Page 26 of A Captive Situation

“You left with two strangers to take one of them to rehab. You went along for the ride. Youarea lunatic,” he deadpanned.

I scowled at him. “Words hurt.”

He laughed softly, relaxing. I almost did a double take because was that the first time I saw him relax?

“All I’m saying is that it makes sense if you’re not totally with it right now. Plus, this whole project.” He motioned out the door. “You need to feel in control of something.”

The corner of my mouth turned down. “You’re saying I’m a control freak?”

He snorted, quietly. “No, but you do come off as someone who likes to feel in control—”

“Isn’t that everyone?”

“—and like I said, a whole bunch of things happened that were out of your control.”

I had to confess, “I do like feeling in control.”

Another slight snort from him. “Glad our minds just came together.”

Our gazes collided, and held.

And still held.

The air in the truck grew thick.

My body heated, and I couldn’t stop the image of other parts of us coming together.

I was lonely. I tried to tell myself that. I was hurt because Beck rejected me, and there was this new guy who turned up a second time and hadn’t left and I was attracted to him. That’s all this was. It wasn’t anything more.

And I was completely lying to myself.

But at least I could admit that I was lying to myself, because every cell in my body was protesting the idea that he was just a guy. He wasn’t. He was more. I just didn’t know what he was yet.

I bit down on my lip, needing to shove that image and that feeling down.

“Stop that,” he said, roughly.

“What?” I let go of my lip, confused.

His eyes were staring at my mouth. Hard.

I chewed on my bottom lip again.

He groaned, his eyes darkening.

My mouth fell open again, surprised.

New hope jumped to my chest, and held there. It was suspended because ... I didn’t know, but what did that mean?

He continued staring, no, glaring at my mouth. That sensation of being pulled toward him was filling me again. An invisible rope thathad wound itself around me, and it was tugging me toward him. My eyes grew heavy, my eyelids were starting to fall, but I began to lean toward him—

“We’re here.”

His gaze was solely trained on my mouth as he said that, his voice raspy and hoarse.

I blinked, realizing he was so close to me.

I didn’t care. That thought hit me hard, making me blink a few times, trying to right myself, but it was true. I didn’t care what I was about to do because I had to see. I had to know. So with that thought, I began to reach for him.

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