Part 27 (1/2)

There was another muzzle flash and another and the mirror shattered on his side of the car, and Eden clutched at him, her voice tight with fear. ”You have to put your head down, too! Izzy! Get down! Get down! down!”

”I'm kinda driving here,” he said even as he tried to slouch lower to appease her without putting them in jeopardy from a traffic accident. ”It's okay, sweetheart, we're okay, we're out of range now. We gotta be.” He hoped.

Eden loosened her choke hold on him and started to sit up, but he held her firmly in place. ”But let's not tempt fate,” he said as he pulled onto the loop road around the mall, tires squealing as he made the turn without slowing down.

They probably were were good now, because even though the weapon the cop was using had a bigger-than-normal range, it probably didn't have smart bullets that could track a vehicle around a curve or find them while they were behind a line of scrub brush. good now, because even though the weapon the cop was using had a bigger-than-normal range, it probably didn't have smart bullets that could track a vehicle around a curve or find them while they were behind a line of scrub brush.

And okay, revision time. Dude was probably not not a cop if he was unloading his weapon, w.i.l.l.y-nilly, in a public parking lot, without calling out a warning. a cop if he was unloading his weapon, w.i.l.l.y-nilly, in a public parking lot, without calling out a warning.

Izzy followed the signs to the exit, still traveling at high speeds-for all he knew their trigger-happy friend's buddy was in his SUV, ready to give chase. As he left the mall, he spotted a ramp heading onto the highway and he took it, hauling a.s.s and merging into the still-heavy traffic that was heading away from town. The key was blending in-with all of the other cars that had recently had their left-side mirror shot to s.h.i.+t.

Okay, that was something he was going to have to fix, as soon as possible. A gaping hole in the place of a driver's-side mirror was far more common than a mangled mirror with a bullet hole. The good news was that it would be easy enough for him to make that change-from mangled to missing-as soon as they stopped.

But it wasn't until after he'd put a few miles onto the car's odometer that he started to breathe easier. He realized then that Eden was a little too quiet-and that she was shaking. And yeah, she wasn't the only one. That entire incident had freaked him out. Big-time. It was one thing to get fired on when he was with his very capable and highly trained SEAL team. But it felt very, very very different when he was unarmed and alone with Eden. different when he was unarmed and alone with Eden.

Who could have been killed.

”You okay?” he asked her as he took an exit off the highway. ”Because I am jangling jangling from that adrenaline rush.” There was a traffic light that was red and a few cars waiting for it to change at the end of the ramp, and he purposely stayed back quite a bit from the last car in the line. He wanted the extra s.p.a.ce to maneuver, should he need to. ”You can sit up now, if you want.” from that adrenaline rush.” There was a traffic light that was red and a few cars waiting for it to change at the end of the ramp, and he purposely stayed back quite a bit from the last car in the line. He wanted the extra s.p.a.ce to maneuver, should he need to. ”You can sit up now, if you want.”

She did just that as she swept her hair back from a face that was much too pale, and she looked at him with eyes that were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with unshed tears. ”Are you you okay?” she asked. okay?” she asked.

And she didn't wait for him to answer, she just launched herself at him and kissed the holy bejesus out of him.

Which was not unpleasant. Not even close. And Izzy knew without a doubt that all he had to do was find a deserted little street or the dark corner of a grocery-store parking lot, and she was going to rock his world. Which was exactly what he needed right about now-a little thank G.o.d we're alive thank G.o.d we're alive s.e.x to calm his a.s.s down. s.e.x to calm his a.s.s down.

Still, he had to keep one eye on the rearview, just to verify that they still weren't being followed as the light turned from red to a brilliant and glorious green. And then, hallelujah, they were moving again, and driving while he was being kissed was harder than it looked in the movies, but compared to having Eden get shot at, it was a walk in the park.

All of the cars took a left at the end of the ramp, so Izzy defied convention and went right. And...would you look at that. They were in corporate headquarters land.

They were completely surrounded by office buildings with impeccably landscaped grounds and acres of neatly paved parking lots-nearly all of them empty and dark at this time of night. It was, without a doubt, a sign from G.o.d-a giant thumbs-up from the Big Guy-to have some happy-fun.

Izzy killed the headlights before he pulled into the least well-lit lot that he could find. He made his way to the darkest corner, where he jammed the car into park and gave his full attention to kissing the holy bejesus out of Eden, too.

She wasn't shy about what she wanted. She didn't try to be coy or cute. She just put her seat back as far as it could go and then lifted herself up so he could clamber over the parking brake and a.s.sume the position to deliver. She was a mult.i.tasker, so she helped him unfasten his shorts at the same time, which freed him up to find one of the condoms he'd pocketed before leaving her apartment early this morning.

She must've ditched her panties somewhere along the way, and dear sweet Jesus, he now loved her sundress even more than he did before, because all she had to do was straddle him and...

”Oh, yeah,” he said on an exhale as she took him, hard and deep, as she moaned his name, which was, as it always was, a total turn-on. Except yes, that was was still the condom that was clenched in his hand instead of covering his p.e.n.i.s, where it was far more useful in terms of its efficacy. still the condom that was clenched in his hand instead of covering his p.e.n.i.s, where it was far more useful in terms of its efficacy.

But Eden wasn't thinking about anything but right now as she moved atop him. She was caught up in the moment, and Izzy knew he had to be the one to call the time-out, except d.a.m.n, it felt undeniably fantastic to be alive. And without the rubber between them, he was feeling alive to the mega-nth, and it probably felt the same way to her-but s.h.i.+t, that was selfish-a.s.shole thinking. Let's take a risk and not use a condom because it'll feel so much better for Let's take a risk and not use a condom because it'll feel so much better for you, you, sweetheart... sweetheart...

