Page 50 of With This Kiss
I tried to keep my attention on the road, but I found my gaze drifting over to her. Her head was tilted against the window, her breathing even, and her lips slightly parted. A strand of hair fell across her face, and I had to grip the steering wheel tighter to stop myself from reaching over to brush it away. I would no doubt wake her if I touched her now.
What was it about this woman that made me feel like I was losing all sense of control? I wasn’t the kind of man to just lose control. In fact, with the way I grew up, my control had beenmy most valuable possession. I should have cut her off just for making me feel like this.
The road stretched ahead, winding through the increasingly dense forest. As we climbed higher into the mountains, my phone rang, connecting to the car’s Bluetooth. I glanced down to see Makar’s name on the screen.
“Already there?” I answered quietly, not wanting to wake Jamie. She shifted a little in her seat.
“Yeah.” Makar’s voice filled the car. I turned down the volume. “We’re all set up. Fabian’s already started drinking, though.”
“Tell him not to overdo it,” I said. Between Fabian and Baran, things were expected to be… interesting.
“Yes, Mom,” Makar replied.
I ignored that and said, “I’m bringing someone, so behave.”
There was a pause at the other end. “The girl from the bar?”
To say Jamie Caparelli was justthe girl from the barfelt wrong. It wasn’t like they didn’t know who she was. I glanced over at Jamie. She remained asleep, her chest rising and falling with each breath.
“Yeah,” I answered. “We’ll be there in about an hour. Make sure everything’s ready.”
“It’s already done. The buyer called. He’ll be in later tonight.”
I shook my head. Haven’t even met yet, and the fucker was already making a show of his power. I had set the meetup for tomorrow.
“Okay,” I said, hanging up the phone, shifting in my seat a little to relieve the ache in my back.
The marks Jamie had seen the other night were a reminder from the old man. And the bastard didn’t hold back. I shook away the memories and focused my attention back on the road. A part of me just wanted to get this done and over with, but the other part…
I looked over at Jamie once more.
I was looking forward to having her with me.
I shookher awake when we finally got there.
With the way she jumped in her seat as soon as she felt my hand, you would think I was holding a knife to her throat.
I smiled when she turned those tired eyes my way. “We’re here.”
“We’re here?” she asked, looking around. Her eyes focused on the cabin just ahead. “Is this yours?”
I nodded. I could see some movement inside through the windows. “Are you ready to meet everyone?”
“Sure.”
I laughed. “You don’t sound it.”
She perked up, shooting me a wide smile. “Sure!”
I knew she meant it as a joke, but fuck if my body didn’t react to her smile.
When she noticed I didn’t respond, her expression turned serious. “What? Do I have something on my face?”
Slowly, I reached my hand out toward her and was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t immediately back away from me.
I swiped my thumb on the corner of her mouth before pressing a firm touch on her bottom lip. She gasped slightly, her brown eyes seemingly turning just a shade darker, but she didn’t pull away from me.
She held still.
