alive at her response, at the way she slanted her head to receive more of him. She held him close, one hand cupping the back of his head and the other on his ass, and it didn’t take long for slow and deep to become fast and hard. She nearly inhaled him and if she hadn’t been hurt he’d have stripped off her yoga pants and done her right then.
But their privacy ended when a camper pulled into the rest stop. Troy pulled away from her voracious mouth. It was going to be hell having her inches away, taking in her sweet, exotic scent and not being able to touch her. “We need to hit the road before I do something in public that could get me arrested.”
“Ooh, I like the sound of that.” Her voice held a mountain of promise and her eyes sparkled with teasing light. He loved this playful side to her. She made him feel special, like he deserved the attention and happiness she brought into his life, and he couldn’t remember the last time anyone made him feel that way.
He grinned and gestured to the door. “C’mon, Irma Jean. In the car.”
Chapter Fifteen
Late afternoon and Julie’s house was dark. Too dark. The garage was boarded up and the cement in front of it was burned to a crisp on the short driveway. Yellow crime-scene tape wrapped around the area. He’d been here for hours and hours and there’d been no sign of anyone. There’d been nothing but time to look at all the houses along her street and up above on the hillside where a dozen homes sat on stilts. This neighborhood screamed money, with custom homes, expensive cars and immaculate yards. One mansion in particular caught his attention. Undergoing a complete renovation, it looked like it might topple down the mountain any minute and take out Julie’s house directly below it. Good thing Julie planned on moving.
A car came up the road. A little red Fiat. Brand new. Very sharp. His mother called a car like that a ticket magnet. The car made a U-turn and parked three spaces in front of him. A short woman wearing all white got out. Her mini dress and high heeled shoes showed off amazing calves. She juggled a key ring as she got to the front door, then let herself in.
Allen couldn’t see enough of her face to place her.
Frustration and anger all boiled together. Allen got out of the car and strode to the front door with every intention of finding out where Julie had gone. She couldn’t be far. She’d been hurt for God’s sake. He’d seen it on the news. There had even been footage of her on crutches.
His poor Julie. She needed him now more than ever and if this girl had a key to her house, then she’d have to know where Julie was.
He just had to play this right. He knocked on the door and wiped his sweaty hands down his khakis as he waited. A few seconds later, it swung open and the lady looked up. This close, recognition dawned on him. “I know you,” he said. “You were in Nowhere to Hide.” The words spilled out before he could stop them.
She gave him a flat stare. “Yes. I was. Can I help you?” The film had been panned so she was probably more used to harsh criticism than anything else. He knew how that felt.
“I loved that movie. I thought you were terrific.” He’d rented it and ended up getting off more than once to her pole dance scene. “Your name is Carrie Ann, right?” Julie’s best friend.
Her hard gaze softened and her caramel brown eyes studied him more closely. “Are you a neighbor? Can I help you with anything?”
A neighbor! Yes, that would work. He nodded, knew the perfect house to call his own. “I live up there.” He pointed to the mansion under construction high on the hill behind Julie’s home. “I thought I had a mini hill slide and wanted to check if the backyard was okay.” He loved the sound of this and by the look on this girl’s face, she was buying it.
“Oh, wow. A slide. That would be bad. I haven’t even looked in the yard. Do you want to wait here or—”
“Of course not. I’d like to see if there’s damage. This is Julie’s house, right? I met her briefly once when I was walking the hill. That poor lady has had