Page 22 of N8
Her reaction was instantaneous. Releasing his shirt, she slid her arms around his neck and kissed him back, pressing her body against his as the kiss deepened.
He did his best to keep up with her. He worried his lack of experience would bother her. It was a needless worry.
Releasing his mouth, she chuckled. Her breath was warm against his lips. “Am I the first woman you’ve ever kissed?” she lightly teased.
“You’re the first one I’ve ever kissed that wasn’t meant as a brief hello, goodbye, or thank you,” he admitted.
She gave him a surprised look. “I’ve never heard it explained that way before.”
He pulled her closer. “Then let me put it this way. You’re the first woman I’ve ever kissed who’s turned my world upside-down. Who’s given me hope for a future. And who’s made me feel as if I’m the most important person in her life.” He peered deeper into her eyes. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
“Never in a million years,” she promised, and lifted her lips for more of his.
He was vaguely aware of the sound of crickets chirping, the frogs croaking, the wind making the leaves flutter, or the soft gurgling coming from the creek bed. All that mattered was having her in his embrace.
After a while, Cydney disengaged herself and licked her lips. “We need to keep moving.”
He nodded and got back inside the car. He was aware of the others silently watching, but no one said a word as Cydney slid under the steering wheel. She turned the vehicle around to head back to the intersection, which fortunately was only a few miles away. Taking the cutoff, Cydney pointed to a sign on the side of the road.
Yaegerton 18
“With any luck, we’ll find a little roadside motel before we get there. Help me keep an eye open, would you?”
“Something small and cheap, and off the main road, right?” he repeated, earning a tired smile.
“Right.”
N8 laid his hand, palm up, on the console between them. He wasn’t surprised when she placed hers in it, lacing her fingers between his like a silent promise.
13M8
“Up ahead.”To help her, N8 pointed to the left side of the road. The neon sign slowly came into view.Primrose Motor Inn. Below the image of a pink flower was the wordVacancy.
She pulled off the road and onto the gravel driveway. N8 stared at the dark office. “Are they open?”
“We’ll find out.”
She parked on the side, pulled her purse out from under the seat, and reached for the door handle. N8 grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him. When she did, he grinned. “Good luck.” She read his mind and leaned over to give him a quick kiss. “Want me to come with you?” She hesitated. Rather than wait for her answer, he got out of the car anyway.
The front door was unlocked, and they let themselves in. Walking up to the desk, Cydney banged on the bell sitting there. A door in the rear opened, and an older man emerged.
“I was just getting ready to call it a night,” he informed them. N8 watched the man go over to a small box fastened to the wall. Opening the lid, he flipped the switch inside, and the pinkish glow that seeped inside the office went out.
“How much for one night?” Cydney asked.
“Fifty-five dollars, not counting tax.”
“Do you have any with two beds?”
The man glanced over her shoulder at the car parked outside.
“There’s seven of us,” she informed him.
The proprietor nodded. “I can accommodate you. One night?”
“Yes, please.”
“That’ll be one twenty-eight seventy. Cash or credit?”
