Page 130 of The Invite
“Why?” he presses.
A fleeting memory rises, causing my foot to accidentally push harder on the gas and speed over the limit.
I don’t let up, becoming stuck.
A strong hand wraps around the steering wheel as my vision blurs. Just before I can plunge into another blackout, Augustus’s calm and measured voice says in my ear, “Slow down.”
I blink several times to clear the haze and ease off the accelerator, slightly embarrassed at my behavior. I half expect Augustus to demand I park on the side of the road and take over driving. After all, it is his car. He’s probably worried I’ll damage it. Hopefully, he has insurance.
It’s not what comes out of his mouth.
“No one’s going to the cops.” His hand skims down my thigh in a soothing caress. “They’re corrupt. I wouldn’t trust them either.”
Nobody knows it better than me.
He remains quiet and pensive for the rest of the ride, keeping his hand resting above my knee. The small gesture holds me together until we arrive at my place safe and sound.
I turn off the engine until the last purr gets swallowed by the night.
He doesn’t pull away as we stare at my unlit porch. His grip slides upward, eliciting a hitch in my breath.
The lust-fueled tension sparks with a vengeance and my breath turns choppy.
Before I can tell him to leave, he commands in a husky note, “Get in the back seat, Nessa.”
CHAPTER – 32
Augustus
I can’t get myself to leave her. Knowing well she’ll drive straight to Ace’s apartment as soon as I’m gone.
I also can’t reveal I know where she is staying.
Not yet, at least.
The last thing I want to get into right now is how I’m tracking her whereabouts.
So, I’m left with a single territorial option. If she’s going to be alone in the vicinity of another man, then she will very well have my mark on her. Reminding her who she belongs to.
The non-deranged part of me also wants to make sure she’s okay. Because of what occurred on the road as well as in the morning. Even if I have an unconventional way about it.
She’s keeping all her cards close to her chest.
They’re stacked like a castle and I won’t rest until I make them fall like dominoes until I unearth the real her.
Reaching over her lap, I unbuckle her seat belt and unlock the door. Twisting my head, I whisper in her ear, “The sooner you obey, the sooner I leave.”
I don’t miss the tremor jolting her when I graze her thighs as I pull back.
When she takes a step outside, I warn, “Don’t think of running.”
“Where will I go?” she snaps.
I bury the amused smirk threatening to rise and watch her open the back door extra hard in frustration.
Nessa has never been meek but she’s also not outright feisty. She tries to bury that side of her, telling me I haven’t felt the most scorching flames yet.
It’s deepening my fascination with her.
