Page 35 of Unforgettable

And nothing. Not a single peep and my anxiety that I’d been left in an unknown place for an unknown amount of time ratcheted up a notch or five. Just as my breathing quickened, the passenger door to my right swung open, letting in the chilly air as a hand encircled my upper arm. I jumped at the sudden touch and pulled away.

“It’s just me, babe. No need to freak out.”

“If I’m going to be blindfolded, can you at least tell me what you’re doing before you do it?”

In a move I wasn’t expecting, Reed’s thumb found my lower lip and pulled it free from between my teeth. The next thing I felt was his lips, firm against my own.

“You know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, right? You’ll always be safe with me,” he said, still hovering his lips over my own. He lifted me onto the concrete, and the car door closed behind me and echoed through what I believed was a parking garage. It was an interesting development but didn’t lend itself to learning our location.

Reed’s large palm enveloped my own as we began walking. “Okay, so you’re going to step down right about now,” Reed instructed, and I did as he said but lost my balance all the same.

He chuckled and helped right me before we continued. The short heels of my boots clicked against the concrete and was the only sound around us as I concentrated on not falling.

“Now there’s another curb, so just step up right now,” he instructed again, and with little grace, I stumbled again but was caught in Reed’s strong arms.

“And that’s about enough of that. Hang on, babe,” he said, which was my only warning before I felt the world fall away. Reed gripped me at the bend in my legs with one arm as the other held me at my upper back. I wasn’t prepared to be carried and let out a pathetic, unsuspecting squeak as I landed in his arms.

“I’ve got you,” he said, as though it was usual to carry a perfectly capable woman.

“If you just take the blindfold off, then I could walk on my own.”

“Yes, I know.”

I sighed but found my arguments dying on my tongue as I slid my hands over his chest and wrapped them around his neck. I felt weightless in his arms and settled closer to his chest as we came to a stop. He leaned in one direction and then righted himself quickly.

“Just don’t drop me,” I said.

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

There was a ding, which meant we were in an elevator, and Reed stepped forward before turning us around and leaning to press another button. Or so I assumed.

“And don’t run me into anything either.”

“I hadn’t planned on doing that either.”

I took a deep breath as I heard the doors shut and the elevator moved upward.

“And if you could not—” But once again, my words were suddenly cut off by the feeling of his lips on mine. And in less than a second, I couldn’t even remember what my last request was as he kissed me breathless.

I returned the urgency of the kiss, pulling myself even closer to him and tangling my fingers at the short hair at his neck. A breathless moan slipped from between my lips as the elevator doors dinged open.

Without breaking our kiss, Reed stepped forward and didn’t move again until I heard the doors whir shut behind us.

“I’ve realized,” he began in a husky, low voice, “that’s the best way to keep you quiet. I have to give your mouth something else to do. Something else to focus on.”

Maybe if he hadn’t just had his tongue in my mouth and delivered a kiss that left me feeling weak and light-headed, then I may have taken offense to his comment, but I was feeling all of those things, so I let it slide.

I did, however, think of about ten ways to make his comment even dirtier and was contemplating which one fit the situation best when he set me down and removed the tie from my face.

Thankfully, the lights were low in the room, and it only took a few seconds to adjust. And when I did, my breath caught in my throat. I didn’t know what to look at first, so I found myself whipping my head from one side to the other and then up toward the tall ceilings.

To the right was the gift shop filled with items and knickknacks I’d perused a million times and to my left was the ticket area where I’d stood several times and waited an ungodly amount of time for new exhibits when I was a kid and buying tickets online wasn’t an option.

In the black rafters, several feet above us, were sculptures of animals, planets, and dinosaurs, dangling from the ceiling from clear wire, giving the illusion that they were floating in midair. The large entrance hall was cast in dim, warm light, and I peered at everything a second and third time before I whirled around to the man standing behind me.

With his hands tucked effortlessly in his pockets and a sly grin on his lips, he seemed proud of himself.

“We’re at the Museum of Natural Science.”

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