Page 22 of Those Who Are Bound

A blush crawled over her cheeks.

Oh, shit, here we go.

“Can I give you some advice?”

Unsure of where he was going with his question, she cautiously responded, “Sure.”

“Don’t overthink it. This is day one.”

“Oh.” She looked out over the trees.

But you have no idea. You have no idea what I am.

She said with a small shrug, “I might have a bit of an issue with control.”

“No one ever has just a bit of an issue. You’re telling me you’re a control freak. Hmm, I wonder how that plays into your competitive nature. Scuba dive, anyone?”

She laughed.

“Well, my little control freak, will you let me decide where we’re going for breakfast?”

Elliott considered it. “As long as it isn’t—”

Jonah chuckled. “Yep, control freak.” Then he assured her, “I was thinking about the local café; it’s close.”

She nodded. “Sounds lovely.” She meant it.

They walked the rest of the way to the car quietly, enjoying the morning. Elliott slipped into thoughts of possibility, of hope, small daydreams of what could be, pushing aside fears of the eventual ghosting or straight-up running—it always happened—but she still participated in the remarks about the scenery. Once at the Jeep, she focused on allaying his concern over her comfort, his renewed attention to her scrapes from her fall.

“You’ll have bruises, I’m afraid,” he pointed out. They were already beginning to form.

Elliott checked out a bruised scrape on the back of her arm as they stood by his Jeep and teased him, “Look at you, breaking me on my first day out of the box.”

He looked pained. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’m not glass; I won’t shatter.”

“Still, I’d prefer not to have you bleeding on a first date,” he remarked dryly.

Laughing softly, she assured him, “I’d rather this than heels and a fancy dinner. So… well played, Montgomery. I would have been miserable.”

He gave her a skeptical look.

“I’m serious! Sometimes I don’t think I know how to be a girl.”

His gaze swept the length of her; his look told her he didn’t believe that was possible. Fishing the keys from his pack, he unlocked the Jeep with the press of a button. “I have a first aid kit. Let me at least try to clean off some of the dirt.”

Elliott took a few quick steps back. She didn’t want to see what lay in the trunk again. It was bad enough that she knew it was there. She hitched a thumb over her shoulder. “I’m going to see if the coffee is still warm.”

When he joined her on the passenger side, he opened the red first aid kit and withdrew an antiseptic wipe. She’d refilled her cup and was leaning against the open door, watching him as he approached, sipping the brew.Placing the box on the seat, he opened the packet.

“I really am okay,” she assured him.

He smiled back at her. “Allow me the illusion of taking care of you.”

The way he said it gave her a delicious chill; she decided she loved it when he turned alpha male on her. The morning was full of delightful sensation from him. “Why, yes, sir.”

“Thank you.” His green eyes caressed her gray. “Now turn around.”

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