Page 7 of Sip
“I’ll be finished in about five minutes…it’ll take you ten to get here.”
Not the way I drive. I’ll be there before she’s done.
“You’re wasting your time–”
“You’re never a waste of my time, Grace.”
Adamancy that stuns even me booms in my tone. I hate she doesn’t realize her worth.
“I just meant…”
This time it’s not her jogging that steals her words. Emotion clogs her voice, and I wish I knew why. Finally, the metal rails separate far enough apart for my GLE to fit through, I pound the accelerator, taking advantage of the empty road to save time. “Talk to me until I get there.”
“Okay.”
Her agreement doesn’t sound like agreement. Yet she doesn’t hang up or argue either. Now if anyone bothers her, they’ll know who they’re dealing with. “How far do you run?”
“Usually about six miles…depends on where I am…it’s tempting to go farther here since it’s so gorgeous.”
Listening to her describe her favorite paths soothes the fire in me, and I let her ramble while I navigate my own route. Passing dumb asses driving under the speed limit and doing one hundred in a fifty-five doesn’t take long for blue lights to flash behind me. Until the car gets close enough to read my plate. After a few seconds, the siren ceases, and the cop barely slows to make the corner at the next cross street. Smart guy. “Where else do you like to go?”
Not that I really care. I just want to keep her talking. Then I know she’s secure.
“Sometimes I go to Arbor Cliffs or Copper Mounds. I love and hate the hills.”
She’s relaxed enough to laugh again. My grip loosens too hearing her talk about the challenges. With such a full life, she always conveys this inexorable energy. The exact opposite of my hectic life that only saps me if I’m honest. Except that I don’t like admitting the truth to myself, and she keeps forcing me to. “You’re only competing against yourself when you tackle them.”
“So true. And I’m my own worst enemy…I always think I can go one more mile or increase my pace…My calves tell me how wrong I am the next day.”
The panting between her comments slows. She must be finished, and I’m almost to her. “Where are you now?”
“I’m heading toward the parking lot at the main entrance.”
“I’m about six blocks out. Wait for me there.”
The rest of the drive flies by in a blur literally when I top out at one thirty on the straight stretch to the turn off. Fuck if I love that feeling of reckless freedom if only for a few seconds.
Like the obedient girl she is, she stretches next to the metal sculpture of kids running with a dog over a bridge. I’m not the only one who fucking notices her with her toned legs and sliver of bare stomach. Why the fuck is her tank top so damn short?
She smiles and waves when I pull alongside of her, blocking her splendor as much as I can from the other men enjoying the view.
“Hey there!” She bends her leg and shoves the bottom of her foot into her ass, straining her tits against the orange fabric as she elongates her torso. “I just need to stretch for a minute and then I’ll be ready. If that’s okay?”
Fuck no it’s not okay. Showing off her lithe body to the whole damn world isn’t okay. Before I can admonish her, she swallows hard.
“Is Shane mad too?”
The question catches me off guard. Never for a second did the thought cross my mind to involve him with his own fiancée’s safety. Fuck. I’ve scared her more than I should and hate her furrowed brow that he’ll be pissed off at her. “He’ll get over it.”
Her shoulders softens with relief. She’s not off the hook yet. “Don’t let it happen again. You never go out by yourself. I’m going to have men on you from now on.”
“Youare?”
The emphasis onyouconfirms she realizes I’ve overstepped with her. “That’s what Shane wants.”
Willwant. I refuse to admit he may think I’m overreacting. Especially since they aren’t even married yet.
A quick nod confirms I’ve brought her back in line. One more order I have to make. “No going out dressed like that anymore either, yeah?”
