down again. 'That's not make believe.' 'Whatever. Why don't you tell me what's going on?' He shook his head. 'You don't

need to know.' 'I know I don't need to know, but I want to know.' 'You're better off not knowing.' That wasn't the sort of answer I wanted to hear, but it wasn't exactly a big surprise. 'Because it's something illegal, you mean?' His eyes were in shadow now but I knew he was weighing things up in his mind. I didn't suppose he'd tell me everything, but anything would be nice. But all he said was, 'It's not illegal.' 'Right. So what kind of totally

legal, above board thing is it that you need to steal a car so there's no paperwork linking you to it?' 'I didn't have a choice.' 'Sure you did. Everybody has a choice. Or are you saying somebody made you steal a vehicle and do whatever it is you're doing?' 'I preferred it when you weren't talking.’ 'I'm sure you did. You shouldn't have kidnapped a woman in that case. It's what we do.' He let out a small laugh like a cat sneezing.

'I'll be sure to remember that advice next time.' 'So are you going to answer the question?' 'What question?' I wanted to scream at him. Was he being deliberately awkward or was he just plain stupid? 'That you're being forced to do this? Against your will. Like me. So actually what you're saying is we're exactly like each other—both helpless victims caught up in a nightmare beyond our control.' 'I didn't say that, you did.'

'But it's true. You haven't denied it.' He turned to stare at me for a couple of beats, as if he didn’t trust the reflection in the mirror to read my face. 'Is that the lawyer in you talking now, Harper?' He turned back to face front. 'Is that how it works? If you don't —or maybe can't—deny something, that makes it true. That sounds a lot like guilty until proven innocent to me. And here I was thinking we were in the good ol’ US of A.' He had a point, but I wasn't going to tell him that. I took a leaf out of his book and ignored anything I didn’t want

to answer. 'I think somebody is making you do something against your will. And it's definitely illegal because you stole my car—' ‘Did I mention I preferred it when you weren't talking?’ '—and you’ve got a deadline, but here we are driving half way across the country, instead of you taking a plane— because that's more annoying paperwork and security checks.' It all made perfect sense if I believed the first part of the argument— that he wasn't a garden variety rapist cum serial killer—which seemed less

and less likely the more time I spent with him. 'How'd I do?' 'I think you missed your calling in life. You should drop the legal stuff and concentrate on being a fantasy author.' I didn't care what he said; I was right, even if I had no idea what I was right about. If it was illegal—and it had to be—that’s all I needed to know. Way to go, Harper. All I’d done is confirm to myself that there was no happy ending in it for me. At best I was a loose end that

needed to be tidied up when he was done. I daren’t forget that, however nice he was at times. 'You hungry?' he said.

Chapter 14 LEVI The door banged opened and half a dozen guys crowded back into the room, a degenerate badass called Diego leading the way. He gave me a big grin,

the obligatory gold tips on his teeth glinting in the light from the bare overhead bulb. He tapped my cellphone against his leg as he walked towards me. 'Lost your smart mouth, Levi?' He pinched my cheek like a favourite aunt might. I didn't bother replying. I’d had more than enough slaps for one day. ‘We were thinking we might make things a bit more fun.’ Something bad was on its way. Some people’s idea of fun isn’t much fun at all when you’re the one strapped to the chair.

'Threatening to kill you is so boring.' He turned the so into a three syllable word and pretended to yawn. Then he stopped slapping my phone on his thigh and held it up for me to see. 'But first, we're going to take a few pictures. You know, the before ones, so he's got something to remind him of you, when . . . sorry, if he screws up.' He took a step back, found the camera on my phone and took a shot of me sitting in the chair. Then he took one of the little table and its contents. 'Okay. texts?'

Who's

good

sending

One of the guys called out and Diego threw the phone to him. Hey, Gabriel, thought you'd like to see these photos. We've been thinking and it ain't fair if you're only a minute late and we’ve already killed poor Levi just like that. You might get a flat or get stuck in traffic or whatever. So we decided to cut you a little slack and came up with a plan—one body part for every quarter hour late. We'll start with the easy to get at bits—ears, nose, lips, tongue, you know the sort of thing, and keep going from there.’ He paused and watched the guy typing, his fingers flying across the small keypad. 'You getting all this good stuff?'

'Got it.’ 'How's it sound?' There were a lot of enthusiastic head nods; a lot of excited grins; appreciative murmurs. He grinned back at them. That's why he was the boss. 'Hit that send button—no, wait.' The guy with my phone raised his head expectantly. 'I want to add some more.’ BTW, if we get bored or Levi starts running his smart mouth, we might start cutting early, so best you

get your foot on that gas pedal.

Chapter 15 HARPER I scanned the convenience store parking lot as we pulled in, but I was wasting my time. If there’d been a hint of any police or anybody else who might be able to help, he'd have driven on by. The lot

was deserted apart from a rusting old pickup without any wheels, sitting over at the side of the lot, furthest away from the store. As soon as he saw it he swung the wheel and headed for it, like I knew he would. He wanted to be as far away from the store as possible, in case somebody came out and saw me 'Nice places you bring me to.’ We came to a halt next to the pickup and he switched the ignition off. I saw his hand hover over the key ready to switch the engine back on. 'We don't have to get anything if you don't want to—you're only getting a sandwich anyway.'

I hadn't realized how hungry I was until he asked me, and I certainly didn't want to wait any longer Even if it was only a sandwich, it was better than nothing. So long as it didn't turn out to be the last meal of a condemned man—or woman, in this case. 'No, it’s lovely, but Gabriel . . .' 'What?' 'Make sure you get them from the back of the cabinet. In places like this they put all the stale ones at the front.' He gave me a look like he'd learned something new and climbed out of the car, then leaned back in and gave me another lecture on the futility of

trying to run away. Looking around the deserted lot, I didn't need to be told twice. I watched him as he walked across the lot and saw him pause before he went in, dig in his pocket and pull out his cellphone. He didn't put it to his ear, so a text, obviously. Then, even from across the lot, I saw his shoulders slump. A moment later, he raised the hand holding the phone, looking for all the world as if he was going to hurl it against the wall, but he must have thought better of it. Stuffing it down into his back pocket, he stalked into the store. If the door hadn’t already been open he’d have walked through it.

I went to work immediately, bending forward and making a start on the knots in the bungee cords around my ankles. Like before, they'd worked themselves tighter over the past hours and with my hands tied together and my fingers almost completely numb it was hard going—pretty much impossible in fact. I glanced up a couple of times but he was still inside the store. What was taking so long? I didn't suppose it was because he was having difficulty choosing from the huge range of mouthwatering sandwiches. Finally I made some progress on the knots, getting one of the ends loose— at the expense of two broken nails. I was

prying the other end free when there was a noise like somebody had jumped on the roof. I let out an involuntary shriek, jerked upright and saw Gabriel's face glaring at me through the window on the side furthest from the store. He must have snuck out when I wasn't paying attention and circled around to catch me unawares. Seeing the anger in his face, I was sure he was going to rip the door open and drag me out. Instead he climbed in the front and threw a plastic bag on the passenger seat. Then he reversed out, straightened up and drove back alongside the pickup, but on the other side this time so it was between us

and the store. 'What are you doing?' I said as he climbed out again. 'Gabriel! What are you doing?' But I knew exactly what he was doing which only made it worse. This time he did pull open my door and grabbed hold of my arm. He started to pull and I leaned back away from him with all my weight. 'What's wrong, Harper? I thought you were dying to get out of the car and now you won't budge. Don't you want to stretch your legs?' He pulled harder and I leaned

back even more and tried to wedge my feet against the center column between the doors. 'Let go of me,' I screamed. 'I don't want to get out.' 'You should have thought about that before you tried to untie yourself.' I was lying almost flat along the back seat and he was half way in the car, his body hovering over mine. Anybody seeing us would have thought we were about to make out in the back. At that moment, nothing was further from my mind. In fact, if I knew how, I would have sat up and head butted him right on the nose.

Trouble was I didn't. I'd end up hurting myself more. Maybe he saw me thinking about it. He let go of my arm and I fell flat on my back, my head crashing painfully into the door behind me. Then he clamped his arms around my lower legs and pulled. ‘Nice calves,’ he whispered to himself. I thrashed around in his grip but I was wasting my time. It was like a grizzly bear had hold of me and was trying to drag me back to its cave for the cubs to eat. 'Stop squirming around.'

His breathing was labored and I got some small satisfaction watching his chest heave with exertion as I struggled even harder, attempting to bring my knees up into his face. 'If you don't stop thrashing around I'm just going to pull you straight out. The back of your head's going to hit the door sill first and then it's going to smack hard into the ground.’ He squinted up at my face and smiled tightly through the workout I was giving him. ‘Apart from how much that's going to hurt, I wouldn't want anybody dragging my pretty head through all the shit that's on the floor out here. Yuck.' I stopped fighting and told myself

pretty head was only an expression. And he was right—again. The way he was at the moment, he was going to get me out of the car come what may. I might as well make it as easy on myself as possible. Fuck that. I bucked and thrashed even more violently, forcing a grunt out of him as his head smacked into the door frame with a satisfying thump. We'd see who ran out of steam first. I heard him laugh although it didn't stop him pulling, dragging me slowly but steadily across the seat. I threw my arms up and behind my head

and tried to find the arm rest. My fingers scrabbled around uselessly and then I got one hand hooked underneath. We stayed like that a few seconds with me stretched out like I was on the rack in a medieval torture chamber. My bra was slowly slipping up my body; my breasts already sliding out from under it. If he kept the pressure up they’d burst free any second. That wasn’t going to be a problem—my aching fingers were giving way already. But then, before they did, he suddenly stopped pulling. With the pressure gone, I relaxed automatically. It was what he wanted; he gave a sharp jerk and my fingers broke away.

'Still time to stop and get out like a lady.’ Then he laughed again. 'Scrub that. Too late already.' I had no idea what was so funny, when a sudden gust of wind brought me up to speed with a jolt. I looked down at my legs. What with the panic at the prospect of being put in the trunk—because that's what he had in mind—and all the furious exertion of wriggling and thrashing around, I hadn't noticed my skirt riding up my thighs as he dragged me across the seat. It was now completely rucked up right below my ass. Looking down my body I saw the

crumpled skirt with my panties poking out the bottom, then the smooth skin of my bare thighs, my knees and finally, a few inches beyond that, Gabriel's stupidly grinning face. His eyes were locked as if they were laser guided on my panties, about twelve inches from his nose. I sent up a silent prayer of thanks that he'd stopped pulling before my panties worked their way up into me, giving him an even more intimate view. 'I was going to say you've got some balls.' His voice caught in his throat. ‘But I can see from here that's definitely not the case.'

We stayed there like that for a couple of moments until I realized he’d be happy staying like that all day if I didn’t do something. The exertion and the laughing—and any other emotions he might be enjoying while he was snuggled up with his nose almost poking a hole in my panties— had got rid of the anger that the text message had caused. 'You can put me in the trunk if it makes you feel any better,’ I said, confident he wouldn’t do it now his anger was gone. 'No, it's okay. I was looking forward to squeezing in all those soft curvy bits that won’t fit, but I think I like you here like this better. Much better, in

fact. Easier to keep an eye on you— some parts of you, anyway.' I twisted half-heartedly, his muscles flexing around my legs as he held on tighter, which only pulled me closer to his face—as if he was climbing up my body. 'Mmm, mmm, I do love that sweaty woman scent.' He closed his eyes and sucked in the deepest breath I’d ever seen a man take, his chest expanding against me as he held it inside him. I didn't bother moving; that was what he wanted. 'Pervert.'

His head jerked up and we locked eyes. 'If enjoying the scent of a pretty woman's damp panties makes me a pervert, I'm guilty as charged—and willing to take my punishment.' Something mischievous passed behind his eyes and the heat climbed up my face. 'That large damp patch I can see from here is sweat, isn't it?' I bit back the urge to shout at him: They're not wet, because I'd have been lying. They were already sticking to me. 'Well it's sure as hell not excitement because I've been swept off

my feet by Prince Charming.' He released his grip on my legs and pulled himself out of the car. I forced myself to keep my eyes locked on his and not drop them to the front of his pants. What did I care if he was aroused or not. 'You sure about that?' I wanted to slap the smirk off his face, as he pulled the knots tight again before pushing my legs back down into the foot well. I shimmied back and forth and worked my skirt back down, determined to ignore the dampness of my panties as they rubbed against me. As he opened

the driver's door and leaned across to retrieve the plastic bag with the food, I tried to work my bra back down over my breasts. He glanced over and caught me doing it. The blood rushed to my cheeks at the same time as he licked his lips. ‘Are you trying to put that on? Or take it off?’ ‘Idiot.’ I got a whole lot of feeling into that one little word. His grin grew wider. His face would split in half if he wasn’t careful. ‘Is there anything I can help with, ma’am?’

I wanted to say something outrageous, something provocative, just to see what he’d say or do—at least that’s what I told myself. Actually, yes. I want you to get over here now and unbutton my blouse or rip it right off—it’s your call—and then unhook this damn bra before it cuts me in two. I want the warmth of your hands on my breasts as they fall free, to tremble as you slip your hands down and around them, tenderly at first, exploring their fullness, gently cupping and caressing them, and then more urgently, running the rough skin of your thumbs over my swollen nipples in slow, teasing circles until I’m ready

to explode if you don’t squeeze them harder, your fingers digging into my flesh . . . do you think you can take it from there? ‘Idiot,’ was all that came out instead. Perhaps another time. ‘Suit yourself.’ He dropped a sandwich in my lap. I stared at the sorry offering with its stale, curled up edges. 'You didn't do what I said about getting a fresh one from the back.' 'Oh, I did.' His voice was bright and full of fun. 'That's mine.'

I didn't rise to the bait. 'I suppose I've got to eat this with my hands tied.' He nodded and fished in the bag; pulled out a paper napkin. 'Afraid so. Here, let me help you.' He dabbed at my chin with the napkin. 'You've got a little drool there.' I swiped at his hand but he only laughed and got back in the front. ‘Strange.’ He met my eyes in the mirror as he lifted his hand and counted off on his fingers, his voice so low I was barely able to make out the words. ‘Damp panties, bra hanging off and

drool on the chin, but apparently there’s not a Prince Charming in sight.’

***

'Do you want to talk to me about the text?' He jerked slightly as if I'd snapped him out of a reverie, although from the set of his jaw it was clear his mind was occupied by things that were far from pleasant. 'What?' 'At the convenience store. I saw

you get a text. You looked like you wanted to smash your phone into a million pieces.' He let out a short laugh. 'I thought you were too busy trying to untie yourself.' I gave him a little shows how much you know smile. 'Women can multi-task. Didn't you know?' He didn't say anything for a while and something told me he didn't plan to. 'I'll take that as a no, shall I?'

His eyes caught mine in the mirror. 'You never give up do you?' 'What else am I going to do? It's okay for you, concentrating on the road. I've been sat here for hour after hour with nothing to do while my mind tries to drive me crazy.' The last word came out more like a scream; I couldn’t help it. 'What? You're back to that is he going to kill me? isn't he going to kill me? crap again? I can't help you with that any more, Harper.' 'Yes you can.'

'How?' 'Tell me what's going on.' I let more frustration show in my voice than I wanted to. 'All you've said basically is I've got to trust you.' 'So trust me.' 'Yeah, right. It's actually kind of hard when so far all you've done is knock me unconscious and try to put me in the trunk. Oh, and keep me tied up the whole time.' I caught sight of the now familiar curl at the side of his mouth. I bet he was thinking about our wrestling match in the back seat. The thought of it sent a little shiver through me.

'It could be a whole lot worse.’ 'Yeah?' 'Yeah,' he repeated with some force. 'If I was a psychopath like you think I'd probably have killed you at the gas station when you hit me. Or actually put you in the trunk where you belong when you tried to escape at the store.' 'Instead of getting distracted trying to bury your face in my—' 'In your what?' he cut in, his voice thick. 'If I'd have wanted to bury my face anywhere, I'd have buried it. Period.' He put a lot of emphasis on the anywhere.

'Really?' 'Yes, really. And you'd have been screaming: more, more, please, please, give me more 'till your throat was raw.' 'Is that so?' I spluttered, trying hard to control the almost irresistible urge to laugh in his smug face at the ridiculous conversation. 'Is that what all the women you kidnap do?' He nodded so vigorously, his whole body rocked. 'You better believe it—and not only the ones I kidnap either.' 'In your dreams.'

'And yours.' It was like talking to a child who always has to have the last word. 'I can't believe I've been kidnapped by a man with the brains and the emotional development of a fourteen year old boy.' 'Sounds like we're a perfect match.' There wasn't a lot to say after that. The silence stretched out— uncomfortably for me, although he was most likely savoring every moment. 'And no, I don't want to talk about it.’

'Sure about that? There's definitely something boiling up inside of you that needs to come out soon.' He let out a low whistle. 'Hot shot lawyer and amateur psychiatrist all rolled into one— impressive.' I sat up and banged my hands into the back of his headrest, making him jump. 'That's right. Laugh it off. Be a typical man. Keep it all bottled up inside until it's too late to do anything about it and it all erupts.' I threw myself back against the seat. 'It hasn't worked for two million years, but, hey, maybe it'll work

today.' 'Feel better now?' I shook my head in despair. 'Do I feel better? It's not about me, but, no, I don't feel better now you ask. I've had enough of being abducted by a fourteen year old boy in the body of a full grown psychopath.' I slumped down in the chair and stared at my hands in my lap. Outside it was growing dark although it was still light enough for me to see Gabriel as he watched me silently in the mirror. 'I'm sorry,' he said quietly from the front, 'but I really don't want to talk

about it. Call me stupid, superstitious, whatever, but if you say it out loud, it makes it more real.' 'Have you never heard people say a problem shared is a problem halved for Christ's sake?' I watched his head nod in agreement; it didn't mean anything. Nothing I said did. 'Sure I have. But have you never heard people say a problem shared is twice as many people in danger?'

Chapter 16 GABRIEL She genuinely would’ve liked to help. I wanted so badly to tell her the truth—not only about what was going on but about all of it.

That wasn’t all I wanted. Why couldn’t we have simply met in a bar or on a beach—or in a bar on a beach—or even at the mall for Christ’s sake like two normal people? Why did it have to be like this? Because it was always like this. There was no normal. Never had been and certainly never would be. Not now. What was it she said? That's right. Laugh it off. Be a typical man. Keep it all bottled up inside until it's too late to do anything about it and it all erupts. She certainly got the too late bit right.

Anyway, there was no point dwelling on what might have been. My priority now was to stop and get some rest. After eighteen hours straight without a break I was going to fall asleep at the wheel if I didn't. It wouldn’t help Levi any if I ended up with my head embedded in some truck's grill or bumper. The problem was: what to do about Harper? She'd tried to run away at every opportunity and I had no reason to think she wouldn't do the same again. She'd been asleep on the back seat as well, so she'd be fresh—or at least fresher than me. There was always the trunk, but

despite all my threats, I wasn't sure I wanted to leave her in there for two or three hours while I slept in a warm motel bed. Would it make any difference if I told her what's really going on? Then I saw the neon sign of a small motel up ahead—I'd have to think of something soon.

Chapter 17 HARPER I'd been dozing when I became aware of the car slowing down. I yawned and stretched as best I could—it’s not easy with your hands tied—and gazed out at the neon sign of a small motel lighting up

the night sky. Gabriel pulled to a stop in front of the office and turned to study me. 'You've got a choice here, Harper —' 'Don't tell me—trunk or bed?' He smiled but there wasn't much warmth in it. Despite that, he had a nice smile. It reminded me of somebody. Who the hell was it? 'You got it, but let me tell you how it's going to work. I'm going to go and pay for a room while you stay here. If you try to untie yourself again or do anything else, we'll drive on. Then I'll stop on the shoulder and put you in the trunk and this time there'll be no fun and

games—you will end up in the trunk even if I have to knock you unconscious —' 'Like before.' '—and then I'll stop at the next motel and get myself a nice, warm room while you spend a miserable couple of hours folded double in the trunk with your knees in your mouth. Oh, I nearly forget—you'll spend the rest of the journey in there as well.' He paused and gave me a smug grin that screamed: I have all the cards. 'It's your choice.' He meant it this time. 'Just go and get a room.'

Maybe it was the resignation in my voice that made him soften a little. He smiled again and it was more like a proper smile this time. 'You can freshen up a bit and I'll see if I can get us something to eat as well.' I watched him disappear into the office and thought about what to do with my very limited options. I hadn't got very far by the time he returned and drove us down to the last room—the one furthest from the office. When he opened the door, I swung my legs around and out onto the asphalt to make it easier for him to get at

the cords around my ankles, but it didn’t work like that this time. Instead of bending down and untying them he took hold of my hands and pulled me out and upright before I really knew what was happening. Then he dipped one shoulder and leaned into my stomach and flipped me over his shoulder. I let out a gasp of surprise. Nobody had ever picked me up like that before—and certainly not as easily. I felt like I was six years old. 'Shush,' he hissed, 'or I'll drop you on your butt and drag you.' I shushed and he carried me the

few yards to our room—it sounds so romantic put like that—unlocked the door and ruined it all by dumping me unceremoniously on the bed like a sack of coal. 'The perfect gentleman, as ever.' I watched him relock the door, his back to me as he did it. Perfect gentleman or not, he had a great ass.

***

I sat up and looked around. The room was exactly as I'd expected it to be, only not as clean.

A bit like me. I'd been in the same clothes and underwear for the best part of forty-eight hours since getting ready for work the previous day. There wasn’t much chance of things improving over the next fortyeight hours either. 'I'd like to take a shower, if that's okay?' He dropped his backpack by the side of the bed. 'Sure thing, go ahead.' He didn’t turn around or make a move to do anything about it. 'I didn't mean in my clothes.' He turned then. I held out my

bound wrists and he grinned. 'Right. I see what you mean. You want me to untie you.' 'Well, it makes it kind of hard to get undressed if you don't.' The words were out before I could bite them back and his face told me what was coming before he said it. I had to stop making it so easy for him. 'That's not a problem—I can help you with that.' He took a step towards me like it was a big game—another one where he was the one having all the fun. A bit like a pillow fight where he was the only one

with a pillow. 'No.' It came out louder than I meant it to. He stopped again. 'Just untie me, okay. I won't try to get away.' He looked at me for a long moment and I saw the disappointment in his face. It made me a little sad to see the mischievous grin of a few seconds before wiped away—by me. He knelt down without another word, untied my feet first and went to work on my hands. I don’t know, maybe it was the blood rushing to my feet to revive them

which didn't leave enough for my brain, but the words came slipping out of my mouth anyway: 'No foot massage this time?' Had I set something in motion that I’d come to regret? 'Sorry, not this time.' His voice caught ever so slightly. 'First, I don't give a damn if you fall on your ass in here, and, second, since you turned down my offer to help you undress, why would I?' He was still kneeling by the side of the bed, so when he started on the knots around my wrists his face was hidden. Was that deliberate?

'There you go.' He stood up and I flexed my hands and fingers, massaging them to get some sensation back. It would’ve been nicer if he’d done it. 'Thank you. That's much better. Now we're almost like two normal people. Almost.' 'There is something I should tell you.’ It wasn't going to be anything I'd want to hear. After less than twenty-four hours in his company, I already knew how his mind worked and recognized the tell-tale signs in his voice.

'I'm not going to like it, am I?' He was about to say one thing because I caught a hint of that grin again, when he suddenly changed his mind and shook his head. 'No, you're not.' He paused, almost embarrassed by what he was about to say. My heart beat picked up; how bad could it be? 'I'm not letting you out of my sight.' It took a second for it to sink in. I'm sure my mouth must have dropped open. 'You think you're coming in the

bathroom with me?' He swallowed and ran his hand through his hair. 'Not think. I am.' 'You can't be serious.' 'You've only got yourself to blame; every time my back's turned you try to get away.' I stood there speechless as he walked over to the bathroom and opened the door. 'See. There's a window. You think I'm going to let you lock yourself in there and then climb out the window.'

I walked over to see for myself. He didn’t move out of the way and I was forced to lean up against him to see into the bathroom. 'You think I'd fit through that window?’ I laughed. ‘I'm flattered but get real.' 'You might all soaped up.' I felt in my gut, more than heard, the catch in his voice again. In the right circumstances—and these weren't— there's something incredibly sexy about getting all soapy and slippery. ‘I suppose that’s something else you can help me with, you being so amenable?’

He cleared his throat. 'Even . . . even if you didn't actually climb out, there's nothing to stop you leaning out and screaming the place down.' I turned away and threw myself back down on the bed. As always, he held all the cards. 'Suit yourself.’ I lay there staring up at the ceiling, not knowing what to do. Cleanliness or modesty? Trouble was, once I'd decided I wanted a shower, I wouldn't settle until I got one. I was sure there was a hint of staleness on my clothes. And was that a residual

stickiness from the spilled drink on my skin? 'I think you need one.’ I rolled over and turned away so that I didn't have to look at his face and see how much fun he was having. Not that I needed to see his face. 'You're not so fresh yourself,' I said to the wall. Another mistake. 'We could always—' 'No! We couldn't.' He laughed as if to say got you. 'I was going to say we’ll take it

in turns.' 'No you weren't. You were going to say we could take one together.' He gasped in mock surprise. 'It never crossed my mind.' 'Liar.' 'I'm surprised at you, Harper.' There was a huskiness in his voice as he said my name. That, and all the talk of showers and slippery, soapy bodies was getting to me. I had a sudden flashback to the gorgeous guy in the bar; it made me wet just thinking about him. I closed my eyes and imagined what it would be like to take a shower with him,

his strong hands gliding over my sudsy skin, coming to rest between my legs, right where I wanted them, and then the teasing pressure of his fingers slipping inside me, then out again, over and over, rubbing me until I panted. Dammit. I needed a shower. I wanted a shower. If he wants to watch, let him. 'Come on then, Mr Voyeur.' I kicked off my shoes and headed for the bathroom.

Chapter 18 HARPER He followed me into the bathroom and closed the door behind us. The click of the closing door went through me like I’d been prodded with a sharp stick, the atmosphere in the small room suddenly

even more intimate. I looked around in dismay. The shower stall was tiny—there was no way we would both have got in it even if we'd wanted to. I supposed that was a good thing from one point of view—he wouldn't be able to force himself in there with me. On the other hand it was so small I just knew the more careful I was, the more I'd bump into the glass and give him a flash of my soapy breasts or ass pressed up against the glass. I saw the exact same thoughts going through his mind; the only difference being his evening had taken an unexpected turn for the better.

