19. Chapter 19
I sat in the passenger seat of a rundown tow truck driven by a man in his late forties.
He smelled like fresh tobacco and the remnants of whiskey.
The green tree-shaped air freshener wasn’t helping any.
It probably didn’t help that fast food trash covered every inch of surface that we weren’t sitting on.
I discreetly rolled my window down a couple inches to get some fresh air.
Abiel’s gentle fingers on my thigh made it easier to breathe, but I couldn’t pinpoint why.
The driver kept glancing over at me with a smile that made my skin itch. Abiel’s fingers tightened on my thigh each time, until his hold was hard enough I was sure he’d leave bruises behind. Nails turned to claws that poked into my skin on the edge of pain.
I tapped where his fingers had become daggers. Although I didn’t feel him with my hand, the claws retreated back to tight fingers.
I gave the driver a polite smile, recognizing that he had my truck hooked up to the back, but assessed him as a threat.
He was strong for a man his age who probably spent his evenings parked in front of a TV with a six-pack.
This was probably a side hustle. Blue collar.
Functional strength that was going to be a pain in the ass to overpower.
Damn it.
I’d have to play nice.
“What’s a little lady doing out here all alone?”
A soft growl hummed in the cab that was so soft I felt it vibrating in my chest more than heard it.
Damn it. “Bought a new house. My husband went ahead of me, because I had to wrap up some things at work. He’ll be waiting for me at the mechanic’s.”
“My wife would never work.”
“Good for her.” I scratched the back of my neck. “You’re married?”
“Nope.”
The snarky comment sat right on my tongue, but I bit it to keep the words in place. Getting in an altercation thirty miles from the nearest town, while my truck was inoperable wasn’t on the bingo card of bullshit for the day.
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that,” I said instead.
My fingers drummed on my thigh as I stared at the road ahead, ignoring the blatant stares at my tits. I’d met fifteen-year-old boys with more self-control.
Did the constant hum of Abiel’s growling not make his hair stand on end like it did mine? How could a grown man not feel the threat of the knife under his throat?
Flitting kisses tickled the right side of my neck as if in apology.
“I really am sorry, Dandelion. I didn’t mean for you to end up breathing the same air as him,” Abiel whispered so softly I barely heard it.
I jerked my chin to stare at the road again, hoping to silently shame him into making himself scarce. I didn’t want his apology, and I wasn’t in the mood for another outburst.
It didn’t work. Instead, his fingers caressed down my arms sensually, then ghosted under my shirt without moving the fabric. Flutters low in my stomach made me want to cuss him.
Gentle fingers brushed across my nipples, and it took every muscle in my body to keep from squirming. I couldn’t even tell him to stop without getting the driver’s attention.
The bastard.
His fingers played me expertly, and I bit my lip to keep from making any sound that would make the driver think he had anything to do with the moisture gathering between my thighs.
My nipples were poking past my bra when his fingers traveled down to the waistband of my jeans.
Panic filled me and made my face burn. My eyes flitted to the driver and was met with another smarmy grin. Embarrassment made my eyes snap back to the road, as if that would keep him from seeing how flustered I was.
I crossed my legs as if that would hold Abiel at bay. A shadow wouldn’t be so easily deterred.
Something rubbed across my clit, and I had to cough to cover up the sound I made. The driver studied me closely, “Are you okay?”
I nodded my head and focused on breathing as the touches rubbing over me grew more and more pleasurable. I could swear there were more than five fingers. My whole body had to be beet red, as warm as the cab was.
Stop! Please!
My silent begging was met with something shapeless wriggling inside my core.
Fuck. No.
My eyes shot to the driver again, making sure he was ignorant to what was happening inches away from him.
Abiel filled me past what I thought was possible, pressing against my G-spot in a way that wasn’t natural for a cock, but had my eyes rolling back. It was so wrong.
Fuck, yes.
Blood filled my mouth as I held back the moans, and I fought the urge to meet Abiel thrust for thrust.
The knot inside my stomach built up hard and fast.
My eyes went to the driver, who was thankfully still focused on the road. I closed my eyes and angled myself toward the door, hoping to hide my face.
“Are you carsick?” the driver asked.
“Claustrophobic,” I lied. I hoped my breathlessness sold the anxiety, instead of him realizing I was panting like a bitch in heat.
Abiel thrust harder. His soft growl in my ear took me higher. “Focus on me.”
As if I could think of anything else.
Right there.
No. Stop.
Don’t you dare.
Every muscle clenched. I couldn’t fight it. I was too weak here on the edge of an orgasm that I knew was going to rock my world.
The next thrust was savage, and I knew it would leave me deliciously sore later. His fingers on my clit were relentless.
Think of anything else.
Anything else.
Like when Abiel used his tongue to make me see heaven?
Not that!
Pain sliced across the back of my neck, but it hurt in a way that threw me over the edge. I screamed in uncontrollable pleasure as ecstasy hit me like a typhoon. Excess moisture filled my jeans, but I was too far gone to care.
Every nerve sparked with a feeling that reminded me of deep, passionate kisses and heartbreak.
