Page 64 of Above All Else

June

Heavy rain pelted the windshield, the splatters of thick water droplets wiped away and then replaced with larger ones before the wipers returned.

“This is looking a little dangerous. Maybe we should stop.”

“I can see just fine, and the car isn’t losing traction. We’ll be okay.”

Blood vacated my knuckles as I squeezed the door handle, my thighs clenched and shivering.

Carter reached down, pushed the heated seat option for my side, and turned the AC down. “You live in themountains. How have you not acclimated to the cold?”

“It’sss nerves.” My teeth chattered, and my seat warmed, doing little to abate my tattered, over-sensitized system.

“We’ve got a few more minutes until we stop.”

And then what?

A repeat of last night?

“I need a bbath and a lllarge sssub sssandwich.”

“We can do that.” Carter chuckled. He slipped a hand from the steering wheel and grabbed his phone from the center console, handing it to me. “Why don’t you find a bistro near our hotel?” He ran his thumb over the biometrics, unlocking the screen.

Rain pelted against the car, and standing water splashed the undercarriage as I took the phone in one hand, my other locked in a death grip on the door.

My teeth chattered. “What... kiiind... of sannndwich do yooou like?”

A lopsided smirk lifted from his lips. “I’ll have what you’re having.”

“Cream chchcheese, crannnberry, and haaam.”

He frowned. “On second thought, give me a BLT, no lettuce.”

“So baaacon and tommmato?”

“Do I need to pull over to prevent hypothermia? I’m quite fond of the skin-to-skin treatment.”

I glowered and returned my focus to the phone. “Nnnoo. Wishfulthinkkking.”

“A man has to try.”

Scoffing, I moved the screen around, checking reviews and their relative location to the hotel, then settled on a bistro ten minutes away. My butt and back warmed, settling my chattering teeth to a minimum. “This one has raving reviews. Apparently, their BLT is lllovely.”

“Who describes a sandwich as ‘lovely’?”

I shrugged and chuckled. “Prettybird360.”

“I feel like I should hand them a biscuit.”

Snorting, I typed the address into the car’s GPS and sat back in my seat.

“Whoa.” Carter’s hand shot to the steering wheel as the front end jarred to the side.

My heart jumped into my throat, my vision tunneling as my grip tightened on the door, my back pressed against the seat.

I let out a whimpered pant like a woman in Lamaze class.

“It’s okay. Just a little hydroplaning.”