Page 35 of Property of Fox

“Where are you going, firefly?”

Brea spins around, her green eyes widening in surprise as a smile breaks across her face. It’s a hesitant smile, but it still makes my heart race.

“I thought we were going to go to the after-party?”

“Not a chance. Especially with you looking like that. Every man’s eyes would be on your ass, and the last thing I need to do is go to jail in Texas.”

Brea approaches the truck, her heels clicking against the pavement, and leans against the door. Her smile falters slightly, replaced by a teasing arch of her brow. “No one is going to be looking at me if I am there with you.”

“You must have no idea how fucking beautiful you look in that dress, Brea. Men would kill to just breathe the same air as you,” I smirk, trying to mask the seriousness of my intent to whisk her away from all this commotion. “Stay there,” I order her, slipping from the driver’s side and crossing in front of my truck until I am within feet of her. Every part of my being is screaming for me to take her into my arms and kiss some sense into her right now, but it’s too public. All it would take is a reader and their camera phone to ruin this for Eden’s little scheme. “Get in.” I step towards the passenger side door, opening it for her. Brea shifts to step onto the running board but stumbles backwards into my chest. My arm instinctively wraps around her waist to steady her.

“Whoa, steady there,” I laugh, the warmth of her body pressing against me, sending a jolt of electricity through my veins. “I guess those heels are a bit taller than you expected?”

Brea’s cheeks flush a delicate pink as she glances up at me through her lashes, her earlier confidence slightly wavering. “They were my friend's idea. I don’t normally dress up like this.”

I’ll have to thank her friend later. Just feeling her body against mine has my cock straining uncomfortably against the fly of my jeans. The last thing I need is for her to shift that plump ass of hers against me. I would blow my load right here on the sidewalk.

Keep it fucking together, Fox. You’re not a two-pump chump, even if it has been a while. Do not cum in your jeans like a fucking teenager seeing his first pair of tits.

She regains her balance and straightens up, meeting my gaze boldly. “Okay, so if we’re not going to that party, what’s the plan?”

I can’t help but grin. “That depends. Are you ready for a little adventure?”

“What kind of adventure?” she quietly questions me.

“You’ll see,” I challenge softly, stepping back to give her space to hop into the truck again. As she settles, I close the passenger door and head back to my side. I climb in and fire up the engine. “You’re a little overdressed for what I have in mind, but I’ll make it work.”

Brea lets out a laugh. “You’re not going to take me bungee jumping or something ridiculous, are you?”

“Not a fucking chance with you in that dress, firefly,” I grin as I grab the gear shift. “You’ll just have to trust me.” I pull away from the curb, slipping into the flow of traffic as I navigate through the city streets.

I watch her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her dress. There’s an unmistakable spark in her gaze that tells me she’s just as curious and eager as I am. We navigate through the dimly lit streets, and I sense her anticipation rising.

“You ever just want to do something crazy? Like, run away from where everyone expects you to be?”

Brea stiffens at my question, eyes narrowing slightly as if she’s deciphering a riddle. A fleeting moment of vulnerability flashes across her face before she plays it off with an easy smile that doesn’t quite reach her green eyes.

“Are you okay?” I ask without thinking.

Her gaze flicks back to me momentarily. She looks down to her lap where her fingers dance nervously over one another. Shenods slowly but avoids locking eyes once again, trying to hide her feelings.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s just,” she stammers. “You asked about running away from it all, and I did that. I’m here in Texas trying to figure out my life.”

I nearly flinch at her admission. Of all the answers she could have given me, I could have never guessed this would have been it. I spot a park ahead and pull off into the empty parking lot, killing the engine.

“Tell me what made you run,” I nearly order her before lowering my tone. “Did someone hurt you?”

Brea shifts in her seat, the leather creaking as she turns slightly to face me. I don’t pull away. I need her to see that I mean every word. I may barely know this woman, but men who brutalize women are the top of my to-be-buried-in-concrete list.

“Not like that. No one hurt me physically,” she finally whispers, biting her lip as if she’s sealing the cracks of vulnerability just revealed. “It’s more… emotional, I guess. I was suffocating under someone else’s expectations and rules.”

“Is that someone looking for you?”

“No, I don’t think so. We’ve been down here for a few days. If he wanted to find me, he’d have done it by now.”

“He?”

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