'Do you mind turning around?' 'Not after last time.' 'What am I going to do? Hit you with the shower gel?' He shrugged, like what was the big problem? 'I'd really like to trust you —' 'But you don't want to miss the show.' The wicked grin was back. 'You don't have to do that for me, Harper. Take a quick shower, that’s all. Pretend I'm not here.' I glared at him for a couple of seconds. I was half tempted to put on a

show for him. Not that I’d know where to start. I unzipped my skirt and stepped out of it. He'd seen the whole of my bottom half up close and personal anyway. 'You might as well do something useful.' I handed the skirt to him. He hesitated as if it might be some kind of ploy—the old exploding skirt trick, perhaps—and then took it and folded it over his arm. I turned away from him, aware of his hungry eyes on the rounded curves of my ass, unbuttoned my blouse and slipped it off. I wasn't about to turn

around and hand it to him and I didn't want to hold it out at arm's length as if I was expecting a lady in waiting to take it from me, so I threw it over my shoulder at him and slipped into the shower stall. 'What the . . .' he yelled, as my blouse hit him in the face, blocking his view. He clawed it away frantically and then relaxed again when he saw I wasn't making a dash for the door. ‘Don’t do things like that. It makes me jumpy.’ ‘Makes you miss some of the show, you mean.’ My words were a lot bolder than the butterflies in my stomach suggested. And then the strangest thought

went through my mind and I prayed he didn’t come back with: Show? You call this a show? I stepped out of my panties and unhooked my bra. My nipples tightened as if I’d turned the cold water on by mistake. Opening the shower door a fraction, I dropped my underwear on the floor. I wasn't going to ask him to hold it for me. Closing the door again I was painfully aware that I was as good as standing naked in front of him. The modesty panel on the shower door wasn't big enough to cover up the most anorexic of models, let alone someone with curves like me. Turning on the shower I prayed

that it was hot and powerful, so at least the steam and condensation would give me some privacy. I stood under the water with my eyes closed and tried to forget he was there. Fat chance. 'You need to use soap,' he called out. 'You'll never get clean like that.' I glanced sideways at the glass, willing the steam and condensation to build up. What is it about lathering yourself with soap that makes you so self conscious? As if there's no innocent way to run your hands over your own body; that the act of cleansing is secondary to —almost an excuse for—the pleasure of

your fingers on your skin. And if there's a man watching you as you do it . . . it's nothing short of exhibitionism. The glance at the glass told me the shower wasn't up to the job. I might as well have opened the door for all the privacy I was going to get. All of my let him watch if he wants to bravado in the bedroom had disappeared down the plug hole. 'Do you need me to show you how?' I should have been angry at him for making things even more difficult than they were anyway, but strangely

enough I wasn't. ‘I can see some bits from here that look like they need some special attention.’ Something in his voice, in the way he tried to hide the thickness in it, was starting to make me aware of parts of my body that felt like they needed some very special attention. And although his voice was lower, it sounded closer. I didn’t dare glance round in case I saw his face—or anything else—pressed desperately up against the glass. Time to get on with it.

I grabbed the soap and started to wash like my life depended on it. And the more I ran my hands over my body, the more my inhibitions fell away, the rushed, almost frantic, scrubbing segueing into long, slow strokes down my belly and between my legs, between my thighs and back up over my ass and then back up and over my breasts, cupping them and massaging them until my nipples throbbed and ached. I ran both hands down one thigh and carried on down over my calf to massage my swollen ankle, my ass pointing at the shower door as I bent double. Caught in the moment, I pressed myself momentarily back against the

door as if I'd slipped accidentally. The cold of the glass on my skin sent a shudder through me but didn’t have a hope in hell of cooling the heat that was building between my legs. I wished I dared turn around to see his face, watch him swallow thickly and see the hard ridge in the front of his pants, his cock straining against his zipper. I wanted to put a big, soapy, wet handprint right along the length of it. You wanted to watch, so watch this. I straightened up, a momentary weakness in my knees, and turned sideways on to him. I started to wash my

hair, my arms above my head, my heavy breasts lifted and taut, thick rivers of suds running down and between them, dripping off my nipples. What the hell. My heart was beating so hard it took my breath away as I turned further towards him, leaned forward and pressed myself against the side of the shower stall. The glass was so beautifully cold on my nipples and for one short moment all I wanted was for it to shatter into a thousand pieces, leaving nothing between us, before I pulled myself away again. 'Are you still there?' I called out,

trying to hide the tremor in my voice. I was dying to hear his voice; wanted to see if he sounded like he thought he was still the one in control. He cleared his throat. 'Yes, I'm here.' His voice was so beautifully raw and croaky. 'Are you okay? Your voice has gone all funny. You sound like the steam's getting to your chest; making you wheeze.' 'Don't worry about me.’ There was something in his voice made me wonder what he was doing with his hands while he watched me through the

glass. ‘Are you nearly finished?' 'Not long now.' Did he know what I meant? Of course he did. I turned away so my back was to him and ran my hands down between my legs, my fingers working rhythmically on my swollen clit, shuddering as my orgasm moved closer, biting down on my lip to stifle my moans as I came hard and fast. I slumped, resting my head against the cool tiles and stood there with the water running over me for long, breathless moments as I waited for the

ragged, slamming rhythm of my heart beat to subside and reality to return.

***

'Can you pass me a towel?' I cracked open the shower stall door a few inches. The door had finally steamed up as he stood mere inches away on the other side of the glass—apart from the two patches where I'd pressed myself up against it. Now that the heat of the moment had passed I was overcome by what I'd done. I'd never done anything like that before. I didn't know what was

happening to me—first in the bar yesterday and now this. I’d be okay so long as he didn't say anything. 'Better?' he said as he pushed a towel through the partially open door. I didn’t need to see his grinning face to know he wasn't only talking about the chance to get clean again either. 'Much, thanks.' I took the towel and wanted to say: I meant a bath towel, not a hand towel. It was tiny like everything in the bathroom; obviously this dump's idea of what a bath towel should be. And I didn't want to give Gabriel the opportunity to say: Don't worry about

it; I've seen it all now anyway. All I had to do now was choose whether to cover up my breasts or my ass because I sure as hell couldn't do both. Still in the stall, I wrapped it around me as best I could, but it wasn't big enough to tuck in and stay up by itself so I had to hold it together with my hand. I pushed open the door to retrieve my underwear. I didn't mind him holding my skirt and blouse but I wasn't going to ask him to pass me my bra and panties. He'd be bound to make some crack or other; most likely offer to help me put them on. I was trying to do too many things at once.

I was so concerned about stopping the towel from gaping open or even falling off altogether whilst bending down, as well as trying to open the door, pick up my underwear and keep an eye on him at the same time, I didn't see the soap. I must have dropped it without noticing in the build up to my orgasm and now I stepped right on it. I let out a shriek and slid forwards, the hand that had been holding the towel together thrown backwards as I lost my balance and fell out of the stall. Gabriel was moving almost before the cry had passed my lips.

The towel flew open just as he caught me in his arms. I was expecting some smart ass remark delivered with a cocky smirk on his lips, but he surprised me. 'Are you okay?' I was torn between disentangling myself from his embrace which would leave me standing naked in front of him and pushing myself harder into him to cover myself up. That's what I told myself anyway. It had nothing to do with the heat of his body against my cooling skin or the hardness of his erection through his

pants, pressing urgently and insistently into my belly, the heat of his arousal burning against my naked body. I loved the feeling that I affected him like that, making him stiffen and grow. With my head buried under his chin and my breasts squashed up against his chest, he had a perfect view down the length of my back and over my ass. A part of me wanted him to run his hands down my spine, into my waist, before flaring out over my hips and then round and under the cheeks of my ass, squeezing tightly to pull me harder into him. 'I . . . I'm fine.'

'Sounds like some of that steam got to your vocal chords as well.' I still didn't make a move to step back away from him and his hands stayed where they were, resting lightly and chastely on my upper arms, steadying me. It was surreal given what was going on in his pants. 'I dropped the towel.' It was pathetic; like I wasn't able to pick it up for myself. 'I noticed.' My face was burning. So I can feel, I thought, not daring to say it. 'It wasn't really big enough for

the job anyway, was it?' 'You mean you were going to get an eyeful of either my boobs or my ass, either way.' He sort of laughed—more like a choking noise at the back of his throat— and swallowed at the same time. Saying the words, talking about my own body like that, hearing and feeling what it did to him, did something to me. I had an irresistible urge to unzip his pants, his cock bursting free, then drop to my knees, my breasts brushing against his erection as I slid down his body; then wrapping my hand around the base of him while I began to move my

head up and down, my lips moving slowly up, then down his length. Would I have done it? I don’t know, but he made the decision for me. Bending quickly, he picked the towel off the floor and held it up between us like a screen. I took it from him and held it against my body. 'I'll be in the other room. You can dry yourself and get dressed in private.’ I bit back the words on the tip of my tongue: What? You think the show’s over? ‘Don't shut the door so I can hear what you're up to.'

Then he turned and went in the bedroom and I heard him drop heavily onto the bed. No way. I was far too turned on to let him get away with dismissing me like that. I wrapped the towel around my waist and slipped my blouse on, doing up a couple of buttons in the middle, more to keep it from falling completely off my shoulders than to cover me up, and followed him into the bedroom.

***

He was lying on his back with one hand behind his head and the other one covering his eyes. I glanced down his body and my heart lurched as I saw with satisfaction that his erection was still pushing hard, trying to escape from his pants. 'That was quick.' The back of his hand was still covering his eyes. 'Trouble getting the window open?' I walked over to the edge of the bed and stood looking down at him. He was suddenly aware of my presence and dropped his hand from his eyes. 'What?' Surprise registered in his eyes

and quickly changed into something more visceral as he noticed my gaping blouse, my still damp breasts clearly visible between the buttons, my nipples straining hard against the fabric. His eyes dropped and took in the towel wrapped around my waist and then moved back up over my breasts. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and the smile that I was now able to picture with my eyes closed appeared on his lips. 'You need a hand getting your bra back on, is that it?' 'Idiot.' I put a hand on his chest and

pushed him back down on the bed. He sort of pretended to resist, his smile growing the more I pushed. ‘I hope this isn’t another attempt to—‘ I put my other hand next to the first one, the excited beat of his heart unmistakeable through the taut muscles of his chest, and threw my leg over him, straddling him and sat down hard on his erection. That shut him up. Stopped him talking anyway. Didn’t stop a low moan escaping his lips.

The towel slipped away as I rubbed myself along the length of him, not caring if I made a mess on the front of his pants, and stared into his eyes. ‘Still want to help me put my clothes back on?’ He shook his head, his hair falling into his eyes, and tried to push up onto his elbows again. I leaned down and found his lips, hard and insistent against mine, and pushed him back down. He thrust his tongue deep into my mouth, his lips exploring mine, tongue probing hungrily as he reached up and cupped my breasts through my blouse. His fingers made quick work of the buttons and then his hands were all over

me. He slid them down and over my hips and kept on going, down and around to grip my ass. Lifting my weight off him, he ran his hands underneath, one fingertip barely dipping into me and then out again. 'You didn't dry down here very well, did you?' His lips closed around the end of his finger as he savored the taste of me. 'I tried to on the front of your pants,’ I whispered and took his finger into my mouth and wrapped my tongue around it. He pulled it slowly out and traced the shape of my lips with his

thumb, tracing the line of my chin and neck and over my collar bone and then in a line down my breast, barely brushing my aching nipple. His touch broke away and he ran both hands down the length of my thighs and then back up the insides, working his fingers into the soft flesh as his hands converged so agonizingly slowly—I was going to explode if they didn’t get there soon. Rubbing slow, teasing circles around and over my clit with one thumb, first softly and then more insistently, he used two fingers of his other hand to spread my folds apart before sliding his middle finger up inside me. I let out a low moan and pushed my mound against

his hands, lifting myself and pushing, trying to open myself more as he thrust a second finger deep inside me. He worked his fingers in and out in a steady rhythm as his thumb teased my clit until I wanted to scream, his eyes never leaving my face as he brought me to the very edge of climax . . . and eased off again right before I came. He lifted me higher and I reached down beneath me and unzipped his pants, his thick, swollen shaft slick and leaking wetness in my palm as his hands sought out my breasts. The insides of my thighs were slick with my desire as I crouched over him, took hold of his cock and began to

lower myself onto him. I let out a gasp as he entered me, stretching me wide. I pushed down as he swelled inside me, but he gripped my hips and lifted me off him again so that the tip of his cock was only just inside me. 'Tease,' I whispered, my head buried in his neck. 'I don't know what you mean.' His voice was raw as he pulled me down an inch onto him and then back again. I tried to thrust onto him, to take him inside me until his length made me gasp, but he wasn’t done teasing; he pulled his hips down into the bed until he slipped out of me altogether.

I let out a gasp. 'See what you've done now.' I looked down between my legs at the sight of him under me, at the trail of dark curls that drew my hungry gaze to the thick, swollen shaft pointing straight at my face, the sight of it making me swallow and squirm in anticipation, so perfectly shaped and exactly the right size to make sure I felt every inch of him. I watched him take hold of it, his fingers wrapping around the base, as he rubbed the swollen head back and forth over my clit, again and again, until finally he pushed it between my lips and

pulled me all the way onto him, the full length of his thick shaft slipping inside me like it wasn't ever going to stop. I threw back my head and shuddered as I felt him completely enveloped inside me at last. I touched his face, his mouth open, eyes hungry as his hands cupped my breasts, fingers digging into my flesh, leaving me to ride him at my own pace, slowly and deeply at first, then faster, grinding my clit into the base of his cock, the head rubbing my g-spot. He moaned and swelled inside me, filling me perfectly, and then my climax came with a suddenness that took my breath away, my whole body

convulsing with relief as wave after wave of pleasure surged through me. Hearing my cries of pure, unashamed pleasure as I came against him, he flipped us over and thrust hard into me, his fingers digging into the flesh of my ass as he pulled me desperately into him. His mouth sought out mine and then broke away again as he sucked in oxygen, burying his head in my neck, his cock slamming into me, his balls banging against my ass. His whole body stiffened, there was that tell-tale moan, and then he erupted, his cock jerking and spurting inside me over and over again, a cry so raw and primeval escaping his lips, I

hardly dared look into his eyes, before one last thrust sent me spinning away into another giddy climax. I lay there panting, waiting for my breath to return as he rested his head between my breasts, the whole weight of his body heaving on top of me. What the hell was I going to do now?

Chapter 19 GABRIEL Did that really happen? It was amazing —and so unexpected. I suppose it was my fault—I started it all off by insisting on staying in the bathroom. I smiled to myself as I started to get hard again at

the thought; if I was honest I knew damn well she'd never be able to squeeze through the bathroom window—all soapy and slippery or not—but she might have called for help. And it wasn't only me. It wasn’t as if I made her lather herself up like that until the suds dripped off her nipples; forced her to press her beautiful boobs and ass against the glass for me to see. And as if that wasn’t enough, pretending to slip as she got out of the shower stall. Oops, there goes the towel; silly me. No, I might have started it, but she was pretty keen to pick up the ball

and run with it. The question was—did it make things easier or harder? Should I trust her now? We both lay there, back to back, lost in our own thoughts. Neither of us knew what to say. I'd have to make my mind up soon. I badly needed some sleep—I’d almost forgotten that was why we stopped at the motel in the first place—and I had to decide what to do about her first. There was always the chance it was all a ploy to make me drop my guard. If it was, she sure knew how to fake it, although deep down I knew the real thing when I saw it—and heard it. The trouble was I'd hate to tie her up again after what we’d done. But I

wasn’t about to put Levi's life in danger so I didn't hurt her feelings. Just because we’d made love. It wasn't helping any that I was so dog-tired . . .

Chapter 20 HARPER The steady rhythm of his breathing told me he'd fallen asleep. I didn't think for a moment that was how he'd planned it— he probably meant to tie me up again first. To the bed, most likely.

What should I do now? Before we—what? Made love? Had sex?—it would have been a no-brainer. Get the hell out of there while I had the chance. So what was stopping me now? Nothing. Whatever he was up to wasn't my responsibility. Let him steal somebody else’s car. But something had definitely changed between us. He'd been right before—if I'd managed to escape, I'd have called the cops straight away. To get my car back if nothing else and who gives a damn what happened to him. But now I had the chance to get away in my car, so I didn't need to call the cops. The

only reason to call them would be to get him back for what he put me through, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that to him now. It was a pretty fair deal. I'd get the keys and sneak out and be long gone by the time he woke up. But I wouldn't call the cops. He hadn't really done anything too bad to me—okay, he'd knocked me unconscious, but that probably was an accident like he said— and we'd had some fun too. I'd leave him stranded here and we’d call it quits. It doesn't get much fairer than that. I waited a while longer until he

was snoring gently, and then slipped quietly off the bed. Standing naked by the side of the bed, I stayed completely still, holding my breath, and looked down at him. Whatever it was that was driving him, he was so peaceful now. I wanted to reach out and touch him, but I daren’t linger too long—let alone touch him—or I’d end up climbing back in again and snuggling up close, pulling his arms tight around me. When he didn't stir, I crept into the bathroom and got dressed although I didn't put my shoes on yet. The door key and my car key were still sitting on the table over by the door. If he hadn't fallen asleep I was sure he'd have put them

somewhere I couldn't get at them. I laughed to myself. A couple of hours earlier I'd have said like down the front of his pants. Now that wouldn't be such a safe place after all. Not for a shameless hussy like me, as my mother would call me now. I glanced down at his backpack by the side of the bed and was tempted to take a peek inside. Did I really care? I might see something in there I'd wish I hadn't. Why waste any more time? With my shoes in my hand I took a couple of careful steps towards the door and then froze as he shifted on the bed behind me. Hardly daring to move, I pivoted at the waist and waited, watching him. He

rolled over, threw out his arm and let out a low, growling moan. A wave of relief surged through me—if I'd still been lying on the bed, if I'd spent another five minutes trying to decide what to do, that arm would be across my shoulder now, making it twice as difficult to get away. It was an omen—I'd made the right decision. I stood there like that for what seemed like hours but was only a few seconds. When I was sure he was still fast asleep I carried on towards the table by the door. I picked up the keys, convinced I’d drop them any minute; my hands were shaking so badly.

I slipped the door key in the lock and turned it half way. In the quiet of the room it was like a scene from an old horror movie; one where the aged butler turns the rusty iron key in the heavy oak door that hasn't been opened for fifty years. Across the room Gabriel shifted again and I waited, my heart so loud in my chest I was surprised it didn't wake him. I had to move before the fear paralyzed me. I took a deep breath, turned the key all the way and opened the door. A sudden gust of wind blew a few dry leaves into the room as I stepped quickly out and closed the door behind me. Then

I locked it again; I might need those extra seconds if he woke up. I ran to my car in my bare feet expecting any second to hear the door behind me shaking and rattling in the frame as he tried to open it. But nothing happened. I made it to the car and got in, shifted the seat forward again so my feet actually reached the pedals and tried to get the key in the ignition. I was shaking so badly, it wouldn’t go in. I stared at the door to our room, convinced it was about to fly open any second as Gabriel kicked it down in his rage. I needed to calm down. I gripped the wheel and forced myself to breathe slowly and deeply until my hand stopped

trembling so badly. Then I stuffed the key in the ignition and started the engine. The car leapt forward and stalled. I almost screamed. Why did he have to be one of those infuriating people who leave the shift in first gear? I stamped on the clutch and slammed the shift into neutral like I was trying to snap it in two and started the car again. There was a sudden noise right in front of the car. I gasped and my head snapped up, but there was nobody there —it was only the wind blowing some trash around. Still the motel room door hadn't moved. I'd been so sure I'd see a fist or a

foot come crashing through the cheap wood by now, followed by Gabriel’s raging body. With any luck he was still asleep and I'd be half way home by the time he woke. I peered into the dimly lit parking lot as I backed out—he was out of luck as far as stealing another car was concerned. We must have been the only guests because the lot was completely empty. That wasn't my problem. I pulled out of the lot, turned back the way we'd come and stamped on the gas.

Chapter 21 LEVI They were getting antsy. I’d made damn sure I hadn’t come out with any more smart remarks as they were itching for any excuse. It was the other part of the

text that was bothering me: if we get bored or Levi starts running his smart mouth, we might start cutting early. And small minds get bored easily. They’d left me alone for a while, and I reckon they must have gone out for a beer to pass the time from the smell of them when they came back in, laughing and joking. It wasn’t an encouraging development—alcohol and psychopaths don’t mix well together in my experience. Diego picked something up off the table and tested it on his thumb. ‘Ow! That’s sharp.’ He sucked the pinprick of blood that had appeared.

‘You be careful; mind you don’t hurt anybody with that,’ somebody else called out and everybody had a good laugh. ‘You’re very quiet Levi.’ Lionel squatted down in front of me and made a cross on my pants’ leg with the fresh blood that was still leaking from his thumb. ‘That’s not like you.’ If it was the movies I’d have come back with something witty along the lines of: fuck you, cocksucker, but despite what a lot of people think, I’m not that stupid. ‘Okay, let’s send Gabriel another text. Maybe we’ll knock an hour off the

deadline. What d’you think, Levi?’ He gave my cheek a playful pinch. ‘Oh, and by the way, there’s somebody else who wants to come and see you—bet you can’t guess who it is.’ My heart sank—unfortunately I had a pretty good idea who he was talking about. I hadn’t thought I’d ever see her again and certainly not like this. Payback time.

Chapter 22 HARPER My eyes flicked constantly to the rearview mirror as I drove away, the light from the motel's neon sign fading

gradually into the distance. What did I expect to see? Gabriel come running down the road after me, his anger lending him superhuman powers as he gained on the car? I rounded a curve and then it was nothing but inky darkness behind me. Was it real? Was I really free? I'd always been a little bit afraid of the dark and now my mind was playing tricks on me. I’d watched too many bad movies. Any minute now I expected to hear him laugh as he suddenly sat up in the backseat and clamped his arm around my neck. The adrenalin rush faded fast as soon as the motel was out of sight. I was

so incredibly weary, I wanted to curl up and sleep for a week. It was only my body's reaction to the stress of the last two days—and the last hour in particular —but that didn't make things any easier. I wound down the window and stuck my arm out, channelling the cool night air into my face, sucking it deep down into my lungs so I wouldn't drift asleep at the wheel in the familiar, safe warmth of the car. I drove like that for a couple of hours putting I don't know how many miles between me and the motel, my mind full of him; was he still asleep, snoring contentedly, or had he woken up and found me gone? Was he somewhere

in the darkness behind me, closing in on me? He’d steal another car—but would he bother to come after me, or would he continue on his journey to God knows where? I wasn't only tired; I was stiff and uncomfortable too. I didn't know what Gabriel had done to the seat when he adjusted it for his long legs. There was something hard sticking into my ass. I shifted around a bit which only made it worse and I had a long way to go yet. Suddenly my butt beeped twice. Or, to be more precise, whatever it was under my butt sticking into me and making me uncomfortable beeped. I leaned forward and lifted myself up and

reached around behind me, a vague unease in my gut. My fingers touched something hard and cold. I took hold of it and brought it around in front of me. I already knew what it was before the light of the dash confirmed it. Gabriel's cellphone. It must have fallen out of his back pocket. The car suddenly started to bounce around, the wheel taking on a life of its own in my hand, the sound of rough ground under the tires loud through the open window. My head shot up from staring at the phone in my hand and I saw that I'd drifted onto the shoulder. I braked hard and brought the car to a halt.

I sat still for a few moments and stared up at the roof, but there were no easy answers there. Should I throw the phone out the open window into the inky blackness outside and drive on? It wasn’t going to happen. I'd seen him get a text, watched him as his shoulders slumped before his despair turned to rage, and then I tried to make him tell me about it—which he wouldn’t do. And I was going to simply throw it out of the window and drive on without looking? Get real. I found the text immediately. It was from a guy called Levi. The name had a nice ring to it but that was the last nice thing I ever saw on that phone.

The message was short and to the point: Time’s running out. We’re thinking we might knock an hour off the deadline. We’ll let you know. I let out the breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding. I had to find the previous text, the one that had such an effect on Gabriel. It didn’t take long. As I read it I realized it wasn’t from Levi at all—it was about him. My stomach clenched and heaved, the bile hot in the back of my throat. I swallowed it back down and forced myself to carry on reading. What had I done? He’d been telling the truth all

along. I didn't have any details but he wasn't lying when he told me he needed to get somewhere fast. And now I knew why—or at least I knew what would happen if he didn't get there on time. What would happen to the guy called Levi, whoever he was. And thanks to me, Gabriel wasn't about to get there any time soon. If ever. My stomach heaved again, more violently this time. Dropping the phone on the seat, I clamped one hand over my mouth as I scrabbled desperately with the door handle. I finally got it open, scrambled out and threw up into the

empty darkness. Standing there on trembling legs, bent double with one hand on my knee and one on the fender for support, I retched again and again, hot, salty tears streaming down my face, until my stomach ached and my throat was raw. And all the time I knew it was only the beginning of the nightmare. The first line of the text went round and round in my mind tormenting me—Hey, Gabriel, thought you'd like to see these photos—and there was only one way to stop it driving me crazy. If I’d stood there all night, I'd end up looking in the end. Who wouldn’t? Even though the last thing in the world I

wanted to do was put a face to the guy called Levi; a face that would haunt me to the end of my days. I got back in the car and reached for Gabriel's phone. If I'd thought my hands were trembling in the motel room, this was something else altogether. I snatched it off the seat. It slipped out of my sweaty fingers and disappeared under the seat. Leave it there. Drive on. But something wouldn’t let me. Some irrational part of me demanded I put myself through more pain and self recrimination. Make myself pay in some small way for what I’d done. I dug it out

from its hiding place and held it against my pounding chest. And when the anguish became unbearable, I gave in, a strangled sob escaping my hateful, selfish lips. Through my tears I saw a guy, a big handsome guy, tied to a chair, his face cut and bloodied, but not so badly that you couldn't recognize him if you knew him. And I knew him alright. I also knew my life would never be the same again.

***

Chapter 23

HARPER My life would never be the same again. I don't know how long I sat staring at Gabriel's phone; blinking

through my tears at the picture of Levi tied to a chair, his face cut and bloodied, defiance in his eyes. Not bowed down and subdued, not broken, because he knew the guy called Gabriel was on his way. Except that he wasn't. Because of me. I tried to remember the last—and only—time I'd been with Levi. Not that I'd known his name at the time, but that hadn't stopped us from almost making love in the hallway. I leaned my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes. It wasn't much more than twentyfour hours ago, and now all that was left

of him in my mind was the image of him tied to a chair. The stinging memory of my disappointment in the bar when he told me he had things to do came back with a vengeance; because he chose to do nothing important, as he described it, rather than spend the evening with me. Was this what he was talking about? Would I have been any happier if he’d told me the truth? I'm waiting for some guys who are going to tie me to a chair, beat the shit out of me, and most likely kill me. Which they would do, now. Because I'd put his only hope out of

action. How the hell was I supposed to know? I had to stop beating myself up for acting like anybody would have done in my situation; had to put things right. Was it already too late? All I knew is that I'd added another four or five hours. Stop it! Time to stop sitting, feeling sorry for myself, and get moving. If I'd known the name of the motel I’d have called them, got through to Gabriel. Told him I was on my way. I imagined his face, no hint of that smile at the corners of his mouth as he thought:

Great. Harper's on her way. No need to worry any longer. I started the car, did a wide uturn and put my foot to the floor. For a moment I thought I'd made the turn too wide, crossed all the way over and onto the shoulder on the other side. But the sound and feel of the car was different. It wasn't the crunch of gravel under the tires and the car wasn’t bouncing around on rough ground. Instead, it was pulling to the side, the sound coming through the open window more of a loud slapping. The sound a flat tire makes on smooth asphalt.

