Suspended

by Taryn Elliott

  She looked out the windshield. Families, couples, grandparents—it was the middle of the day. Why were there so many people around? It was a workday. The kids should be in school. At the river they’d been alone. Here, people would know.

  He flicked open the top button and used his knuckle to nudge down her zipper enough to get into her panties.

  She arched. Cripes, she was so freaking close. All it would take was a touch. He gripped her hip. “We can’t do this if the entire parking lot knows, Sunshine.”

  He turned her hips out at an angle so his hand could slip deeper. She gripped his wrist, her nails biting into his forearm. She tunneled her fingers into his hair with her other hand, dragging him in closer to her cheek as he dipped two fingers into her.

  “Were you really going to get off without me?”

  She groaned. She didn’t know if she had that kind of bravery. She’d taken care of herself when the need arose but never in front of someone. What would it be like to watch him watch her?

  “Christ, you are fucking dripping. Just from making me come?”

  She concentrated on the slow circles he made with his first and middle fingers. On holding still and letting him take her where she needed to go. She had gotten off on giving him pleasure, but the thought of him watching her get herself off? She clenched around his fingers. “Shane.”

  “Tell me, Kendall.”

  “Sunshine,” she said through gritted teeth.

  His prickly jaw scraped against her cheek. “Did you get off on getting me off, Sunshine?”

  She pulsed. She wanted the full feeling, wanted more than just his fingers. She wanted him deep inside her. Wanted all that hard, ridged flesh filling her up. She choked out a breath when he stopped.

  “Tell me.”

  She nodded.

  “Tell me out loud.”

  Her head fell back against his chest. “Yes.”

  “Yes…what?”

  “Yes,” she lifted her hips a little, and he pulled out of her. “No.”

  “Tell me, Kendall.”

  She rolled her hips under his hand. “Inside me, Shane. I’m so fucking close.”

  He smoothed his fingers over her panties ever so lightly. “That’s not what I asked. I wanted to know why you’re so fucking wet.”

  She stared straight ahead, every muscle locked. “I liked your taste. I loved hearing your growl through your chest and it vibrate on my tongue with your cock in my mouth.”

  “Jesus.” His hand slid back into her panties, followed by two fingers curling deep inside her.

  She sucked back a breath and fought the need to jerk her hips up for more. “Watching your face, knowing that I was the reason—” He ground his palm into her clit, and she couldn’t speak around the cresting bliss. With his chin buried in her neck and both of them facing the parking lot, the world fuzzed around the edges. She slammed her eyes shut and let the pleasure take her.

  His name a prayer, an oath, and a promise.

  She sagged against him and dragged in oxygen. His chest heaved behind her. They were going to kill each other before New York. She slid across the bench seat and reached for her bag. Everything was swollen and sensitive. She wanted nothing more than to crawl back into his arms and soak in the afterglow.

  Because she wanted it so bad, she made herself move. Made herself open the door and take a shaky step out onto the pavement. This was supposed to be good fun. Nothing else.

  Nothing else.

  Ten minutes later, they were back in the truck with drinks, snacks, and another five hours ahead of them. More desert, more flat roads and the endless dotted line, more time in Shane’s truck. More time to want him.

  Shane’s music was hit-or-miss. As the desert swallowed hours and the sun streamed through the cab of the truck, her sound track included an obscure Rush album, Def Leppard, and a double live album from Metallica. She managed to fall into a book on her iPhone. This time it was a companionable silence instead of awkward.

  At least she assumed so. Shane wasn’t talking, but he did tap along to the beat on his steering wheel. Nevada melted into their rear view.

  “Are you sure we can’t go to Red Rock?”

  “It’s a little bit outside of Las Vegas. That would add on another full day to our travel.”

  She sighed. As much as she wanted to see one of the most amazing views of Nevada, they definitely couldn’t afford that kind of extra time. She scrunched down in her seat and tucked her feet up on the bench. “So much for that idea.”

