Page 50 of This Bitter Sweet Temptation
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
A large part of my career was keeping Cleo Blackthorn from screwing up her life before it got off the ground.
There’s a strange, familiar comfort in that.
As I pass her a coffee before we land, the rest feels a little less daunting.
7
PROMISES IN GOLD (CLEO)
Ijerk awake in… the back of a car?
Huh? Buildings blur by the tinted windows. The seat belt digs into the side of my neck. Everything smells new-car clean.
Beside me, Holden sits in the driver’s seat, both hands on the wheel in the ten and two position.
Obviously. The man never half-asses anything if there’s a rule involved.
I can’t believe I dozed off again.
I stretch, rolling out my shoulders and hunching my back until my spine pops.Ouch.
But I needed another nap, and what else was there to do on the long ride from the airport through this dense city traffic?
Holden’s eyes snap to me, golden brown in the morning light.
He has the visor down to protect him from the sun, a single streak of light falling over him—the only point of softness in a face that’s as hard as granite. His hair almost shines black in the orange light. His cheekbones look like they’d cut me.
Maybe that nap did me a little too much good.
He doesn’t smile—he’s allergic—but I think his expression lightens ever so slightly.
“Morning, princess.”
“You drove this far without waking me?” I shift the seat belt around my neck. “That’s some superhero shit right there.”
One eyebrow quirks a bit, though he’s facing the road again so I can’t read his expression.
“Don’t tell me you’re impressed that easily.”
“I’m just saying,someof your secret agent juju might come in handy.Might.”
“You were out of it. Thought I’d have to carry you off that plane,” he says. “I think I could’ve dropped you on the tarmac and you wouldn’t have woken up.”
“Rude.”
“Did you know you snore? You should see somebody about that.”
I gawk at him, my cheeks fiery. “I do not. Take it back.”
He shrugs. “Whatever you want to believe.”
“I believe you’re just as annoying as I remember. That’s your real superpower.” I scrub at my eyes as we pull into a large parking garage connected to a familiar building.
Gramps’ old New York penthouse.
I’ve only been here a handful of times over the years, but it’s an impressive glass building that catches the sun.