Chapter 24 GABRIEL I woke up with a jolt. Where the hell was I? I pushed myself up onto my elbows and looked around the cheap

room. It all came back to me in a rush and almost overwhelmed me. How long had I been asleep? I looked at my watch —two and a half hours since I'd dozed off. Thank God for that. For one awful moment I thought I'd been asleep for five or six hours. Then all the rest of it came rushing back. Harper—and what we'd been doing before I fell asleep. Where the hell was she? The door to the bathroom was wide open but I couldn’t hear her in there. The hollow sensation in the pit of my stomach told me what I'd find before I got there. I looked anyway. The only thing left now was the memory of what happened last time I

was in that cramped, steamy room. The way she pushed her breasts up against the glass, her nipples hard, knowing I was right there on the other side of it; the way she fell into my arms and dropped the towel, pretending she slipped on the soap, as she rubbed herself against the throbbing hardness in my pants; her voice, raw and sexy, needing to know I was watching, as she brought herself to climax: Are you still there? Did she think I couldn’t hear how hard she tried to bite back her moans? I pulled myself away, forced myself back to the present. Where were the police? Were they outside right now, waiting behind their cars with guns

drawn and levelled at the door? No, they'd have come storming in after she told them: Go in now; he's asleep. Maybe she hadn't called them. I ran to the window, pulled the drapes and saw exactly what I was expecting. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. No police cars, no Harper's car, no cars at all, in fact. She just got the hell out. Maybe because of what happened between us, who knows. Perhaps she still planned to call the cops once she put enough distance between us. I needed to get going. I looked down at the empty table

by the door and smiled to myself as I tried the door handle. She'd locked me in, so I sat on the bed and dialled the office. It rang and rang—the guy was more than likely asleep himself. I studied the rumpled sheets as I waited. I was still daydreaming about the way she'd sat astride me, mouth slightly open, eyes hungry as my hands cupped her breasts, my fingers digging into her flesh, as she rode me at her own pace, grinding herself into me, when the manager finally answered. 'Yeah?' It came out half talking, half yawning. 'I'm afraid I had a bit of a fight

with my girlfriend.' On the other end of the line, the guy laughed. 'Thought you might have done, the way she took off in her car.' 'You saw her leave?' 'Heard her, more like. Burning rubber all the way down the road.' He laughed some more. Most likely it was the most exciting thing to happen all year. 'How'd you know it was her?' His laugh changed to something that sounded similar only without the humor in it.

'You see any other guests?' 'So what time was this?' 'Can't have been more than a half hour after you arrived.' My mind did the math. She was two hours away by now. 'Anyway what can I do for you?' He yawned down the phone to remind me how late I was keeping him up. I did a little nervous cough as if I was embarrassed. 'She locked me in the room.' He was still laughing when he came down and unlocked the door a

couple of minutes later. I saw him glance over at the bed and take in the rumpled sheets. Maybe he thought the real reason Harper took off was because my performance hadn't been up to scratch— she would have put him straight on that one—but, despite that, he was a nice enough guy. He wouldn't think the same about me in the morning when he woke up to find I'd stolen his car.

Chapter 25 LEVI 'You remember my sister, Sofia?' Diego said. My heart sank further. Nothing good was about to happen. I'd dated

Sofia a few years back and it ended badly. She accused me of cheating on her and despite having more offers than I could count, I never had. Maria, one of her friends who was seeing Diego at the time, had hit on me at a party and when I turned her down, she made up some story. Sofia chose to believe her friend rather than me and had hated me ever since. It was one of the things that caused the bad blood between Diego and me. The old nobody messes with my sister thing and all that macho, family honor bullshit. The only reason he didn't do anything about it was he knew damn well that any time I wasn't tied to a chair

I'd kick his ass all the way across the back forty. So I wasn't in the least surprised when the door opened and Sofia walked in. She still looked pretty good on the outside with her hair tied in a loose ponytail, her eyes dark and full of something I didn't want to think about; it was what was on the inside that you didn't want to look too closely at. 'Sofia asked if she could watch,' Diego explained with a sick smile on his face. 'Watch or join in?' He shrugged and grinned some more.

'You know my little sister. Never wants to miss out on the fun.' Sofia gave me her sweetest smile. 'Besides, when Diego told me what he had planned, I knew they needed a woman's help.' She stopped in front of me and stood with her hands on her hips, her breasts thrust towards me like a challenge: take a look at what you threw away. Then she leaned down and took hold of my cock through my jeans and gave me a playful squeeze. 'If you know what I mean.' I knew exactly what she meant.

'You know what these macho guys are like.' She looked around at the semi-circle of grinning faces. 'Somebody needs their ear sliced off'—she gave my left ear a tug—'and they're on it. Or a nose, whatever. But their macho pride won't let them touch some parts. Nobody wants to be called Maricon. That's why they need a woman's touch.' She took hold of me again and squeezed harder. In other circumstances I'd have enjoyed it. She released her grip and undid the top button of my fly. The tip of her tongue darted across her lips and it wasn’t because she was concentrating so hard. She'd unzipped and unbuttoned enough men's pants to be

able to do it in her sleep. Diego coughed. 'Sofia, you can’t start.’ She paused and looked up at him. 'Gabriel might still make it.' Her smile lit her face up. It reminded me how beautiful I once thought she was. If it would do any good I'd have told her how I would never have left her; she shouldn’t have believed her lying bitch friend. At that moment I'd have meant it too. 'This has got nothing to do with that.' She was talking to him but it was me she was looking right in the eye, as

she undid the next button. 'I don’t care what you’re up to—I just want to make sure no other woman will ever want what's left of this by the time I'm finished.' Nobody said a word. If she'd been talking about my face, there would've been a ripple of laughter from all the guys. Seeing as it was my manhood, they all looked a little uncomfortable. There was some uneasy shifting and more than one nervous swallow. Suddenly the dull concrete floor became pretty interesting too. Sofia finished with the buttons and eased my jeans and boxers down. There wasn't a lot of point in struggling.

They were coming down one way or the other so I let her get on with it. 'Just like I remember it.' She angled her head like a bird eyeing up a large worm. ‘Except it might have got even bigger.' She took hold of my cock and tried to stroke some life into it, running her fingernails gently up and down the shaft. Lucky for me, it was a no go. The guys in the room found more things to look at on the bottom of their shoes or on the ceiling. 'Come on, Levi, what's wrong? Back in the day, you were ready to go at the first touch.' She stopped playing with me for a second and undid a couple of buttons on her blouse. I saw the swell of

her breasts in a lacy bra, her nipples pushing against it. She was most likely wet already. 'Don't forget, this might be your last chance.' It was still a non-starter. She stopped trying and stood up, shaking her head sadly as she buttoned her blouse. 'Such a shame. Such a waste.' She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed in deeply, her chest swelling, almost as if she was reliving some of the times we'd spent together. 'You are going to be so sorry you put that where you shouldn't have.' 'Er . . . Sofia.' Diego looked the

most uncomfortable I'd ever seen him. 'What?' she snapped, her tone of voice taking me right back to some of the bad times we'd spent together. 'I told you, if Gabriel makes it on time, we're letting him go.' That wasn't something she wanted to hear and she'd never been at her best when she wasn't getting her own way. 'We'll see.' She screwed her face up into a scowl and walked away from me, her shoulders tense and bunched up almost around her ears. It was a look I

remembered only too well. Everybody in the room relaxed a little, but then she spun around again. 'You said you sent Gabriel some photos?' Diego nodded and the grin appeared on his lips. She stuck her hand out. 'Give me the phone.' He pulled a face as if she was talking in a foreign language, his head cocked, eyebrows pinched together. 'I thought you wanted me to take one of you and . . .' he nodded towards my exposed lower body. 'You know,

holding it, maybe sucking it, whatever you want. It might be his last time like you said.' 'Fuck you, Diego,' she spat as laughter erupted around the room. 'You sure Sofia? It's a nice big one, just like you like them. For old times sake?' At that moment she'd have given anything to put Diego in the chair instead of me. That made two of us—maybe we hadn't drifted so far apart after all. 'Give me the fucking phone.' He held it out and she snatched it out of his hand. Then she came back and

stood in front of me and took a picture of my cock hanging limply between my open thighs. The nimble fingers that had failed to stimulate any response from me flew across the keypad as she composed her message: Guess where the first cut is going to be. She hit the send button, threw the phone at Diego and walked out, her pony tail flicking from side to side. 'I think it's getting hard now,' Diego called after her. She raised a single finger in the air as everybody fell about laughing again—they hadn't had such fun in years

—except me of course. I didn't think it'd ever get hard again unless I had it stuffed and mounted it in a glass case.

Chapter 26 HARPER I pulled onto the shoulder and slumped over the steering wheel. I'd never changed a wheel in my life and now wasn’t the time to start learning how. Outside was nothing but inky blackness

and morning was still hours away. No doubt I’d put it on incorrectly—not upside down, obviously, but I might put it on back to front. I opened the trunk and Gabriel’s words came back to me: I was looking forward to squeezing in all those soft curvy bits that won’t fit. It made me giggle as I imagined him trying to squash my hips and ass and boobs in like I was a giant balloon, one bit popping out as another went in—it brought back the touch of his hands on my body, the way he held my breasts and the size of him all the way inside me—

when he finally stopped teasing me. It only made things ten times worse. If I hadn't seduced him—because that's what I'd done if I was honest—he'd have tied me back up and we'd still be in that grotty motel with plenty of time to get to wherever he was headed, before they started to . . . Enough. I grabbed an armful of stuff and dumped it on the back seat. Then another, and another. Gabriel was right; the trunk was full of crap. Finally it was empty. The spare wheel even had some air in it. The jack was in there as well, and a lug wrench. Everything a girl

needs—apart from knowing what to do with it all. I took the lug wrench out first— I’m not completely stupid: you have to loosen the lugs before you jack the wheels off the ground. I squatted down, fitted the wrench onto the first one and tried to loosen it. It wouldn't budge. I got both hands firmly on the wrench, planted my feet against the tire and really put my back into it. I strained so hard I didn’t know what would give way first—my lungs or the seams on my blouse. I relaxed a second to catch my breath and then gave it a sharp tug. The

wrench slipped, I shrieked in surprise, lost my balance and flew backwards into the middle of the road. The impact knocked the wind out of me as I landed heavily on my back, a second before my head smacked hard into the asphalt. I lay in a daze, looking up at the night sky, trying to get my breath back and waiting for my head to clear. The ground was cold under me so I pushed myself up into a sitting position and then onto my knees. It was too soon, too fast. My head was spinning ferociously, the rush of blood loud in my ears. Everything happened very fast after that.

A horn blared impossibly loud and close out of nowhere. A vehicle swerved violently around me, the side draft blowing me across the road like a plastic fast food container thrown out a car window. My head smacked the ground for the second time in under a minute as I rolled across the road into the dirt. Brake lights flared; car tires squealed in protest and a door opened; feet ran towards me. I closed my eyes.

Chapter 27 GABRIEL I gave the manager five minutes to get back to his office and get settled, and then let myself out of the room, my backpack slung over my shoulder. The parking lot was just as empty as before.

Nobody would be checking in at this time of night. I needed to find where the staff parked. I looped around the back and made my way towards the rear of the office. Sure enough there was a small lot right behind it with an old Ford F-Series pickup parked up. I crept up to it and tried the door; it was locked. In the quiet, I heard the manager snoring way before I got up to the window to take a look inside. He was stretched out on a small couch with a blanket over him, his mouth hanging open. His coat was on a hook inside the far door.

The back door was unlocked. I let myself in quietly, leaving the door ajar. I needn't have worried; even if I kicked it down his snores would have drowned out the noise. He wasn't about to wake up any time soon. I tip-toed across the room and stuck my hand into the pockets of his coat. No keys. Damn. Behind me a sudden gust of wind caught the door and slammed it shut. I jumped and spun around at the same time the manager jerked awake. 'What the hell?' he started and sat up, swinging his feet onto the floor. He saw me and stuffed his hand

under the cushions he'd been lying on. I slipped my backpack off my shoulder and swung it at his head in one movement without waiting to see what it was he was after—I had a pretty good idea, anyway. He was tougher than he looked. He was old and running to fat, but he had a hard head. The backpack bounced off it without even slowing him down. He brought his hand out holding a small automatic pistol. Years of training kicked in again. I lashed out with my foot and caught him on the forearm. His hand flew backwards and the pistol dropped to the floor and skidded into the corner.

We both dived for it. I was a lot younger and fitter than him and got to it first. I had my fingers around the grip when he landed on me. It was like the ceiling had fallen in. And then a brick wall on top of that. He got an arm around my neck and squeezed. I swung my elbow backwards into his face. He let out a grunt, his arm fell away and he rolled off me onto the floor. I’d caught him on the point of the jaw. I only had seconds before he came round. I snatched up my backpack, pulled out Harper’s bungee cords and went to work on his wrists and ankles. Then I grabbed him by the collar, dragged him across to his desk and tied him to one of the legs.

He laughed as he came round. 'You're wasting your time, son.' He waved his arm. 'See how many guests we've got? How much cash do you reckon you're going to get?' 'I'm not interested in your money.' He snorted. 'Really? What is it you're after then?' 'I need to borrow your car.' He really laughed then. His whole body shook and then it turned into a coughing fit. 'I get it. You called your

girlfriend up and said I'm really sorry, honey, please come back and she said fuck you, asshole, you can walk so now you need to steal my car.' 'Something like that.' 'Help yourself, buddy. Keys are in my pants pocket.' He lifted up his butt on one side to offer me better access to them. I hesitated. 'It's not a trick.' Whether it was or not, I didn't have much choice. I crouched down behind him and stuffed my hand into his pocket. He

didn't do a thing except to lift up a little higher to make it easier for me. I didn't suppose he wanted my hand groping around inside his pocket any longer than I did. I pulled out the keys and stood up. 'Good luck,' He coughed again, more violently this time. His face had turned a deep red, beads of sweat popping out on his shiny brow. 'You're not on any medication are you? I only want to borrow your car; I don't want you dying on me.' He shook his head. 'Don't you worry about me.' I left him still coughing, although

it sounded to me like it had turned back into a laugh by the time I got outside. I opened up the car and climbed in. It smelled like a stale ashtray. I'd end up coughing like him if I spent too long in it. I stuck the key in the ignition and turned. Click. I tried again. Click. Completely dead. No wonder he thought it was so funny. I went back inside and threw the keys into his lap.

'Got a new battery coming in the morning if you want to wait.' He thought that was pretty funny too. Tomorrow would be too late for all of us. And why hadn’t Diego called? I felt in my pocket for my phone; to make sure the battery wasn't dead on that too; it wasn’t there. I tried all my pockets and then in my backpack. It wasn't anywhere. I searched the office in case it fell out when I was rolling around on the floor with the manager. 'Lost something?' A satisfied smirk appeared on his face as he watched my growing frustration. 'Patience with you, if you don't

shut up,' I snapped. I went back to the room. Maybe it fell out when Harper was undoing my pants. The bed still smelled of her as I ripped the sheets off and lifted the mattress. The phone wasn't anywhere in sight. I dropped onto the bed and thought it through logically. There was only one other place it could be—it must have fallen out in Harper's car. I picked the hotel phone up off the nightstand and dialled my number.

Chapter 28 HARPER I opened my eyes and looked up into a man's face. 'You okay?' I sat up and touched the back of

my head and winced. 'I . . . I think so.' 'What were you doing sitting in the middle of the road? I almost hit you.' 'What were you doing driving without any lights? I never saw you coming.' He put his hand under my arm and helped me up. 'You're not hurt; that's all that matters. You broken down?' I nodded and pointed to the flat tire. 'I've got a flat. I was trying to fix

it and fell into the road.' His eyebrows went surprise. 'You on your own?'

up

in

Maybe it was an innocent question—why else would a woman be changing a wheel? But it didn't feel right. We walked over to take a closer look and he smiled. 'Well, how bad can it be?' His grin got wider. 'It's only flat on the bottom.' He laughed, showing me a mouthful of bad teeth, and I joined in, more to keep him happy than because I

thought it was funny. 'I'll soon have it fixed for you.' He picked up the lug wrench, fitted it back on the lug and loosened it off without any effort at all, and then moved on to the next one. I stared at his hands as he worked. They gave me the creeps. His fingers were long and bony, the nails dirty, and the back of his hand was covered with tattoos—the sort that looked as if he'd done them himself. I shuddered as I imagined hands like that invading my body. I stood back and watched as he finished loosening the lugs and got the jack out of the trunk. I saw him put it

somewhere under the car—I'd have put it in the wrong place for sure and done some permanent damage to the axle or whatever other bits were under there. 'You can sit in my car if you like. It's warmer in there.' 'It's okay. I'm not cold.' He stopped what he was doing and looked at me. Looked at my breasts. 'Whatever.’ He sniggered to himself and licked his thin lips. ‘You looked to me like you were cold.' I knew exactly what he was talking about. I was only too aware of the effect the cold night air was having

on my nipples. Despite that, there was no way I was getting in his car. I looked over at it anyway in case I needed to remember his license plate number, and saw something that made my pulse quicken. Exhaust fumes—he'd left the engine running. I wrapped my arms around myself. 'Actually I am a bit chilly.' 'Go ahead.' He glanced at his car. His body stiffened slightly and he stood up and walked with me towards it. 'Oops. Don't want to waste gas.' He leaned in through the driver's door and pulled the key out of the ignition. 'Gotta think of the planet too.'

My heart sank. Now I had to get in. If I turned around and walked away with him, he'd know what I was thinking. I sat down on the passenger seat with my legs out of the car for a minute before I jumped up again. 'Do you mind if I watch?' I gave him my best helpless girly smile. 'I might learn something.' He shrugged and went back to work. 'So where you headed?' 'I'm on my way home.' He nodded to himself as he jacked up the car. 'You live around

here?' I didn't know what to say. The truth? No, I'm miles from home stuck in the middle of nowhere—and, by the way, nobody knows where I am. 'Yes. Not far.' 'Yeah, me too. Where d’you live?' It was the question I'd been dreading. My mouth opened and closed without anything coming out. His mouth curled up in a smug gotcha grin. A double beep from Gabriel's phone on the passenger seat saved me

from digging myself further into a hole. 'Excuse me. I've been expecting an urgent message.' I dashed around to the other side of the car and grabbed the phone. I didn't want to look, but it was better than being stuck talking to the creepy guy. I opened the text: Guess where the first cut is going to be. It was as if somebody had stuck an ice cold knife into my gut. You don't need to look I told myself; it was only an excuse to get away from the guy changing the wheel. I looked anyway. I couldn't help myself.

I let out a startled gasp and my hand flew up to my mouth as I stared at the image of a guy's heavy cock hanging between his legs. Levi's cock. A wave of nausea flooded over me as the words went around and around in my mind: Guess where the first cut is going to be. 'Something wrong?' I jumped—I'd almost forgotten he was there—and saw his leering face staring at me over the roof of the car. 'No . . . I'm fine,' I managed to say, although the tremor in my voice gave me away. I'm not accustomed to being sent pictures of a man's penis five

minutes before it gets cut off, that’s all. I looked away quickly and pretended to read the text. He bent down and pulled off the wheel and rolled it around to the trunk. 'You sure you're okay?' He heaved the spare out of the trunk and wheeled it towards the front. 'You look like you've seen a ghost.' No, just somebody soon to be one—because of me. And the way things were going it looked as if I was about to get my comeuppance. We were both quiet as he fitted

the spare and jacked the car back down to the ground. Maybe he was thinking about what might happen next. I sure as hell was. I glanced at all the junk on the back seat; tried to see if there was anything to use as a weapon if he tried anything. Immediately I felt guilty. All he'd done so far was stop for a stranger in the middle of the night and change their wheel for them. It was the sort of thing my dad or one of my brothers would do. But he was nothing like my dad or my brothers. He was almost done. I watched him lift the wheel with the flat into the

trunk. I didn't know what I wanted. I didn't want him to finish because that's when I'd find out what he was really like. But I desperately wanted to get back on the road, back to Gabriel, to try to make amends. Nothing on the back seat was going to help me. The guy had the lug wrench—the only thing that might have been any good—in his hand. He fitted it back in its place and closed the trunk. The only potential weapon safely out of the way. 'All done.' He wiped his hands on his pants. They looked like he did it a lot.

'Thank you so much. I'd never have managed on my own.' I didn't know what to do. I was standing by the passenger door and he was next to the trunk. Should I go around the back and risk him grabbing me, or around the front—which would tell him I was expecting him to try something? I needn't have worried— it wasn't my call anyway. He took a step towards me. I took a half step backwards and saw a hint of a smile appear on his lips. I wanted to scream at him: Your car's over there.

'You've got some dirt on your clothes.' He ran his eyes up and down me as if I was a piece of meat hanging in the butcher's window. 'Let me brush it off for you. You don't want to make your seats all dirty.' His eyes were all over my breasts. What part of my breasts do you think is going to be touching the seats? The answer made something die inside me. All of them when he forces you face down onto the back seat, his bony hand gripping the back of your neck.

He took another couple of steps forward until he was standing right next to me. I froze, the rank odor coming off him invading my senses. In my hand, Gabriel's phone was about to crack from my grip. He put out his hand and brushed my breast lightly. A shudder shook my whole body; my stomach heaved, but my limbs refused to respond. The ring of Gabriel's phone suddenly shattered the silence. We both jumped. My legs came back to life. I stepped backwards as I looked down at the screen. At that moment I'd have happily talked to Levi's abductors; anything other than the touch of the guy's

hands on my body. But it wasn't any number Gabriel had in his contacts. 'Hello?' 'Harper?' I wanted to cry at the sound of Gabriel's voice. I looked up into the guy's face, saw a look of pure hate in his eyes. See, I'm not alone, I wanted to scream, so you better get the hell out of here. He wasn't going anywhere. I gasped as he casually slapped the phone out of my grip with one hand, while the other reached for my throat.

Chapter 29 GABRIEL She must have had the phone in her hand she answered so fast. 'Hello?' Her voice was strange, not like

her at all. I'd never talked to her on the phone before. It was odd—there was relief as well. ‘Harper?' Then there was a cry and a noise like the phone being dropped. 'Hello?' No answer. 'Harper?' Muffled cries echoed in the background; then a man's voice shouted: fucking bitch. A loud slap rang out, followed by a cry that was half gasp, half sob. What the hell was going on? Well it was obvious what was going on, but where and why?

Then Harper's voice: Get your filthy hands off me you fucking bastard. There was a cry of pain, but it came from a man this time. Only one thing makes a man utter a noise as pitiful as that. My balls tightened in sympathy. Then another noise as if something had been banged hard against metal and a low groan. Everything went quiet for a moment. 'Gabriel?' Her voice was shaking as she heaved in great lungfulls of air. 'Yes, it's me. What's happening?' You fucking bitch rang out from

somewhere behind her and then another sound that made me think of shoe leather hitting a person’s face. 'I haven't got time. Call me in five minutes.' The phone went dead. They must have been the longest five minutes in my life, and they were only three anyway, before I called back. 'I am so sorry.' 'It's not your fault. happened? Are you okay?'

What

She was on the verge of tears and trying hard to hold it together.

'I got a flat and I was trying to change the wheel and the lugs were so tight and I fell in the road and banged my head and almost got run down by this creepy guy who changed it for me and then started trying to rape me—' 'Whoa, slow down. Take it easy. You're safe now?' She took a deep breath and held it before letting it out slowly. 'Yes. I'm back in the car now.' 'What happened to the guy?' She laughed then. I’ve never been so happy to hear a sound. 'I kicked the bastard in the balls.'

'Good for you. Is that the same bastard as the one you called you fucking bastard?' She laughed again. 'That's the one. Lucky there weren't two of them.' 'I don't know; it sounds to me like you can look after yourself. I heard some other noises as well.' The laugh turned into a nervous giggle. 'I banged his face into the fender when he bent double from the kick in the balls.' 'Nice move.'

'And I kicked him in the face when he tried to get up.' 'Ouch. I got off lightly by comparison.' It was out before I knew it. I wanted to bite my tongue off. An awkward pause filled the void between us for a couple of beats. 'Make sure you bear that in mind in future—next time you kidnap somebody.' We both laughed, more from the nervous release than anything else. 'Are you still at the motel?' 'Yup. Somebody took my car.'

'Is that so? It's a bitch, ain't it?' I got up off the bed and paced as far as the phone cord would allow me. 'So which way are you driving?' I held my breath even though I was pretty sure I knew the answer. 'I saw the texts and the pictures, Gabriel. I'm on my way back. I am so, so sorry.' I swallowed a lump the size of my fist. 'Do you . . . think it's too late?' The anguish in her voice made me want to say, no, of course not, but the truth was I didn't know.

'I hope not.' 'Me too.' The voice coming from the other end of the line sounded very small and sorry for itself. I didn't want to break the connection, leave her alone with her guilt, but we couldn't stay on the line for the next two hours. 'You got another text.' She paused for an uncomfortable moment. 'And another photo.' Something cold gripped my insides and twisted. Had they started on him already? 'What did it say?'

Even down the phone line I heard her swallow. 'Guess where the first cut is going to be.' 'And the photo?' She laughing.

surprised

me

then

by

'What?' 'Let's say even though I don't know anything about him, I know he's a bigger boy than you.' It took a second to sink in. 'That's all women want to know. That, and the money of course.'

She tut-tutted down the phone. 'Now's not the time to talk about your girlfriends, Gabriel.' 'Are you serious?' 'Oh yes.' I couldn't begin to separate the mix of emotions in her voice. Desire and curiosity were both in there somewhere. 'I know what that means. Somebody else is involved now.' 'Who?' 'It doesn't matter. It's a long story —' 'Gabriel!'

The sudden shout down the line made me jump. 'What?' 'You're doing it again. The reason we're in this mess is because you wouldn't tell me what was going on.' She was right. And since she was heading back towards me it was obvious she wanted see it through to the end—whatever that might be. She deserved to know what was going on, so I told her about Sofia. 'Nice girl. Would she actually do that?' 'You know better than me what women are capable of.'

'Not anyone I know, that's for sure.' I needed to change the subject. The thought of what Sofia might do to Levi was making me queasy. 'I'm going to start walking, so keep an eye out for me on the road.' 'Why?’ 'Well, there was a bit of an incident with the manager here and it's best if I don't hang around too long. He might have a panic button somewhere, I don't know. I'll be happier once I'm back on the road.' 'What sort of incident?'

'Don't worry, he's okay, but he's a bit tied up at the moment.' She laughed as she caught on. 'You mean my bungee cords came in useful . . . again.' 'You got it—only it wasn’t so much fun this time.' She was silent a couple of beats. I guessed what was coming next. The thought of it set off a frisson of excitement in my underwear. 'So I don't get tied up any more?' Something in her voice made my throat thick.