  “We’ll get a few good scenic areas once we hit the middle of the country.”

  “You’re right.”

  She settled back in with her book, and when he put in another Metallica album in, she snatched his CD case out of his hand. “My turn to pick.”

  “Driver’s choice.”

  “Then let me drive.”

  “No one drives my truck but me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Are you guys in a special relationship?”

  “You wouldn’t reach the pedals without blocks anyway.”

  “Shut up.” She flipped through the case. “They’re all your CDs, so I should be able to pick something else.”

  “I like Metallica.”

  “So I see.” She got to the end of the case and flipped back to the beginning. “You do realize you were born in the eighties, right? Your formative years have to be the nineties.”’

  “What’s that got to do with it?”

  “Dio?”

  “Don’t dis Ronnie James Dio, woman.”

  “How could I? He’s from upstate New York. We protect our own.”

  “That’s better.”

  She grinned. “But what about this one?”

  He glanced at her choice. “‘Wind of Change’ is a lyrical masterpiece.”

  She ejected Master of Puppets and slid in the Scorpions’ greatest hits and cranked the sound. She sang—loudly and about as off-key as she could manage. When she got a laugh out of him, she sang louder. “Rock You Like a Hurricane” was a perfect anthem song.

  The sudden swerve of the truck and the pop followed by a screech of brakes and Shane’s arm slamming her back into the seat happened so fast she didn’t have time to scream. They rocked to a stop, and the truck slowly listed to the right. The next track on the CD belted out a song she’d never heard about loving hard all Sunday morning.

  Then silence when Shane cut the engine.

  “Son of a bitch!” He wrenched his door open and hopped out.

  The road was endless and empty save for a tumbleweed bouncing along the sandy side. Shriveled plants of unknown origin looked like singed cotton balls. The sun was just above the mountains in the distance. She opened her door.

  “Stay in the truck!”

  She hopped out. “What? I’m going to get killed by a passing car? Oh right, there are no cars.”

  His granite jaw flexed, and shocker—he was silent. He went to the back of the truck, and his face grew even more grim. She wasn’t sure it was possible, but it did. He slapped the tailgate and crouched.

  “You have a spare, right?”

  “Yeah, I have a spare—but I need two.”

  She hurried after him and hissed out, “Shit.” She dragged her hair into a messy knot. The sun might be low, but it was still hot. At the moment anyway. She’d read somewhere that the desert temperatures were a drastic change once darkness set in.

  Kendall stood in the center of the highway and looked ahead. Nothing but road. Miles and miles—hundreds of miles, to be exact—of road.

  “Get out of the road, Kendall.”

  His voice was low. Her skin prickled at the tone. She turned back and saw what had shredded their tires. A rusted length of pipe and the half-hollowed-out muffler were crumpled and sharp. One tire was mangled, and the other had simply torn thanks to the skid into the shoulder.

  “I don’t think this is exactly in the AAA coverage area,” she muttered.

  He dug his phone out of his pocket. “Ho
w’s your signal?”

  She ran back to the truck and grabbed her phone. “I’ve got a bar.”

  “Better than me.”

  She flicked through her contacts. “I have AAA, actually.”

  “Do it.”

  “Sure, I can call them for you. No problem.”

  He gave her a stony look.

  “Okay, calling. Jeez.” She went back to the truck for her wallet and followed the prompts. She crossed her fingers as the operator came on.

  “Are you in a safe location?”

  She looked around. “For now.”

  “Is that a yes, ma’am?”

  “We’re on the side of the road in the desert.”

  “Can I use your phone to determine your location?”

  “That would be awesome.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  Kendall tipped her head back. “Yes.” A sense of humor was definitely not in the tips-and-tricks portion of customer service training.

  Shane’s firm hand on her back calmed her. His forest eyes were as serious as the chick on the phone. However, his brand of serious she was coming to crave. Not so much on the phone girl. He stood close to her, probably to hear the conversation, but she didn’t care. She liked when he crowded her.

