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Then nothing Utter silence, and once again she stopped breathing She huddled into herself beneath the tarp and closed her eyes Be the tarp, be the tarp--
The tarp was abruptly lifted away A dark shadow looht Another shadow leapt into the compart Milo put his nose to Holly’s ear and snuffled, then licked her froruhed at the command but followed the request and juht slashed across Adam’s face Leaner than Dell, he was built y and hard--except for his face
An angel’s face Dark disheveled hair, strong features, and a devastating smile when he chose to use it
He didn’t choose to use it now
There was a long beat during which Holly debated on continuing to play possu possuain it was a bit early to face thethe music was totally and completely overrated Maybe a coh that she pushed the hair from her face and sat up
Adam was crouched on his haunches, the bill of his ball cap low enough to co low in her belly quivered She told herself it was the fact that she’d forgotten to eat dinner "How did you know?"
"Your empty Jeep’s parked on the street"
Yeah, crap She should have pulled into the woods
"I have no idea why I’ his hands around her arer and onto her feet in front of hirasped at the hard, knotted sinews of his biceps He’d just taken another shower, she could smell his shampoo, his soap, his clean, warm, male skin
A few raindrops dotted his head and the shoulders of his heavy winter coat He wore a black hoodie beneath it, hood up over the ball cap, jeans that were taut over his hard thighs, and ass-kicking boots
He looked heart-stoppingly a
Twelve years and he still amped her pulse rate It wasn’t fair, not one little bit, and it took more than a little bit of concentration to focus on the task at hand instead of his hard- for you," she said "And fell asleep"
His silence was disconcerting He was probably trying to figure out how to leave her on the side of the road She straightened and tried to look unleavable "I didn’t want you to go withoutwithout you was the plan, Holly"
"Yes, well, the plan sucked," she said "Did you get soave her a barely perceptible nod His posture was annoyingly relaxed for someone who’d just found a stoay Relaxed but not a this close to hiy Adaer version
The version who’d cared about her, however briefly
It softened so in closer without ht in her expression----tipped him off because his eyes went hooded and he pulled back "Holly," he said quietly
"You can’t make me stay behind"
But they both knew he could do just that if he really wanted He couldhe set his mind to, thanks to his superior size, not to mention his sheer will Not that he’d ever force her physically
He wouldn’t
Mentally…well, that was another game entirely Mentally, he had her
He always had
"I need to do this, Adaot this really bad feeling that won’t quit, and…" Dammit She let out a shaky breath "I’m scared, okay? I’m scared and…" Her voice broke, which really pissed her off She didn’t want to lose it, not with Adah sound escaped hi a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips brushing feather light across her temple, his thuentle that it was alain She couldn’t survive hiain
"You don’t have to be scared," he said quietly, and pressed closer, sharing his body heat as he sighed against her temple "You’re not alone"
She pressed her face to his shoulder Then she remembered his injury and jerked her head up "I’ain But he was fine And sure So absolutely sure of hi to find him," he said
"How do you know?"
"Because you won’t let ive up until we do"
There ry humor in his voice now She closed her eyes and had to stop herself fro hiers around her ponytail and gently tugged until she lifted her head to his "We have a long way to go" He paused, and for the first tiether"
"It doesn’t have to be a probleht it would be a probleo," she said
His thu the curve of her jaw and she shivered To make sure he knew that was to be attributed solely to the cold air, she wrapped her ar step back, bothto depend on anyone for e with hiotten how to feel She didn’t trust those emotions, or him She’d been fooled, and hurt, by hiain by her ex
She refused to do that to herself a third time At some point, she had to learn That point was now
Ada He rubbed his jaw, and since he hadn’t shaved thatbefore, either, the stubble beneath his fingers sounded rough
And sexy
He nudged her out of the way and rearranged the equipment she’d messed up "Up, Milo," Adam said
Milo shot Holly a look of sorrowful reproach, then settled in the back with the equiper’s seat "Does Milo always behave for you?"
He slid her a look
Right Dumb question Everyone behaved for Adam It was his voice, low and utterly authoritative He rarely raised it, he didn’t have to "What if there’s a cat?" she asked "Or better yet, a sexy two-year-old Lab strutting her stuff right in front of him? He can resist a distraction, just for you?"
Her attempt at brevity wasis either trained and obedient, or not," he said "I don’t kno to half train a dog" He glanced at her "So what’s your plan here, Holly? Hoere you planning on getting to Diae?"