'Only if you want me to.' A small giggle turned the frisson of excitement into something more insistent. 'And what about . . . ?' Her voice caught in her throat. 'Harper!' I tried my best to sound shocked but it’s hard when you’re grinning all over your face. 'I hope you weren't about to mention bending you over my knee and spanking.' 'Gotta go. I need to concentrate on the road. I'll try not to run you over.' The phone went dead.

Chapter 30 HARPER I ended the call before I ran off the road. Once was more than enough. It had been fun flirting over the phone. It was good to know he wasn't a

pervert or serial killer, but my decision to go back had given me other problems to worry about. What I was doing was dangerous but that wasn't what was weighing on my mind. Should I tell him that I knew Levi—and almost had sex with him in a bar? The minutes and the miles crawled past giving me more time than I wanted to turn it over and over in my mind. In any other circumstances I'd call a girlfriend and talk it through. That wasn't an option. If I told anybody about the last twenty-four hours, the men in the white coats would be waiting for me with a nice straitjacket to try on.

I was no nearer an answer when my headlamps picked him out up ahead, striding purposefully down the road. I held my breath as he climbed in next to me. 'I'm so sorry.' He turned towards me. The look of understanding in his eyes, the total lack of any blame, made hot tears prick at the back of my eyes. He leaned towards me and pulled me into his body, my face against his chest, my head nestled under his chin. His heart was banging away next to my ear. It took me right back to the last time I'd been that close to him; sitting astride him, riding him.

'It's not your fault. You weren't to know.' His hand held the back of my head gently. 'I'd do the same; I wouldn't trust me if I was in your place.' I disentangled myself and pulled away from him. 'Doesn't make it any easier.' 'I suppose not.' We both managed to not mention that at the end of the day it didn't make a blind bit of difference whether it was or wasn't my fault; a man might die as a result, just the same. I had to change the subject before we both slipped into depression.

'It was a good thing you started walking.' I kept my eyes firmly fixed on the road ahead. 'Really? Why's that?' I swallowed nervously, unsure whether I wanted to continue what I'd started. 'Because you'd have wanted to stay in the room another half hour.' I didn't need to turn my head to see the grin on his face. It was almost eating me. 'Is that so?' He shifted in the seat to get more comfortable. 'Uh huh. You should have heard

what happened to your voice when you started talking about spanking and all the rest of it.' 'What happened to my voice?' he spluttered. 'When I mentioned it?' I nodded, enjoying the warmth flooding through me and settling between my legs. 'You went all croaky and hoarse.' 'A bit like you are now, you mean?' 'I am not.' It came out much louder than I meant it to. I turned to look at him. His eyes sparkled with amusement, but he couldn't

hide the hunger that was behind them. 'You can wipe that smug look off your face.' 'Yes ma’am. Where would you like me to wipe it?' Heat climbed up my neck and into my cheeks. I shouldn't have started it; he was always going to win. He didn't give me a chance to answer which was fine by me because I sure as hell didn't have one. He leaned across and put his hand on my knee. 'Here?' I shook my head. I wasn’t sure if I meant stop that or no, higher.

His hand slid round onto the inside of my thigh and crept up, under the hem of my skirt, his finger tips teasing my ultra-sensitive skin and making my head pound. 'Or here?' 'Gabriel, I'm trying to drive.' 'And you're doing very well.' He moved his hand all the way up my thigh and stopped an inch short of my panties. 'This wouldn’t be a very good place to wipe my face.' 'No?' It was barely more than a whisper.

'No.' He moved his hand between my legs and ran a finger up the middle of my panties, dipping into me through the damp fabric. 'It'd come away wetter than it started.' I bit down on my lip. 'We're going to have to stop and buy you some new ones if you keep making a mess of them like this. Here, let me get them out of the way.' Hooking his finger under the elastic, he pulled them to the side and slid his hand inside. His thumb caught in my curls, his fingers cupping me, holding me, not moving. 'How's the driving? Do you need

me to stop?' You dare! I shifted in the seat and opened my legs wider. Does question?

that

answer

your

He ran his finger up and down between my lips, dipping into the wetness and circling around and over my throbbing clit, softer and then harder. When it got almost too much to bear, he began to circle my entrance with his finger. I gasped when he finally slipped one finger deep inside me and then a second one, curling them and thrusting them in and out as his thumb worked my

pulsing clit. I had to stop the car. I stamped on the brakes and pulled wildly onto the shoulder. Before we'd even come to a halt his free hand cupped the back of my head, pulling me into his desperate kiss, his tongue probing deep inside my mouth as his fingers brought me to a climax that stole my breath away with its intensity. Breaking the kiss, I cried out as he wound his fingers through my hair, my head arching back, my mouth open, gasping for oxygen, as he buried his fingers deep inside me and held me tight as my whole body convulsed and jerked against his hand.

He held me like that as I came back down and tried to steady my ragged breathing and when he slipped his fingers out of me I couldn't stop the whimper that slipped through my lips. I dropped my head and looked at him, a satisfied look plastered across his face. 'Better than in the shower?' 'I don't know what you're talking about.' ‘Is that so?’ He threw his head back, ran one hand through his hair and made small, muffled moans and gasps, biting down

on his lip in a perfect imitation of me in the shower. ‘Remind you of anyone you know?’ ‘Nope.’ I shook my head and bit my tongue to control the smile that was trying to take over my whole face. ‘What were you thinking about as you washed yourself?’ He made washed sound dirty—in a fun way. ‘More importantly, who were you thinking about?’ I honestly didn’t know. It was all far too confusing. I wanted to get the conversation away from me.

I looked down at the front of his pants where his erection strained against his fly. 'What are you going to do about that?' He shrugged like it was no big deal. I've never seen such a display of pure willpower. 'It'll have to wait.' I grinned at him wickedly and ran my nail along his length. Why make it easy for him? 'You sure about that?' He wasn't sure about it at all, but he didn't give in. Besides, he was right,

we had to keep moving if we were to have any chance of making up the lost time. 'You okay to keep driving?' I realized then how tired I was. He'd had a couple of hours sleep; I hadn't had any, so we switched places and set off again.

Chapter 31 LEVI They'd left me alone in the room for an hour or so, and when the door handle turned quietly, I had a good idea who it was coming to torment me.

'Hello again, Levi.' She was dressed the same as before but the buttons on her blouse had somehow popped undone again. Naughty buttons. Her hair looked different too. It's amazing the things you notice when the alternative is to look at the table beside you. 'I thought maybe we'd have a talk without the others.' I wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. 'Yeah, Diego was being an ass.' A flash of anger crossed her face at the mention of his name.

'Huh. So what's new?' She walked around behind me and put her hands on my shoulders, the weight of her breasts against my back. She ran one hand up my neck and over the rough stubble on my chin. 'You need a shave.' 'All you gotta do is untie me and I'll get right on it. Shower too, if you like.' She smiled a nice try sort of smile. 'I've got a better idea.' She leaned sideways and picked something off the table. 'I'll do it for you.' I kept my eyes straight ahead, not

wanting to know what it was she had in her hand. There were no good options. She pressed herself harder into me. A thrill of excitement went through her. A similar shiver went through my bowels but it wasn't excitement. 'Hold still,' She put her arm around my head, took hold of my chin and lifted it, baring my neck. 'And don't swallow like that. It doesn't make it any easier.' She put the blade to my neck and drew it upwards across my skin, the edge slicing cleanly through my stubble even without soap or water. 'That's one sharp blade.'

She made another couple of passes and then nicked my flesh. I winced. 'Big baby.' She wiped the blood with her finger. Then she dropped the blade on the table and came around and knelt down in front of me. I let out a sigh of relief but it was short lived. She wiped her finger down my cock leaving a smear of blood down the length of it. She looked up into my face and now it was her turn to swallow. Her tongue darted across her lips. I had a perfect view down the front of her blouse, her chest rising and falling. 'What if I said I'd let you go if

you can get it up for me.' 'I'd say you're playing with me. You'd never do it. You'd never dare go against Diego.' 'Fuck Diego,' she spat. I'd been hoping to get a reaction out of her but I was worried I might have overdone it. I didn't want her picking up the blade and stabbing the first available man seeing as she couldn't stick it in him. 'It's none of my business what you get up to in your family—' A quick flash of anger lit up her eyes.

Uh oh, I've gone too far. Then she smiled. 'I miss your sense of humor, I really do.' 'Yeah, well, that dies along with the rest of me if Diego gets his way.' She stroked a finger along the length of me. 'You should never have done what you did.' She looked up into my eyes and I wasn't sure what I saw in hers. 'What’s the point of me saying anything? You'll think I'm only saying it to make you let me go.' 'Say what?'

It was like she wasn't really listening to me. She was still stroking her finger up and down me like my cock was a new pet her parents had bought her. She rested her head on my knee, one eye on my face, the other watching to see if anything was happening downstairs. It wasn't. Not yet anyway. 'Sofia.' 'What?' She took her head off my knee and looked right at me. 'Stop properly.'

doing that

or

do

it

I grinned at her. She smiled back and leaned forward onto my knee. Her breasts pushed up towards me.

'The view just got a whole lot better from here.' She tried hard to not look too pleased about that. It didn’t stop her pushing harder into me. 'Why did you do it, Levi?' I shook my head. 'I didn't but you're never going to believe me so you might as well stick that blade in me now. Get it over with.' 'Diego said—' 'What's it got to do with him?' She knelt upright, taking her breasts off my knee. They dropped back down into her blouse. I pulled a

disappointed face. 'Maria told Diego what you did and he told me.' 'You said she told you.' 'I know, but things weren't good between you and Diego . . . So I left him out of it.' I threw back my head and stared at the ceiling. 'Diego was in the room when she tried to hit on me. He was really pissed at her—and me. He made the whole thing up.' She shook her head vigorously, her pony tail flicking back and forth.

'Diego wouldn't do that to me.' I laughed at how gullible and trusting she was. 'Is this the same Diego we're talking about? The one who was being an ass and laughing at you earlier. The one who wanted you to suck my cock in front of all the guys so he could take a photo? That Diego? Or maybe another Diego—one who never treats his sister like shit and who would never lie to her.' I looked down at the top of her head. Did she know I was holding my breath? 'I don't know what to think.'

She stood up and came around to stand behind me, her hands clasped over the top of her head. 'Diego would kill me.' 'No he wouldn't. Not if he knows I'm on the loose. You know that as well as I do.' She came back in front of me and rested her hands on my knees, her eyes searching mine. 'So what happens if I let you go?' I took a deep breath and looked at her for a long moment, then made my call. 'I'm not going to lie to you,

because I never have.' I paused to let that sink in. 'I'm not going to say we'll both run off together and live happily ever after. I need to sort this mess out first.' I held her eyes. 'Afterwards . . . Who knows?' She pushed herself up from my knees and walked away, her head bowed and shaking. 'We haven’t got much time, Sofia.' She spun around. 'Okay, okay!' Then she marched back to the table, picked the blade up and bent down towards my tied hands. On the other side of the room the

door handle turned.

Chapter 32 HARPER 'It's much nicer up front.’ He smiled but didn't look round at me. 'You mean sitting there in the

passenger seat—or when you were sitting here in this seat?' 'Both. thinking—'

Anyway,

'I've

been

'Uh oh.' '—and even though I didn't think so at the time, it's worked out for the best that you kept me tied up in the back.' 'I know that.' 'Yeah, well, so do I now. If I'd seen that cop car, it would all be over.' He nodded. 'Lucky you asked me if I was going to spank you.'

'I did not ask you that.' 'No, that's right; you said you wanted to tie me up.' 'Exactly. Big difference.' 'We can still do that if you want.' I gave him a playful slap on the arm. 'You already used the bungee cords. Anyway, I was saying; I'd be safely at home—' 'And I'd be in jail.' 'With sore balls.' 'That too.'

'And Levi would be . . .' Neither of us needed to finish the sentence. We drove on in silence for a while. 'Can I see that text?' I got his phone out but didn’t pass it over. 'You're not going to get all bent out of shape because of what I said are you?' 'About what?' He played dumb but he knew what I meant. I leaned across and put my hand on the front of his pants. He tried to pretend he hadn't noticed, but already he

was growing under my hand. 'About him being a bigger boy than you.' 'Don't be ridiculous.' 'Men are very touchy about that sort of thing.' ‘I know you didn’t mean it anyway.’ I began to run my fingernail up and down the length of his growing shaft. 'I'm trying to drive Harper.' 'That didn't stop you when I was driving.' As the words came out of my

mouth I realized that was exactly why he'd said it. 'That's different.' Now there was a challenge for me to prove it was no different at all, if ever I heard one. I kept on running my nails up and down him. The swollen head of his cock strained at his pants. I ran my nail around it a couple of times. 'You've gone very quiet.' 'I'm trying to concentrate on the road.' 'I hope you've got enough blood left for your brain. Most of it's down here.'

I leaned further towards him and rested my head on his shoulder, still stroking him. His whole body tensed under my cheek. 'We need to release some of this pressure before there’s an accident.' I unzipped his pants and slid my hand inside his boxers. He let out a small moan as I ran my fingers over the slick head of his cock, making small circles round and round, teasing the underneath of it and then grasped his thick shaft and squeezed gently. 'Lift up.’ He didn't waste any time doing as he was told. I eased his pants and

boxers down around his thighs and his cock sprang free. I took hold of him again and began to stroke him up and down as he grew bigger still in my hand. 'I don't think this is going to take very long, do you?' He shook his head and made an unintelligible noise in the back of his throat, his breath coming in ragged gasps. I bent forward and kissed his cock and then ran my tongue around the rim of it, teasing him with the tip of my tongue, my fingers grasping the base of it, pushing down into his belly and then

back up. I made long, slow licks up and down his length before I finally took him into my mouth, the thick vein throbbing against my tongue, and slid my lips up and down his shaft, taking him further into my mouth each time, his hips desperately pushing up to meet me. I loved the way it made him shudder, driving one handed now as the other one buried itself in my hair. A low moan left his throat as I sucked on him, taking him all the way to the back of my throat. I lifted my head and let his cock slip slowly out of my mouth, my lips teasing it and looked down at it.

But what I saw in front of me wasn't Gabriel's rigid cock, slick with my saliva, looking fit to burst—what I saw instead was Levi's lifeless cock as it rested between his thighs waiting for someone to do unthinkable things to him while here we were . . . I had to stop. I sat up and Gabriel let out a low groan of disappointment. 'What's wrong?' His voice was so thick I barely recognized it. 'I'm so sorry. I can't get that image of Levi out of my mind.' He let out a strangled sort of

laugh and shook his head. 'Don't worry about it. We shouldn't have got so carried away. It's my fault anyway—I started it in the first place.' He lifted himself up off the seat. 'Help me get dressed. You never know when a cop car might pass us. I don't want to be arrested for indecent exposure.' 'No, that would be too much after you just got away with kidnapping.' I pulled his jeans back up and zipped his fly, careful not to touch his still rigid erection. I didn't want to make him come while I was putting him away. That would have been too cruel. I don't

know what I'd have done if he'd stopped what he was doing to me right before I came, like I'd done to him. Killed him, that’s what. It made me laugh. I'd never once thought about wanting to kill him when I thought I was being kidnapped—but if he'd ruined my orgasm . . .

Chapter 33 HARPER We drove on in silence for a few more miles, each of us lost in our thoughts. Mine were driving me crazy. They went back and forth between Levi tied to the chair—and what might happen to him

and how it would all be my fault—and how to tell Gabriel that I knew him? And almost had sex with him. In a bar. It was going to come out anyway unless the worst happened—and that took me right back again to how it was all my fault. Round and round and round. It was driving me insane. 'I still don't know what this is all about.' He didn't exactly jump down my throat with an answer. I prodded him on the arm. 'And don't come out with all that you're better off not knowing crap. We're beyond that now. I've earned the right to know.'

He nodded to himself and I gave him a bit more time to get his thoughts together. 'Levi stole some stuff from the guys who are holding him.’ 'Some stuff? Let me guess. Drugs sort of stuff.' 'Yes.' 'And backpack?'

that's

what's

in

your

'Uh huh. He asked me—' 'Why did he steal it? How does a person even go about stealing drugs off people like that? It's not as if you can simply Google it: how to steal drugs

from the bad guys?' He looked over at me. 'Are you going to keep on interrupting every two seconds?' I nodded vigorously. 'I am if you keep on giving me only half the story.' 'I feel like I'm being cross examined.' 'I'm not that kind of lawyer. Just get on with it.' He pushed back into his seat, stretching his arms out against the wheel. I glanced down at his lap and was relieved all evidence of what we’d been

doing earlier had disappeared. Poor guy. 'Levi used to know these guys. I'm not going to bore you with all the background sob story about how he got in with a bad crowd and all the rest of it. I'm sure you've heard it a million times. What matters is he straightened himself out.' While he talked, I pictured Levi as he was in the bar. I smiled to myself at the way he banged the two drunks' heads together; the way they scuttled away with their tails between their legs when they caught sight of his face. What Gabriel said definitely gelled with that.

'But he still knew how they worked, where they stored the merchandise—' 'Nice word. Makes it sound so above board; like a proper business.' '—so it wasn't too difficult for him to get hold of it.' 'Okay, that's the how. What about the why?' He paused and I got the impression he was making a quick assessment of how much to tell me. I must have failed the test because his answer only confirmed I was right; he was still hiding something.

'I'll get to that later.' His tone of voice told me it was no use pushing him; he might clam up altogether. 'How did you end up with it?' He sighed and shook his head. ‘I got a call in the middle of the night. He was desperate. Something had gone wrong. He needed me to come and pick him up. When we got near to his place he thought he saw some of the guys waiting for him so I let him out a few blocks away.’ ‘And you kept hold of the . . . merchandise.’

‘I didn’t have any choice. If they were looking for him, he didn’t want to be caught with it on him.’ Suddenly he slammed the heel of his hand into the steering wheel. ‘It’s all so stupid—and all for nothing.’ ‘What do you mean, for nothing? Because you’ve got to give it back?’ ‘No, not that. It was a waste of time in the first place, even if we weren’t giving it back.’ ‘I don’t understand.’ ‘And you’re—‘

‘Better off that way? Yeah, you said that before. Look how that turned out.’ ‘Believe me for once when I say it really doesn’t make any difference.’ ‘Whatever. So how did we end up here, driving to God knows where?’ 'We arranged to meet in a bar a couple of days later. I was going to give it back to him and tell him he had to give it back to them; I didn’t need it. But I never got the chance.’ My pulse quickened—this was the nothing important that Levi told me he had to do. And I'd given myself such a hard time about it. I was so absorbed

thinking about it, I suddenly realized I hadn’t quite caught all of what Gabriel said. ‘Did you say you didn’t need it?’ He turned and looked at me. ‘No. I said he didn’t need it.’ No way. I knew I was right. He’d slipped up and now he was trying to cover it up. It made me more certain he was keeping something back from me. A bit like Levi and his nothing important —and look how that turned out. 'I know you didn't believe a word of it at the time when you thought I was a car thief or kidnapper, but what I told you about some idiot totalling my

car was true. So I got to the bar late and he was already gone.' ‘How did the guys know where to find him?’ ‘No idea. They must have been following him; waiting for their moment. It doesn’t really matter.’ 'Do you know them as well?' He shook his head. 'I know who they are, but I don't know them. Don't want to know them.' ‘So you weren’t in their gang? You were a goody two-shoes.’ He laughed. ‘No, I didn’t say that. I found a better way to release all

that aggression.’ ‘Really? In the shower?’ ‘We’re talking about me here, not you. I joined the military.’ ‘What—?’ ‘Anyway, we’re getting away from the point here.’ I was amazed at the speed he changed the subject. Clearly his military career was right up there on the list of off-limits topics. It was a big list. I snuck a glance at him. His fingers gripped the wheel like he wanted to snap it, his veins corded on the back of his hands.

'When he wasn’t there, I talked to the bartender.' He suddenly smiled. 'What?' He shook his head in a what can you do? sort of way. 'Just Levi. The bartender told me how he'd been with this girl. Said she was hot.' He lifted his hands off the wheel for a couple of beats and made an hourglass shape in the air. I almost choked. I was as far from hot as you could get. My insides were nothing short of icy. Would he make the connection?

'That's him all over.' 'What do you mean?' He did the hourglass in the air again. 'Levi loves a girl with curves.' The heat climbed up my face and into my belly at the same time, pushing away the chill that had gripped me only a moment earlier. 'He's got this phrase he uses—' 'What is it?' The words came out fast enough to make him notice. He turned and gave me a quizzical look. Then his face split

into a wide grin. 'What are you smirking at?' He shook his head but the grin didn't fall off. 'Nothing.' His eyes weren’t saying nothing as he ran them over me. It made me so self conscious despite the previous intimacy. 'You've got a few curves yourself, Harper. It could've been you the bartender was describing.' He turned back to the road; another two seconds and he'd have seen all the color drain out of my face; my mouth opening and closing like a stranded fish.

'What . . . what's this phrase Levi has?' 'I can't remember.' 'Liar.' 'No, really. I can't.' 'I don't suppose it's very nice.' 'On the contrary. If I remembered what it was, it'd set you off again. I think it's lucky I can't at the moment, don't you?' All I knew at that moment was I didn't know what to make of any of it. 'Why don't you carry on with your story? You were up to the'—I did

the hourglass shape myself—'part. What happened next?' It was as if I'd slapped him. The grin slipped off his face and he looked like he'd never smile again. 'The bartender gave me a note that they'd left for me. It said they had Levi and told me what they'd do to him if I failed to return what he stole from them —‘ ‘So why are we—?’ ‘Listen for a minute, will you? They decided to kill two birds with one stone and get me to do their dirty work for them. Which is why we're driving their drugs half way across the country

for them. Taking all the risks for them.’ I realized then how close I’d come to ruining everything. ‘So if those cops had stopped us, you’d have been arrested for drug trafficking as well as kidnapping me.’ ‘Exactly. They’d have done me for driving on the cracks in the pavement too. I'd have been better off dead—like Levi.' He was quiet for a minute and I didn't want to break the silence. In fact, all I wanted was to be sucked down a hole in the ground, never to be seen again.

'Oh, and they gave deadline, of course.’

me

a

The bitterness in his voice wasn’t directed at me, but that’s how I took it. ‘You've seen the other messages for yourself.' I put my hand on his arm. 'I'm sorry.' 'Don't be. It's not your fault.' Maybe not, but I’ve made it worse. I looked away and hugged myself, jamming my cold fingers in my armpits, the slow thump of my heart

heavy under my arms. My throat ached; I swallowed drily but the sour taste filling my mouth wouldn’t go. I was scared; scared of where the conversation was headed; scared of what he was going to say next—the moment I’d been dreading had finally arrived. Why did I have to start the stupid conversation in the first place? I was so tired; all I wanted to do was fall asleep and never wake up. I let my head flop back on the headrest and closed my eyes. Please. Make it all go away.

Chapter 34 LEVI Sofia stood up and stuck the knife under my chin so fast I was worried she'd stick it in me by mistake. 'You bastard,' she hissed loud

enough for Diego to hear as he walked in. There was enough heartfelt emotion in those two words that I didn't know if it was for Diego's benefit or because she thought I'd almost tricked her into letting me go. 'I already told you, Sofia, you can't start on him yet.' His tone of voice suggested the exact opposite. He looked at his watch. 'There's still an hour to go.' She smiled at him. 'I wasn't starting, Diego. I thought I'd give the condemned man his last shave. Clean him up a bit.' He walked over and inspected

my throat. 'You need more practice. You've cut him.' I saw Sofia's eyes drop to my lap. So did Diego. He looked down and smiled. 'So tell me, how did he end up with blood smeared on his dick?' 'It must have dripped.' It sounded pathetic. He thought so too. 'Really? It couldn't be that you got blood on him while you've been trying to coax some life back into him? For old times' sake. To prove to yourself you’ve still got what it takes to get him going.'

'Fuck you, Diego.' He laughed unpleasantly. I wouldn't have risked it given the look on her face and the blade in her hand. 'Don't get pissed at me because you couldn't get a rise out of him.' He noticed her blouse. 'Something wrong with the buttons on your blouse? Oops, they seem to have come undone.’ He put his hands up to his chest and squeezed together as if pushing out an imaginary pair of breasts. ‘Look at my titties, Levi.’ The tone of voice was perfect; it could have been her talking. He was a braver or a stupider man than me—or maybe it was the booze

talking. Her fingers flexed on the handle of the blade. 'Please, don't let me come between a man and his last blowjob. I'd never forgive myself.' He did something disgusting with his tongue, pushing it into the side of his cheek, his eyes mocking her as he did it. Bad mistake, Diego. She lashed out with her foot and caught him squarely in the balls. His eyes bulged out as his balls disappeared back up into his body. I winced as he doubled over with a loud grunt and dropped to his knees. Sofia grabbed hold of his hair and pulled his face

forwards, driving her knee up into his nose. Nice move. She let go his hair and was behind me before his face hit the ground. I thanked God I couldn't see her as she raised her arm and brought the blade down on the ties around my wrists. I braced myself, gasped at the sharp sting of metal cutting into the flesh of my palm and then my arms sprang free. Ignoring her brother as he writhed on the floor, she slashed the ties around my ankles with equal speed and expertise. I was free. A gut-wrenching wave of fear mixed with relief surged

through me as I had a brief, horrific vision of what might have been if a woman that good with a blade had been allowed to go to work on me for the fun of it. I didn't dwell on it. There was no time to lose. In one movement I stood and dropped onto my knees on the middle of Diego's back. He let out a loud grunt, what little wind he had left in his lungs exploding out of him. My pants and boxers were still half-way down my thighs, the air cool on my bare ass. I pulled his arms behind him and held them while Sofia tied his wrists. We did the same with his ankles, not bothering to tie him to the chair.

Sofia used her blade to cut a strip of fabric off his shirt, balled it up in her fist and went to stuff it in his mouth before thinking better of it. She held the blade in front of his face, the tip under his eye. 'Let me see you do that thing with your tongue again, Diego.' He had the sense to keep it still and safely tucked away in his mouth. He might even have swallowed it to be on the safe side. He dropped his eyes. 'That's what I thought.' The contempt in her voice was so palpable I almost felt sorry for him. She took hold of his chin and forced the ball of fabric

past his teeth and didn't stop feeding it in until it was half way down his throat. Only then, once he was safely gagged and trussed up, did I pull my pants up. I caught Sofia watching me and grinned at her. She raised an eyebrow that said do we have time? I swallowed thickly. Her eyes shone, her face still glowing with the remnants of her anger. Her hair had broken free of the ponytail and fell loosely over her shoulder. The buttons of her blouse were all but completely undone, and her trembling breasts were beaded with sweet perspiration. I swear to God I tasted it on my lips. My whole body screamed Yes!

but a muffled groan from Diego choking on the gag told me it would have to wait —maybe forever if we didn’t get out right now. I grabbed her hand and we ran for our lives.

Chapter 35 HARPER Please. Make it all go away. I opened my eyes. And guess what? It hadn't gone away at all—none of it.

