Page 98 of To Catch a Latte Thick as Thieves

“Have you been talking to my sister Jessica?” he asked. “She’s forever nagging me to tell her what’s going on inside me. I tell her nothing, but she never believes me.”

“So you have a sister?” Cat smiled in triumph at the first bit of personal information he’d let slip.

“Yes, I have a sister,” he acknowledged, trying not to laugh at the victorious glint in her eyes.

“Well, she’s right. You should learn to share your feelings with people. It’s not healthy to keep things bottled up.”

“So, Freud, did you study psychology in college?” he teased.

“No, I didn’t.” She shook her head at him. “It’s just common sense.”

“All right, but what if the thoughts or feelings I’m having are private?” he asked. Unable to resist teasing her, he lowered his voice to a seductive murmur, “I mean, what if I’m having an incredibly hot, sweaty, erotic fantasy about a particular woman?”

Cat choked on her coffee, and Jared reached across the table to thump her on the back. Slugging down some water, her gaze met his over the rim of the glass. His eyes were pure blue devil, and she longed to swat him. If he was sixty pounds lighter, she might have tried it. Still, she refused to be intimidated by the turn of the conversation.

“Trying to fluster me won’t do you any good,” she lectured him as sternly as she would any of her rebellious students. “You need to open up, Mr. McLean. You’ll never have a completely fulfilling existence until you do.”

“I like my privacy,” he said in a case closed tone of voice.

When the waitress returned with their blueberry pancakes, he tucked into his food, not allowing Cat to keep up the thread of the conversation. The pancakes distracted her for a while. As she licked the last of the syrup off her fork with a hum of appreciation, she caught Jared watching her.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing,” he growled, resting his chin on his fist.

Cat mimicked his pose with a grin. She’d never been one to back down from a dare. “People tell me I’m a mighty good listener.”

Scooping the check from the table before she had the chance, he rose from his seat and said, “Those people were probably badgered to death by you.” He chuckled when her mouth popped open with indignation. “I don’t badger so easily, lady.”

Cat trailed him out of the diner with a muttered, “We’ll see.”

They agreed to drive in shifts. Cat went first while Jared dozed in the passenger’s seat.

The winding hills of Pennsylvania were intimidating, but Cat forged on, trying not to panic when the hills became steep and the oversized van had trouble chugging to the top.

Jared slept with his head slumped sideways against the windowpane. The sound of his deep breathing was comforting, and Cat noticed a small smile cured his lips. Cat wondered what he was dreaming about. She knew better than to ask, because he’d never tell her.

How could she break through that wall of silence of his? And what made her think she should be the one who tried?Because he’s interesting—and hot—but mostly interesting.She heard the voice in her head as loud as a scream.

It was true. From the moment she’d first seen him, at Cam’s wedding five years ago, she’d been drawn to him. He had a gentleness about him that belied his size and strength. He was undeniably handsome, but there was a masculine energy about him that took her breath away. He was the kind of man who would love only once and that love would last forever.

Now that’s just pure fantasy, Levery,she chastised herself. She’d proven to be a lousy judge of character in the man department. And convincing herself that Jared was less likely to hurt her than the big dumb jerk was just asking for trouble. She should just stick to things she was good at judging, like melons in the produce department for example. Now cantaloupes, she could handle.

She felt his probing glance upon her face before he spoke. “Do you want to take a break? You’ve been driving all morning, and it looks like stormy weather up ahead.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine.” She shrugged. “It’s not like I haven’t driven in rain before.”

As if to mock her, a huge clap of thunder boomed from above and the sky opened up with a deluge of rain as blinding as it was sudden. Cat gripped the wheel with white knuckles, determined to prove herself capable.

“Why don’t you pull over?” Jared yelled over another clap of thunder. They were cruising down a steep hill that had no lane for emergency stops.

“Where?” Cat snapped, trying to see through the opaque sheets of gray water, streaming down the window, impervious to the wiper blades that beat a frantic rhythm across the glass.

They neared a sharp curve, and Cat clamped her lip between her teeth and gripped the wheel harder. She glanced at Jared. His troubles were just beginning as Lucy, awakened by the storm, began to shiver uncontrollably with each clap of thunder. It was all Jared could do to keep the wiggling puppy from clambering over the seat onto Cat’s lap for comfort. Adding to the confusion, a weather alert sounded on both of their cell phones just as they began to round the bend.

“Flash flood warning at mile marker ninety-seven,” Jared read the message. “The construction site is flooded and one vehicle has already skidded off the road.”

Cat shot a wild-eyed look at Jared. “That’s got to be up ahead. What do I do?”

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