Page 51 of Hang the Moon
“Good.” Darcy nodded decidedly. “This stays between us. Capiche?”
He rolled his eyes. “No, I’m going to run off and tell Annie as soon as I can.”
“I’m serious, Brendon.”
He met her eyes. “So am I.”
Chapter Ten
Wednesday, June 2
At the red light, Brendon drummed his long fingers against the steering wheel.
Annie knew what those fingers felt like wrapped around her wrist, how easily he’d circled her arm and pinned her hand to the door when they’d kissed. His wide palm had gripped the back of her neck, and if she concentrated hard enough she could feel the phantom rasp of his calluses against the shell of her ear, the friction of skin on skin.
She shivered violently, hard enough that Brendon noticed.
“Cold? Want me to turn the air down?” he offered, reaching for the knob.
“I’m fine.” Her words came out mortifyingly breathy, like she was auditioning for a job as a phone sex operator. She ground her back teeth together.Get a grip.
He nodded slowly and rested his hand back on the wheel, looking at her like she was behaving strangely. Because shewas.
This had been a bad idea. Spending time with Brendon. Not that she’d had much of a choice, with Darcy and Brendon ganging up on her. Stubbornness clearly ran in their family.
Which was fine. Once she put her mind to something, she could be equally as stubborn as the Lowells. Annie wasnotgoing to let her attraction to Brendon get the better of her.
Remaining calm, cool, and collected was easier said than done when every time she looked at him her eyes were drawn to his mouth and all she could think about was that kiss. The kiss that put all others to shame. The kiss that made her wonder whether she could even call all the other kisses she’d had in her life kisses or if they needed a new name, something to denote them as lesser.
Maybe she’d stick to calling the kiss they’d shared a revelation. Fitting, because there’d be no repeat. No kissing Brendon.Definitelynothing more.
A change of subject was in order. Anything to get her mind off how impossibly hot his lips felt against hers.Gah.“Are we headed back to the market?”
Brendon shook his head, a secretive smile playing at the edges of his mouth. His very kissable-looking—
Jesus.Who was she kidding, underestimating the power—not to mention obstinacy—of her libido. The bitch clearly had a mind of her own.
She pivoted her body, staring out the window, her frowning face reflected in the glass.Hangrywas a portmanteau ofhungryandangry; was there a word for when you felt horny and were angry about it?Horngry?No, that sounded ridiculous, like she was hungry and horny, instead of angry at being aroused.
The giant wheel she’d been forced to relieve herself on zipped by as they cruised past the pier. “Space Needle?”
“Wrong direction.”
She craned her neck, peering through the tiny back windshield. Right. They were headingawayfrom Darcy’s.
“How about—” She swallowed the rest of her guess when Brendon flipped his turn signal, making a smooth right at the... “Ferry terminal?”
Up ahead, a long line of cars moved steadily forward, stopping briefly at the attendant booth before boarding the ferry.
“We’re heading out of the city?”
Brendon rolled down his window. “You’ll see.”
She let her head drop back against the headrest, barely biting back a groan of frustration.
She’d figured he’d show her around the city, the famous landmarks, all part of Darcy’s plan to convince Annie Seattle was the greatest city on Earth. She’d assumed Brendon would take her to the Space Needle, maybe that funky cement bridge troll over in Fremont. A trip outside of the city was unexpected.
A fluttery feeling took up residence inside her stomach. The city provided a sort of... safety net. Restaurants and crowded tourist destinations, plenty of people.Public.She wasn’t sure where Brendon was taking her, but it was outside the city, and that meant more time in his car, more time with him, no outside distractions or noise or—she swallowed hard—interruptions. No escape.
