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Relief floods me as I leave the store. I no longer feel trapped. I’m not completely at Cade’s mercy. I have a backup plan.

My steps falter as Cade comes into view. He’s leaning against the side of the truck, ankles crossed, one hand raking through his hair. The move pulls his T-shirt tight across his chest, and despite being cooped up with him for the last six hours, the sight still hits hard. Like mainlining adrenaline.

His don’t-fuck-with-me scowl warns you to keep your distance, even as his raw magnetism reels you in.

And then a brunette in skintight workout gear slinks up to him, her glossy ponytail swinging with each calculated step. I watch her routine—the head tilt, the casual hip shift, the practiced smile that’s half invitation, half challenge, and my gut twists in a feeling I don’t want to name.

Cade pulls his phone from his ear long enough to raise his index finger, cutting her off mid-speech, and then he jabs his thumb to the side before returning to his call.

Coldest dismissal I’ve ever seen. The woman’s face flames as she storms off. Why his reaction fills me with such vicious satisfaction isn’t something I care to examine either.

Cade puts the phone away and his attention snaps to me the moment I’m in range, his eyes tracking Saint first, then sliding over me.

“Get what you need?” His voice is velvet over steel, with a bite that raises the hair on my neck. Or maybe I’m imagining it.

I nod.

Saint leaps into the truck bed, slipping under the shelter, but Cade doesn’t move. His eyes continue to rake over me, deliberate and slow, melting my wariness into thick, undeniable lust. The corners of his mouth curl, like he knows exactly what he’s doing to me.

I’m so screwed with this man, even as the phone pressed against my breast reminds me why I need to stay sharp.

His gaze lingers on my face as though waiting for a confession while I quickly round the hood and slide into my seat, refusing to give him whatever he’s looking for. He stays rooted there a moment, then finally climbs in.

A silence settles between us as the road stretches ahead, endless asphalt and yellow lines blurring together.

As Cade drives, his steady breathing and the hum of the engine seep into my bones. Against my better judgment, the tension drains from my shoulders. My mind grows foggy, my body lulled by the steady rhythm of the tires against the road.

Before I know it, my eyes flutter closed, and sleep pulls me under.

27

Luna

I wake to the sound of tires crunching over gravel. The seat’s reclined—Cade must have adjusted it while I slept. Stretching, I rake a hand through my hair, gathering the tangled mass away from my face.

Hishand moves toward me, and I freeze. For a moment, I think he’s going to brush back the strands I missed, but then his fingers retreat to the wheel. “You’re awake.”

“How long was I out?” I yawn.

“Four hours.” Though he keeps his eyes on the road, there’s a hint of a smile on his lips.

“What? That long?” I rub the sleep from my eyes and force myself upright, fighting the lingering heaviness in my limbs.

“You needed it.” His voice carries an unexpected gentleness that seeps into my bones like warm honey.

“Where are we?”

“The Black Hills. Western South Dakota,” he says casually, like driving me to the middle of nowhere is perfectly normal.

The Black Hills.I know the name. It’s the kind of place people vanish to when they don’t want to be found. Dense forest, winding roads, and hidden cabins.

More gravel crunches as Cade makes another turn, the narrow road twisting deeper into darkness.

The trees finally break into a clearing, where a compact house rises from the forest like some alien creation—white stucco and glass catching the moonlight in sharp angles.

The garage door lifts at the press of a button, and Cade pulls in. I step out, blinking against the harsh lights that seem deliberately disorienting.

The interior is all black leather, chrome, and bare white walls. Glass takes up one wall of the open plan sitting room, but there’s nothing to see except forest. There’s a surprisingly large kitchen with a huge refrigerator and round dining table. I’m getting that Cade is big on food. A spiral staircase coils up to the second floor.