Page 84 of Clawed
His voice was like velvety honey—hot, soft, and unreasonably satisfying.Swallowing back her trepidation, she went to him, accepting his open arms and breathing in the spicy scent of the man who’d become the center of her entire universe.
“Sir.”Her rucksack fell from her shoulder, but he caught it before it hit the ground.
“Are you ready for this?”
Placing her bag by their feet, he ran his fingers through her hair.He wore the same cap he’d donned at their last meeting, a legacy of his lingering paranoia of being caught for her false imprisonment.In order to make her plight seem real, she’d had no choice but to go along with the police investigation, though the last thing she wanted was for him to serve more time.The days of putting him behind her were well and truly over.
“I think so.”She loved the sensation as he tugged at her tresses, the fire at her scalp grounding her in an almost primal way.“I want to be.”
His lips curled.“I’m so ready to have you back, but I haven’t forgotten the things we talked about.”
“Like my safe word, Mr.Lawes?”Despite her rising fervor, she wanted to establish the basics before he swept her away with their dangerous desire.
“Yes.”Pressing himself against her, he pulled her head back gently.“Like your safe word.”
It felt so good to just give in to him and allow him to take over.After days of anxious planning, his authority was precisely what she craved.
“I’ve checked the parking lot for obvious cameras,” he went on.“But just in case I’ve missed something, let’s get in the car.We can decide on a safe word there.”
She sighed when he released her, permitting him to guide her to the passenger seat.A low-lying thrum of excitement simmered in her chest when he closed the door behind her, and she waited as he slipped into the driver’s seat.
“Did anybody follow you?”Removing the cap, he glanced her way.
She shook her head.“No, sir.There was hardly anyone else on the train.”
“Good.”His softening expression conveyed his concern.He didn’t want to be back in prison, either.“Did you have a suggestion for your safe word, little girl?”
Her heart accelerated as she considered the word she’d been wrestling with, her lips unable to hide her wry amusement.
“What?”he demanded, noticing her smile.
“I’m not sure what you’ll make of it, Mr.Lawes.”She tugged her safety belt into position.
“Try me.”
Gulping back on her nervous glee, she pushed out her chosen word.“Dentist.”
Lengthy seconds of silence passed between them as he processed her choice, the only sign that he’d heard her the way he pursed his lips.
“I just thought it was appropriate.”The butterflies in her belly were doing somersaults, his delay in responding only ratcheting her unease.When he finally replied, she could scarcely take another breath.
“Very.”He cocked his eyebrow at her.“Dentist, it is.”
“Really?”She couldn’t believe it was as straightforward as that.Nothing with Lawes had ever been so simple before.
“Really.”Settling in his seat, he adjusted his mirror and fastened his safety belt.“It’s your decision.”
She watched the side of his face as he started the car engine and slipped it into gear, convinced he’d have something else to say on the subject, but to her surprise, he said nothing.
Maybe this is a new Lawes, after all?
Pulling out of the station’s parking lot, he turned onto the main road, his hands gripping the wheel as if his life depended on the object.
“Are you nervous, sir?”
She’d never asked such a bold question of him, but then, she’d never known him to be so tense before.Even at the roadside by Shannon’s apartment, he’d seemed calmer.
Glancing her way, his gaze gave nothing away, and for one terrifying moment, she thought she’d made a terrible mistake by overstepping the shifting power dynamic they’d redrawn.What had she been thinking, getting into the car and running away with her captor?
