She felt a throb of guilt. It wasn’t his fault that her boss was out to get her. But it was both of their problem now.
“We should probably stop and eat on the way,” she said when he got in beside her. “I’m starving.”
“Drive through only,” he said. “And road snacks.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You’re going to be very bad for my figure.”
He actually cracked a smile as he started the car. “That sounds fair, since I was already very bad to your figure.”
The look on his face sparked something unexpected in her, and she leaned over without thinking and kissed him full on the lips. It started off as a quick brush, but she caved to the immediate and overwhelming desire to keep their mouths in contact. She took hold of his face while he tensed in apparent surprise, but his lips were pliable and willing when she prodded his mouth with her tongue.
A hot jab of lust revved up her erogenous zones when their tongues began an eager dance, and she flirted with the urge to climb on his lap. By the time she pulled away, her heart was racing and Nate looked more hungry than dazed.
“What was that for?” he asked.
She wasn’t entirely certain. “I guess that’s my way of saying thanks.”
He blinked. “For what, exactly?”
“For doing all this. Believing me. And for not sounding disgusted just now when you brought up what you and my figure did earlier.”
He licked his lips, looking more as though he was trying to taste her on them rather than keep them moist.
“If this is the way we’re expressing our gratitude,” he said, “then let me just say this.”
His sudden grab was even more unexpected than her mad impulse, and her nipples tightened at the firm, almost demanding press of his mouth to hers. He gripped her upper arms almost painfully while he kissed her half senseless. His thumbs brushed the sides of her breasts, weakening every muscle in her body.
He pulled away and gave a smiling, satisfied nod while she reeled from the wash of happy tingles passing over her.
“So what was that one about?” she managed.
“Thanks for saving the day twice by flashing your incredible rack at a guy.”
“Check your math. I believe that would be three times.”
“Twice,” he repeated. “Once here and once so I could clock that goon back at your place.”
“You’re forgetting when I bared my breasts for you. If I hadn’t done that, I’m betting you’d have had me cuffed and out the door without a clue that those idiots were planning to jump us on the road. Might not have gone so well.”
“I suppose that’s a fair point.” His smile sobered, and he reached over to take her hand. “It’ll be okay, Lydia. We will find a way to dig out of this hole. Trust me.”
She just nodded, gaping at him in silence. There was something far more intimate in the way he touched her hand than the kisses they had just indulged. She laced her fingers through his, and they stayed that way while he drove them back to the highway and for a good while beyond.
Somewhere between California and Arizona, she came to a decision.
Nate had put himself out there for her, fighting off the men he could have simply handed her to. Because of his heroics, he was in almost as much trouble as she was. She couldn’t allow that. His idea about using the evidence in court to gain her the upper hand was noble, but naïve. Andrew would find a way to cover his bases by the time it came down to it. She couldn’t take the risk. She had to play this game the hard way.
Despite Nate’s warnings that they should stick together, she knew she had to do the opposite. Once they made it to Flagstaff and she caught a few hours’ sleep, she would have to slip out and finish this alone.
* * * * *
Nate woke up to the tickle of a woman’s hair trailing over his bare stomach. A hand that was not his own was exploring the hard, throbbing ridge inside his pants. He had been sleeping on his back with one arm flung over his head and the other curved protectively around the woman who was no longer sleeping peacefully at his side.
The naughty seductress was back in force.
Lydia had pushed herself up on one arm, and she was leaning over him while she stroked his hard cock. When he stirred, she raised her head and gave him a guilty smile.
“I’m sorry,” she said, sounding no more remorseful than the last time she’d apologized while he had an erection. “I swore to myself I wasn’t going to do this. I was lying here watching you sleep, and I couldn’t help myself. All I could do was stare at your chest. It’s your own fault, you know, for not having a shirt on.”
“Now you know how I felt the first few hours we were together,” he said thickly. He rubbed sleep from his eyes, but when he went to lower his other arm, it wouldn’t budge.