Page 49 of Explode
I studied her for a minute, looking for the truth in her face. As muchas I wanted to believe her, there was something in my gut that told me to hold back. She’d had the best part of five hours to come up with a game plan, and it’s not like she hadn’t played me once before.
When Riley and Miles had been trying to find the proof that Hendrixwas the one to betray me, she’d manipulated me into spending the day fucking her. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, she’d done it to keep me away from Hendrix. But it didn’t change the fact she had manipulated me in the first place.
But looking at her now, I couldn’t help but see the resignation on herface. Or maybe, it was what I wanted to see. Either way, I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
“Jacksonville.”
“Excuse me?” she replied, her brows pulled together.
“Jacksonville. That’s where we are landing,” I replied.
“Oh.”
By the time Ash expertly landed the plane, and with the three-hourtime difference between Forest Point, where we’d departed, and Jacksonville, the sun was just beginning to rise. Despite a new day starting, the three of us were in desperate need of sleep. There was shit we needed to do while we were in Florida, but it would have to wait until we had caught up on some sleep.
Surprisingly, Riley didn’t put up any resistance as we got in thewaiting car Ash had arranged. He drove us to an Apollo safe house about an hour north of the private airfield, and she was quiet for the entire drive. I knew it was only a matter of time before her stubbornness reared its head again, especially when she found out about the sleeping arrangements.
When the towns disappeared, and we headed off the beaten track,the safe house eventually came into view. Or rather, I should saysafe cabin, because that’s what it was. A small, two-story log cabin in the middle of nowhere protected by a number of safety measures, meaning it was highly unlikely anyone would stumble across it.
Once Ash parked the car and disabled all the security systems, thethree of us got out. From the corner of my eye, I watched Riley scan her surroundings. I couldn’t help the hint of triumph that washed over me when I saw the realization dawn on her that it would be pointless for her to run. We were surrounded by nothing but trees, miles from any form of civilization.
Ash let us in, and the scent of pine hit my nose as we stepped intothe cozy living area consisting of a small sofa, a TV, and a bookcase. Off the living area was a small kitchen, and next to that was a bathroom. The place was too small for the three of us, but we wouldn’t be staying here long, so we’d make do.
“I’m beat, I’m gonna crash,” Ash said, heading in the direction of thewooden stairs that would take him to the only upstairs bedroom.
“I think I could do with some sleep as well,” Riley said through ayawn, and watching Ash’s retreating figure. “Where’s my room?”
“We’re in here,” I said, pointing to the door behind me.
“We?” She froze.
“Yeah, we,” I replied, trying not to let the smirk grace my face.
“There’s only two bedrooms, and you sure as fuck aren’t sleeping next to Ash.”
“Fine. I’ll sleep on the sofa,” she huffed, crossing her arms over herchest.
Yep, here came my stubborn wife.
“No, you won’t. I don’t trust you to not sneak out,” I said, opening thedoor to the downstairs bedroom. My smugness turned to outright glee when I caught sight of the size of the bed. It was a small double, meaning she’d have no choice but to snuggle in close if she didn’t want to fall out.
“Are you serious? We’re in the middle of nowhere, where the hell doyou think I’m going to go?” Her voice was shrill with exasperation, only adding to my growing amusement.
“Like I say, I don’t trust you. So, you can either sleep in here willinglywith me, or I can cuff you to the bed and you can sleep next to me, but it won’t be very comfortable for you.” I pulled the cuffs from my back pocket and shook them to indicate my point.
She glared at me, her eyes narrowing as she thought over heroptions.
“Gah!” She threw her hands up and stormed into the bedroom,cursing under her breath about how I was the most infuriating person on the planet. But she knew that when she married me, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise.
“You’re kidding, right?” she said, stopping when she saw the size ofthe bed.
“No, baby. You’ll have to scooch up real close if you don’t want to fallout,” I replied, letting a grin take over my face.
“I hate you.”
That only added to my resounding chuckle.
As much as I had successfully managed to get Riley into bed, sherefused to take her clothes off. Instead, she dived under the covers still wearing the clothes I’d given her on the plane.
