Page 114 of Heated Rivalry 1
Shane considered getting out of the car, but decided to stay where he was. Once they were at the cottage they would be safe, but there was no point in blowing it now. He just needed to make it out of Ottawa without anyone noticing that Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov were hanging out together in July.
As Ilya got closer, Shane saw that he too had his ball cap pulled low, and was wearing large aviator sunglasses. Shane wondered if anyone had recognized him inside the airport.
He popped the back of the SUV so Ilya could load his bag in. They didn’t say a word to each other until Ilya slid into the passenger seat. “What the fuck are you driving, Hollander?”
“A Jeep Cherokee.”
Ilya snorted.
“What? It’s practical!”
“You’re a millionaire.”
“What’s wrong with a Cherokee?” Shane asked, starting the engine. “It’s good in the snow. It holds lots of stuff. It’s a good car.”
“Is good if you are a dad in the suburbs.”
“Better than a stupid sports car where my knees are over my damn head.”
“Hm.”
They didn’t talk again until Shane had exited the parking garage. “Good flight?” he asked.
“Sure.”
“It takes about two hours to get to the cottage.”
“Okay.”
“Are you hungry or anything? We could stop and one of us could...”
Ilya shrugged.
“I think you’ll like the cottage,” Shane said. “It’s really relaxing.”
“Is that what we are going to do?” Ilya asked. “Relax?”
Shane swallowed. He turned onto the on-ramp for the highway.
“I hope so,” he said finally. “I would like to relax with you. For once.”
He glanced over for a second. Ilya was looking out the passenger-side window.
“I stocked up on groceries yesterday,” Shane said. “We shouldn’t need to...leave. Very often.”
They drove in silence for a few minutes. Shane wondered if Ilya was as panicked as he suddenly was. Two weeks. Alone together. Possibly constantly alone together.
What the hell had he been thinking when he’d suggested this?
“Thank you,” Ilya said suddenly. “For inviting me.”
Shane felt his panic subside. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I am also glad. But...terrified, right?”
Shane laughed, relieved. “Yeah. Me too.”
They both knew this was a point of no return. More so even than the first time they had kissed, or fucked. This was a new frontier, a new level of intimacy.
