Page 28 of Crow

“Vegas,” he calls over his shoulder.

Vegas? Did he just pull that out of his ass? My eyes drop straight down to that part of him as I get tugged along. I wish I didn’t have such pale skin that’s prime for turning every shade of pink and red. I can feel my cheeks getting hot and quickly tear my eyes away from Crow’s rear, but not before the image is seared into my brain. He doesn’t have a bubble bum, which is nice. I don’t like that on guys. I actually wasn’t truly aware that I had an opinion about male butts before, but I suppose that I do. I like the way that Crow’s fills out his jeans without being too round. His ass is hard and muscular.

He leads me back to his room and points at my things. “Pack a bag. You have ID?”

“I have my passport and driver’s license, yes.”

“Just take what you need. The rest of your things will be safe here until we get back.”

I crouch down, ready to do exactly as he says because I’m so damn used to always following the rules, but my hands stop on the zipper of my backpack. I look up at him and it seems like he’s noticed the very same thing. My easy acquiescence. Instead of being flushed with pleasure or triumph, he looks almost guilty and regretful, like he didn’t mean to order me around.

“Are you serious about all of this?”

“I am.” His jaw ticks as he grinds his teeth, like he’s debating with himself, but not about Vegas.

“Okay.” My hands tremble against the zipper, making a strange metallic sound. “This is really overwhelming.”

“Sometimes, the only way forward is to not look back.”

“Yeah.” I bow my head, trying not to hear the pain in his voice. He’s speaking from experience, and it feels like a heavy lash right across my back.

His voice is deeper and less husky, like he didn’t mean to go to that place and has shrugged off whatever painful memories just cropped up for him. “The way back isn’t charred for you. I’m the one who kicked down your parents’ door. Not you. You did nothing wrong. Leave it for a few weeks. If they’re giving you trouble at that time, I’ll get it sorted. Apologize or something.”

My head snaps up. He’s completely wiped his face so I can’t read anything there. My eyes fall to the swollen line of fresh stitches before dropping back to the ground. I want to thank him. I want to produce a thousand other words that would be adequate and elegant, but I don’t trust myself to do any of that. My emotions are scrambled and they’re all riding dangerously close to the surface.

Apparently, my hormones are right up there with them.

“The diner!” I gasp. “I can’t just leave. I have shifts.”

Crow blinks. “I’ll get that sorted too.” He says it with the kind of finality that doesn’t involve an argument.

I want to question him, but instead I busy myself getting my backpack ready with a change of clothes and my wallet. Everything else, I leave behind in the duffels. As soon as Istraighten up, I find Crow standing with a black tactical looking backpack slung over his shoulder.

“You’re ready?”

I nod.

“Alright, let’s go.”

In the end, I don’t say a single thing. Not a word about the sandwiches in the kitchen or how I’m still hungry. Nothing about how my head is whirling so fast that I feel dizzy. Nothing of the endless fears I have over the battles that I’m going to have to face very freaking soon. Nothing about my worries over going to Vegas, of all places. If there’s anywhere in the world known for sin and debauchery, surely it’s there.

That couldn’t have been Crow’s reason for choosing it.

Then again, maybe it absolutely was.

Chapter 9

Crow

We touch down with a hard knock of the wheels and a rapid slowing that pitches everyone forward. It’s probably not a rough landing, but it’s a miracle that my teeth survived getting ground to dust the entire two and a half hour flight. I finally let out the smallest puff of air, feeling how tense my muscles are. It’s a miracle that Raven didn’t wrench out. He’s just been mouthing off in my head for half the flight and isn’t giving it a rest now.

Oooh, cramp central. Enjoy the Charlie horses, sweetheart. I’m checking out now.

Tarynn stirs and blinks sleepily at me. She twists immediately in favor of the window, but I’m not offended. This is her first great adventure and if it was me, I’d want to take in as much of it as I could.

If it was you, you’d continue to stare at her creepily exactly like you’re doing now.

I can’t tear my eyes away. She was as beautiful in sleep as she was awake, coppery lashes resting against her creamy cheeks, every worry and care erased. When she’s awake, she doesn’t carry her past around with her like I do. She can let it go in favor of kindness and gutlessness that the world hasn’t beaten out of her yet.

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