Page 13 of Sweet Madness

She’s my client, and despite neither of us choosing this situation, there’s no need for me to treat her poorly. She hasn’t wronged me in any way, and though I may come off as a surly bastard with more baggage than I care to admit, cruelty is not in my nature.

I pause, taking a deep breath to collect my thoughts.

“We’ll be there in a few. Twenty minutes, give or take,” I tell her.

After that, she’s quiet. When I look over at her, her eyes are closed. We lapse into silence, and I drive.

I take it slow and easy, keeping my eyes on the road, hyper-vigilant for threats to her safety. I’m transporting precious cargo, and I’d sooner die than let anything happen to her. I owe her family that much. Ben too.

After a while, the silence starts to bug the fuck out of me. Why? Beats me. I prefer the silence, but this silence feels heavy. It unnerves me.

From the corner of my eye, I glance at Ellaiza. Her eyes are now open, looking out of the truck’s window. There’s nothing remotely interesting to see except for the long fields and greenery. Yet she stares at it as if she’s traveling through the streets of Paris.

Interest and a light that was missing earlier shine in her indigo-blue eyes.

A strange sensation squeezes my chest, but I ignore the feeling, not caring to know what triggered it. Instead, I reach inside the glove compartment and pull out a small black device. “Here. Take this,” I say, as she continues to look out the window, seemingly lost in another world and unsure how to react.

If I weren’t so annoyed by my current predicament, I’d find her reaction amusing. But truthfully, nothing is amusing about being stuck with a twenty-something-year-old girl for fuck knows how long when I’m a man who values his privacy and, above all, his peace.

Handing over the phone, I watch from the corner of my eye as her dark brows pull low while she stares at the item in my hand. “What is this?”

“A phone,” I mumble, keeping my gaze on the road. I don’t miss the face she makes.

Cute.

Seeing her disappointment elicits a faint smile from me, something I rarely do. Her soft hand brushes against mine, sending a jolt of electricity through my body, just like before when our skin first touched.

Fuck.

Pulling away as if her touch burns me, I clear my throat and keep my eyes on the road, trying to ignore the strange sensations she stirs with one touch. Fuck, with one goddamn smile.

Moonshine.

The word pops into my mind as I do my best to ignore both the rare feeling in my chest and the girl. She’s trouble, whether she knows it or not. Ellaiza Kenton is in trouble with a capital T.

Motherfucker.

Ella

“A phone,” my grumpy guard says matter-of-factly.

“I know it’s a phone,” I roll my eyes and try not to laugh. “How does this work?” I’ve seen the phone before on social media, on a nineties trends tribute account.

“You hit the keys,” Shaw says, sounding annoyed.

“Oh, I had no idea,” I muse.

He side-eyes me, then looks straight ahead again. Tough nut to crack… this one. Challenge accepted, Shaw Bear. I love challenges, and you might prove to be the best one.

Reaching forward, I grab the phone, and the moment my fingers touch his calloused ones, a burning sensation jolt through me. I breathe through my nose, trying to control the out-of-body experience. Again… I’ve never felt this before. Not with anyone else. It’s as if my skin recognizes him.

Does he feel it too?

Don’t be naive, Ella… The sarcastic grump is all man, and you’re… you. Spoiled little rich girl. Nepo-baby. He must think the same about me as the rest of the world.

A sudden rush of disappointment hits me as I think of how different we are. He’s older and forbidden. Yet I still want to play with fire.

As quickly as the disappointment hits me, it vanishes when I notice the colorful bead bracelet on his thick wrist. The one I made just for him when I was a little girl and thought the world of him. I spent the entire day making it for Shaw, adding cupcakes, small bears, and colorful stars.

---