Page 55 of Runaway Road (Runaway 1)

I was hungry for her in a way I’d never be full.

“Want to cruise around?” I asked.

“No.” She turned away from the view and slid her sunglasses off her face. The emerald flecks in her eyes danced bright in the sunlight as she reached for the bikini tie behind her neck.

I grinned. Hungry.

We spent the rest of the afternoon on the lake, exploring the water in between breaks from exploring each other. By late afternoon, the lake was teaming with boats, people out on the water for a few hours before dark to kick off the weekend. Neither Londyn nor I felt like being one in a crowd, so we called it a day.

The boat was tied to the dock and we were in my truck, driving to the garage to check out her car. Mack had done me a favor and brought it over so I didn’t have to pick it up. Tony had texted that it was safely locked inside.

“Feel like dinner on the rock tonight?” Londyn asked.

“Or . . . we could eat at my place. With Wyatt.”

She looked over, her eyebrows rising above her large sunglasses. “You want me to meet your son?”

“Haven’t you already?”

“Well, yes. This is a bit different though, don’t you think?”

“Not really. It’s just you and me eating dinner with a kid who will probably be on his phone the whole time.”

She pushed her sunglasses into her hair and shifted to face me. “Is that smart? I’m leaving on Monday.”

“I know. But Wyatt knows about you. He knows you’re leaving. He’s my favorite person in the world. You’re quickly climbing that list. For once, I’ve got two favorites in the same place. I’m trying to capitalize while I can.”

She gave me a small smile. “I get that. How would you introduce me?”

“As a friend.” Or a girlfriend. My son was no idiot. He knew where I’d been going each night.

Londyn thought it over for a minute, then nodded. “All right. As a friend.”

Girlfriend.

“Pizza?” I steered us into the rear parking lot of the garage where Tony and I normally parked. “Wyatt should be done with football by now. I can text him to pick one up for us.”

“I never say no to pizza.”

I grinned. “Neither do I.”

This thing with us was good—damn good. If Londyn had moved to Summers, this might have become a real thing. She’d only been here for a couple of weeks and it was more real than anything I’d had in a decade.

I needed a woman like her, who loved pizza more than the number on her bathroom scale. A woman who spent time on my boat happy with long periods of time when not a word was spoken. A woman who preferred eating dinner on a rock to a fancy restaurant.

Londyn would be perfect if she weren’t so hell-bent on leaving.

Then again, maybe the reason we clicked so well was because there was a time limit.

Leaving that thought untouched, I got out of the truck, rounding the back to open Londyn’s door. Then I took her hand and walked her into the shop. I inserted my key into the lock, meeting no resistance as I turned.

Fuck. My stomach clenched. This door should have been locked, something Tony would have done before going home. I took a few steps back, glancing around the corner of the building to see if Tony’s truck was still here. Maybe he’d parked alongside the tow rig today, but that space was empty.

“What?” Londyn asked.

“The door’s unlocked.” I went back to the handle, turning it slowly as I poked my head inside. “Hello?”

The shop was pitch black. My voice bounced off the walls but otherwise, the garage was silent. I flicked on a row of lights, stepping inside.