We were in the parking lot of a small motel. Had I fallen asleep? I hadn't noticed him pull off the road. 'Come on.' His voice was urgent and even though they were only two small words, they stuck in his throat nonetheless. 'We haven't got time. What about Levi?' He didn't answer; instead he leaned over and kissed me, his lips gentle on mine, and then got out of the car as if that was answer enough. By the time I was out he had the key in the door, his face eager, eyes hungry, as he looked back at me over his shoulder.

The instant the door was shut behind me he reached down and took hold of one wrist, pulling my arm up over my head; he did the same with the other one, holding both wrists together with one hand. The other hand made short work of the buttons on my blouse, before slipping behind my back and unhooking my bra. My breasts fell free; my nipples tight as his hand dropped to my waist and unzipped my skirt. It dropped to the floor in a crumpled heap. I kicked it away as he ran his hand down inside my panties and over my ass, between my cheeks, cupping me from behind, his finger teasing me. 'You need to let go my wrists or

grow another hand.' He didn't need telling twice. He dropped my wrists and I buried my fingers in his hair, my mouth finding his, sucking his tongue into my mouth until he groaned. His free hand slipped down and over my breasts, down my belly and through my curls. A finger teased my clit as he slid another one into my pussy from behind. Time to finish what I started earlier. I grabbed his hands and tried to pull them away but he just buried his finger deeper inside me until I thought he'd lift me clean off the floor.

'It's your turn now.' He drew his finger out of my pussy; I nearly cried. I pushed his chest backwards towards the bed and walked on boneless legs as he played with my clit, his finger slipping on and off it with every step. I put my hands on his shoulders and forced him down until he was sitting on the edge of the bed, then dropped to my knees between his legs. His pants were down in seconds, his cock rock hard and straining through his boxer briefs. I hooked my fingers under the elastic and rolled them slowly down over the slick head, down the length of him and tucked them under his balls, shuddering with pleasure at the

sight of his cock, thick and long and fully erect, inches from my hungry lips. It was my turn to tease him, although for the life of me I don't know who I was teasing the most. I ran the tip of my tongue up and down his length and over his balls, barely touching him, ignoring the thrusts of his hips, refusing to take him into my mouth until I decided it was time. He hadn't moaned nearly enough for me to reward him yet; he'd have to do a whole lot better than that. And when finally I lowered my mouth onto him, taking as much of him into my mouth as I could, I thought he

might come right then, but I held perfectly still, the flavor of him exploding in my mouth, until I knew it was safe to move again, my lips sliding over him, my tongue on fire with the taste of him. And the best was still to come. I sucked hard, then softly, my teeth gently raking his engorged flesh, my fingers cradling his balls and then clamping around the base of his cock and I knew it wasn't long now. The fingers of one hand tightened in the back of my hair, pulling me down onto him until he filled my throat. He moaned, the other hand stretched, fingers splayed, towards the ceiling and then the warmth

of his orgasm filled my mouth. And then, after I'd taken it all, after the last of his seed had spilled across my tongue, I let him slip from between my lips; I needed to see his face, see the aftermath of his pleasure in his eyes; to know that I had done that for him. I lifted my head and let my gaze climb up the still trembling flesh of his stomach and over the broad spread of his chest to his face. I jerked Gabriel's face.

upright;

It was Levi’s.

it

wasn't

Chapter 36 LEVI We made it out of the building without running into any of Diego's men, Sofia holding me back in her ridiculous fuckme heels, gripping my hand so tightly, I couldn't have left her behind if I'd

wanted to. Outside it was dark and deserted. We ran until I felt as if I was dragging her along the ground by her arm. It was either stop to let her recover, or throw her over my shoulder; but then the dark entrance to an alley came into view and we dived into it, working our way into the deepest shadows at the far end. I pressed my back into the wall while she stood, bent double, her hands on her knees, head hanging down, like an Olympic sprinter at the end of a race. 'You need to get in better shape.' She took a hand off her knee and

showed me her middle finger. I recognised it—the last time I'd seen it, the nail had been running up and down the length of my cock, trying to get some life out of me. Luckily she didn't have enough breath spare to give me a mouthful of abuse to go with it. I left her bent over and edged my way back towards the mouth of the alley. Before I had a chance to poke my head around the corner there was an explosion of sound as the door to Diego's building burst open and half a dozen guys ran out. Excited shouting shattered the quiet of the night air and then the sound of feet coming fast down the street towards us.

I stepped back into the depths of the alley. Ahead of me the silky white fabric of Sofia's shirt pulsated in the dark like a beacon as her chest rose and fell. Behind me the sound of running feet was almost at the mouth of the alley as if drawn to it by some irresistible force. I wasn't going to get to her in time. She looked up. I swatted the air frantically, mouthing get down. Either she was no good at lip reading or sign language or maybe both, because the message she got was: come here. She took a pace towards me, leaving the safety of the darkest shadows behind. I leapt. My hand found her mouth and

clamped over it as my body slammed into hers and we tumbled back into the murkiest gloom. I twisted us both in mid air and took the brunt of the landing on my shoulder and rolled over on top of her, smothering her, hiding her completely under my body. She squirmed and tried to shake her head free from my grip, then stopped, her body rigid, as three guys tore past the end of the alley. I lifted my hand from her mouth. 'Sorry. I didn't hear them coming.' In the silence of the alley her whisper was like the scream of a kettle. I nodded that it was okay. Her

body relaxed under me. It felt nice under me. Too nice. She thought so too and shifted herself, molding herself to me. 'Stop it.' It's the release of tension I told myself as my cock stiffened, pushing into her belly. 'Mmm.' She squirmed against me. 'Stop it.' 'You stop it.' 'I'm not doing anything.' 'Really?' Her hand squeezed down between our bodies and proved me

wrong. 'I can't help that.' 'Lucky you.' Her lips found mine and she thrust her tongue deep into my mouth as her hand squeezed me, enjoying the reaction she failed to get before. I broke the kiss slowly, biting gently on her lip. If I rejected her too strongly she might change her mind altogether and scream for Diego's men. 'We haven't got time—' The words froze on my lips at the sound of men's voices approaching. They stopped behind us, right in the

entrance to the alley. Please God, let them be looking the other way. Sofia's hand had stopped still; so had her breathing. She buried her face in my shoulder. 'Anything?' one of the voices said. 'Nothing,' another voice said. There was the sound of a match being struck; light flared briefly and then the first guy’s voice again, excited this time. ‘What’s that down there?’ ‘Where?’

‘In the something.’

alley.

I

can

see

Chapter 37 HARPER I jerked upright. Somebody was shaking me. Where the hell was I? 'Did you hear what I said?'

My head snapped around. It all came back with a bang. 'What?' 'You fell asleep. One minute you were talking and the next minute, nothing.' I blinked a couple of times, shook my head. The remnants of my dream clung to me. I'd had sex dreams before, but that had been tucked up in the privacy of my own bed; not in a car sitting next to the man starring—and then not starring—in it. My panties were wet and sticky and I hoped I hadn't moaned or touched myself. I searched his face. There were

no tell-tale signs; if I'd done anything, he'd be grinning all over. He wouldn't be able to hide it. 'Sorry.' 'It's okay.' But it wasn't okay. My mouth was dry, a sour taste coating my tongue. I licked my lips. I remembered now; understood why my pulse was racing, my chest so tight, and it wasn't because of the dream. 'I said, what were you doing asleep in the back of your car?' The question I'd been dreading; the one I knew he'd ask sooner or later.

How do you tell someone I was trying to sleep off the effects of almost having sex in a bar with the man you're trying to save? You don't. You avoid it at all costs until you get caught out in a lie. Then you curl up and die. 'I'd had too much to drink. I was trying to sleep it off.' He grinned and nodded. 'I remember now. You did reek of booze. You don't seem the type.' To what? Drink too much or have promiscuous sex in a bar? 'No? What type am I?'

He shrugged. 'I don't know. Prim and proper with your smart business skirt and crisp white blouse.' He looked away from the road and took in my dirty, rumpled clothes. The grin grew wider. 'Don't say it.' 'Don't say what?' I poked him in the side with my finger. 'That looking at me now, I look exactly like the sort of person who'd drink too much.' 'Actually I wasn't thinking that at all.' 'No?'

He shook his head. 'No.' I expected him to tell me what he was thinking; after a second or two it was clear he wasn’t about to. Little warning bells rang in the back of my mind. I ignored them; asked him all the same. 'So, what are you thinking?' He swallowed. 'I was looking at your thighs, the way your skirt's all crumpled and riding up them—' He paused almost as if to give the blood time to climb up my face. Not that it was taking it's time. It was up to the tips of my ears already.

'—and at your blouse, with half the buttons undone—I can see your bra from here, by the way—and I was thinking if you wiggle to the right a touch, I'll be able to catch a peek of nipple.' I grabbed the front of my blouse and pulled it together with one hand; slapped him with the other. 'You were not.' He laughed. I slapped him harder. 'You're right, I wasn't. I was thinking about the girl in the bar'—he did the curvy hourglass shape in the air with his hands—'you know, the hot one, that

Levi was with before he was snatched.' My throat clamped shut, choking off my breath, stopping the words from coming, even if my heart hadn’t been in the way—right there in my mouth. 'You okay?' I nodded. A small squeak popped out. 'Loosen your grip on the front of your blouse, maybe that'll help. Or undo the rest of the buttons.' The wicked smile that I was learning to love appeared at the corners of his mouth. It didn't make anything any easier.

'Concentrate on the road.' The words were barely more than a whisper. He gave the road his full attention for a few seconds. It wasn't a bad attempt for him. 'You can't have been very far from where I was supposed to meet Levi.' The sudden, randomness of the comment stole the words out of my mouth moments after I'd got them back. Was he deliberately playing with me? Did he know all along that I was the one with Levi? 'What were you thinking about

her?' I wanted to kick myself. From the confusion on his face, it was clear he'd already forgotten about her—me. Now I'd reminded him. 'Who?' 'You just said you were thinking about the girl in the bar.' 'Oh, her.' He shook his head. 'It's not important.' 'Gabriel!' He jumped and pulled his head away at the force of my scream. 'Sorry. I’m doing it again.' An

apologetic little smile took the place of the usual one. 'If I'd been able to talk to her she might have been able to tell me something. Maybe she saw something. I don't know. Besides, it's too late now.' I'd half expected him to come straight out and ask: Was it you in the bar, Harper? Are you the hot, curvy girl who turned Levi's head? Distracted him to the point where he let his guard slip. I didn't know if that would have been better or worse—at the moment I just wanted to scream at him. It was me, it was me, okay, and no, I didn't see a thing, I was too busy

trying to deal with what was going on inside me to worry about him. It wasn't possible he couldn't make the connection. Why was he forcing me to admit it, to say it to his face? Just ask me, for Christ's sake. 'Gabriel.' Something in my voice made him look over at me. I felt my resolve weaken and ebb away. I clung to it, forced the words out. 'There's something I need to tell you.'

Chapter 38 LEVI I pressed myself down harder onto Sofia, all my senses heightened. The curves of her body molded closer to mine, her breath hot on my neck, the thump of our hearts in tune. Her perfume

filled my nose, masking the usual smells of the alley. My nose twitched, but not from her perfume; it was her hair. Stray silky strands fluttered in the still air of the alley, blowing into my face, irritating my nose, tickling me, making me want to sneeze. Behind us one of the guy’s took a tentative step into the alley. I buried my face in her hair. ‘Give me the matches.’ ‘That was the last one.’ He swore and took another step. ‘I saw something move down at the end.’

My nose twitched again; I pinched it between my fingers. The back of my throat tingled. I bit down on my tongue. I couldn’t hold it in much longer. The guy’s foot crunched loudly on something; he paused mid-step, listening. A sound like a steak sizzling on a hot grill shattered the silence; then a high-pitched snarl, and a mangy cat burst from the very back of the alley in an explosion of trash. I sneezed, swallowing it, smothering it with my hand. The guy yelped and leapt backwards as the cat shot straight through his open legs and high-tailed it down the street. ‘Shit. That made me jump.’

He turned and walked back to his laughing partner. ‘I told you I saw something.’ The second guy slapped him on the back. ‘Well done. Diego will be really pleased when you tell him you saw a cat. Who’d have believed it? A cat in an alley?’ A couple more guys jogged up to them from the other direction, their breathing heavy. ‘There’s nothing that way.’ ‘We’ve seen a cat.’ 'That’s more than we did. I'm not chasing after them all night.'

'Me neither.' 'Where's Diego?' 'Still nursing his balls.' Everybody laughed. 'And looking for his teeth.' Sofia giggled into my shoulder. Her whole body shook against me. I found her lips with my finger and placed it over them. Bad move. She took it into her mouth and sucked, wrapping her tongue around it. Her lips grinned smugly around it. 'I sure as hell wouldn't mess with

her,' one of the guys said. Sofia's head nodded in agreement, her lips sliding up and down my finger, her tongue curling around it. She was doing it deliberately. I refused to think about where I'd like those lips to be, although it didn't stop my erection growing harder under her hand. She squeezed. I tried to pull my finger out of her mouth; she bit down on it. 'I wouldn't mind doing something else with her.' There were appreciative murmurs all round. She wriggled under me, rubbing her belly into me as if to say listen up. The part of me down there

was listening as hard as it could and she was loving every second of it. 'Come on, let's go get a beer. We’ll tell him we've been searching for them. He’ll never know. He's not about to come out and find us, looking the way he does. His pride won’t let him.' They all sniggered and wandered off, their voices and laughter fading into the distance. Sofia released her bite on my finger. I pulled it out of her mouth. 'What are you going to do with that now?' 'Poke you in the eye?'

'Aw. Don't be a sourpuss.' I laughed. 'You want me to tell you what I'd like to do with it—if we had more time?' 'Mmm hmm.' 'Well, after I'd peeled you out of those obscenely tight jeans and eased down those itsy, bitsy, sticky panties, I'd make you stand up against that wall over there because you’ve been a naughty girl. I’d bend you over so your sweet ass was pointing in the air like an invitation, with the cool breeze doing its best to cool the heat between your thighs. I'd kneel down behind you, spread your legs wide and bury my whole face right

between them. I'd slide my tongue in and out of your dripping pussy, licking and probing, until you couldn’t get your legs any further apart as you begged for more. I'd run my tongue round and round your throbbing clit as I stroked the entrance to your pussy, and when I finally took your clit between my lips I'd slip one finger, then another, so far into the warm wetness of your pussy you'd squirm and squeal so loud those guys would hear you from the bar, but you wouldn't care because that's when you'd feel the tip of my finger pressing against your asshole, slick with your own juices. You'd try so hard to push yourself onto it until finally I'd slide it into your ass, sucking on your

clit and you’d climax over and over and over until you’d swear you’d died and gone to heaven—which is one place you’ve got no chance of getting into.' She rubbed herself over the hard ridge of my erection, a low moan escaping her lips as if I it wasn’t only words and I’d really done that to her. 'We've got time. I am so wet.' ‘I’d never have noticed.’ Her hand found my cock. The way it was at the moment, it wasn't hard to find. It was almost under her chin. 'You want to as well.' 'I know I do.'

'Tell me again.' I told her, word for word. She slipped one hand inside her jeans, the other one rubbing me as I whispered in her ear. 'One more time? I'm almost there.' I laughed thickly. My throat wasn't working properly. 'We haven't got time. Come on, we've got to get out of here before they come back.' I climbed off her and helped her up, brushed the dirt off her clothes, careful to keep it like my mother dusting me down when I came off my bike as a kid. If I'd touched a breast by mistake

we'd never have got out of there. She stared at my erection and licked her lips. 'How are you going to run away with that in your pants?' 'I'll worry about that.' 'Promise you'll tell me if you're about to—' 'Okay, I promise. Now come on.' We crept to the end of the alley. I poked my head out. Nobody in sight. I tugged on her arm, felt her resist. She pulled me back and leaned in to whisper. 'There's something I need to tell

you.'

Chapter 39 HARPER I couldn't do it. Gabriel waited for me to say something but the words had dried up. 'Come on Harper, spit it out.'

I shook my head and stared down at my lap. I tried to straighten my skirt over my thighs. It was too crumpled; I'd have to throw it away when this was all over. If it was ever all over. The thumping in my chest made me feel sick and lightheaded. He put his hand on top of mine. I turned my head away and looked out the window. 'Tell me. How bad can it be?' He squeezed my hand. 'You get drunk and sleep in your car every night? Is that it?' I swallowed hard. Would he think it was all so funny if I told him the truth?

How Levi had held my face so gently, then wound his fingers into my hair as his tongue pushed hungrily between my lips, my nipples tightening as he pushed his body close to mine, his tongue probing my mouth; how wet it made me, my thighs slick with desire, as I felt his cock pulsing against my belly, rock hard and insistent; the gentle touch of his lips as they made their way down my throat, down the midline of my chest, light kisses that stirred things deep inside my core and his breath hot on my nipple as it pushed through the thin fabric of my bra, throbbing and aching, until I knew I would scream if he didn't rip my bra

aside, baring my breasts to his yearning gaze, and take my nipple in his mouth, right there, in the hallway, to feel his mouth close around it, the exquisite pull of his lips robbing me of what little self control I had left. The thought of it made me wet, left me fighting for breath, the words harder still to speak. 'Harper?' 'I . . . I was the girl in the bar,' I said to the hollow-eyed reflection in the window. His hand froze on mine. 'Say that—'

I turned to face him. 'I was the girl in the bar.' I pulled my hand out from under his and made the hourglass shape in the air. 'With Levi.' He made a choking noise in the back of his throat. 'I don't believe it.' 'Well it's true.' I didn't mean to snap so badly at him. He barely noticed. 'No, I didn't mean that—I meant I can't believe it.' 'I thought you'd worked it out.' He gave me a look of utter confusion.

'You said earlier it could have been me. And all you've done for the past ten minutes is tell me how you can't stop thinking about the girl in the bar.' I closed my eyes and breathed in; held it inside me. 'And you thought—' 'Yes. I thought you'd worked it out and you were trying to make me admit it. Well, I have. It was me.' I stared out the window. I wanted the darkness to suck me right out, swallow me up. 'I had no idea.' His eyes bored into the side of

my face. I wasn't going to look at him. I felt stupid now for accusing him. 'If I'd worked it out, I'd have said something.' His hand found mine. I let it rest there, but didn't respond. 'How long have you been sitting there keeping it all bottled up inside?' 'Since I saw the texts on your phone.' He laughed suddenly. My head snapped around. 'What?' 'What was it you said to me? Be

a typical man. Keep it all bottled up inside until it's too late to do anything about it and it all erupts. I believe that's how it went.' 'I'm a quick learner. I pick up bad habits fast.' 'That last text and photo must have given you a bit of a shock.' I didn't want to laugh—it wasn't a laughing matter—but it came anyway. 'You can say that again. The creepy guy was undressing me with his eyes and then I heard the text and thought thank God, an excuse to get away from him, and then . . . '

'I can imagine.' 'Actually I don't think you can.' 'No, you're right, I can't. What did you think I'd do when I found out? Throw you out the car? I thought that's what you wanted.' A thought crossed my mind at the exact same time it did his. He got it out first. 'Put you over my knee and spank you?' 'Don't start all that again.' 'You were thinking the same thing.'

I didn't deny it fast enough. 'I knew it.' 'Okay, put yourself in my place. I meet a guy in a bar and we're getting on really well—' 'Getting on really well?' '—and the next thing I know I've been kidnapped my some complete lunatic whose sole aim is to get into my panties—' 'I’ve taken on a lot harder challenges in my time.' '—to help pass the time—' 'And a very nice way to pass the

time it is too.' '—while he's on his way to rescue the guy I—' 'Got on really well with in the bar.' 'Exactly.' He patted my thigh. 'I know, I know, it's all been very confusing for lickle Harper.' 'It's not funny.' It was as if I'd turned the faucet off on the flow of funny. 'Yeah, I'm sorry. Then we make love—or fucked if you prefer—and you

took the opportunity to get away and found out you've put Levi's life at risk. That can't have been easy. I shouldn't have made a joke about it.' We drove on in silence for a few more miles before he spoke again. 'So . . . ' I expected some stupid, childish crack to lighten the mood like what exactly did you get up to in the bar? I sure as the hell wasn’t ready for what he did say. 'So . . . Do you want to know what's really going on here? All of it?'

Chapter 40 LEVI 'Can't it wait?' 'No.' The tone of her voice made me follow her back into the alley.

'I overheard Diego talking to Xavier on the phone—right before I came back to see you.' She put her hand on my arm and swallowed nervously, blinking rapidly a couple of times before screwing her eyes tightly shut. How bad could this be? 'He was never going to let you go. All that talk about deadlines and cutting you was pure bullshit. They were going to kill you the minute Gabriel delivered the drugs.' 'Why wait until then?' 'In case Gabriel insisted on

talking to you.' She opened her eyes but didn't meet mine, looked down at the ground instead. 'What about the knives on the table?' 'It was all just to scare you. They might have killed you with them, had some fun, I don't know.' I took hold of her chin as gently as the tension in my fingers would allow and lifted her face towards mine. 'What about you?' She pretended she didn't understand. The way her eyes refused to meet mine gave her away.

'What do you mean?' 'You looked like you were itching to get started on me with those blades.' 'Diego made me do it.' 'He made you.' She nodded and I didn't push it. 'I didn't know then that they were never going to let you go. After what you did . . . I didn't mind helping scare you. You deserved it. Then it all went too far.' 'When he made fun of you in front of the other guys.' She nodded.

'But you sent the text with the picture of—' 'Okay, okay. I was so pissed at him, I wasn't thinking straight.' 'What about when you came back? Why didn't you cut me free right away?' Finally she met my eyes, the wetness in hers shining even in the gloom of the alley. 'Because you were right. I was— I am—scared of him. Even after I heard him on the phone and knew what they were planning, I was too scared to do anything. I'm not proud of it. You don't know what he's like.'

'I—' She put a finger to my lips. It wasn't the time to suck on it like she had mine, so I shut up. 'You don't know.' I let it go. I didn't want to think about what she might be implying. 'What changed your mind?' 'You know what changed my mind.' 'He made fun of you; insulted you.' 'Not only that. I realized he made it all up, like you said he did. Used me,

fucked up my life, to get at you.' I wiped away a tear—hers, not mine—and held her face in my hands. It wasn't so hard being gentle this time. I kissed her softly and pulled her into me. 'It's all behind us now. I don't know how it's all going to pan out. Whatever happens, we need to get out of here now or it'll all be for nothing.' I took hold of her hand and headed towards the mouth of the alley, but she didn't budge. 'Sofia, come on.' The look on her face made my stomach clench. My chest tightened. I

knew what she was about to say. 'That's not all Diego said on the phone.'

Chapter 41 GABRIEL Harper stared at me open mouthed as if I'd asked her to marry me. What the hell made me say that, offer to tell her everything? We were

almost there now—no more than a few more miles to go—and afterwards we'd go our separate ways. What would be the point of dumping all my troubles on her now? Something to remember me by? 'Aren't you going to say something? And close your mouth or someone might put something in it.' 'Of course I want to know. I'm surprised you want to tell me, that's all. What is this? I'll show you mine if you show me yours.' 'Something like that—but not so much fun.' Her lips curled into a smile. I

wanted to kiss them, bite them. That was unlikely to happen again. Ever. Did I really want to wipe that beautiful smile off her lips for good by telling her? No way. 'We're almost there now. I'm not sure there's time. I'll tell you once we've got this over with.' A sharp jab in the ribs told me it wasn't an acceptable answer. 'You can't do that. Offer to tell me and then change your mind.' She was right. 'Okay, okay. Levi stole the drugs to get some cash together—'

'I'd worked that part out for myself.' '—for me.' She hadn’t worked that part out. Her lips parted like an invitation to kiss her. 'For you?' I nodded. 'I didn't know it at the time; he didn't tell me what he was doing. The first I knew about it was when I got the call in the middle of the night to come pick him up.' 'But why?' 'If he'd told me what he was planning I'd have told him not to do it.

Not that he'd have listened to me anyway, that's what he's—' 'Gabriel!' I jumped; she sure had a good set of lungs on her. 'What?' 'Why did he do it?' Suddenly I didn't feel like talking about it any more, raking over all the painful shit for no good purpose. Unfortunately, I wasn't going to get away with clamming up now. Then a quick flash of light caught my attention, made me glance in the rearview mirror. A car had pulled out of a side street and was

sitting behind us, beams on high. She gave me another dig in the ribs with her finger. 'No more half stories, okay? I want to know why.' She put her hand on my leg as if that was the clincher. Nobody ever clammed up if they had a hand on their thigh. 'I needed an operation and I didn't have the money.' 'What about insurance?' 'Nope. Not for this.' 'So Levi put his own life at risk —' 'He didn't think he'd get caught.'

'—in order to save yours, and now you're returning the favor; giving the drugs back to save Levi which means no op for you.' She shook her head sadly. 'Something like that.' 'How fucked up is that?' 'Tell me about it.' I hoped she'd leave it at that. Fat chance. 'Why do you need an operation?' 'Because I'm sick.' A finger jabbed me in the ribs a third time.

'I'll need one for broken ribs too in a minute.' 'They don't do anything for broken ribs. Tell me why you need an operation.' I wished I hadn't started this; I should've known she'd squeeze every last drop of information out of me. The car behind's lights were dazzling me. I reached up and twisted the rearview mirror. Harper swivelled in her seat to take a look. 'Why doesn't that idiot turn his lights down?' 'Because he's an idiot.'

She turned back to face me. 'You were saying.' 'I have a rare form of cancer.' The hand on my thigh froze and then squeezed gently. 'I'm so sorry.' 'Don't be, it's not your fault.' 'Idiot.' The grip on my thigh got harder; strong nails dug into my flesh. 'You don't have to make a joke about everything.' I shrugged. 'What else are you gonna do?'

'Surely your insurance covers it. You do have insurance?' I nodded. 'Yeah, but it doesn't cover it.' 'I don't understand.' I grinned at her. 'You should do. You're a lawyer, aren't you? They're the bastards who help insurance companies wriggle out of their obligations.' I didn't mean it to come out so bitter, and I certainly didn't mean her to take it personally. 'I don't do that kind of work.' The hurt was in her eyes, nonetheless.

'I'm sorry. I knew I should never have brought it up.' She squeezed my affectionately again this time.

leg—

'Yes, you should. In fact you should have told me before’—she waved her arm in frustration—‘any of this shit happened.' 'Yeah right. And you'd have believed me?' 'I don't know.' She sounded almost as exhausted by it all as I was—and she didn't know the half of it. I glanced over at her; her face had lost most of its color. It was

almost ghostly in the light from the car headlights behind. She ran a hand through her hair and then rested her head against the window. If I had to guess, I'd have said she was coming to grips with the full implications of running out on me. 'I still don't understand why they won't pay.' 'Because they say I went into it knowingly, of my own volition.' Her head snapped round. 'Nobody gets cancer voluntarily.' 'It was as a result of what I did in the military.' I held up a hand. 'And

before you ask, no, I am not going to go into that.' Her mouth had already opened. It snapped shut. I made a mental note to hold up a hand more often. 'Let's say I came into contact with a lot of very nasty . . . substances in some even nastier places. And this is the result.' She sat upright in her seat, her body twisted towards me. 'Then it's responsibility.'

the

military's

'You'd have thought so.' 'I can't believe it. You're saying

they aren't interested either?' I shook my head. I'd been through this so many times before; I really didn't need it all over again. Not that it mattered what I wanted—she had her teeth firmly into it now. 'Why not?' 'You'd have to ask them.' That earned me another dig in the ribs. 'Why not?' 'Because they didn't officially acknowledge what I was doing in the first place—'

Her mouth opened in surprise. 'So you were what? Some kind of spy, or whatever you want to call it?' 'Military intelligence.' She was quiet for a moment, which was a relief. It didn't last long. 'That sucks.' 'Uh huh, but it's hardly surprising. They're not about to take responsibility for the consequences of what they weren't supposed to be doing in the first place. If they do that, people ask questions, and we all know how much politicians hate questions. And the people who ask them.'

