He’d give her a shirt to cover up with, too, if it wouldn’t be so comically big it would attract even more attention.
Laila shook her head. “I will wait here.”
“By yourself? Handcuffed to the door? Where you’ll be vulnerable and unable to fight back if Victor and his right-hand thug find you?”
“Then uncuff me, and I will stay.”
“No chance in hell. You’ll be long gone when I come back. So you can either remain here—handcuffed—or come with me. Your choice.”
“Stop backing me into a corner.”
“I’m trying to keep you alive,” he argued.
“Are you always this bossy?”
“Yep.” You have no idea…
“I do not like you,” she huffed.
“You don’t know me. Are you staying here or coming with me?”
She heaved a frustrated sigh. “I will go.”
“Good.”
He let himself out the driver’s side and scanned the parking lot for anyone or anything out of place. All he saw were singletons coming out in their work attire while juggling groceries, young parents with their kids carrying the makings of a school art project, and a few sad sacks clutching frozen dinners. Sure, he also caught a glimpse of the occasional tourist taking advantage of Florida’s warmth and wearing shorts, despite the breezy January evening, but mostly they stood out—just like Laila would. But he couldn’t let that stop them. They had to get in, get out, and get on the road before anyone found her.
Trees rounded the oversized vehicle and slowly opened the passenger door. Since she was cuffed to it, the move displaced her off the seat. When he caught her in his arms, she froze. Their gazes connected. She didn’t breathe, didn’t blink. He couldn’t stop himself from noticing again how goddamn gorgeous she was. There was something so vulnerable about her that made him want to protect her, yet the strength—in her posture, her eyes, and her will—all told him not to let her size fool him.
“Put me down,” she demanded in a breathy voice.
When she squirmed against him, he automatically caught her by grabbing palmfuls of her lush backside. The move crushed her breasts against his chest. As she slid down his unflagging dick, he found her pussy with the accuracy of a heat-seeking missile. Laila writhed against him, fighting for freedom.
She only aroused him more.
Fuck, he needed to set her down or he’d be tempted to take her up against the RV—without giving a shit how much attention they drew.
Letting out a rough breath, he dropped her to her feet. Yanking the ball cap from his back pocket, he gathered her curls in hand, their soft silk spilling over his fingers. Touching her this way felt impossibly intimate until he settled the hat on her head. Then he dug the cuff key from his pocket, careful to avoid any appearance he was playing pocket pool, and uncuffed her wrist, leaving the other end attached to the door.
“We’re going in.” He enveloped her small hand in his. “Don’t let go of me and don’t leave my side.”
“Or?” Her voice was surprisingly unsteady.
Was there any chance she felt the pull between them, too?
Dream on, dude.
“I’ll hunt you down and it won’t be pleasant. But I don’t want it to come to that. We’re on the same side.”
She rolled her eyes. “In a game where it is everyone for themselves?”
He gave up on her trusting him—for now—and shut the passenger door, locking the RV with the press of a button before pocketing the keys.
Wary and watchful, he made a mental note of supplies they needed for the next handful of days on the road as they headed for the automatic double doors.
“What are you looking for?”
“Trouble,” he muttered as he snatched a cart. “Grab here.” He pointed to the handle. When she complied with a frown, he gripped the far side, still clutching her other hand between them. “Follow my lead.”
Laila was mercifully quiet as he grabbed the food and supplies necessary for the next few days, including her new burner phone and a purchase or two from the hardware section.
When he took her to the racks of women’s clothing, she refused to even look. “No.”
“You’ll get cold.”
“I will not freeze. It is Florida.”
“We’re leaving the state, remember?”
She pressed her lips together mulishly.
“Don’t you want clothes that cover more?” He gestured toward her tits and the enticing poke of her hard nipples at the front of her nearly transparent tank.
Laila shook her head. “If I do not care what is covered, why should you? You promised that you will not touch me…”
But fuck, he wanted to.
And if she was afraid of being touched, why wouldn’t she want clothes that covered her assets?
There was something going on with her…
For now, he tamped down his frustration. “Laila, if Victor sees you in these clothes, he’ll know you on sight.”
“I put an extra pair of shorts and a shirt in Jorge’s diaper bag he has not seen. I will wear those instead.”