He couldn't get her pregnant. Except he could could, quite easily-just by doing what they were doing. Even if he gritted his teeth and kept himself from coming while she climaxed, it could happen. Sperm escaped. Pretty d.a.m.n regularly. So he gritted his teeth for an entirely different reason and lifted her off of him, saying, ”Hang on, sweetheart, let me, I gotta...”

”Oh, shoot...”

Reality penetrated her desire-filled fog as he quickly covered himself, even as he tried to make a joke, ”No actually, shoot is what I shouldn't shouldn't do until this thing is on.” do until this thing is on.”

But Eden either didn't hear him or didn't find him funny because she said, ”I didn't...I wasn't trying...” She was afraid he thought that she'd jumped him, condom-free, on purpose.

”Shh,” he said. ”It's okay.”

But she was still distressed, so he kissed her, which always seemed to bring it down to the bottom line for her. He also used the opportunity to slide the barely-there straps of her dress down her arms, which caused the triangles of fabric that covered her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to fall a tantalizing bit. And when she took it further and pushed the straps completely off her arms, it had the effect of a cloth cover being pulled from a masterpiece. Ta-da.

And Izzy knew he must've made some kind of noise of appreciation at the marvelousness of the beautiful, deliciously full b.r.e.a.s.t.s that were directly in his face, because she laughed softly, and then moaned as he kissed and licked and tasted and touched.

And she s.h.i.+fted then, reaching between them, and just like that, he was back inside of her, but not with the near-frantic, mindless urgency with which they'd started, but with something even better. Full awareness of what they were doing. Together. To each other.

Which wasn't to say he didn't miss the mind-blowing sensation of going without a rubber. Because he did. How could he not?

Eden was thinking along the same lines, because she spoke, her voice breathless in the stillness. ”If I went on the pill, we wouldn't have to use condoms.”

He lifted his head from his wors.h.i.+p of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s just long enough to say, ”True.”

But if she went on the pill, it would take a month to get up to speed, so did that mean she was intending to stick around for at least that long? G.o.d, he hoped so.

”I'd like that,” she breathed. ”Oh, Lord, that feels so good...”

”This?” he asked as he used his lips and tongue to suckle her, gently at first and then harder.

Her moan may have been a yes, and it was emphasized by her pus.h.i.+ng him more deeply inside of her, and jay-sus, he felt his eyes d.a.m.n near roll back in his head, too, as she gasped, ”Oh G.o.d, it's too too good, but I still want more...” good, but I still want more...”

And he knew what she meant, because he did, too. And that more more was d.a.m.n near impossible to deliver, here in the confines of this little car. For what he wanted, he needed a bed. And a lot of mirrors. And maybe a s.e.x chair that hung from the ceiling by ropes. And then about fifty years of privacy to give Eden all the was d.a.m.n near impossible to deliver, here in the confines of this little car. For what he wanted, he needed a bed. And a lot of mirrors. And maybe a s.e.x chair that hung from the ceiling by ropes. And then about fifty years of privacy to give Eden all the more more she wanted, whenever she wanted it. she wanted, whenever she wanted it.

She was on the same page. ”I want to do this on a bed,” she told him. ”I want to do what we did last night, all night long. I don't care if Danny and Jenn are in the bedroom. We can be quiet. You can be quiet, right? Because I can be quiet. I can...”

She kind of blew the point she was making by coming with a not at all quiet ”Oh, Lord! Oh, yes! Yessss Yessss...”

Izzy couldn't help but laugh, and it was one of those extremely in-the-moment moments where he, with full cognizance, made note of the fact that yes indeedy, he was was giving Eden an o.r.g.a.s.m with a capital giving Eden an o.r.g.a.s.m with a capital O O, and that she was clutching his T-s.h.i.+rt with both hands as he got to look up at her beautiful face and her gorgeous, tightly peaked b.r.e.a.s.t.s, as she continued to stroke his pole with her most intimate parts not merely because doing so made her feel so good, but because she wanted to send him into orbit, too.

And it seemed impossible that he could enjoy this more than he already was, but since he was right right there, eyes open both figuratively and literally, he saw her open her eyes, too, and he saw her smile at the fact that he was laughing. She looked into his eyes and whispered his name like he meant something special to her. And he knew that, at least for the next few heartbeats...? there, eyes open both figuratively and literally, he saw her open her eyes, too, and he saw her smile at the fact that he was laughing. She looked into his eyes and whispered his name like he meant something special to her. And he knew that, at least for the next few heartbeats...?

He absolutely did.

When Neesha saw how it worked, she faltered.

Girls would linger on the street, and men would pull up in their cars. The girls would get in. The cars would drive away.

On the bright side, being in a car limited the amount of violence that any potential client could deliver to her. It also limited the type of s.e.x she could deliver in return, unless, of course, the client drove the car to a deserted part of town.

And wasn't that that a terrifying thought. a terrifying thought.

Although the thought of merely getting into a car with someone was a terrifying one, too. It gave the client the ultimate power, since they could use that car to take her not merely to a deserted part of town, but also back to Mr. Nelson or Todd.

So Neesha hung back, ducking into a hamburger joint to use the bathroom and check to make sure the scanty, sequined top she'd taken from Eden's drawer covered her, heart pounding, already ashamed of herself for choosing to do that which she'd vowed she'd never again do.

But her choices were limited, and she'd latched onto the idea that she'd be safe-safer-in Los Angeles, with a burning determination to get there.