She slammed her open palm on the dash. 'It's not right.' I laughed—what else can you do? 'You think what I've told you is fucked up? Wait until you hear the rest of it . . . '

Chapter 42 LEVI I gripped her by the tops of her arms, harder than I meant to. 'Ow! You're hurting me.' I forced myself to relax my grip.

My whole body was as taut as a bowstring. 'Sorry. What else did he say?' She hesitated. I wanted to shake her. 'He told them to kill Gabriel.' I was as if I was back in Diego's basement, tied to the chair, only this time it was Sofia's words that slammed into me instead of some guy's fists, knocking all the sense out of me. 'Are you sure?' 'Of course I'm sure. You think I misheard? Maybe he said kiss Gabriel instead?'

'Okay, okay, but why?' She pulled herself out of my grip, bent down and put her face an inch from my zipper. 'Hello?' 'What are you doing?' 'I'm talking to where obviously keep your brains.'

you

I pulled her upright and we stared at each other a few beats before we both burst out laughing. 'Why do you think, dummy? If Diego killed you after he promised to let you go, what would Gabriel have done? Thought to himself: that’s the way it goes sometimes, and walked away? Or

come after him? What would you do?' I nodded. 'You're right. I was so shocked I wasn't thinking straight.' 'No, you just keep your brains in your pants. Like all men.' She gave my brains a playful squeeze. I knocked her hand away. 'Stop it. We've got to warn him.' My hand was barely half way to my pocket when the awful truth hit me. Diego had my phone. In our desperate rush to escape, we'd forgotten to take it off him.

'Shit.' 'What?' 'Diego's got my phone.' 'It's okay, use mine.' I shook my head angrily. Sofia stared at me in silence for a moment before it sank in. 'You don't know his number?' 'No.' 'I don't believe it.' 'Nobody knows number these days.' 'I do.'

anybody's

'Well good for you. The only problem is you've never had Gabriel's number.' Her lips pursed. 'Don't talk to me like that. It's not my fault you can't remember.' I held her by the shoulders; her whole body shook in my hands. She had a lot to be angry about. She’d gone out on a limb for me and now it looked like it was all for nothing. It wasn't completely for nothing—I could walk away but that wouldn't help Gabriel. 'I'm sorry; I know it's not your fault.'

The tight lips softened into a mischievous grin. I had a good idea what was coming. 'You want me to take a closer look at your brains? See if I can jog your memory?' I grabbed her wrist before her hand got there. 'Spoilsport.' I let go her wrist and she crossed her arms over her chest. It made her breasts push invitingly up towards me. 'What are you going to do?' I didn't have any choice.

'I have to go back in.' 'You can't!' 'Why not? There's only Diego in there. You heard the other guys. They've gone for a beer, pretending to look for us. And Diego's not feeling his best— thanks to you.' A very curled her lips.

self-satisfied

smile

'I'm coming too.' 'No. You wait here.' 'No way. I can keep watch in case the others come back.' I didn't have time to argue. I

grabbed her hand and pulled her after me.

Chapter 43 HARPER His words came back to me: he had to give it back to them; I didn’t need it. I knew then what he was going to say. It could only be one thing. My stomach turned over. I swallowed, my mouth dry.

'You were right earlier. I did say I didn't need it. I slipped up. I tried to bluff my way out of it, but you didn't believe me, did you?' I shook my head, the icy hand gripping my insides tightening until I could barely breathe. 'I didn't think so.' He wouldn't look at me. I stared at the side of his head as he kept his eyes focussed on the road ahead, or maybe on what lay behind—and I didn't mean the car that was still following us. He laughed suddenly. It was a life can be such a bitch sort of laugh. I wanted him to get on with it, but it was obviously

hard for him. 'I didn't even get a chance to tell Levi.' He looked at me then, met my eyes, and I almost wished he hadn't. I’ve been lucky; I haven't seen a lot of genuine, heart-wrenching sadness in my life, but I saw it that day, sitting next to him in the car as the rain began to fall. He flicked on the wipers and turned back to the road. For a brief moment the slap of the wipers was the only sound. 'How's this for a fucked up ending to a fucked up story—'

I wanted to put my hand on his arm, put it over his mouth, put it anywhere to stop him talking. Stop him now that I'd made him start. 'It's—' He never got a chance to finish the story. The interior of the car suddenly lit up as the car following us accelerated hard. Crazy patterns swam across Gabriel’s face as the beams cut through the rain streaked rear window, before we were plunged back into darkness as it pulled out to the side to pass. '—get my backpack.'

'What?' 'My backpack. behind my seat.'

Quickly.

It's

'Why?' 'Stop asking questions and do it, Harper.' I leaned between the seats and hauled the bag out from behind him, dumped it in my lap. Something hard in the bottom poked into my flesh. Little plastic packets of cocaine or whatever it was weren't hard like that. My pulse quickened. 'There's a gun in there. Get it out.'

'What's going on?' I opened the pack and stuck my hand inside, holding my breath as if he'd told me to put my hand into a bag full of rattlesnakes. My fingers touched cold metal, then a chequered grip. I didn't want to touch it. 'Stop fucking around, Harper. Get it out.' I pulled the gun out of the bag, holding it with two fingers as if it was radioactive. 'It's not going to bite you.' I placed it carefully in his lap. 'What's going on?'

'I’m pretty sure it's the guys I'm meant to meet.' 'So why—?' 'Because it doesn't feel right. I've got an address. I'm supposed to meet them there. Not out on the road in the middle of fucking nowhere.' 'It might not be them.' The car was alongside, keeping pace with us. I pushed myself back into the seat, my body shielded from view by Gabriel's. And from anything else. A pang of guilt went through me at the thought. 'So why doesn't he pass us?'

A car horn honked. Our heads snapped left. The guy in the passenger seat patted the air slow down and pointed to the shoulder. He was an ordinary looking guy; not the sort of face that had been going through my mind. He might have been telling us to pull over so he could point out the flat tire he'd noticed or the fact that our trunk was flapping open. 'Still think it's not them?' 'How do they know it's us?' 'Who knows? They've got Levi's phone. There's a ton of photos of me on it.' 'It doesn't mean they're going to

do anything.' He didn't answer. He didn't need to. Actions speak louder than words. He trapped the barrel of his gun under his leg and racked the slide, the sound cutting through me like fingernails scratched down a blackboard.

Chapter 44 LEVI I left Sofia at the door and crept back into the darkness of the basement, my hand feeling the way down the rough concrete wall. I left the lights off; Diego already had the advantage over me. He

knew the place like the back of his hand, I didn't. All I knew was he was down there somewhere, licking his wounds with a bottle of Tequila in one hand and a gun in the other. My hand touched a door frame; it was the room they'd kept me in. The door was closed; no light visible from under it. There was an outside chance my phone was in there—I had a nagging memory at the back of my head that Diego had dropped it on the table. Maybe he forgot to pick it up. I eased the door open and slipped through the gap into the room. Was it a trap? Was he sitting in the dark, waiting for me to turn on the light? I

pressed my back tight to the wall and listened hard. Silence, apart from my own blood, loud in my ears. I flicked on the light and dropped to the floor. The room was empty except for the chair I'd been tied to and the small table. They'd been upended and thrown across the room in a fit of rage. My phone wasn't there. That would have been too easy. Life—my life, anyway—doesn't work like that. I turned the light out and slipped back into the hallway. There was only one other door. It was closed, an outline of light framing it. I stood silently in front of it, not knowing what to do. Was he in there? If he was and I tried the handle, he'd

most likely shoot straight through the door. If I kicked it down, I'd have the element of surprise. Trouble was, if he wasn't inside, I'd scare him off for good. I couldn't stand there all night while Gabriel drove blindly into danger. I crept right up to the door and held my ear against it. Again, nothing. That didn't mean a thing; he might be sitting in silence waiting for me. I bent down and put my eye to the keyhole. 'Looking for this?' Diego said from behind me as the light went on. I yelped in surprise and my heart ended up in my mouth. I jumped up and spun round towards him.

He was alone, standing at the end of the hallway, my phone in one hand, an automatic pistol in the other, and a smug grin plastered all over his face. 'I thought you might come back for it. I suppose that bitch Sofia told you what we've got planned for Gabriel and you wanted to warn him.' 'What happened to your teeth, Diego? Little Sis kick your sorry ass?' He shrugged; we both knew my words didn't bother him. 'Get down on the floor.' I didn't move. 'You want me to shoot you?'

'Doesn't make a lot of difference if you're going to kill me anyway.' 'How about if I call Xavier and make a few suggestions about what they should do with Gabriel, instead of just shooting him like a dog.' ‘How about—?‘ I stopped mid sentence as something caught my eye behind him. I froze, my pulse racing, and looked down at my feet. Not because I was scared by what he said, but because I didn't want him to see my face—in case my features betrayed me as I watched Sofia creep silently down the stairs behind him. She must have heard me yelp or seen the

light go on. 'What was that Levi?' I forced a laugh. 'Fuck you, Diego, you sorry piece of shit. You're the big man when you've got the gun, aren't you. But even your little sister can kick your ass when you haven't. You always were a pussy.' I looked up and grinned at him. 'You know, that was pretty funny what you did with your tongue. You learn that from one of your boyfriends, eh, maricón? Is that what their cocks feel like in your mouth?' He took a step towards me;

raised the gun. Sofia was almost at the bottom of the stairs. 'You better watch your own mouth.' 'Or what? You'll put your needledick in it? I've used bigger toothpicks.' He sniggered and jabbed himself in the chest with my phone. 'I'm the needledick? You want to hear what Sofia says about you. And she should know, she's had more cock than most.' I took a half pace towards him. 'Don't you say that about her.'

'Why the fuck not? She's a fucking whore.' Behind him Sofia's whole body stiffened. Keep going, Diego. Keep on digging your own grave. 'She'd have to be to go with a loser like you.' There was a loud cry as Sofia missed the bottom step in her heels and stumbled. Diego spun around and stared in disbelief. The words fucking bitch were only half way out his mouth as I slammed into him. He came clean off the ground and landed on her, knocking her flat. I crashed on top of them, the

writhing mass of arms and legs and struggling bodies cushioning my fall. My phone went flying but he kept hold of the gun. Sofia struggled in vain under him, face squashed into the floor, arms splayed out like a piece of road kill. In one hand she clutched the blade she’d used so expertly before. I caught Diego's wrist in one hand, clamping it to the floor, and grabbed Sofia's hand with the other. 'Drop it.' She wasn't listening or she didn't know who was talking to her. She held on tight.

Diego squeezed off a shot, the noise deafening in the tight space. Sofia screamed, the shrill cry almost as loud. The blade slipped out of her fingers. She bucked and squirmed under the two of us, her terror lending her the strength to shift the four hundred pounds of male flesh on top of her. I snatched at the blade and missed it as she jerked under us. Diego fired again, the round pinging away uselessly up the stairs. Sofia jerked and froze as if she'd been hit. I got my fingers around the knife. Diego read my mind, tried to wrench his hand out of my grip; I pushed it harder into the floor. He twisted his whole body under me but he

was way too slow, his mouth opening in a scream even before I drove the blade into the back of his squirming gun hand. The scream erupted out of him, dwarfing Sofia’s wailing. He dropped the gun. Sofia grabbed it, the weapon huge in her small hand. I got my arm around his neck and pulled us off her. She wriggled out from under him and scrambled up the steps. My heart leapt into my mouth as her butt disappeared up the stairs—was she going to stop? Half way up she stopped and turned to look down on us. The sight of him helpless in my grip filled her with the confidence to come back down. If I'd been him, I'd have made peace with my

maker at that moment. He froze in my grip, his eyes locked on the heavy gun in Sofia's unsteady hand, pointing first at his face, then his chest, jerking up and down as she took each step towards him. 'Get out the way, Levi.' 'Don't do it.' 'Get out the way.' I threw Diego onto his face and stood up. He lay perfectly still. He wasn't as stupid as he looked. 'Say what you said again Diego.' He buried his face in the floor,

his hands hidden underneath his body. Sofia's finger tightened on the trigger. 'He's not worth it. Let’s just get the phone and get out of here.' Her finger slowly relaxed, everybody’s breathing unwinding as it uncurled. I held out my hand. She laid the gun in it and everybody felt a whole lot better. 'Where's the phone?' 'I don't know.' We both scanned the floor. It had disappeared. Behind us Diego pushed himself up off his face. 'You looking for this?'

I stared at the phone in his hand. How the hell did he get it? I held out my hand. 'Throw it over here.' He pushed himself onto his knees. 'Come and get it.' I pointed the gun at his face. He grinned back at me. 'You're not a killer, Levi, we both know that. You should have let her keep it.' He was right on both counts. He put a hand on the wall and

stood up, the phone loose in his hand, blood dripping off his fingers. 'Give me the phone or I’ll give the gun back to her.' His grin faltered for a couple of beats and then it was back full strength. 'Do what you like.' He dropped the phone on the floor and ground the heel of his boot into it like it was a giant cockroach.

***

The crack of shattering glass under

Diego's boot reverberated in my head like the crunch of a dentist's pliers on a rotten tooth. Diego's sick grin took its usual place on his lips. 'Why don't you give him a call now?' I took a fast step towards him and buried my fist in the middle of his stomach. The air exploded out of him like it wasn't ever coming back as he doubled over. I grabbed his greasy hair, yanked his head up and did my best to knock the rest of his teeth out. Damn, that felt good. His head snapped back in my hand and his legs buckled. I let go his

hair and had the phone in my hand by the time his face smacked into the floor. The screen was a mess, cracked and crazed, the casing split. Did it still work? At my feet Diego gasped for air, coughing and spitting, but still managed to laugh at me through a mouthful of blood and broken teeth. 'Time's up, Levi. Gabriel's gonna die.'

Chapter 45 HARPER I couldn't think; couldn't breathe; couldn't do anything except stare at the butt of Gabriel's gun poking out from under his leg.

'What are you going to do?' He shook his head angrily as if to say enough of the stupid questions. 'I don't know. Keep driving until we get where we're supposed to be.' I wanted to say what difference will that make? He didn't know either. I'd only annoy him. I inched my head forward and looked past him at the other car. I did a double take. The passenger was holding something up. I strained my eyes but the rain wouldn’t let me see. 'What's that?' He turned to look and let out a short laugh. I leaned further forward to

get a better look. The guy was smiling and holding his phone up against the glass with one hand, pointing at the shoulder with the other. 'Looks like Diego sent them the photo of Levi tied to the chair. Still think —' 'Alright!' He put his hand on my shaking thigh. 'Sorry. I don't suppose we've got much choice. I'm going to pull over.' He eased off the gas and nodded at the guy in the other car, gave him a thumbs up. The guy nodded back at him and put the phone back in his pocket. Gabriel adjusted his leg to make his gun

more accessible. Everybody did something except me; I sat there stupidly with the backpack in my lap, my hands resting primly on top of it, as if I was six years old, being driven to school by my dad. The trill of Gabriel's phone shattered the silence, making me shriek. It was still in my bag. I snatched my bag off the back seat and dug the phone out. I stared at the name on the screen; Levi. I held it out to Gabriel. 'You answer it. Don't let them see you.' I froze. My fingers refused to work.

'Answer it, for Christ's sake.' Why were they calling in stead of sending a text? So that Gabriel heard what they were doing to Levi, not only saw it? Heard what was happening because I'd made him late. 'Harper!' I closed my eyes and answered. 'Hello?' Silence for a couple of beats. 'Gabriel?' I knew that voice, although I never thought I'd hear it again. 'No, it's Harper.'

'Who?' 'Harper. I was the one in the bar.' More silence. A small voice inside of me wanted to whisper down the phone. Don't you remember me? He found his voice at last—who knows if he knew me or not? I wasn't Gabriel and that's all that mattered. 'What? Where's Gabriel?' 'He's here. He's driving.' 'Tell him to turn around. Get the hell out of there. They're going to kill him as soon as he makes the delivery.'

We were almost at a standstill. Gabriel turned the wheel to pull onto the shoulder. I looked past him, through the rain streaking down the glass, at the two men in the other car. The passenger's eyes met mine. I threw myself back in the seat and yelled at the top of my voice. 'Don't stop. They're going to kill us.' 'What?' 'He said they're going to kill you as soon as you make the delivery.' 'Who said?' 'Levi! Who do you think? It's him

on the phone. He must have got away.' His whole body jerked as if I'd hit him with a cattle prod. Hadn't he heard me talking to him a second earlier? He snatched the phone out of my hand. I wanted to scream at him: Don't you believe me? Just drive. Get the fuck out of here. He clamped the phone to his ear. 'Levi?' I heard Levi on the other end of the line like he was sitting in the back seat. Gabriel! Get the fuck out of there!

***

Gabriel started to say something, then pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. 'Shit.' He threw the phone to me—the screen was blank, the battery dead. 'Gabriel! Get us out of here. Now.' He stamped on the gas, turning the wheel back towards the road. Back towards the other car. I

slammed into the dash as we plowed into their fender, the screech of metal on metal filling the car. Gabriel kept his foot on the gas but their car was bigger and heavier, pushing us relentlessly towards a stand of small trees. 'Hold tight.' I braced myself against the dash. Gabriel jumped on the brakes. The car skidded to a halt. The other one kept going ripping my bumper half off, before it stopped ten yards further on. Everything happened so fast after that, but to me it was as if it was in slow motion. The doors flew open and both guys jumped out, guns in their hands.

Beside me, Gabriel grabbed his gun, pushed the door open and rolled out onto the cold, wet ground. Too late. The guys were on him before he got to his knees. One of them kicked his gun out of his hand sending it flying down the road; the other one pushed him back onto the ground, his gun in the back of Gabriel's neck. He never had a chance. Nor did I. Through the rain streaking the windshield, unable to move or even breathe, I watched the first guy stride around the front of the car towards me. I

grabbed the door handle and pulled with all my weight. He wrenched it open as if it was a small child clinging to the other side. It was all so fast my hands were still clamped tight around the handle. It pulled me half out of the car. He seized the collar of my blouse and yanked. Wet fabric tore, straining buttons popped, and I tumbled out, landing hard on my butt on the rough ground. Cold, muddy water soaked straight through my skirt and panties, chilling my flesh, before he hauled me up and pushed me roughly ahead of him towards where Gabriel lay with his face in the dirt. The guy standing over Gabriel

glanced at me as his partner shoved me forward and did a double take. A sleazy grin curled his lips. 'No need to get undressed.' I didn't need to look down to know my blouse was flapping open; the cold rain on my breasts left me in no doubt about how much was on show. The wind whipped the sodden fabric, plastering it to my breasts and then ripping it away again. The guy behind me sniggered. 'Why not? She's not going to need clothes where she's going.' A hand clamped on my collar

and pulled. 'Get the fuck off me!' I whirled around and slapped him across his stupidly grinning face, harder than I'd ever hit anything before, the full weight of my uncoiling body behind it. I have never heard such a beautiful noise. My whole body screamed do it again. His head snapped sideways, the slap vibrating all the way up my arm into my shoulder. Gabriel pushed up to get his feet under him at the sound. The guy standing

over him fired, the bullet burying itself in the soft ground an inch from Gabriel's hand. 'Don't even think about it.' Gabriel let himself back down slowly. 'Give him one for me, Harper.' The guy I'd slapped stared at me open mouthed. A vivid red weal covered his whole cheek, although he was more surprised than hurt. My palm stung like crazy. What did I care? It was worth it, even if it ached for a week. He snapped out of his shock and grabbed my upper arm with his left hand,

his grip like a vise, fingernails digging hard into soft flesh. ‘Bitch.’ He twisted his whole body and drew his right arm back with enough force to punch me into the next ZIP code. The heavy rings on his thick fingers gleamed dully in the rain as his huge fist clenched. He dug his fingers harder into my arm. I gasped at the pain and pulled away as if I was trying to pull a trapped arm out of closing elevator doors. 'Leave her alone,' his partner barked. 'We haven't got time.' The look on his face said he'd find a way to make time.

'I said leave her.' His fist hung in the air a couple of beats, and then his body relaxed. He dropped his hand and pushed me. I pulled my blouse back in place and did my best to cover myself. I gave him a tight little smile. 'End of free show.' ‘Don’t worry. You’re gonna get what you deserve soon enough.’ By sheer force of will I made my boneless legs move without faltering; walked around the car and stood next to Gabriel. They made us kneel side by side

on the cold, wet ground, hands on our heads, grit and gravel digging painfully into our knees. It was as if I'd wandered onto the set of a bad movie just as they were looking for another extra. One of the men got Gabriel's backpack from the car and pulled a small packet of white powder out. He slit it open with a knife, wet his finger and dabbed it in the powder. He licked his finger and nodded. The packet slipped out of his fingers and fell in the mud, the powder scattering over the ground. 'Fuck. We're really in the shit now.'

The other one gawped at him. 'You're in the shit, you mean, dumbass. I didn't drop it.' They started to argue. Gabriel looked across at me as the bickering got more heated. 'I'm sorry.' I shook my head. What could I say? ‘Short and sweet, eh?’ I managed to smile as the events of the past two days flashed through my mind. ‘Not so sure about the sweet.’

His face fell. ‘Not even in the motel?’ ‘Well, maybe that. definitely short. Too short.‘

It

was

His gaze dropped. The wicked grin suddenly appeared on his lips. 'I couldn't wish for a better view for my last few moments.' I looked down. The wind had caught my blouse, blowing it out behind me. My rain soaked bra was sheer and clinging tightly to me, my cold nipples standing proud. 'I wish you could warm those up for me.'

'That makes two of us.' The arguing behind us stopped. 'Shut up you two.' We shut up. Gabriel kept his eyes on my breasts. He opened his mouth slightly, ran his tongue along his lips and mimed taking my nipple into his mouth. I swear I felt him sucking. One of the men stepped closer. 'Okay, let's get this over with. We haven’t got all night.' I looked down at the ground. How did it ever come to this? Shot like a dog at the side of the road, and all because I fell asleep on the back seat of

my car. I vowed never to drink too much again. Ha, ha. Like that was going to be an option. Beside me Gabriel tensed. What was he about to do? What chance did he have against two men with guns pointed at our heads? None. It was too little, too late. The guy took another step forward until he was right behind us. 'Do the bitch first.’

Chapter 46 LEVI Gabriel's phone died on the other end of the line. I hit redial. Nothing. I stuffed what was left of mine in my pocket. After everything I'd gone through to get it back, Gabriel's battery had died.

Was I too late? And what the hell was Gabriel doing with the gorgeous girl from the bar? Harper. Just her name brought the delicious taste of her skin back to me. At first I hadn't recognized her voice in the desperate panic, but then it had been like somebody had stuck a cattle prod down my pants when I realized who she was. It wasn’t something I would ever forget. I swear my fingers still knew the contours of her face, tingled with pleasure as they recalled the texture of her hair as I wound my fingers tightly

into it. The taste of her lips was still fresh on my tongue as it pushed hungrily between them; the sight of her nipples pressing tightly through her wet blouse as I pushed my body next to hers; how wet she must have been, her thighs slick with desire, as my cock strained against her belly, rock hard and insistent; the smell of her body and the taste of her skin as my lips made their way down her throat, down her chest, light kisses nipping at her flesh and then teasing her, my mouth hovering above her nipple as it called to me through the thin fabric of her bra. How did I ever control myself? I so desperately wanted to rip her bra

aside, see her breasts bared for my pleasure, before taking her nipple in my mouth, right there, in the hallway, feeling it hot and throbbing as I closed my mouth around it, sucking and pulling until she gave herself up to me completely. I pressed my forehead against the wall until the cool dampness brought me back to reality. Sofia stood over Diego kicking him repeatedly while he writhed pathetically on the floor, nursing his injured hand and trying to get some oxygen back into his lungs. I laughed to myself. Not more

than a half hour earlier she'd been lying underneath me in the alley, her lips on mine, her hand on my cock and I'd thought this might work. But all it took was the sound of Harper's voice to make me realize it had only been a reaction to what had happened to me, a manifestation of relief at being set free, a temporary bonding with my rescuer. Looking at her now as she tormented her brother I knew it was Harper I wanted. And with that thought everything got twice as bad. If I was too late and they killed Gabriel, they'd be sure to kill Harper too. And there was nothing I could do to help.

Except there was. I bent down and took hold of the front of Diego's shirt and pulled him into a sitting position against the wall. 'Get your phone out.' 'Fuck you.' 'Sofia, see if you can find that knife.' Her face lit up like Christmas had come early. She saw it lying on the floor and as good as skipped over to it, like it was a hundred dollar bill. I pushed my face into Diego's and dropped my voice.

'When she comes back over here I'm going to remind her about all those things you said. What was it again? She's had more cock than most. She's a fucking whore.' I poked my tongue suggestively into the side of my cheek like he'd done. 'Remember what happened when you did that?' Most of the fuck you bravado slipped off his face. I pulled him away from the wall and wrapped my arm around his neck, pulled him around so that he was facing his sister. She smiled at him and took a step forward. He bucked and jerked around, his legs and

heels slapping uselessly on the rough concrete floor as he tried to prise my arms away from his throat. 'Okay.' He'd have screamed it if I wasn't strangling him. 'I said okay. I'll get it. Just get her away from me.' Sofia's face fell as if Christmas had been cancelled until further notice. I kept the choke hold on him as he fished in his pocket and pulled out his phone. 'Call Xavier. Tell him you've changed your mind. Tell him if he harms Gabriel or the woman he's with, you'll . .

. you think of something. You're better at it than me. Just so long as he gets the message. And speak English.' He made the call, his eyes locked on the blade in Sofia’s restless hand. Lucky for him, they picked up. I tightened my grip around his throat. Sofia licked her lips, praying for her chance. Despite what I told him I wished it was in Spanish when he got to the part about what he'd do if they hurt Gabriel and Harper. I'd never have thought of something like that. 'Good boy, Diego.' I took his phone from him and put it in my pocket. 'We have to go, Levi. The others

might come back any minute.' She was right. In all the excitement I'd completely forgotten about them. We locked Diego in his office and ran for the stairs.

Chapter 47 HARPER The ring of a cellphone shattered the tension. The guy furthest from us pulled it out of his pocket and answered it. Gabriel was tensed so tight next

to me he was almost vibrating in the wind. 'What's taking you so long, dickhead? Can't find the trigger?' 'Shut the fuck up.' 'Or are you too busy jerking off at the sight of her wet titties? Thinking about your momma and how she used to play with your little peepee?' 'I said shut up.' He jammed the barrel of his gun hard into the back of Gabriel's neck. Gabriel smiled. It was one I hadn’t seen before; I hoped I’d never have cause to see it again.

