Chapter Forty-Five
“Easy there, son.” The raspy words from a pack-a-day smoker chuckled as though it weren’t the first time he’d had an armed man barrel roll out of a truck. “Lower your weapon.”
Jane twisted onto her knees to watch but couldn’t see out the back window. Her head swiveled to watch Chance. He relaxed and lowered his gun. “Didn’t expect company.”
His tone was decidedly more apologetic than when he’d ordered her to stay down. Jane peeked out. Chance strode closer to the older Marlboro Man who caught sight of her leaning out the door. Jane jerked back into the truck.
“I can see that,” the Marlboro Man chuckled. “But everyone’s supposed to get gone at sunset. Ya’ll need to head out.”
“We lost track of time.” Chance and the Marlboro Man both sounded as if they were coming from a place of understanding.
Jane wasn’t sure what she thought about that. Did he bring girls here? To this… wooded lovers’ lane? She scowled as their conversation wrapped. Just like that, the horn-blaring emergency ended.
Chance shut Jane’s door and then ambled to the driver’s side.
He gave her a wink when he climbed in and fired up the engine.
Her cheeks heated as though they’d been caught necking at a high school dance—except, they’d been caught in the throes of foreplay by the Marlboro Man. Embarrassment curled down her spine.
The air-conditioning immediately blasted.
She realized that their make-out session wasn’t the only thing that had made her hot.
Despite the tree coverage, the summer heat did her no favors.
She tied her hair into a ponytail again and grumbled.
“What’s with the air horn? I thought we were under attack. ”
Chance laughed and glanced her way as he threaded them through the trails. “Sometimes it’s best to announce yourself.”
Probably good advice. They picked up speed over an empty field.
The setting sun had dropped behind the forest, making the sky an orangish-purple.
It reminded Jane of dinner in Abu Dhabi.
She and Chance had danced with each other that night and crash-landed in an elevator lip-lock.
How did that advice pertain to them now?
They’d made their intentions and desires clear.
The only thing that wasn’t clear was what the future would hold.
Chance mumbled to himself then turned on the radio.
“What?”
He eyed her with a quiet head-shaking laugh. “Definitely didn’t realize it was so late.”
True and funny, but there was an uneven cadence in his laughter that didn’t sound as amused as he let on to be.
Jane bit her lip. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”
The truck rumbled along the trail. Gravel spun in his wheels.
Branches and bushes slapped the side of the truck bed.
Chance fiddled with the radio, aggravated with himself.
It was a good thing that old man had come along when he did.
A few minutes later, he would’ve had Jane in a far more precarious situation.
A fresh wave of arousal needled down his spine. They’d been so close. So fucking close. It killed him that Jane wasn’t on his cock that very second. His chest heaved, and he slapped the radio off as he turned the truck onto a paved road.
She repositioned her legs. “Back to civilization.”
“Yup.” A heavy silence blanketed them. Now that they’d left the densely packed woods, they seemed to be in another country.
“Do you always have a gun with you?”
“Yeah.” Chance glanced at Jane. It was easy to forget that most people didn’t assume an enemy lurked behind every corner. “It’s part of the job.”
She nodded. “Our real worlds are so far apart.”
Chance didn’t know what a weapon had to do with their jobs. After all, it was her job that brought them together in the first place.
A gas station sign glowed ahead, and he pulled over.
Not only was he hungry, but in his hasty rush from the Mud Palace, he hadn’t cleaned up his mirrors and windows like he should have.
After a few minutes of scraping mud from the mirrors and loading up on junk food, he returned behind the wheel.
Jane sorted through the options, splitting snacks between them as he pulled onto the road again.
They ate in silence. The miles became a blur.
After a few mile markers, he noticed the uneasy tension was gone.
Chance polished off the last cookies from a snack-pack, realizing that sanity had crept back into his mind.
Getting busy in the woods hadn’t been his intention.
Even when he told Jane he wanted to kiss her without interruption, that hadn’t meant fucking in his truck.
At least not the first time they got together.
