Page 89 of Passenger Princess

I spend the next thirty minutes making plans with Cara, who calls her friend to make sure we can use her studio while we're in California, taking photos, and saying our goodbyes before Jaime leads me to the SUV, and I take my very first full breath of air since I walked onto that stage.

"That was a setup," Jaime says once we pull out of the parking lot.

"Yeah," I whisper, because I know he's right. I just don't knowhowor if I won this round. We drive in silence, each of us lost in our thoughts, and before I know it, we're at the hotel.

"Thank you," I say as he helps me out of the car, holding Peach in her carrier in one hand and giving me his other. "For helping me today. Really."

"I'll always come to the rescue for you, Princess."

FORTY-TWO

JAIME

The morning after the Girl Scout presentation, I wake up with the sun to her body curled around me. Slipping out, I get in a workout and a shower before I slide back into bed in sweats and a tee to wake her.

"Good morning," her sleepy, sexy voice groans, her leg hitching up over my hip and pulling herself closer to me before pressing a soft kiss near my lips. Her aim isn't perfect with her eyes closed, so I use a hand to guide her head, to press mine to her for a proper good morning kiss.

"We gotta get up, Princess. Get on the road," I whisper when the kiss breaks.

"I want to lie in bed," she groans, snuggling in closer.

Through my sweats, I can feel the heat of her against me, and it takes everything in me not to take her up on the offer. "We gotta get on the road, Ava."

"Morning quickie."

"Later," I murmur, my lips somehow having found their way to her neck.

"Or we could now…" she says, her words trailing off with insinuation.

"Ava," I groan against her as she lifts her hips to try and get some kind of purchase on me, but I know if I don't get out of this bed now, we are absolutely doomed, as is any hope of getting to our stop in Las Vegas on time. So I roll out of her reach and out of bed, then grab her, lifting her over my shoulder with ease and smacking my hand to her bare ass.

"Come on. We have to go. I'll fuck you as soon as we get to the next stop." She pouts as I set her down in the bathroom, and I laugh. "Five minutes, Ava. Then we've gotta get out the door."

As seems to be her way, Ava takes five more minutes than we have getting ready, something I think she knows I've built into our itinerary at this point, so I only give her enough shit so I get to tease her, but not enough to actually start an argument. She tries to convince me to let her carry her own shit down, but I refuse, and she glares at me as I carry my small bag, her two bags, and Peach's carrier. I put everything in the SUV and then move to the passenger door, opening it for her, but upon looking in, she doesn'tgetin.

I fight a smile.

"What is this?" she asks, staring at me.

One of the reasons I made sure to get up for my workout was because I wanted to make a run to the twenty-four-hour store I spotted down the road, grabbing her a coffee, some new snacks since her stash was pretty well depleted, and a new book.

"Come on, Ava," I say. "Get in."

"You got me flowers," she says, the words filled with awe as she lifts the shitty bouquet of white flowers wrapped in crinkly cellophane from the store I stopped in. I saw them and, for some reason, decided she needed them.

"Yeah, roses or whatever."

Her lips go tight as she fights a smile, moving to her tiptoes and pressing a hand to my cheek before pressing her lips to mine.

"They're carnations, Big Guy."

I shrug. "All the same to me."

"You aresucha man," she says as if this is news to either of us before sliding them up on the dash and taking in the passenger seat again. "When did you set up my seat?"

Her face is unsure as she takes in her little spot. I laid her blanket out on the seat, her coffee in the cupholder the way she likes it, her devices all charged, and her car bag all packed at her feet. Peach is already snoozing in her carrier in the backseat, though I'm sure she'll make her way up front eventually.

"Ava, I take care of what's mine. Now please, get in so I can get what's mine to her next destination," I say, thinking about the traffic we're bound to hit if we don't leave this hotel five minutes ago.

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