Everything happened at once. Gabriel whirled around faster than my eyes could follow, unleashing the pent up tension inside him, knocking the guy sideways. The guy grunted in surprise and fired. His partner screamed Stop! Gabriel gasped and clasped his side; toppled into the mud, a red stain blossoming out beneath his ribs, seeping through his fingers. I threw myself over him. 'Stop!' The one who'd fired stepped away from us, his gun hanging limply in his hand. 'What is it?'

His partner laughed. 'Too late, is what it is.' 'What?' 'Change of plan. We're not to hurt them.' The shooter shook his head and snorted. 'Nice timing.' 'Tell that to the guy over there.' They looked across at us, at me shielding Gabriel with my body. 'Aw. Ain't that sweet?' 'Wouldn't mind being shot myself

if that's what it gets you.' They both laughed, the sound of it making my skin crawl. 'Come on, let's get out of here.' They walked backed to their car taking Gabriel's backpack with them, arguing about which one of them was more in the shit—the one who spilled the drugs or the one who shot Gabriel— and how they were going to explain it all to their boss. I gathered he wasn't going to be happy. They got in without even looking back at us and then they were gone as if they'd simply stopped at the side of the road a minute because one of them needed to pee.

***

I knelt in the filthy mud with Gabriel's head in my lap. Stinging cold rain bounced off my skin; sharp pieces of grit dug into the flesh of my knees. I couldn't feel a thing. I pushed his straggling hair out of his eyes, smoothed it down with my fingers. He smiled up at me. 'I remember last time my head was here, when I was trying to drag you out of the car and put you in the trunk.' I tried to smile at the memory. It

wouldn't come. I doubted I'd ever smile again. 'It all seems like such a long time ago.' I nodded dumbly. I didn't feel up to words. The smile faltered as he winced in pain and then it was back, stronger than before, the wicked grin I was going to miss more than I ever imagined. 'The view's pretty good from down here too.' I looked down my body at the sodden fabric of my blouse clinging wetly to my breasts like a second skin,

my nipples as plain to see as if I was naked. What I'd have given to be naked next to him in a warm bed right then. He traced a line from my collarbone down to my nipple and ran his finger around it. I shivered. Heat flared between my thighs. 'You think you get a free pass just because you're shot?' 'Somebody

shoot

me

again,

quick.' 'Idiot.' He nodded like one. I bent forward and wrapped my arms around his head, pulling him into

me, smothering him with my breasts. I didn't ever want to let go. We stayed like that until a muffled cry came up from between my breasts. 'I can't breathe.' I put his head back in my lap. 'I thought I was going to suffocate in there.' The grin suddenly slipped off his face. The unfamiliar seriousness scared me. 'I want you to do something for me.' I swallowed a lump the size of my fist. The implication was obvious.

Because I won't be around to do it for myself. He touched my cheek. 'Hey, not so serious.' I forced a smile out, Lord knows how. 'I want you to give Levi a message.' I nodded. 'Sure.' Would I be able to do it? I suppose it depended on what the message was. It wouldn't be easy whatever it was. 'You know what I was saying

before we were attacked—about a fucked up ending to a fucked up story?' At that moment all I wanted was for it to be me who’d been shot—then I’d curl up and die and not have to listen any more. I kept on nodding. It was all I was good for. 'Yeah, well, Levi doesn't know it either, so I need you tell him. And I want you to tell him face to face, okay. Not over the phone.' He ran the back of his fingers down my cheek. 'You don't get off that easily.' Then he told me the fucked up

ending to the whole fucked up story. I listened in silence, too dazed to say anything. I wanted to touch him, but I was scared to, scared in case he shrugged me off, because who he really wanted to comfort him was Levi, not somebody he met two days ago. I did it anyway. Ran my fingers through his hair, cupped his head in my hand. I couldn’t have said a word if my life depended on it. My throat was so thick there was barely room for the oxygen I was heaving in to go down, let alone words to come out the other way. But I hadn't cried. Not yet. He

saw that as a challenge and rose to the occasion. 'The only good thing to come out of all this—' His voice cracked as the first tear rolled down my cheek. Don't you dare say it. '—is that I met you.'

***

'I'm taking you back with me.' 'No.'

'I'm not leaving you here.' 'I like it here.' He rubbed the back of his head into my lap as if I didn't know what he was talking about. 'Yeah? I'm not sure about your grasp of the female anatomy, but if I go, that bit goes too and your head'll be in the mud.' 'Mud sounds good.' There wasn't any point arguing with him. Even with a bullet in him he was much stronger than me. I helped him up and got him as comfortable as possible, propped him up against a tree.

I sat next to him, my vision a blur of hot, stinging tears. He took my hand. His fingers were cold but it didn’t stop a rush of heat coursing through me. 'You know how you ran out on me at the hotel—' I stiffened, my breathing on hold. What was he about to say? That it was all my fault? The final accusation of a dying man. 'It worked out for the best in the end.' I choked back a gasp, a tide of self loathing rising up inside me for

thinking he'd ever accuse me. 'If you hadn't run off and delayed things, we'd have got here four or five hours ago. Most likely Levi wouldn't have escaped by then. I mean, he's not about to escape and wait all that time before calling, is he? Whatever it was that took place and allowed him to escape, it only happened in the last half hour. Four hours ago he was still tied to a chair. I don't believe they ever meant to let him go. He'd be dead now.' 'I hope you're right.' He squeezed my hand. 'I'm right. Thanks to you, he's still alive.'

I wished I deserved to take the credit for it. 'Stick with him.' I opened my mouth to protest. He put his finger on my lips. 'You'll be good for each other. Trust me, I know him.' He made the hourglass shape in the air with his hands. 'What's he going to think of me when I tell him I left you here? He'll hate me. Are you sure you won't change your mind?' He shook his head. 'He won't hate you. You tell him I wouldn't go; he'll believe you.'

I didn't want to leave him. At that point I wouldn't have swapped sitting next to him in the mud with the rain beating down on our faces for anything in the world—apart from swapping the mud and rain for a rug in front of a blazing fire. 'You've got to go, Harper. The police might come along any minute. How are you going to explain a pile of cocaine on the ground, a man with a bullet in his guts and you without a scratch?' He cocked his head. 'Actually, how do you explain it?' Ordinarily he'd have got a slap or a dig in the ribs—this time I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him so

long and so tight I thought I really had suffocated him, he was so quiet. He pushed me away at last. 'Go now. Be safe.' I ran to my car and drove like I wasn't ever going to stop.

Chapter 48 LEVI I took the stairs two at a time, Sofia trying to keep up in her high heels. At the top I stuck my head out the door and immediately pulled it back in.

Too late. Diego's men were coming down the street, laughing and fooling around, bellies full of beer and whisky. I pressed myself into the wall and held up my hand for Sofia to stop. She pointed to a dark alcove at the side of the door. 'Get in there. I'll create a diversion.' 'Aren’t you coming with me?' She smiled and stroked my face. 'You don't have to pretend any more.' 'I don't know what you mean.'

'Don't insult me. You think I can't see the change in you after you talked to that woman on the phone?' I didn't say anything; hoped my face didn't give too much away. 'I never really thought it would work out between us. I hoped it would but deep inside I knew I was only fooling myself.’ She looked down at her feet as if she was watching the last of her hopes drain out of them and run away across the floor. ‘Then I saw something in your face when you talked to her on the phone —I've never seen that look when you're

with me. I knew then.' I took her face in my hands and kissed her. 'For a while I really thought it might work too.' She raised an eyebrow and gave me a knowing smile; one that said all men are the same. 'Lying on top of me in the alley, you mean? Whispering those dirty things in my ear.' Guilty as charged. 'Not only then. But you're right, I —'

She kissed me softly, the words dying on my lips at her touch. 'You don't need to say it. Get in the corner. I'll try to distract them so you can make a run for it.' ‘What’ll happen to you when they set Diego free?’ She shrugged. ‘I can deal with him. He can’t hurt any more. I’ve just given up what he once took from me—’ I thought she was about to cry but I was wrong. The wet gleam in her eye was something different altogether. I was glad I wasn’t in Diego’s shoes when

payback time came. She pushed me into the shadows and darted through the door, out into the street and screamed. 'Quick! He's got Diego locked in his office.' Six pairs of feet came to life in an instant and thundered down the sidewalk. I pressed myself harder into the wall and held my breath. They crashed through the door and poured down the stairs on a tide of adrenalin and alcohol. I was out the door before they reached the bottom. Sofia was there on the sidewalk in front of me. 'Sofia—'

'Don't.' Her eyes were wet, real tears this time, her whole body trembling. Frantic shouts and the sound of fancy boots on a cheap wooden door wafted up the stairs towards us. I turned and ran.

Chapter 49 HARPER I met Levi in a cafe two days later. I was more nervous than I’d been kneeling in the mud next to Gabriel with a gun pointing at the back of my head. I

arrived first and sat in a window seat, nursing a latte and scanning the street for him. I wasn't worried he wouldn't show—I'd called him on Gabriel's phone as soon as it had enough charge. He'd almost climbed down the phone; he’d been desperate for me to tell him what had happened right then, the anguish in his voice cutting through me like an ice cold knife. He must have despised me for it; the fact I'd promised Gabriel I'd do it face to face didn’t make it any easier Now the time had come, I was so nervous I almost wished I'd broken my promise. My coffee cup shook as I lifted

it to my mouth. I smiled to myself. Last time Levi saw me I had the remnants of a Margarita soaking into my blouse; I didn't want coffee this time—although if things turned out as they had that evening as a result . . . He was suddenly there, standing at my table. I jumped; there must be a back door. I hadn't seen him coming. He was even more handsome than I remembered. 'Hello Harper.' He slid into the seat opposite me. 'Hello Levi.' We stared at each other like a

couple of tongue-tied teenagers. Luckily the waitress came over before it got awkward. Then it got awkward. 'Looks like you two might as well skip the coffee.' She smiled and winked at Levi. He gave her an easy smile back and ordered; the color crept up my neck and into my face. 'I want to know everything, but you’ve got to tell me about Gabriel first. The last two days have been driving me insane.' I sipped my coffee to give myself a few seconds. I'd need a bucket of it to give me all the time I wanted. I tried to

hold his eyes but it was too much for me. Not that there was any blame in them— that was all inside me. It always would be. The words stuck in my throat. 'They . . . they shot him. I’m so sorry.' He knew already, surely—or else Gabriel would have called him, would be there with us, making a big joke out of it all—but he couldn't control the sharp intake of breath. Something died behind his eyes. I knew what it was—of course I did; I’d killed it, after all. The last remnants of a hope he’d somehow kept alive for two, long days. And I’d crushed the life out of

it like a roach under my shoe. 'I was too late.' He slammed a massive fist into the table top, rattling my cup, slopping tepid coffee on the table. A few customers looked around; looked away quickly when they saw his face. I wished I could do the same. ‘No—‘ The waitress arrived with his coffee and a disapproving look, cutting me short. She shook her head and glared at the mess on the table. I was surprised her fists didn’t go straight to her hips. A cloth appeared in her hand from nowhere and she set to, mopping up the

puddle of coffee, carefully lifting my cup and drying it, putting it back down gently, making a meal of it all. Okay, okay, we get it: you’re pissed. Now just go before I lose my nerve. This is hard enough as it is. Finally, when the table was clean enough, she walked away. I felt like knocking my cup onto the floor. 'No. You weren't too late.' Confusion clouded his face. I wanted to put my hand on his, comfort him, but mine wouldn’t move. 'I don't understand.' My stomach clenched, the blood

beating like tiny fists against my ears, as I re-lived that dreadful night; the worst night of my life. I opened my mouth to tell him the things I’d spent two days and a thousand miles trying to forget. I caught myself in time. I couldn’t tell him how it happened. It would destroy him. I couldn’t tell him how Gabriel used the phone call as a diversion to make his move—the move that left him lying in the mud, blood seeping through his fingers. He’d blame himself for ever. He misunderstood my hesitation. He put his hand over mine, swamping it, his fingers curling into my palm.

'I know it's hard.' I wanted to throw my head back and laugh out loud. It wasn't hard at all. It was the easiest lie I ever told. 'They made us kneel in front of them; they were going to shoot us. I was so scared. I remember thinking I don’t want to die, not like this.’ He squeezed my hand gently. ‘Then one of them got a phone call—somebody called them off. You should have seen them; suddenly they were more scared than us. We were safe.'

I bit my lip; searched his eyes and waited for the recognition and relief I was looking for. I couldn’t miss it when it came; he grew six inches in the chair. ‘But’—I shook my head in frustration; gripped his fingers tightly—'I don't know what got into Gabriel. It all happened so fast . . . ‘ ‘It’s okay. Take your time.’ I chewed the edge of my thumb. ‘He attacked one of them. I don’t know why. They . . . ’ I looked down at the table, my hair falling over my face.

‘What?’ ‘I don’t want to . . .’ ‘Harper. Tell me.’ I looked up into his eyes and swallowed. I was playing around with the timing in my story, giving it a subtle spin, but it didn’t make any of the events less real, less frightening. ‘Before they made me kneel in the dirt I thought they were going to attack me, you know, rape me. It was pouring with rain; my blouse was soaked and torn, buttons missing. I was half naked. One of them tried to rip it off. I slapped him. He was going to hit me but the other one stopped him . . . ‘

I was seriously chewing my thumb for real. Levi took my hand and put it on the other one, covering them with both of his. ‘Take it easy.’ I took a deep breath and slowed the gabble of words pouring out of my mouth. ‘I think maybe that’s why Gabriel attacked them. Because of what they did to me. I think they made some filthy remarks as they walked away; laughing at me. I don’t remember. Whatever it was, a gun went off. The next thing I knew he was lying bleeding in my arms and they were gone.'

He pulled his hands away from mine and ran them up through his hair, his head angled towards the ceiling as if there was some relief up there mixed in with the grease and tobacco stains. He dropped his elbows to the table and rested his head in his hands, Gabriel's name whispered over and over under his breath. His head jerked up as he let out a short cough of a laugh. His eyes met mine. There was so much pain in them I felt tears prick the back of mine. I forced myself not to look away from it. 'Jesus Christ. And I'm supposed to be the impetuous one, the loose cannon. I’m the one who acts first; thinks

later.' Before I had a chance to say anything, he took hold of my hand again and turned the focus right back on me. ‘Whatever you do, you mustn’t blame yourself. Maybe you’re right, maybe it was because of what they tried to do to you, but it’s not your fault. He always did like to play the knight in shining armor.’ I wanted to laugh out loud. I’d done such a great job with my subtle tweaking of the story—all the facts were there, after all, just not necessarily in the right order—that he was worried in case I blamed myself.

It felt so good to take on at least some of the blame he’d otherwise have to carry around himself. If the waitress hadn’t been such a sour puss I’d have climbed on the table and . . . I don’t know what, but we’d have been thrown out, for sure. I didn’t know it then, but things would have been better if I had. ‘A bit like you, you mean.’ His brow creased. ‘In the bar? When we last met?’ The creases got deeper. How could he have forgotten so soon? ‘The two drunks?’

He shook his head. When you tried to suck the spilled Margarita out of my bra? He face split into a massive grin as if I’d accidentally said it out loud. Some of the life my words had extinguished lit up his eyes. I kicked him gently under the table. ‘You knew all along what I was talking about.’ ‘I’d forgotten about the drunks. Other things sort of took over as I recall. I remember something about a Margarita.’ I cocked my head. He wasn’t the

only one who could tease. ‘Yes. You liked the way it was served. It was a shame you didn’t finish it.’ Was that really me saying those things? The last few days had really shaken something loose in me. I looked at the inch of cold coffee that remained in my cup. Was it too late to slop it down my front? There was an awkward pause, only a couple of beats, but it was there nonetheless. My chest tightened and it wasn’t at the thought of Levi sucking Margaritas or coffee out of my bra, or anything else that included him and my bra in the same thought.

I was back in the rain and mud with Gabriel. 'You left him there?' It wasn't an accusation. Whether or not it was because he thought I felt guilty enough already for what happened, who knows? 'I . . . I didn't want to. I begged him to come with me. He refused. He said you'd understand.' He let out a short laugh. 'Yeah. Nobody ever made Gabriel do a thing he didn't want to do.' He slammed the table, harder this time, making me jump. My little

white lie was forgotten. He was back to blaming himself. 'None of that changes anything. It's all my fault. If I hadn't been so stupid; hadn't—' 'Levi!' The tone of my voice stopped him as surely as a slap across the face. 'You don't have to blame yourself. None of it made any difference anyway.'

Chapter 50 His mouth opened and closed a couple of times before anything came out. 'Too late for an operation?' I nodded. 'The day after you ripped off the

drugs, the day before you were supposed to meet in the bar, he had an appointment at the hospital. They told him it was too late, it was inoperable.' 'So he was going to die anyway? Why didn't he tell me?' 'He was going to tell you when he met you. It's not the sort of thing you tell someone over the phone.' He shook his head. 'I suppose not. Why didn't he at least tell me he had the appointment?' 'Because he didn't know you were planning on taking things into your own hands in such a . . . dramatic way.'

'Shit.' 'Yup. That about sums it up. Or as Gabriel said, it's a fucked up ending to a fucked up story.' He smiled at my words. 'That sounds like him.' He looked down at the table top. I gave him plenty of time to digest my words; I'd had the whole of the journey back to torture myself about it, he could have a few minutes. 'It still doesn't change—' I put a finger to his lips. It wasn’t a good idea. I was already having trouble keeping my emotions under

control. I ached with the need to touch him. 'He said he was happier this way. How did he put it?’ ‘He didn't want to die in a hospital bed with tubes poking out of his ass and pretty nurses with large chests squeezed into starched uniforms cleaning up after him because he was too weak to do it for himself.' He laughed and his eyes dropped briefly to my chest; I caught him doing it. Gabriel's words about his taste in women, and the way he made that hourglass in the air came back to me. But it was something else he'd said that

brought the flush to my cheeks: You'll be good for each other. 'That sounds like him too. He had a thing about large breasts and curvy hips.' I laughed out loud, a short, sharp bark. My hand shot to my mouth but it was already out. 'What?' 'He said the same about you.' He swallowed. A guilty smile curled his lips but there was nothing guilty in his eyes. No, that was pure, shameless desire and it set something off inside me that was going to be hard to

control. Not that control had a place in my life any longer. Not after the past few days. He leaned closer. ‘Why don’t—‘ My heart jumped. For one crazy moment I thought he was about to say: why don’t we get out of here and I’ll show you how right he was? I can’t keep my eyes off you. '—you tell me all about your little road trip?' There were plenty of reasons, but mostly it was the dream I’d had in the car. It refused to get out of my head;

it was going through it now. The one where I'd gone down on Gabriel and suddenly it was Levi's face filled with the pleasure I’d given him. Having that face twelve inches away from mine as he leaned over the table towards me ignited a flush of heat and wetness right between my legs. We were in a public place, after all. 'Maybe another time.' He didn't push it. Was it because he'd worked it out for himself? I giggled as another image floated across my mind. I tried to turn it into a cough but he wasn't fooled.

'What's so funny?' He leaned closer still. His face was only six inches from mine, the smell of his aftershave taking me right back to the night in the bar; to the feel of his lips on my skin. I swallowed, my mouth moist. I ached for him to touch me; not to comfort me like before, but because he wanted to. Why didn’t he lean forward those last six inches and kiss me? 'You don't want to know.' 'Let me be the judge of that.' I was tempted to get Gabriel's phone out of my bag and show him. But I

couldn't do that to him. Not now, not in the cafe, anyway. Perhaps later. 'I saw the photos of you tied to the chair they sent Gabriel.' I let that sink in. He sat up straight and nodded in an exaggerated way. I raised an eyebrow. 'All of them. There’s a nice shot from the waist down.' 'Okay.' He stretched it out into a three syllable word. His voice was tight as if he was having trouble breathing. 'I've got his phone here. I can show you the ones I mean.'

He coughed nervously and ran his hand through his hair. He was blushing. It wasn't surprising—they didn't show him at his best. 'No, that's okay. I know the ones you mean. I better take that phone.' 'Sure.' I dug around in my bag, not looking at him, keeping the smile I couldn’t control hidden. 'I've downloaded them onto my computer anyway.' 'You did not.' 'I've got a new background image on my desktop too.' He laughed, amusement mixed

with relief. 'Now I know you're lying.' I pushed the phone across the table. ‘Besides, the before ones are never much fun.’ I swallowed before I dribbled down my chin at the thoughts going through my mind. ‘I’m looking forward to the after ones.’ That did it. The wicked grin that split his face told me I’d started something I might not be able to control.

‘After? What about the during ones?’ I didn’t have a chance to reply. It wouldn’t have been much of a reply anyway with my heart stuck in my throat. He cupped the back of my neck and pulled me towards him. His kiss was hard and urgent, leaving me breathless. ‘What was that for?’ ‘You didn’t like it?’ Put your hand between my legs and ask me that again. ‘I didn’t say that—‘ ‘To keep you going. I need a little time; just a couple of days.’

I nodded and tried not to let the disappointment show in my face. Things were moving too fast after the news I just gave him. That’s what I told myself, anyway. Nobody said you have to believe everything you tell yourself. ‘I knew it wasn’t good news when Gabriel didn’t call me. It didn’t stop me hoping or make it any easier when it’s finally real.’ ‘At least you can stop beating yourself up about it so badly.’ ‘Yeah. That’s something at least.’ His voice didn’t have the one hundred and ten per cent conviction I wanted to hear. Did he really mean it?

Or did he blame himself despite what I’d said. I couldn’t do any more to help him; unfortunately only time could do that and I had to let him have it. He brushed my cheek with the back of his fingers. ‘There’s nothing I’d like more than carry on where we left off—‘ I raised an eyebrow. ‘What? Here?’ The look in his eyes said yeah, why not? ‘—but I don’t want it to be a knee jerk reaction; an escape valve for all the emotions . . .’

‘It’s okay, you don’t have to justify yourself to me. I understand. Take as long as you need.’ That’s what my mouth said anyway. The rest of me screamed don’t let him walk away as he got up and headed for the door. Would I ever see him again?

Chapter 51 HARPER The waitress came over and refilled my cup. She smiled at me; I did my best to give her one back. It wasn't very convincing.

'I'd probably feel like that too if a guy as good looking as him just walked out on me.' I wanted to tell her to mind her own business; he hadn't walked out on me; we'd be seeing each other again soon. Very soon. I didn't think I'd be able to pull that off either. She put her hand on my shoulder; gave me a reassuring squeeze. 'I'm sure it'll all work out in the end. You were getting on so well.' You should have seen us the other night. 'Apart from him banging the table, of course.'

I nursed the coffee, hoping the door would burst open as he rushed back in, his mind changed, unable to wait another moment. By the time I'd finished, I knew it wasn't going to happen. I'd had my fill of coffee and the small pitying smiles thrown my way by the waitress so I headed out. What to do? I'd called in sick so I could meet up with Levi and now I wished I hadn't. At least there I could bury myself in work and stop thinking about the past few days—and what might happen next. Or not. Would I ever see him again? And

what if I did? It wouldn't last; it never did. I stepped between two parked cars to cross the street, my head full of Levi and Gabriel and how my life would never be the same again, whatever happened. My phone rang. My heart lurched in my chest. I dug the phone frantically out of my bag. It was pitiful. Did I really think it was Levi? Wait there. I'm on my way back. I never got to find out. Rubber squealed on asphalt. A

horn blared. My head snapped to the left, my phone tumbling unanswered out of my fingers. The monstrous grill of a black SUV loomed over me; devouring me. I opened my mouth to scream. No, not now— The SUV's fender caught me in the side and batted me high into the air like a cat playing with a baby mouse. The scream erupted out my gaping mouth, a high-pitch keening, melding with the screech of protesting tires and the hysterical shriek of the

SUV's horn, filling my head, beating against the inside of my skull, sucking the breath and life out of me. —not when he just called me. I bounced on the hood; my head butted the windshield. Glass shattered. Blood filled my eyes. My body catapulted off the hood, twisting gracefully, lazily in the air, into the path of the oncoming traffic. A truck nose-dived, swerved crazily, rocking from side to side. Its fender gave my ass a cheeky smack as it passed, and then the whole truck

mounted the sidewalk, plowing a swathe through screaming, startled onlookers. I landed on my back, whumpfh, and lay still; a pathetic, crumpled heap of arms and legs and lost shoes in the middle of the road. Silence. And then everything went crazy. Pain; pain everywhere; as if it was going to eat me alive, limb by limb. My vision blurred, the sun bright in my eyes. Anxious faces hovered above me, peering down into mine, voices filled with panic coming to me from somewhere a long way off.

'She never looked. Just ran into the road, looking at her phone. I didn't have a chance.' 'Is she okay?' 'She never even looked.' 'Try to stop the bleeding.' A hand on my shoulder. 'Don't touch her. She might have a broken . . . ' The voices faded, and then . . . nothing.

Chapter 52 LEVI I barely slept that night. There was so much going around in my head; all the good times I'd spent with Gabriel, the crazy things we'd got up to which somehow always turned out okay—he

had the luck of the devil as the old man used to say—but none of them as crazy as what I'd got us into. And Harper. Everything always came back to Harper—and how I wished I'd played things differently. After I left the cafe, I made it all the way back to my apartment, somehow managed to not turn around. I'd wanted to call her the minute I was out the door, tell her to stay where she was, rush straight back in and take her into my arms. What the hell had I been talking about?

I don’t want it to be a knee jerk reaction. It wasn't a knee jerk reaction. I hadn't stopped thinking about her ever since I met her. Before any of this happened. Before she told me about Gabriel. It was what kept me going as they laid into me when I was tied to a chair in Diego's basement. Take as long as you need. I'd done that by the time I made it to the end of the block. I knew it wasn't just a reaction, but I didn't want her to think it was; that I took advantage of the first shoulder I could find to cry on. And she needed time too. Despite what I

said, it was obvious she blamed herself for Gabriel's stupid reaction that got him killed. Knowing him, he probably decided to take the quick way out instead of slowly wasting away in a hospital bed. I know that's what I'd do. By five in the morning I'd had enough of lying awake in bed, watching the clock and staring at the ceiling as the light slowly crawled across it. I got up and went for an early morning run, hoping it would clear my head. It didn't, no matter how hard I pushed myself. I took a long shower and tried to wash it all away. That didn't work either, so I made myself some breakfast but it was

still only six thirty by the time I'd thrown half of it uneaten into the trash. Was it too early to call her? I did it anyway. Besides, she'd be getting up for work soon. What better way for her to be woken up—other than in person, of course. I had a fun, witty remark all lined up for when she picked up and then it went straight to voicemail. Her voice reminded me of the way she'd teased me about the pictures of me tied to the chair with my pants around my ankles while Sofia tried to coax some life out of me. The before ones are never much fun. I’m looking forward to the after

ones. I wasn't one hundred per cent sure she hadn't downloaded them onto her computer like she said. Maybe she'd spent the evening looking at them; dreaming about what she'd like to do with me. I would have done if the roles were reversed. She was most likely in the shower. I shouldn't have let the thought cross my mind. I closed my eyes and imagined what it would be like to take a shower with her, standing behind her, pressing myself up against her soapy skin, feeling

her push her ass into my cock, wriggling up and down as it nestled between her cheeks, as my hands ran over her breasts, squeezing them, teasing her nipples, one hand slipping off, sliding down the rounded curve of her belly and through her damp curls, coming to rest between her legs, right where she wanted them. Cupping her mound, pulling her tighter into me, parting her, my other hand slipping off her breast and up her neck, my fingers finding her mouth at the same time I buried a finger into the wetness of her pussy, teasing her with my fingers slipping inside her, then out again, over and over, rubbing her until I couldn't take it any longer and had

to feel myself buried so deep inside her. The beep at the end of her voicemail brought me back to earth. I hadn't said a word. She'd enjoy listening to that one. Two minutes of me breathing heavily down the phone as I imagined making love to her in the shower. I redialled and left a message. 'Hi, it's me, Levi. You're probably in the shower—you should've let me know—I've just had mine. Anyway, give me a call when you've got a minute—I'd really like to see you again.'