What he needed was another list, appropriately titled ‘places to kiss Jane’. That second one would be called ‘places to kiss Jane.’ He grinned, eager to show her the differences between his lists.
They pulled up at the gate that surrounded the Thanes’ exclusive neighborhood.
Chance stretched in the driver’s seat. He hadn’t realized how tight his muscles were and couldn’t think of any reason why—unless the vicious blue balls that always seemed prevalent around Jane had metastasized into knotting aches in his back, shoulders, and chest.
“Oh no.” Jane wrinkled her nose. “They’re not going to let you in.”
He scowled, long limbs aching to get out of the truck. “Yeah? Why not?”
She eyed him as though green antennas sprouted from his head. “They have rules.”
“Who?”
“The people who live here. Think of it like a homeowner’s or condo association with the world’s most particular board.”
“Yeah… that doesn’t mean much.”
“There are rules,” Jane explained. “But even if there weren’t, Gigi Thane has many rules that can be generalized in one tenet. Only perfect things may enter the Thane bubble.”
God, these people. Chance pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’ll go find a car wash.”
“There isn’t one close by. Folks over here have help for that.”
“Right.” He shook his head, not believing—yet totally believing—that his truck wouldn’t pass neighborhood muster. “Well…” Chance decided to test their luck and inched toward the gatehouse anyway. “The truck is a perfect mess.”
She snort-laughed. “Nothing fazes you, does it?”
He gave her a quick look. “You do, sometimes.” He winked then rolled down his window, greeting a guard. “Evening.”
The man stepped out, gesturing for the truck to back out. “This is a closed community—”
Jane leaned over and waved. “Hi, Sal.”
A vaguely horrified expression crossed the guard’s face when he peered into the cabin of the truck. He squinted, still ready to wave them away like muddy river lunatics, when he caught sight of her. “Jane?”
She tilted her head and cheerily greeted, “It’s me, Sal. Can you let us in?”
Sal didn’t look convinced. His expression darkened with concern, and casting Chance a wary look, he carefully asked, “Is everything all right?”
“It is.” She unbuckled and scooted closer to his window. “This is Chance Evans, Gigi’s newest addition.”
“I see,” Sal said, not moving to let them in. “And the truck? Is that some kind of stunt?”
“No—”
“Because we’re all supposed to be on the same page when Mr. or Mrs. Th—”
“No, Sal. I promise. It’s not. Everyone’s out of town, and Chance took me to play in the mud.”
“I see.” Sal crossed his arms, still unconvinced. “What’s the phrase I’m looking for?”
“Enjoy your night?” Chance offered.
The man smirked. “Let’s try… Not a snowflake’s chance in hell.”
Jane grumbled. “Sal, I have to pee. Let us in.”
He shook his head. “Careful, Jane. The paparazzi lounging across the street will start sniffing to see who the hell you are.”
“So let us in,” Chance suggested.
Sal scoffed. “If your truck dirtied the Thanes’ street…” He clucked. “That’s a risk I’m not willing to take.”
Chance found enormous humor in the guard’s reasoning. “I thought the Thanes have a ‘Risk it all’ motto?”
Jane and Sal groaned simultaneously.
He looked incredulous. “Syria’s okay, but mud isn’t?”
Sal pinched the bridge of his nose. “You have a lot to learn.” But then he pointed toward a small enclave of staff parking. It was cordoned off with a protective layer of hedges. “Park in our lot and don’t tell a soul.”
“Thanks, Sal.” Jane grinned. “Appreciate it.”
Chance threw the truck in reverse and pulled into the hidden lot. The manicured landscaping barely hid his truck in the farthest spot. He stretched and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Ready?”
Jane gave him a shy but sly smile. “I think so.”
His eyebrow arched, watching as she fidgeted with the hem of her shorts. “What?”
Her chin dipped. “I’m ready so long as…”
“What?”
Jane met his eye, tugging her lip between her teeth. It took a moment, but she finished, “So long as we pick up where the Marlboro Man interrupted us.”