  “Based on the location of the closest towing company, I cannot promise the thirty-minute service.”

  “We’re just happy with service.”

  She went through the reasons for the call and the tow. The diagnosis was ninety minutes. She turned and banged her forehead into the solid wall of his chest.

  “Thank you,” she mumbled and hit the End button.

  A surprised thrill chased comfort as he buried his fingers in her hair and held her there. Nothing about him was relaxed, but he was trying to calm her down. She linked her arms around his waist and soaked in his woodsy scent. “I’m assuming you heard.”

  “Hour and a half? Yep.”

  “If we’re lucky.”

  He tucked her head under his chin. “Yep.” His attention didn’t seem to be on her but on the situation and their location, but he continued to stroke the base of her neck. This was the worst possible thing to happen to them, and she felt more comfortable with him now than when they’d started the trip.

  What the hell was going on with her?

  Where the hell was her outrage and fear? Had he really gotten under her skin this much? The level of stupid was astronomical, but she couldn’t work herself up. Not when they were together.

  Finally he drew back. “Keep a lookout. I’m going to make sure everything in the back is secure for the tow.”

  She nodded. “Hey, since I’m short as hell, how about you boost me onto the hood. I’ll make sure we don’t have any traffic issues to worry about too.”

  “It would be nice if someone drove by, but I doubt it will happen.”

  “Not much else we can do.”

  “No. That’s true.” He followed her to the front and lifted her. She still had to pull herself onto the hood and swing her leg up. “Do you really need a truck this big?”

  “The last thing I delivered for my furniture business was an eight-foot bureau.”

  She smiled down at him. “Got a Web site?”

  “Yes.”

  She pulled out her phone. “Let’s see if my bars are a little better up here.”

  He rolled his eyes and patted her thigh. “Don’t fall off, all right?”

  “Don’t mess with the tires, all right?”

  “I just want to make sure the axle’s okay. Two new tires is bad enough.”

  “Just be careful.”

  “Worried about me?”

  “Hey, if you die, then I get the Heron.”

  His lips quirked up. “I’ll be right back.”

  She shrugged out of her overshirt and tucked it behind her on the windshield. The wind was cooling off, but the heat from the engine and the sun baking the hood kept her warm. The view was barren and achingly lonely. The desert wasn’t one of her top places to live. She’d made a list of all the places she’d wanted to live when she was a girl. Small towns weren’t exactly the Mecca of excitement, but the middle of the Nevada wasteland was definitely not on her bucket list.

  Her signal was spotty, but she managed to get a few texts out to Bells.

  She heard grunts and curses as Shane poked around the back. “Shane. I’m not going to play nursemaid if you break something because you’re too impatient to wait for the mechanic.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  She grinned and started another game of Words with Friends with her mother. “Are you sure you don’t need help?”

  “No.”

  She winced when the truck rocked and the tailgate slammed. Oscar would be coming out again. He lifted himself onto the running board and then into the tire wheel well. “Move over.”

  Yep. Oscar was definitely back. A slash of grease smeared his cheek and into his beard, and his face was dusty. “You got under the truck.”

  He pushed her over a few inches and stripped off his thermal shirt.

  She tapped her cheek. “You’ve got—”

  “Yeah, I know.” He wiped at it, and she snatched the shirt out of his hand.

  “Hold still.”

  He turned his head. “Stop mothering me.”

  She grabbed his chin and turned him back to face her. “Stop being an ass. And stop grinding your molars. You’re going to end up with a headache.”

  “Too late.”

  She got the worst of the grease off, but his shoulders were sprinkled with sweat and grime. His black tank top stretched across his chest, and she officially wanted to jump him. She needed her head examined.

  “Lean back and watch the sunset.”

