Page 53 of Reckless Pawn

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Got something I want to show you."

It seemed strange we had stopped in the middle of nowhere. I glanced around finding only empty asphalt and what looked like a small building that housed restrooms.

He pulled into the last parking spot at the edge of the woods and as I realized how vulnerable I was in the middle of nowhere with a man I hardly knew, a shiver worked down my spine. Yes, my thoughts were kind of ludicrous at this point, but they were mine nonetheless.

Houston pulled off his helmet and then unbuckled mine.

"This a rest area?"

He grinned. "Yep. But with a cool little surprise. C'mon." He lifted me from the back of the bike and placed me on the ground. He then grabbed my hand and began leading me into the woods.

Every horror movie I've ever watched flashed through my mind. I knew it was stupid, but my self-preservation was apparently strong. I pulled my hand free and stopped walking. "I don't really want to go for a walk."

He stopped and looked down at me, a smile creeping across his face. "Too scared to be alone with me in the woods? Aren't we past all that by now?"

I smirked at him, not at all sure what we were past and not past.

He stepped forward and tucked my hair behind my ear before leaning in close. "I've been inside you, remember?"

The tingling from before erupted into a full on assault.

He placed his hands at the sides of my neck and ran his thumbs along my jaw. "I've had my mouth on every inch of this beautiful body," he continued. "So it seems a little silly to be afraid of me now."

"Except I'm not the same person I was then and I don't think you are either."

His eyes darkened and his hands at my shoulders tightened momentarily before releasing again. "I'm sorry it took me so long."

My eyes widened. I had no clue what he was talking about, but hearing an apology from him came as quite a shock. "What are you talking about?"

His eyes squeezed shut taking away the mesmerizing blue I was falling desperately into with every passing second.

He moved closer until his lips hovered inches from mine. I thought he was going to kiss me. I wanted him to kiss me.

Instead he said the worst thing he could have said at the moment.

"The kidnapping. I should have gotten to you sooner."

I staggered backward, nearly tumbling to the ground until he grabbed my arm with a tight grip and steadied me on my feet.

"That wasn't your responsibility."

"Bullshit." He exploded, his eyes opening wide again. "You were with me. You were mine. And they took you right out from under my nose."

For the first time since he rescued me I started to get a real sense of the guilt that seemed to drive Houston. Guilt he had no business feeling.

I grabbed his face and pulled him close again. "What happened was not your fault. That blame is squarely on my father and my fiancé." He tried to turn his head away and I didn't let him.

"They hurt you." The anguish in his voice broke something in me. Whatever barrier I'd managed to erect in my defense against this man crumbled to the forest floor.

"They did. But thanks to you, that's over now. I'm putting it behind me and you have to as well."

"I don't know if I can do that. Keeping it forefront in my mind is what keeps me focused on my goal."

The cold delivery of his words made me nervous. I could see him changing the more he talked about it. Anger might fuel him, but it seemed to go a lot deeper than that.

"What’s your goal, Houston?" I was almost afraid to hear his answer. I knew he wanted to erase what happened to me, but no matter what he did that would never happen.

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