Rock Me Slower (Licks of Leather #3) - Jenna Jacob Page 0,42
repeated with a scowl. “Now why does that name sound so familiar?”
“You a Licks of Leather fan, by chance?” he asked.
The cop blinked several times. “Holy shit. You boys are the only band I’ve listened to for the past ten years. Well, I’ll be… Ozzy Page. It’s damn good to meet you.” The trooper holstered his gun, handed Ozzy back his license, and then shook his hand.
I was still shivering from the icy wind blowing in from the open door and reached for my purse.
“The woman there, who I’m not trafficking, is Mia Harris. You might know her as…Phoenix.”
Hyperaware of the trooper’s gaping stare, I wrapped my arms around me to hide my pebbled nipples straining beneath my cotton shirt.
“I’ll be damned. It’s an honor to meet you, too, Miss Phoenix.” I sent him a tight smile. “I saw you two kids, kissing on TV last night. Betty, my wife, made me watch that award—”
“Sorry to interrupt, but Phoenix is shivering,” Ozzy began as he tugged the cover off the bed. “I’m just going to wrap this around her, and—”
“Aw, hell. Come on. Let’s get you both inside my cruiser. The heater is like the bellows of hell. I’ll radio for a mechanic to come out and fix your truck.”
As Ozzy draped the heavy blanket around me, I darted a glance at the open door. The officer had left the headlights of his cruiser on, piercing the inky darkness. A ragged breath filled my lungs as I bent to retrieve my purse and slid into my shoes.
“Much appreciated.” Ozzy nodded. “Give us a minute to gather up our things and we’ll take you up on the offer.”
In tandem, Ozzy and I reached for our cell phones poised on the edge of the couch cushions. Both still had the flashlight app turned on, illuminating the crumpled sheets, where he’d taken me to the stars. Though grateful the trooper had stopped, I yearned to spend the rest of the night panting and screaming with Oz.
Unfortunately, our trip down memory lane was over. Another piece of my heart broke away knowing that road was forever closed.
“You all right?” Brows slashed in concern, he turned off the light on his phone.
Darkness enveloped more than half the space, sending panic screaming through me.
“Yeah,” I answered much too quickly as I clutched the blanket and pretended it was a suit of armor to keep the shadows from wrapping their wicked hands around me. “Will you please turn your light back on?”
I tried to suppress the quiver in my voice but failed. Ozzy dissected me with a suspicious stare. Then, with a wary nod, he engaged the app again, sending the smoky ghosts scattering.
“Thanks. I didn’t want to trip on any of the boxes on the way out,” I lied.
He quirked a brow and glanced at the scant number of containers pressed against the walls. “Right.”
His tone screamed he didn’t believe me, but instead of pressing the issue, Ozzy simply wrapped his arm around my waist and led me to the back of the truck.
Once inside the trooper’s cruiser, I kept my eyes locked on my hands, clasped in my lap, until my racing heart finally slowed. While the officer radioed for a mechanic, Ozzy reached over and pried my fingers apart before sliding them through his.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I fibbed again.
“Remember when I told you earlier that you’d changed?” I nodded. “You’re the same in a lot of ways, like the fact that you’re still a terrible liar.”
When he squeezed my hand, I nearly told him of my fear, but I knew that he’d keep digging to determine the root of my phobia. I wasn’t sure I could ever tell him the dark secrets trapped within.
“I’m just tired. It’s been a long, busy week.”
“It has. But that’s an excuse, not the real reason you’re so…nervous and tense. Are you regretting what we did in there?” He nodded toward the U-Haul.
Not for a single second.
Making love to Ozzy again was a fantasy come true. I mourned not spending the rest of the night with him buried deep inside me. Obviously, he was having second thoughts or he wouldn’t have broached that question.
“Why? Are you?”
“Definitely not. But something’s bothering you. If it’s none of my business—”
“It’s not,” I bit out in a curt rush.
Unable to miss the flash of rejection in his dark eyes or the subtle shift of tension in his body, I wanted to howl with regret. Especially when Ozzy slid his hand from mine and nodded.