“You think he would have stopped if I was standing at the side of the road dressed in black?” She put her hands on her hips. “The best way to get a ride is to show a bit of skin. I always dreamed about traveling across the country, so I follow a couple of travel blogs. One of them had a post with hitchhiking tips. Not that I ever would have hitchhiked alone because statistically speaking it’s dangerous for a woman, but I always like to be informed in case the situation arises, which it did.”
Holt stared at her aghast. “You learned hitchhiking from a blog?”
“I remembered practically everything,” she said, seemingly oblivious to his incredulous tone. “Where to stand, what kind of vehicle to flag down, how to be seen in the dark. Of course, it’s always better to use a sign instead of your thumb, and not hitchhike at night, but we’re doing it right since we’re traveling together and you have a knife.”
“Put your shirt down.” Anger, unexpected and unwanted, sizzled through his veins. Did she have any idea what it did to a man to see something he wasn’t meant to see? And those curves, her breasts, and … JESUS FUCK that sexy tat on her side … His cock hardened, straining against his fly. Good to know Viper hadn’t damaged him permanently after all.
Holt unholstered his weapon and pushed himself to stand, leaning against a tree for support. If the trucker had any fucking ideas about touching her, he’d find himself with one extra hole in his body and one truck short.
Lucky Larry was clearly disappointed to see that Naiya hadn’t made up the story about a boyfriend, and even more disappointed when Holt made sure he got a good view of his weapon. Still, he gave Holt a bottle of water and an egg-salad sandwich he’d picked up at a restaurant a few miles back. Holt had never tasted anything so good. He had to force himself to go slow, taking the water in tiny sips and nibbling on the sandwich, knowing his shrunken stomach wouldn’t be able to handle the food.
Thinking Holt distracted, Larry chatted with Naiya, carrying on a conversation that bordered on flirtatious until Holt thought he’d have to either shoot the fucker or jump out of the damn truck and drag Naiya with him.
Lucky for Larry they reached the next town before Holt lost the last threads of his control. He dropped them off at a small motel on the outskirts of Benton, population 3,000, but not before brushing a kiss over Naiya’s cheek before she slid out of the truck.
“Anytime, sugar.” He slipped a piece of paper into her hand. “You got my number.”
“Bastard had a fucking hard-on for three fucking hours.” Leaning on Naiya for support, Holt snatched the paper as Lucky Larry’s truck pulled away from the parking lot. He crushed it into a ball and flicked it away. “There. Now there’ll be no calling Lucky Larry.”
What am I doing? He stared at paper, shocked at the strength of his reaction to what was likely an innocent gesture on Larry’s part, especially after the kindness he’d shown to Holt. But Naiya was his—his responsibility, his unwitting prisoner, his path to revenge, his to protect.
“Seriously?” Naiya stared at the balled-up paper on the ground. “You seriously think I was going to call him for a date? He’s probably twice my age and three times my weight, and he smells worse than you. And even if I did want to call him…” She poked him in the chest. “You had no right to do that.”
“I’m fucking protecting you.” Holt wrapped his hand around her finger and drew it away. “Get used to it.”
“I don’t have to get used to anything. We’ve escaped. Tonight I’ll look after you. Tomorrow Maurice and Ally will come to get me. And maybe then you’ll feel like calling the Sinners for me out of the goodness of your heart. And if not, then you can go after Viper when you’re feeling better, and let me know when it’s safe again.”
Holt felt a curious tightening in his gut. He was going to have to come clean about the Sinners. And then she would have to get used to the fact she’d be staying with him until he made contact with Viper and let him know he had Viper’s prize.
“Can you stand for a minute?”
He nodded, and Naiya slipped out from under his arm and bent down to pick up the paper. Her jeans rode down and her shirt rode up and … fuck … he could see her panties, red and lacy with some kind of ridiculous bows around the edges. Hard on the outside, sexy and sweet on the inside. Why couldn’t he have been rescued by a dude, or a grandma, or anyone who didn’t make him think about just how long it had been since he’d been with a woman?
“Larry gave me some cash for the motel.” She smoothed out the paper and tucked it into her pocket. “I asked for his address so I could repay him, and he added his phone number, too.”
Holt bristled at the suggestion he couldn’t care for the woman under his protection. “I told you. I got money from the guard.”
“Now we have more money.” She pulled a wad of cash from her pocket and waved it in front of him as she slid back under his shoulder. “You should be thanking me. And Lucky Larry. It only cost me a kiss.”