open hotel along this stretch of highway and book us a room. Following that, I could take Brianna out for dinner, then I could spend the rest of the night pleasuring her until she screams my name at least three times.
Three? No. Four.
It’s so very tempting. I know the credit card still works. My parents haven’t cut me off from our family money but using that card also means alerting the SF to our whereabouts.
That obviously isn’t an option.
Shit. What’s your plan, Ward?
The beast is awake, too, which only adds to the tension building in my shoulders like a volcano. He’s prowling around again, blood on his mind. He knows Brianna’s hungry, and he doesn’t like that. However, instead of knocking a guy out and stealing his money, the beast is throwing me images of hunting down wild hares and coyotes and bringing their carcasses back to Brianna.
I can just imagine her expression if the beast trots up to her with the entrails of a rabbit hanging from his mouth before he drops her “dinner” at her feet.
Yeah, bud, thanks, but that ain’t gonna work either.
He circles again, low growls coming from him.
At least he didn’t suggest killing a human and bringing that carnage back to her. I suppose that’s progress.
I cup the back of my neck as Brianna’s stomach gives another rumble. She slaps a hand over it and smiles sheepishly.
“Take the last granola bar,” I tell her.
Her lips part, a flush filling her cheeks. “No, I’m fine. Besides, you should take it. You’ve barely eaten anything today.”
“I’m not hungry.”
She raises her eyebrows. “You have to weigh at least fifty pounds more than me. You need more calories. You should take it.”
I clench my jaw and give her a look that I hope conveys, fat chance. Keeping one hand on the wheel, I reach into the back and fish through the pack until I find the small bag of food. I plop the entire thing on her lap. “Eat.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll find something. Don’t worry about me.”
Her stomach grumbles louder, and she reaches for the bag’s lip but then stops. “How much money do we have?”
And there’s the question I’ve been avoiding. “Enough.”
“Really? Cause yesterday you didn’t have any when we stopped at that Sonic, and my purse is still back at my apartment along with my cash.”
“I found some spare change in the trunk.” I’m not lying. I did see a few nickels in the trunk.
“Seriously? How much?”
“Enough to buy myself some food when we stop next.” If I’m lucky, maybe a cheap piece of beef jerky.
She frowns but finally acquiesces. However, it’s not until her hand dips into the bag and pulls out an apple and power bar, before tearing into them, that I finally relax. Well, relax a little.
“I was supposed to work tonight,” she says in between bites. “Macy said she would cover for me, but I’ll need to call her if I don’t make my next shift. She’ll worry if I miss that one too.”
“When’s that?”
“Tuesday evening.”
“So we have two days.”
She bites into the apple, the loud crunch filling the sedan. “And I’m supposed to go to class tomorrow. It’s my last year. I can’t skip class forever if I want to graduate, but I can miss a few days.”
I know where she’s going with this, and I’m dreading it.
“So do you know how long I’ll need to avoid my apartment? Do you know when we can go back?”
Despite wanting to avoid that question, my grip on the steering wheel loosens. She just said we. Do you know when we can go back. She hasn’t given up on my sorry-ass yet.
“Is going back to school what you want?” I ask her.
She finishes the apple and throws the core out the window. Hot dry air blows in until she rolls it back up.
I expect her to say yes without hesitation, but instead her brow furrows. She looks so damned cute with her forehead all scrunched up that it’s hard not to reach for her and touch her. And right now, I desperately need to touch her. I want to feel her smooth skin, inhale her sexy scent, and pull her into my arms. I don’t have any answers for her at the moment, but fuck me if I don’t want to try to be who she wants me to be.
“I thought I did.” Her frown remains.
Hearing that unlocks my jaw. It’s the bond. The bond is making her second guess everything. What we have is