Page 28 of Risky Obsession
“It’s okay. I’ve got this.” He flicked a credit card between his fingers as he walked away.
Trying to ignore the increasing guilt gnawing on my insides, I stepped outside into the brisk afternoon air. Hunching against the cold, I strode to the car and climbed into the passenger seat. Kane could have a turn driving. Maybe then he would be too distracted to ask me questions.
The passenger door opened, and he jerked back.
“Your turn to drive.” I grinned up at him.
He shut the door and made his way around to the driver’s seat. With Google Maps open on his phone, he pulled onto the main road.
We had at least another forty minutes to reach our destination, although I still had no idea where we were going.
The small-town streets were eerily quiet as Kane drove us through the main road and the soft hum of the car engine was the only sound. It was a stark reminder of how much the world had changed in the wake of Covid.
“Feels like a ghost town.” I pointed at three empty storefronts and an entire row of vacant parking spaces.
“The last couple of years have been tough on a lot of countries,” Kane replied with a sigh.
As we continued along the road, the town faded behind us and the buildings were replaced by a dense forest that stretched as far as I could see. At the top of a rise, Kane pulled the car over, and we both stepped out. The heady scent of pine needles and damp earth enveloped me as the afternoon sun filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Kane asked.
“Sure is.” I breathed in the crisp air, feeling an unexpected connection with nature. As the distant squawks of birds hidden among the branches called for my attention, the weight of my secrets and the burden of my guilt seemed to lift.
I was always too busy working to take notice of nature like this. Since I’d moved from the crazy condensed streets of Sydney to Rosebud, I hadn’teven been to the beach, which I could actually walk to from my rental apartment. Maybe I should learn to take time out every once in a while. Especially if it made me feel alive like this.
“Sometimes, we just need a break from all the chaos,” Kane said. His eyes met mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat. “We often forget what’s really important.”
Is he reading my mind?
“Okay, Confucius, enough of the philosophy. We have treasure to find.” I headed back toward the car.
As he climbed into the driver’s seat, I had to tear my gaze away from him to take another close look at the forest. Frowning, I studied the swaying branches, wondering if it was those trees that gave me such a powerful sense of peace or if it was Kane. I’d never met a man who seemed so insightful or calm. He actually seemed to care for me, yet we barely knew each other.
I hadn’t been to bed with a man for years, and I hadn’t had a serious relationship since I’d put my last boyfriend in jail. Maybe my dormant libido was messing with my brain.
As Kane drove down the winding hill, we were surrounded by an ocean of greenery that stretched endlessly in every direction.
“I didn’t think we’d go to places like this,” I said, adjusting his scarf around my neck to shift the scent of his divine cologne away from my nose.
“Where did you think we’d go?”
“I thought we’d be exploring old buildings and digging through ancient archives.”
“Sometimes, the best treasures are hidden where you least expect them.” Kane cast me a sexy look.
I squirmed in my seat.
What the hell is wrong with me? I’m acting like a randy teenager.
He smirked like he knew exactly what he was doing to my body. “Patience, Tory.”
I’ll give you patience, you cocky bastard.
At the bottom of the hill, he made several turns without consulting the GPS. After a few more miles, his confidence seemed to wane, and a dark frown drilled across his expression.
On a long stretch of road which was flanked with vegetationso dense I could barely see four meters beyond the asphalt, Kane abruptly yanked the car onto a gravel shoulder, sending a spray of stones flying.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, pushing myself back onto the seat.