For a single moment, I was lifted above these real world problems. All that was left was the rapture sparking across nerves I didn’t even know I had.
My thighs and breathing shook as I finally came back to Earth. Humans were never going to be enough again.
I knew I needed to be angry that he pulled this little stunt, but I was too busy basking in the aftermath of pleasure. That was probably the point.
Manipulative asshole.
That didn’t have enough fire to it, even inside my mind.
My eyes slowly opened, and I struggled to make sense of my surroundings.
Where was I?
The tow truck.
Shit.
The truck was pulled over in the shoulder lane, so he definitely noticed something wasn’t right. Busted red-handed.
What's the best lie? Seizure? Yeah.
Could I make him believe it?
It was more plausible than being fucked by a shadow right in front of him.
I turned and found the driver smiling right at me with a gleam in his eyes that made me press myself closer to the door. “I’m so sorry, sir. I’m epileptic.”
“You don’t have to lie to me, sweetheart.” His grin grew until it twisted into something that made me want to jump out of my skin. “What do you have? A toy? I like toys.”
“Good for you.” I cleared my voice when it came out husky. Not wanting to encourage him anymore. “But really, it’s a medical condition.”
“Look at all that squirt.” He chuckled, his eyes glued to my wet crotch.
“It’s piss.” I put enough crude authority in my voice that it would make him back off, but my face was on fire again. No matter how I sliced it, this was embarrassing.
That anger finally got a foothold. This was his fault.
“Those trembling thighs.” He groaned.
Abiel’s hands grew too tight again and his soft growl rattled louder than before.
“You know, seizures lock the muscles. Of course, they’re trembling.” This guy was not rolling with what I was feeding him. “Can we please go?”
“I bet I can make you scream like that.” He reached out for me.
“Don’t touch me!” I yelled and blindly reached for the door handle, ready to walk if I had to. Only to find that the door was locked, no matter how I flipped the lever. I was stuck. “Disgusting bastard.”
He’d been planning something since he picked me up. I was going to hurt him.
His hand was so close it obscured my entire field of vision. “We’re really going to do this?”
Final warning.
He didn’t slow down at all. Completely unfazed by the threats of a woman that he’d already declared his prey.
Fine.
Hard way it is.
His fingers stopped just short of my face, close enough to feel the heat from his hand and too close for comfort. Before I could slap him away and stomp him back into his place, his fingers trembled. “What the fuck?”
His eyes grew wide as he stared at his hand with confusion as if it was disconnected from himself. The silence grew too loud to be comfortable.
I found myself taking a deep breath as if to brace myself, but I wasn’t sure from what.
The sickening snap of bone filled the air as his wrist twisted in a direction that wasn’t natural and felt wrong to look at. The skin on his wrist turned black in a clear handprint that I realized prevented him from touching me. His eyes went to his wrist as he screamed in agony.
The terror and confusion on his face made a potent blend of satisfaction and guilt shrink my stomach.
“Don’t touch my Dandelion.” The roar in the cab made my ears pop painfully, and the glass of the windshield shattered and rained on us.
Dark energy filled the cab, making me shake for an entirely different reason. Dread and unease crawled down my spine. Maybe that was Abiel’s real power, making me tremble before him.
The door fell away from my side of the truck, transforming from a little beat up and in need of a paint job to being destroyed by rust.
We were sinking lower, and I suspected it was because the truck was being demolished. I tugged on the seat belt and found I was trapped. The buckle rusted beyond function.
Panic hit me like a freight train. My heart pounded against my breastbone like it wanted to jump out.
Stay calm. Panic later.
The driver’s pupils blew wide and red streaks filled the sclera.
“Don’t do it!” I shrieked.
He opened his door wide open without minding traffic. A car hit the rusted piece of metal, careening it into circles when the driver overcorrected.
The tow truck driver jumped down into traffic as the squeal of brakes and the smell of burned rubber filled the air. The distinct sound of metal clashing against metal filled the air. A duet with the honking horns announcing the calamity.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my seatbelt cutter, escaping my restraint. I climbed into the driver’s seat.
A second car ran over his body, despite their best attempt to stop, sending a splash of hot blood spattering over my face.
Worse was how every car in that part of the highway was disintegrating before my eyes. Passengers and drivers slumped as if they’d simply gone to sleep, but I knew better. So when the next round of cars entered the area, they drove full speed into the mess.
Making everything worse.
“No one will ever touch you again.” This time, instead of being apologetic, there was a possessive edge that was ready to sink its teeth into the next perceived threat.
This was him actively trying to cause…
Ruin.
My insides still clenched with the aftermath of my orgasm, but my lips trembled with fear I hadn’t felt in decades.
The tow truck guy had it coming. I could make peace with that, but this… was senseless.
Sweet kisses tickled my neck again as tears pricked my eyes.
The highway was littered with cars that were flipped, facing the wrong way, or smashed. I strained my ears for the smallest cry that there was a survivor.
After a long minute of waiting, my throat grew tight.
There weren’t any.
So why did my heart feel so safe?
What the fuck was wrong with me?