Throughout their twists and turns, they somehow managed to lose the other car. Not letting up, Josh was aware when the terrain changed. The road they traveled along was now dark and deserted. With still no detection of the beam of another car, he concentrated on pushing forward.
Somehow, he just knew the night was going to get worse. When he heard the sound of a tire blowing out it didn’t come as a surprise to him, feeling sure, this night was his punishment for something he’d done in a previous life. Still pushing the car for all it was worth, when he heard metal grinding into the ground, he knew the vehicle was finished.
Pulling off the road, Josh cut the engine and looked over at Lux. She had already disengaged her seatbelt and had her door open. Without comment, he did the same.
Out of the car, he placed his hands on the frame of the car and pushed until it was off the road. He would have liked the luxury of more time to hide it properly, but he couldn’t take the chance. Moving back to where she was standing, he took her hand.
“Do you know where we are, Lux?”
“Yes, I know, but I wish we’d managed a few miles more.”
“Why?”
“A few more miles and we’d be at the nearest town. If we can’t take the road, there are a lot of trees between us and our destination.”
Nodding for her to continue, Josh waited.
“It’s at least ten miles in that direction,” Lux pointed off into the darkness.
Now aware of the direction they needed to take, he began walking, pulling her unceremoniously behind him.
In the stillness of the Caribbean night, Josh could hear the drone of the other car’s engine. Correctly calculating its distance and how fast he could move with Lux in tow, he knew they couldn’t outrun the men who followed them. His mind worked in a furious attempt to think of a way to keep Lux safe because running on foot wasn’t going to cut it.
No longer hearing the vibrations of the other car, Josh knew the cessation of the sound meant his attempts at hiding their vehicle had been uncovered. Moving deeper into the wooded area; total darkness and trees surrounded them. Coming to a stop, he bent close and whispered against her ear; cautious of how the sound a human voice could carry in this environment. “Can you climb a tree?”
“Of course–”
Josh slammed a hand over her mouth to cut off anything else she had to say, but it was already too late. His keen hearing told him their pursuers had heard her. Dragging her behind him, he frantically searched for a hiding place that would give them the concealment they needed.
The tree wasn’t perfect, but it had enough knots to give her purchase as she climbed. Grabbing her around the waist, he used all his strength to toss her as high up the tree as he could. Her yelp of surprise made him grind his teeth in frustration. Maybe he should have warned her of his intention, but he really wished she’d keep her mouth shut.
As she climbed in her ridiculously inadequate ballet pumps, she slipped, and Josh held his breath. This time, and to her credit she didn’t make a sound. When her downward momentum brought her backside directly into his line of vision, he wanted to take a bite out of it. Peaches had always been his favorite fruit.
Palming her butt cheeks in each of his large hands, he heaved her upwards. His intimate touch surprised her and he felt the muscles of her ass tense in reaction. If their position weren't so precarious, he wouldn’t have allowed her to get away without an explanation of her bodies response. Josh knew how to bide his time, and he would have an explanation, even if he had to force it out of her.
Chapter 6
Unable to still her reaction to the feel of his big hands cupping her backside, Lux tensed her muscles and immediately regretted it. Knowing Josh, that small involuntary response would probably be her downfall. Regaining her footing, she got ready to restart her climb; glad he’d stopped her from boasting of her tree climbing abilities.
The flex of his hands on her ass was unnecessary, and Lux knew it was his way of ensuring she understood he’d registered her response to him. Joshua Kingdom had to be one of the most vexing men she’d ever met. Knowing not to repeat the mistake of speaking, Lux decided to regain a measure of her dignity. Just as she knew she needed to remain silent, the same was true for him.
Her balance now regained, Lux lifted a foot and brought it down on top of his head and used it as leverage to push upwards. Take that Joshua, she thought with satisfaction as she moved on.
Once her foot gained purchase against the tree, her concentration returned to pulling herself upward. Lux had no idea how it happened but somehow their positions were reversed. Peering up through the shadows, she was grasped around both her wrists and unceremoniously heaved up.