Page 408 of Steamy Ever After

Closer still.

I feel him all around me, and my heart rate spikes.

The man has an effect on me.

Combine that with the fact we’re both naked and the inevitable is bound to happen.

Spinning around, he brackets me between his rock-hard body and the metal of the truck. Normally, I wouldn’t lean against a work truck, but the hood is warm, radiating the engine’s heat.

Drake stares at me, desire smoldering in his eyes. Strings of dark hair cling to his face. The scar is whiter than I remember, probably a result of the cold.

“I know one way to get warm.” His heated gaze simmers.

“Really?”

“Want me to show you?”

“Yes, please.”

No way I’m saying no to that.

With my heart pounding in my throat, the tonal undertones of his voice melt me from the inside out. His sheer size blocks my escape, not that I’m interested in escaping him.

Despite the scar, his face is unbearably handsome, marred for life by the most unfortunate of accidents. We’re both drenched but drying fast. His masculine aroma hits my nose, flooding my senses with his need.

Drake’s hand closes around my throat. It’s meant to be sensual, sexy, but blood pounds in my ears, and my pulse skyrockets. My breaths turn spastic. Hyperventilating, blood roars past my ears as memories of a different man fill my mind.

Scott used to choke me when he beat me, cutting off my air until I passed out. He would do it over and over again, brutally punishing me for whatever mistake I had made.

My vision swims, and my legs buckle.

The world tilts beneath me as I crumble.

“Abby!” Drake’s shout sounds a mile away.

I’m being carried. His bare feet slap against the firm ground. He jostles me as something solid, something metal, falls and then stops. Cold metal presses against my bare skin as I blink and the world comes back into focus.

Drake peers at me, leaning in, staring at each of my eyes in turn. He presses the pads of his fingers against my inner wrist, feeling for a pulse.

He’s going to feel the panic swimming in my veins.

I blink again and take a deep breath. Some of the constriction around my chest eases.

“What happened?” Drake lifts my chin and forces me to look at him.

His brows tug together. Ex-military, he knows a post-traumatic episode when he sees one. There’s no way I’m getting away with not telling him.

I wipe at my cheeks and take in a deep breath.

“Who hurt you?” He barely touches my throat.

I sniff and straighten my spine. If he had the strength to tell me about his scar, and losing his wife along with their unborn child, then I can tell him about Scott.

“It’s not your fault.” I don’t want him to be afraid to touch me. “That’s just something…” My voice trails off. This is harder than I think it should be.

“That triggers you?” He takes half a step back. “Who hurt you?”

I take in a deep breath. “Moving here gave me the excuse I needed to get out of Redlands.”

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