Page 87 of Crazy In Love (Secrets of Suburbi 3)

Definitely Snuggle Muffins, thank you very much. I looked down at my wonderful dog. As soon as I moved my gaze, I realized my mistake. But I was a second too late.

Aiden knocked the gun out of my hand so fast that I didn’t even get a chance to fire. And then he lunged at me. The car horn beeped as his hip slammed against it.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, but there was no one around. We were in the middle of nowhere and Snuggle Muffins chose now to jump to the back seat and explore the car. Traitor!

Aiden’s fingers dug into my wrist, reminding me why I hated men with his fa

ce. My knee hit the gear shift as I struggled to push him off.

“Get off of me!” I yelled. But it was no use. He was too strong. I felt behind me, trying to grab the door handle.

“Jesus, Ensley, stop!” He pushed both my hands down as he straddled me on my seat. “Stop!”

I couldn’t move my legs. Or my arms.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Any warmth I had seen in his eyes was gone. “Threatening to shoot me in the fucking head on the middle of the highway? You would have killed us both.”

I tried to move my arms, but they were pinned. God, why was he so big and strong? Stop.

“I’m trying to help you here,” he said. “And you’re…what? Giving up on life so easily?”

“I’m not giving up on life. I’m giving up on you.”

His eyebrows lowered as he stared back at me. “I’m not Noah. I’ll never hurt you.”

“You’re hurting me right now!”

“Only to prevent you from killing me.” His grip on my wrists lessened. “I’ll say it again, Ensley. I’m not Noah. I’ll never hurt you. And you’ll never cut me up into little pieces and try to fit me in a storage container. Deal?”

I stopped struggling beneath him, the air suddenly felt different in the car. The windows were fogging up. And I could feel him. His length hardening, pressing into my thigh. This was turning him on? That was crazy. He was the crazy one, not me. I shifted slightly, trying to move him closer to where I was craving him. Fine, maybe I was a little crazy too. Just a little. “No deal,” I said. “Stop acting like you know me.”

“I know you.” He lowered his head closer to mine. “You won’t.”

“Bite me.” It was an invitation. And we both knew it.

He let go of my hands and buried his fingers in my hair, his teeth lightly nipping at my bottom lip.

Screw everything else. My hands pushed underneath his coat. I hated his face. I hated the fact that he thought he knew me. And I hated that he used to work for my husband.

But I loved his mouth. His lips. His biceps. My fingers stopped on his muscles as his mouth devoured me. I may have loved him more than I hated him. I just wasn’t sure it was enough to make me jeopardize everything I’d worked so hard for.

His hands cupped my breasts, but I shoved them down. The last thing I needed was for him to find Noah’s finger in my bra. This moment wasn’t about Noah. It was about us. And I needed this. I desperately needed this.

Aiden’s hands settled on my thighs. When his fingers slid up the inside of my thigh, I stopped thinking. And when they dipped beneath my Mrs. Claus costume, I lost all reason. I was done for. It didn’t matter that the cops were probably hot on our trail. It didn’t matter that I might end up in jail. All that mattered was this one good moment. I kissed him back like my life depended on it. Like it was my last chance at truly living.

***

I wasn’t sure how long we lost track of time. But it was enough to have a layer of snow on our windshield. And it was long enough to make up my mind. It was easy to fall for Aiden. He had my husband’s face. And I had loved my husband. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been so jealous when I’d found out he was cheating. There was such a fine line between love and hate. I’d danced that line when I shoved Noah down the basement stairs. Just like I’d been dancing it this whole time with Aiden.

But I wasn’t a dancer. I was a murderer. Different from the other serial killers in Windy Park. I wasn’t Violet Clark. Or Adeline Bell. I didn’t risk my future for a chance at love. I was Ensley Collins. And I was going to get away with murder. Even if it hurt. And it did hurt. Because I wasn’t dancing the line with Aiden anymore. The emotions I was feeling were real. And I knew that they were real for him too. He’d made love to me in the car. Noah never had. Noah had used me. He’d used me until he was done with me. But I wasn’t disposable.

When Aiden climbed out of the car to remove the snow from the windows, I dropped a pill into one of the bottles of Gatorade I’d packed. I stepped out of the car. “Do you mind if I drive?” I pretended to take a sip of the Gatorade.

“Whatever you want.” He smiled at me.

I ignored the way the action made my knees weak as I pretended to take another sip. “Thirsty?” I held it out to him.

He grabbed it and took a huge gulp. Then another. I pulled it away before he could have any more. He just needed to be knocked out for half an hour or so. Not all night. I watched the snow fall peacefully around us. I’d remember this moment always. I’d wonder if I made the right choice. But once I made my mind up, it was hard to change it.

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