  He followed orders for once but kept his arms tightly crossed over his chest. She forced her hand in under his biceps and curled his arm around her. “Enjoy the sunset. We can stress about the tires when the truck gets here.”

  “I don’t know how you turn it off.”

  She nodded to the red-streaked sky. “That’s how. The situation sucks, but that’s beautiful.”

  His shoulders eased, and he hauled her against him. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

  Chapter Nine

  Ninety minutes had been a pipe dream. Two hours and fifteen minutes later Shane heard the rig before it came into view. The desert played tricks with sounds, especially at night, but he knew that distinctive engine noise. It wasn’t surprising that they had to wait out the tow truck. A service couldn’t chain up his Silverado to just anything.

  He smoothed his hand up and down her arm. “Up and at ’em, Sunshine.”

  She pressed her nose into his chest and her cold hand under his shirt along his back. The temperature had dropped, but she hadn’t wanted to move from their spot. He had to admit it was a good vantage point. Not one truck, car, or bike had come along, but it would have been the best way to flag someone down if they’d had the chance.

  “Come on, babe.”

  “Holy crap. It’s dark.”

  “You conked out right after the sun set.”

  “Yeah, I guess I did.” She burrowed into his chest. “I don’t want to move.”

  He tipped her chin up. “Helluva view, but I think I’d rather get a hotel tonight.”

  “Wow.” The wonder in her voice tugged at him. How did she keep pulling him in?

  “No city lights to spoil the view, that’s for sure.”

  “No. Not a light—” The howl of a coyote cut her off. “Did you wake me so I wasn’t food? Or because the tow truck was coming?”

  “Now a little bit of both.” He slid off the hood and reached for her. “Get in the truck.”

  She opened the door, and the wash of light showed off a haughty brow. “Get in the truck please?”

  He tipped his head back. Give me strength. “Get in the truck before a coyote thinks that sweet ass of yours is tasty.”

  “Jerk,” she muttered. But she didn’t argue.

  He jammed his
fists under his arms. There wasn’t a damn thing out there to block the wind off the desert. He waved to the tow truck.

  Kendall flipped on the parking lights. The driver pulled a U-turn and slowly backed up to the truck. The engine chugged into idle, and a kid jumped out of the truck, weighing a buck forty if he was lucky. He was all wiry muscles and a few inches taller than Kendall.

  Great.

  “Hey. Thanks for coming out, man.”

  The kid pushed back a battered 49ers hat, and he realized he wasn’t a kid at all. Sharp blue eyes shone out of a deeply grooved and tanned face. “I’m Jasper.”

  Kendall opened the door. He turned and stared at her, hoping the stay-the-fuck-in-the-truck message was written on his forehead. But of course, she ignored it. She jumped down. “Hi. Boy, are we glad to see you.”

  Jasper yanked off his hat. “Ma’am.”

  Before Kendall could blaze past him and make friends, he snagged her hand in a firm grip, keeping her at his side. He held out his other hand. “Shane Justice. We’ve got two flat rear tires.”

  “What did you hit?”

  Shane kept Kendall’s hand in his and rounded the front of the truck to the driver’s side. He opened the door. Kendall tried to unlace their fingers. He looked down at her and held tight.

  “Really? You’re going to get caveman on me now?”

  He leaned down to her ear. “We don’t know this guy. I prefer—”

  “What? Dragging me around like a child?”

  “If I let go, do you promise not to make him your best friend?”

  Her eyebrows snapped together. “You don’t know me well enough to say stuff like that, Shane.”

  “Every store we’ve been in, you’ve had the clerks eating out of your hands.”

  “Jealous much?”

  She was naturally easy with people like his father—like her father. Something he’d never been able to master. It just wouldn’t ever be one of his skills, even if he had found himself smiling a whole lot more since Kendall had come into his life. Despite this ridiculous situation. The only other person he’d been this at ease with had been Kain. And that was with twelve years of history. He hadn’t been with Kendall for twelve days.