Page 25 of The Wrong Drive

She laughs softly, but there’s sadness in her eyes. “I don’t dance. I never really had. No one dances with me.”

“Start it over,” I tell her, my body throbbing with a new kind of anxiety.

She raises her brow, and does as I say, and then steps around the counter. “Okay…”

“Okay,” I say stupidly as I try to discreetly wipe my hands on my jeans. I take hers, and it’s cold in my grip, but her skin is soft against mine.

She steps into me, her other hand on my shoulder, and somehow, I find her waist. My heart fucking throbs in my temple as I hold her close, swaying to music. Muscle memory kicks in, and I let it lead, zoning out in the sweet scent of shea butter coming from her hair. I inhale it like it’s oxygen, knowing this could easily be the last time I have a chance to hold someone like this. She’d never let me this close if she knew.

But I don’t want to let her go.

“What song is this?” I choke out, feeling irrevocably human.

“The Only Thing Left,” she answers me softly. “By Vincent Lima.”

I nod and then hold her tighter, leaning in and resting my cheek against her temple. Closing my eyes, I cling to the moment with her, knowing that when I’m burying her body in the snow, I’ll replay this moment over and over again.

And maybe it’ll be enough to finally put this all to an end.It’s always been the plan once Gunner is gone. He’s the only reason I’m still here. Once he’s gone, there’s no reason for me to remain in this realm.

As the song ends, my thoughts still and I expect her pull away—but she doesn’t. The next song starts. It’s not a slow song, and I recognize the pop singer’s voice but not the song itself. Emersyn starts to giggle like a kid and starts dancing…

Like goofy fucking dancing.

I burst into laughter as she sings it to me, dancing and holding onto my hand. She has a decent voice but no rhythm. Her light brown hair bounces against her shoulders, and the smile on her face exudes so much light and happiness. She’s fucking beautiful, and she’s inmyhouse, her eyes glistening with amusement mirroring my own.

As it hits the bridge, a deeper, sultrier hum, the air charges, her eyes daring me. My fingers are still intertwined with hers. My heart beats unevenly with nerves, and I pull her into my chest, my fingers threading through her soft hair. My nose brushes hers, but my lips are faster than I expect, driven by a strong desire.

And holy fuck.

She kisses me back, parting to let me devour her mouth entirely. My cock grows rigid against her stomach, and anything I am and or ever was fades to black. All I can think about isher.I sweep my hand down her side, and she stumbles back at my force, letting out a moan as I lift her into the air.

Her ass lands on the butcherblock countertop, and she cries out as the new arrangement allows my cock to press right against her clothed center. An unrecognizable groan erupts from my throat as I grind into her, my tongue still interlaced with hers. My fingertips brush over the bare skin of her neck, floating down as they rest on her collarbone.

I want to shred her fucking clothes as I grip the back of her head, holding her against me, nipping at her bottom lip. It’s a primal desire, bubbling up and taking control of my entire body. As she rolls her hips against me, I growl in desperation and drop my hand to my jeans.

But then Gunner barks.

And I freeze. Heneverbarks.

Not unless someone is out there.

Chapter 10

Emersyn

Turner’sentire body stiffens against mine as Gunner’s bark resounds through the cabin for a second time. “It’s stopped snowing,” he mutters into me, his voice husky from the charged moment between us. Disappointment pangs in my chest and my shoulders slump as he untangles from me.

I graze my lips with my fingers, the flesh swollen, as Turner heads for Gunner, perched at the front door. He peers through one of the windows, and the dog barks again. I stand there, watching, hot and bothered. I didn’t mean for anything to happen between us, but…his kiss. I lost control the moment his mouth collided with mine—and I’m trying not to focus on the way that’s never happened before.

I’ve never slept around. I’m the kind of girl who gets emotionally attached, and thenfalls in love too fast. After that, I either get heartbroken or fall out as fast as I fell in. But still, I’ve never been kissed like that… Like I was oxygen, and he was suffocating.

“Stay here,” Turner’s voice breaks my thoughts, and I realize he’s fully dressed in his white camo to go out. “Don’t come out. No matter what.”

I furrow my brow, my anxiety growing as I note the gun in his hands. “Why? Are you going to?—”

His eyes hold mine. “Just don’t come outside, Em.”

“Okay,” I choke out as he rips the front door open, and he and the dog disappear into the night. It slams behind him, and I jump at the sound.What could possibly be out there? Adam? A search team? Is he going to murder them?He’s clearly the type to shoot first and ask questions later.

---