***

I couldn't believe it when she hadn't called me back by lunchtime. She was most likely catching up on a really busy schedule after her unplanned road trip with Gabriel. I'd have thought she could have found five minutes to call, even if it was just to say that she'd changed her mind and wanted to put the whole thing behind her. I wouldn't have blamed her. Actually, I would; I'd have blamed her more than I can say, but it wouldn't be surprising. Unless she was made of stronger stuff than the rest of us, she'd

have nightmares for the rest of her life, re-living every moment of the night she knelt in the dirt waiting for a bullet in the back of the head and then cradled a dying man's head in her lap. Why spend time with the guy who set the whole pointless exercise in motion and remind yourself in the daytime too? That didn't mean I was going to give up. I'd need a lot more discouragement before I took any notice. I tried her number and it went to voicemail again. 'Hi, it's me again. I thought maybe we could have dinner one night—

like tonight. Don't make me stalk you.'

Chapter 53 HARPER Stop! I saw the SUV this time; saw its evil black grille coming right at me like it was aiming for me and only me. But

not soon enough. Next thing I knew I was on the ground. I couldn’t move. Was I paralyzed? Would I ever walk again? The thought scared me more than kneeling on the ground next to Gabriel, about to meet my maker. The ground was cold and hard under my head. Blood leaked out of my hair; ran into my eyes, blurring my vision. Faces peered down at me; distant voices chattering inanely. Across the street the grill of the black SUV seemed to laugh at me: Gotcha! That’s what you get for jaywalking.

The driver’s door opened. Feet swung out; a man’s feet. They started walking towards me; they looked familiar. That was stupid. I don't know any men's feet. People shouted in protest as the man with the feet pushed them roughly out of the way, strong hands on chests, shoving, clearing a path towards me. Pretty soon people moved aside without waiting to be pushed. He must be somebody important. A doctor maybe? Get out the fucking way. Is that how doctors talk? I knew that voice. But I didn’t know if that was good or bad.

He looked down at me but the sun was behind his head, in my eyes, blinding me. 'Hello Harper.' Levi. I wanted to cry. Everything was going to be okay. I didn’t care about the pain any more. He'd come back for me. I gave him all the time he needed and now he'd come back to me. 'Hello Levi.' I lifted my arm towards him. I wanted so badly to feel his hand in mine; feel those strong hands pick me up and hold me to his chest.

But he didn't take my hand. And why was he driving the SUV? 'Did you think you could get away with it?' What was he talking about? Suddenly the pain was back, twice as bad. 'Did you really think you could leave him there in the mud and the rain? Leave him to die at the side of the road.' 'I didn't—' 'Shut the fuck up. I've had enough of your lies, Harper. You think I'm stupid? You think I don't know what really happened?'

'No. It's not like that—' 'At least you finally got what you deserved.' No! People shouted. Something about calling 911. Levi silenced them with a look, concerned voices fading to nothing in the face of such conviction. You didn't argue with a man like him. 'Leave her there. Let her die in the middle of the road. Like Gabriel.' He turned on his heel and walked away. Would I ever see him again? Would I get the chance to explain?

Then the pain jumped into the void left by his leaving, exploding through every cell in my body, and when the everloving darkness reached for me, I sank gratefully back into it.

Chapter 54 LEVI I felt like a teenager as I pushed open the door to the cafe. I was stalking her already. Harper chose the cafe for our

meeting; maybe it was somewhere she came to often. The same waitress came over to take my order. Her step faltered and her face fell when she saw it was me. I only spilled some coffee, for Christ's sake. It's not like I trashed the place. Then she surprised the hell out of me. She put a hand on my shoulder and I saw the look on her face wasn't anger or irritation. That I could deal with. This was something much worse. My stomach twisted. 'How is she?'

'Excuse me?' 'Your friend. How is she?' Whatever had hold of my guts tightened its grip. The waitress's hand came off my shoulder and went to her mouth. Her eyes widened and welled up. 'Oh my God. You don't know?' I wanted to jump up, grab her shoulders and shake her. 'What? What don't I know?' 'The girl you were with. The pretty one. I thought you knew her.' She dropped into the seat opposite me, her head shaking in

disbelief. I put my hand over hers. 'What's your name?' 'Laura.' 'Okay, Laura, why don't you tell me what happened?' 'Well, after you left, your friend —' 'Harper.' '—Harper stayed and had another coffee. I think she was hoping you'd come back. She looked so sad. She reminded me so much of my daughter when her boyfriend dumped her.' I nodded sympathetically, forcing

myself to relax. I took my hand off hers before the bones cracked. 'I said to her—your friend I mean, not my daughter—I'm sure it'll all work out in the end but I don't think she was really listening, poor girl.' I told myself a few more minutes getting to the fucking point didn't matter. 'So when she knew you weren't coming back'—she looked straight at me to make sure I knew the blame for whatever was coming next was laid squarely at my door—'she got up and left. I could see she was so upset. She was in a daze.'

My mouth was so dry I was tempted to ask for a coffee but I daren't distract her now she'd got into the swing of her story. I swallowed drily. 'You want a coffee?' She started to get up. 'No, I'm fine. Really.' 'It was really busy in here. I didn't see what happened. But I heard it. Suddenly there was this loud screech of car tires and then the most awful scream I ever heard. Every head in the place snapped around to look. You could've heard a pin drop.' Her hand hovered over her

mouth again. My chest was so tight I couldn't get any oxygen in. 'Then everything went crazy. We all ran outside and there she was, lying in the middle of the road. This big black ugly car with those blacked out windows like the drug dealers use had hit her and knocked her in front of a truck. I don't think the truck hit her because he was way up on the sidewalk. Nearly killed a bunch of people.' She paused to get her breath. 'Can we go outside. I need a cigarette.' I nodded and waited while she got her bag. I followed her out even

though I knew the real reason for going outside was so she could show me the exact spot where it happened. I had to get some fresh air anyway. I touched her arm. 'Was she okay? Just tell me. Then you can tell me all the rest.' She nodded as she fished her cigarettes out. 'She wasn't killed, thank the Lord, if that's what you mean.' I let out the breath that had been on hold inside me for about a week. 'She was unconscious, but she was still breathing. Let me show you.'

She took hold of my arm and led me to a gap between two parked cars. 'They said she ran out right here. She was looking at her phone.' Something registered in her eyes; she gave me a piercing look. 'That wasn't you calling her was it?' I shook my head. I had enough blame at my door for one day. 'Whoever called her as good as —' 'I'm sure whoever it was didn't mean anything like this to happen.' She accepted my words grudgingly and pointed into the road.

'She was lying over there. All twisted up. Her shoes had come off. They said she was thrown ten feet in the air. Ten feet. Her face was covered in blood. Somebody wanted to move her but someone else said no, don't touch her.' Her words faded into the background. I stared at the spot Laura had pointed at—thanked God she hadn't insisted we go over to take a closer look —but there was only one thought going through my mind. Why, for fuck's sake, did I leave her sitting there? Laura touched me on the arm.

'You okay? You want a coffee now? Or something stronger?' If we'd left together it never would have happened. I shook my head; ran my fingers through my hair. 'No, I'm okay.' 'Then the ambulance came. The paramedics were really nice, even if they did try to get us all to go back inside. It's not as if something like this happens every day. We were concerned for that poor girl. Anyway, they said she was unconscious, but she was still breathing.'

'Did they say anything else?' She took hold of her chin and rested her elbow in her hand to make sure I knew she was thinking hard. I wanted to scream at her. Tell the truth. Don't make anything up just so it makes a better story. She must have read my mind. 'I don't think so.' 'Where did they take her?' 'To the hospital, of course.' I took a calming breath. 'Do you know which one?'

'St. Joseph's I think. That's the closest.' She took one last drag on her cigarette, dropped the butt on the sidewalk and ground it out under her shoe. I seized my chance. I was half way down the block by the time she looked up again.

Chapter 55 HARPER Lips gently brushed my skin, breath soft on my face. A hand stroked my hair, tucked it behind my ear. I opened my eyes. The light was

piercingly bright, a sharp stab of pain at the back of my skull. I gasped and closed them again, thankful for the soothing darkness, but it had been long enough to see who was hovering over me. And that caused a very different type of pain to kick in. Was this real? Leave her there. Let her die in the middle of the road. Like Gabriel Or had that been real? I cracked my lids open a fraction, took in the room around me. Some of it was nice—early morning light filtering through blinds at the

window; crisp white sheets on the bed. Some of it not so nice—that institutional smell they could never quite hide; an IV bag suspended on a pole at the side of my bed. I opened my eyes fully. Levi smiled and kissed me on the forehead again. 'I told the doctor that'd do it. He wouldn't believe me.' 'How long have I been here?' 'Only a couple of days.' 'How long have you been here?' 'A couple of days.'

I smiled. I sure as hell hoped this was the real deal, not the dream. 'How do you feel?' I moved my arms and flexed my fingers; then tried my legs and toes. Turned my head from side to side, which made it spin, but apart from that everything was fine. 'Not too bad, considering.' 'Everything working okay?' 'I think so.' 'Would you like me to give you a closer examination?' 'So, you're a doctor now, are

you?' 'I'm picking it up as I go along. I have a natural talent for identifying the parts of the body that need the most attention.' 'Really? And delivering the correct treatment as well?' 'Absolutely. Want to give it a go?' 'Maybe later. When I feel up to enjoying it.' 'Okay.' 'I was so afraid I'd be paralyzed.' He shook his head and took hold

of my hand. 'The doctor said there wasn't any permanent damage. A few bumps and bruises. Nothing to worry about. Not even a concussion.' A wave of relief flooded over me. 'I told him that's what I'd expect —there's no point in having curves like that if you don't bounce.' I started to laugh but the pain in my ribs stopped me dead. 'They better be right when they say laughter is the best medicine, because it hurts like hell.'

'Don't worry, bruised, not broken.'

they're

only

‘So why have I been out for two days?’ ‘The doctor said it was most likely exhaustion. I told him you’d had a tiring few days—‘ ‘That’s one way of describing it, I suppose.’ ‘—and he said sometimes your body just says enough now, I’m getting some rest.’ ‘I should count myself lucky I got away with a few bruised ribs.’ His face turned serious.

'You have to be careful with them. No pressure on your chest—' I gave him a suspicious look. 'What sort of pressure?' He shrugged and tried to keep a straight face. 'No heavy weight on top of you, that sort of thing. Certainly not bouncing up and down. Not for weeks and weeks, maybe months.' 'Not even with all the . . . padding on top of them?' He gave me a little I'm afraid not sort of smile at the corners of his mouth, but he couldn't hide the way his

eyes dropped to my breasts. 'That's okay. I wasn't planning on doing anything like that.' And then, for no reason I can explain, the memory of my nightmare popped into my mind and I began to cry. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze. 'I was only joking—it probably won't be weeks at all.' The tears turned into a half laugh, half cough. He bent over and rested his cheek to mine. I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him. I didn't care how much it hurt.

'I had such an awful nightmare.' Then I told him all about it, pulling him tighter into me so he couldn't see my face. 'I'm so worried that you blame me for what happened.' He extricated himself from my arms and sat on the edge of the bed. 'If there's a pecking order as far as blame goes, I'm first in line for setting the whole thing in motion, then comes Gabriel for being Gabriel, and finally there's you, right down at the bottom. And the only thing you're guilty of is looking like you did with your blouse clinging to you like a second skin,

making those guys' tongues hang out.' I nodded dully. He was right, but it was going to take a long time before I accepted it fully. 'Okay?' 'Okay. What about you?' He did his best at a confused face. 'What about me?' 'Levi!' I was surprised I could shout so loudly. So was he. ‘You’re going to have to do some work on your confused face.’

He shrugged as if to say it was worth a shot. 'I'm fine. I've had two days to think about it all; to come to terms with it. Not only that, I've spent those two days sitting here waiting for you to come around.' He dropped his head and carried on talking to the floor. 'You're not the only one whose head's been fucked up. I said I wanted a few days because I didn't want you to think I was looking for the first shoulder I could find to cry on. I knew it wasn't a knee jerk reaction. And because of that, you ended up in here.'

'No—' He looked up into my eyes. 'Don't interrupt while I'm baring my soul, okay?' I smiled and shut up. 'So I've been giving you a lecture on not blaming yourself while I've sat in that chair over there for two days giving myself hell for all this.' He waved his arm wildly, rocking the IV bag on its stand. 'Wondering is she going to come around? despite what the doctors said.' 'Wow. So we're both as screwed up as each other.' 'Looks like it.'

'A match made in heaven. Just like Gabriel said.' He jerked like I'd stuck the IV needle in him. 'What do you mean?' I swallowed, on the verge of tears again. 'He said: Stick with him. You'll be good for each other.' 'When did he say that?' I couldn’t get the words out, not for a while. 'When he . . . when he—' 'It's alright. I know what you're

saying.' We held hands in silence for a few beats. 'Sitting in that chair for two days taught me something.' 'What? Hospital chairs give you a numb ass?' 'That too. But there's no point dwelling on the past. By concentrating on the past, on something neither of us can change . . .’ His voice caught in his throat. ‘I almost lost the chance of having a future—with you.'

Chapter 56 HARPER Levi's hand was warm on the small of my back as the maître d' led us to the best table in front of a roaring log fire at the Smokehouse restaurant.

'Don't gawp,' Levi whispered in my ear. 'People will think you've never been here before.' I couldn't help it. I'd never been anywhere so romantic. The whole room was furnished with English antiques, the tables covered with fine linen tablecloths and the best silver and china. Everywhere I looked overflowed with flowers and candelabras, and a piano played softly in the background. The snow had started to fall as we walked from the car and our hair was still damp from the fat, wet flakes that had settled in it. 'I suppose you come here all the

time.' He grinned at me and shrugged as if to say doesn't everybody, darling? The waiter appeared at our table with a bottle of Champagne and filled our glasses. It made me think about the last time we sat across a table from each other in the cafe and the waitress with the lemon-sucker lips. 'I hope you're not going to bang on the table and spill this.' 'I'd keep hold of it just in case.' I sipped the champagne—it was delicious—and gazed around the room. 'This place must cost a fortune.'

For a moment I thought I'd insulted him somehow. A shadow passed over his face, but then it was gone and the smile that replaced it made me wonder if it wasn't just the flickering light from the fire playing tricks. He lifted his glass. 'A toast.' I lifted mine. I knew what was coming. 'To Gabriel.' 'To Gabriel,' I echoed. We both took a healthy swallow. 'Don't worry about the cost.

Tonight is on Gabriel.' 'I don't understand.' 'I'd already saved up some money to help towards the cost of his medical care. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly enough, so—' 'You came up with a plan.' 'You got it. And now I've got all this cash sitting around with nothing to spend it on.' I lifted my glass and we toasted again. I downed the last of it and put the glass back on the table. 'I think you're meant to throw it in the fire. That's why it's there.'

'I thought it was to keep us warm.' Something else passed behind his eyes and I knew what it was this time. It was a very different emotion and it stayed there, making my skin tingle. Was it possible that we were both thinking the same thought? Thinking that despite the romance and beauty of the candlelit dinner, what we really wanted to do was lie down together in front of the fire with only the flames and each other to keep us warm. 'We'll see.'

***

By the time the check came, being with each other felt as natural as breathing. He reached for my hand across the table and threaded our fingers together, his thumb tracing little circles across the back of my hand. 'Do you think they'd move this table out of the way and bring us a rug? Maybe put another couple of logs on.' He glanced around the room and grinned. 'Oh yes; and ask the other diners to leave.' 'It's worth a try.' He raised his free hand and waved at the waiter. I grabbed his wrist

and dragged his arm down. It was too late; the waiter was already on the move. 'Levi!' He grinned at me and shook his head at the waiter who backed off again as if we'd decided against one last glass of Champagne. 'Don't do things like that.' 'So what are we going to do? I suppose I should take you home, kiss you good-night and then call you . . . I don't know, one day next week.' I dug my nails into the back of his hand.

'Waiter!' 'Shush.' His eyes crinkled and lit up mischievously. 'You haven't got a fireplace at home have you?' I shook my head. 'Sorry.' 'Damn.' I gazed into the flickering flames and suddenly I knew where he was going with this; what he was leading me to. I swallowed, my chest tight and made myself say the words, the excitement lending a tremor to my voice.

'What about you? Have you got a fireplace at home?' I thought the glasses on the table would rattle, my heart was thumping so hard. 'Sorry, me neither.' My breathing stopped. I'd been so sure his face would split into a grin as he said: I thought you'd never ask. He leaned forward and kissed me and when he broke away, the grin was there, threatening to eat me. 'Luckily for us, there's one in our room.' He took hold of my chin and

lifted it. 'Mouth shut, Harper. One doesn't let one's mouth hang open in places like this.' 'What do you mean our room?' 'Didn’t I say? They've got a couple of rooms here. I booked us in for the night. And there’s a fire. I checked.' My mouth wouldn't respond, nor my brain. The response between my thighs made up for it. 'You should have told me.' 'I didn't know we were definitely going to use it.'

I kicked him under the table. 'Besides, I wanted it to be a surprise. I know you haven't got a change of clothes, but'—he leaned right in and pressed his lips against my ear—'you're not going to be wearing those for much longer.'

***

Levi's hand shook as he tried to get the key in the door. I almost did a little dance with pleasure knowing I could do that to him. He pushed open the door and pulled me inside.

True to his word, a fire crackled in the massive stone fireplace, the flickering flames the only light to see by. But with my eyes as wide open as they were I could see plenty. I couldn’t miss the fleecy rug spread out on the smooth wooden floor in front of the fire, warmed through and inviting, or the big old four poster bed against the wall. The heavy drapes were open, fat snowflakes falling lazily outside the window, the small balcony beyond already two inches deep in pristine snow. Everything about it was magical. And then he kissed me, really kissed me, after all the teasing and flirting and quick rushed kisses over the

table, he kissed me properly, a deep, wet kiss that took my breath away, his mouth hot and greedy, his tongue slipping between my lips as he picked me up and carried me across to the roaring fire. He broke the kiss and dropped me gently to my feet, my back to the flames, warming my back and down my legs as his body warmed my front. We kicked off our shoes. I unbuttoned his shirt and worked it over his shoulders and down his arms, dropped it to the floor. If we hadn't needed our clothes for tomorrow I'd have ripped it right off. Same for the pants. I unzipped his fly, felt him spring free inside his tight black boxer-briefs so I was in no doubt about

how turned on he was. He shimmied out of his pants and kicked them into a crumpled heap in the corner; who cares what we looked like in the morning. I hooked my fingers into the elastic of his boxer-briefs and rolled them slowly down over his cock, inch by excruciating inch. His hands moved to the straps of my dress and I leaned back, our eyes locked as he slowly lowered my top until it pooled around my waist, leaving my breasts heaving in my lacy bra, eager for his hungry gaze, the feel of his hands on them. The warmth of the fire on my back balanced perfectly the shiver that made my nipples tighten inside their lacy

prison. Not for long. One hand slid up my back and unhooked the catch singlehandedly and then my bra was flying through the air, my breasts bare to his sight at last. He dropped to his knees and pulled my dress over my hips and down my thighs. I stepped out of it and it ended up in the pile in the corner. His hands climbed back up my legs, pushing them apart, his face inches from the dark red silk of my panties. 'Damn,' he swore softly, as he kissed the silky fabric, 'you're soaked through.' He clamped his hands on my hips

and turned me. 'Put your hands on the fireplace.' I did as I was told, bending forwards, my breasts hanging down, swaying in the warmth of the fire, my ass thrust towards his face, the slinky fabric of my panties pulled tight between my cheeks. He hooked his fingers under the elastic and slowly eased them half way down. 'I think they're stuck to you.' I parted my legs and pushed myself harder towards him. So unstick them. He slipped his hand over the top

of them, down between my ass cheeks and underneath, his finger parting the damp mess that was my panties from my folds. I arched my back, aching for him to slip a finger inside me but he was nowhere near ready for that. I closed my legs as he pushed my panties down with the back of his hand and then they were off and he was climbing up my body, his hands running over my ass and up my back, into my hair until he was standing behind me, his cock rock hard as it pushed against me. One hand stayed in my hair pulling my head towards him as the other one worked its way back down my spine, followed my still sore ribs around

and cupped my breast, hot from the fire, caressing it, teasing my throbbing nipple, squeezing it tightly into me as he pushed insistently from behind. I spread my legs again, desperate to feel his cock slip between them. But we hadn't even started. He spun me around and pulled me into him. My mouth found his, my tongue sliding between his lips to explore the hot recesses of his mouth. I buried my hands in his hair as he gripped my ass and pulled me tighter into the unrelenting hardness of his cock. Finally our mouths parted. Wordlessly we dropped to our knees on

the soft fleecy rug. His lips traced a line of fire down my throat, over my collar bone and kept going. I arched backwards and rested my hands on the floor behind me as his mouth reached my breasts, exactly where I'd wanted it to be ever since that first night in the bar. I watched him in the flickering light from the fire as he lavished his attention first on one breast and then the other, before his mouth was on the move again, kissing its way down my stomach. He pulled himself away and flipped over onto his back, and then wriggled towards me on his elbows until I was straddling his face. I looked down the length of my body, over my breasts

stretched taut, my nipples tight despite the heat from the fire, down over the gentle swell of my stomach and through my curls to his face nestled between my legs, and then down over the broad expanse of his chest, past the flat, hard muscle of his stomach, following the line of dark hair all the way to his beautiful cock, fully erect and quivering in the air, thrusting itself towards me, the head glistening with his excitement. 'You're dripping on my face.' He laughed, a deep, gentle laugh which made his cock twitch wildly in the air. I wanted to lean forward and grasp it, put it somewhere to keep it under control.

I could have looked at that view all night if my attention hadn't been ripped away as he lifted one arm off floor and put his hand between my legs, his fingers sliding between my folds, parting them, making me gasp. 'Mmm, mmm. I've been dreaming about this since the first minute I saw you.' I didn't know if I wanted him to keep telling me those things or put his tongue to better use. It wasn't my call. He pushed himself up and buried his face between my legs, his lips and tongue going to work, sending waves of

pleasure coursing through me, my stretched thighs quivering as he set every nerve in my body on fire. I called out his name. My back arched harder, my fists sinking into the warm softness of the rug, my head thrown back, as his tongue pushed deeper inside me, my eyes unable to keep still as they gazed first up at the ceiling stained with all those years of wood smoke, then into the crackling flames, down at his face buried between my legs and on down his body to what waited for me if I didn't explode first. It was all too much. I threw back my head again, a low moan escaping my lips. How many people had there been,

here in front of this fire, staring up through misted eyes at that old ceiling, as their lover brought them to ever greater heights of pleasure? And how many of them had felt something inside them reach out to something inside their lover as I did then? Twice in the last few weeks I'd almost died, but I hadn't, I'd come through it, and now I'd got my prize, because I knew then I'd found my soul mate. My orgasm burst over me as the realization hit me. I cried out, his name filling the room. My back arched further still,

lifting my hips as his head rose with me, crazy spasms in my sex tightening around his tongue, my juices flowing over his lips and chin. He stayed there, elbows planted on the floor, chest and head thrusting up, supporting me as I came. 'I love you,' I said, reaching down to touch his face as he gently drew it back from between my trembling thighs. He didn't say a word as he flipped himself over and back onto his knees in front of me. He pulled me into him, took my face in his hands. 'I love you, too.' He carried me across the room to

the big four poster and laid me gently down. Spreading my legs wide he climbed on top of me. 'Careful of the—' His mouth covered mine, swallowing the words, and when his cock finally nudged where it belonged I no longer cared if he broke every one of my ribs. Nothing could be worse than the longing ache between my legs. I lifted my hips and when he thrust into me I cried out but not in pain but because our bodies were together as one at last, moving instantly in a rhythm that was both easy and desperate at the same

time, as if we'd been together for years, but still with that wild desire to explore every new sensation. I clutched his shoulders, my nails raking his skin, my tongue deep inside my mouth, tasting myself on him as he thrust with long, deep strokes that made me whimper and moan. He broke the kiss, his eyes telling me what I already knew; we were made for each other, part of each other, connected in every way two people can be. His hand slid down over my hip and round under my ass. The tip of his finger teased my asshole before his hand slid down the back of my thigh, pulling my leg wider, up and over his hip, his

hand back on my ass, moving it to the side, letting him thrust ever deeper inside me, the base of his cock grinding on my clit. The wind howled in the chimney, making the flames dance in the fireplace, crazy patterns reflected in the sweat glistening on our slick bodies. The sound mingled with the sounds of two bodies coming together as one, mouths gasping for oxygen between kisses, Levi's labored breathing loud in my ear, the low rhythmic gasps and moans that escaped my throat with each slap of Levi's body against mine, every sound as beautiful to me as the crackle of the fire and the howl of the wind.

And then I heard what I'd been waiting all my life to hear. Levi cried out my name as his breath came in ever shorter gasps, the wild rhythm of his thrusts faster and harder, and then with one final thrust, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of my ass, he brought another wave crashing over me and we came together in a flood of pleasure so intense I didn't know if we'd survive. He slid down and dropped his head between my breasts. I clamped my arms tightly around his head. 'Did I say I love you?' came up from somewhere down between my

breasts. 'You talking to them or to me?' He lifted his head and gazed into my eyes. 'All of you.' I thought for a couple of beats. 'No, I don't think you did.' 'I love you, Harper. I've loved you from the first moment I set eyes on you.' I hugged him until my ribs screamed. ‘But I’ve got a confession to make.’

My heart lurched. No, not now. I don’t want to hear. ‘I lied to you earlier—‘ My chest tightened. No. ‘—when I said I booked us in for the night.’ A grin burst across his face and I felt my heart slip back down from where it had been stuck in my throat. I reached down and dug my nails into his ass until he squealed. ‘I booked us in for two.’

THE END