Page 129 of Slay Ride

“Damn, too late,” he says through a hoarse laugh.

I swat his arm and laugh with him. The time for feigned outrage is finally over.

“Kiss me, Bennett,” I say.

He looks down and brushes the hair from my forehead. The gesture is becoming so familiar to me now, and I sometimes find myself wishing my hair would fall over my eyes, just so that I can feel that gentle touch.

“With pleasure,” he whispers.

His hand supports the back of my head as he leans down and places his lips on mine. In the dark, under the Aurora Borealis, we tangle ourselves in each other’s arms and find a moment of peace. Worries slip away. Fear evaporates, carried off by the icy wind.

“I don’t want to do this alone anymore,” he whispers as he pulls back. “That’s why I came back for you. I want you by my side, Cat. Will you stay on my island with me?”

“Yes, as long as I’m the only one with a standing invitation.”

He smirks and raises his scarred eyebrow. “You’re receiving the first and last invitation, kitten. I can promise you that.”

“What about Shorty? Can he come?”

Bennett grumbles under his breath, and I swat his shoulder again. A little harder this time.

“Yes, the stupid feline can come.” He leans down and kisses me once more. With a contented sigh, he pulls away and grabs my hand, leading me toward the snowmobile. “I think we’ve given them enough time, and I don’t know how long my mother has. Let’s not waste another moment.”

I squeeze his hand. “We’ve done enough of that, haven’t we?”

Bennett straddles the seat, then holds my hand as I climb on behind him. I fish a spare pair of goggles from the saddlebag and hand them to him. They aren’t as nice as his personal set, but neither of us brought any luggage along, so we have to make do with what’s available.

He slides them on, raises his hood, and looks back at me. “What about you? Do you have goggles?”

“I don’t need any. I’ll keep my eyes shut.”

“You trust me?”

I smile and hug him tighter. “I do.”

Bennett starts the engine, and the snowmobile jerks forward. With a deep breath, I close my eyes and hold on tight.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Bennett

The elevator dings, and the doors open on the third floor. Cat and I step into a silent hallway lined with dim lights, our shoes clacking along the glistening tiles. Aside from our footsteps and the intermittent beeps and whooshes of hospital equipment, the hallway is quiet.

Oddly quiet. Despite this being the hospital floor, we haven’t seen a single member of staff since stepping out of the elevator.

“It looked like a mansion from the outside, not a hospital,” Cat whispers. “Is this where your mother has been all this time?”

I nod and motion for her to step through the double doors just ahead of us. “Only the best for my mom. If she has to deteriorate slowly, I want her to be comfortable while she does it.”

As we pass doors, I check the numbers. The rooms are large and spread out, but there aren’t very many of them. I guess not everyone can afford for their parents to waste away in the lap of luxury.

Fuck, I can’t afford it either, and I don’t know how I’ll cover the expenses accrued from this particular setback. But I can think about that later. Right now, I just want to see my mother.

We reach the last door on the left, and I step forward to open it.

Despite the daylight outside the walls, the room is shrouded in darkness. A strip of light from the hallway reaches toward my mother’s hospital bed, and my eyebrows pull together.

“Cat, open the door a little wider,” I say.

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