She Can Hide (She Can #4)(41)

A strange detachment filled Abby. “Can you drive around back?”

The pickup bumped along the weedy earth. Behind the house, Ethan drew a sharp breath as he parked the truck. Just ahead was the well where Faulkner had kept her prisoner. She stared out the windshield, her mind sucked back through the black hole of time. Fear enveloped her as if she were back in the well all over again. She could see nothing but darkness. The sound of wind was muffled overhead. Had she been more afraid of what Faulkner would do to her when he came back? Or that he never returned?

“Abby?”

She startled.

Ethan was shaking her arm. His worried gaze searched her face. “Are you all right?”

She couldn’t answer. The air felt hot and thick. Her breathing quickened. Her hand found the door release, and she stumbled out of the truck. Cold air, ripe with the scent of pine, washed over her. She leaned on her knees, gulped, and stared at the remnants of the well. Tree trunks swirled around her at dizzying speed. “They filled it in.”

The stone circle was still visible, but someone had dumped a few tons of dirt into the hole since her kidnapping.

“That’s where he kept you?” Ethan was next to her.

“Yes. It was about thirty feet deep. He covered the top with a few sheets of plywood.” She raised her head. The trees had stopped spinning. “I don’t know why we’re here.”

Ethan moved closer. He grasped her elbow and pulled her body straight. His arm came around her body. How could he be so warm? The outside temperature was in the midthirties, and he was in short sleeves. Abby was zipped into a down jacket and freezing to her bones. Shivers wracked her body.

He guided her back to the truck. He got behind the wheel and slid across the bench seat. Wrapping both arms around her, he drew her into a full embrace. Heat blasted from the vents, but it was Ethan’s body that provided Abby with the warmth she sought.

She rested her head against his shoulder. “There was a little bit of water in the bottom. That’s what kept me alive, plus the warm nights. It was summer.”

His arms tightened around her. Her usual reaction when panic struck was to withdraw, but with Ethan, she couldn’t get close enough. The feeling overwhelmed the anxiety rushing through her veins. Nearly frantic to touch more of him, she unzipped her jacket and pressed her body to his. Ethan worked his hands around, stroking her back through her sweater. He scooted closer and drew her onto his lap, as if he knew exactly what she needed: full body contact.

Curled in his arms, her heart rate slowed, and her lungs stopped heaving. She lifted her head. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He rested his chin on the top of her head.

“I don’t know what made me want to come here.”

“Faulkner is behind you now. Maybe you needed to put this memory in your past as well.” Ethan put a finger under her chin and tipped her face up. “Start looking toward your future.”

“I thought that’s what I was doing when I moved to Westbury.”

His eyes darkened. “Burying your past isn’t the same as accepting and moving past it.”

“The future is a moving target right now.” Abby licked her lips.

Ethan ducked his head. Soft and warm, his lips touched hers. Despite her surprise, it was Abby who took the kiss deeper, opening her mouth and welcoming him inside.

“More.” Her hands clutched at his arms. Heat shimmered along her skin and bloomed deep in her belly.

“Shh.” The fingers on her chin opened, cupping her jaw and angling her face. His tongue slid past her lips and explored her mouth with a thorough gentleness she imagined being extended to the rest of her body.

Abby tipped her head back and let the desire wash through her. Her blood thickened, and her pulse throbbed in her ears. Her hands relaxed, sliding from his arms to splay across his muscular chest. Ethan lifted his head. His eyes had darkened from piercing blue to navy. He kissed her jaw and temple.

She pulled her head back. “I need to take this slow.”

His eyes didn’t like it.

“My last relationship didn’t end well.”

“I thought you didn’t have an ex.” Ethan perked up. “Could he be involved in this?”

“No,” Abby said. “It was over before Faulkner kidnapped me. He was older, and I fell for him in the most embarrassingly cliché trying-to-replace-the-father-I-didn’t-have way.”

“Everyone makes mistakes.” Ethan brushed a thumb along her jaw. “What happened?”

“He neglected to tell me he was married.” Years later, Abby could still feel the sting. “I’m not sure what was worse, the humiliation of being duped or the betrayal of being lied to for several months.”

“That sucks. What a jerk.” Ethan cupped her jaw.

Realization hit Abby. She trusted him. When was the last time she had trusted anyone? Her mother had let Abby down. Her father wanted nothing to do with her. Brooke was her best friend and hadn’t been able to break through the instinctive wall of suspicion that surrounded Abby’s heart.

But in less than a week, Ethan was on the inside looking out. Was she rushing things? Was her reaction mainly physical? There was no denying the desire raging in her body. Perhaps she should slow down on the emotional confidence.

Abby leaned into his palm. “How about you? Any deep, dark secrets in your past?”