Halfway Hidden (12 page)
Her thoughts were buzzing like flies in her brain—incomprehensible, flying around too fast to catch and pin down. She curled into a ball, feet propped on the bench, head buried in her knees. Maybe that’s why she didn’t notice the rumble of another engine; she didn’t even look up when the door slammed. She was too consumed with misery to notice anybody else, too alone to care about how she looked. She carried on sobbing, body tensed into a crouch, soles pushing on the seat of the bench.
She heard the footsteps, but they were muffled by the rubber on the soles, enough for Rachel to think she was alone, just her and the self-pity that wanted to eat her alive.
Then she heard a voice…his voice as he started talking.
“I nearly made it to the highway.” Murphy cleared his throat. “But it was too quiet—made me feel nervous.”
Just like him to make a joke of it. Despite her tears, she felt her lips tugging into a smile.
“You should have turned on the radio.” Her voice was thick, muffled by her knees.
“I tried that. It’s just full of crap.”
Her smile got bigger. “There’s a little knob in the middle. You can twist it and find different stations.” She raised her head a little, enough to see his legs. She wasn’t sure she could look him in the eye yet. She still needed to get her breathing under control. “All sorts of music out there if you know where to look.”
“I’m shit at that sort of thing. Thought I might pick up a hitchhiker who could help.”
This time she glanced farther up, raising her red, swollen eyes until she could see his face. “Hasn’t anybody told you how dangerous it is to pick up strangers?”
He tilted his head to the side, voice soft as he spoke. “I figure I’ll take my chances.”
And there it was. A little explosion of hope in her heart. She let it burn, warming her body, while sweet anticipation ran through her veins. He reached down and curled his fingers around the handle of her bag, lifting it with ease before he turned and starting walking to his SUV. He was nearly there before he turned back to call to her.
“You coming?”
Was she? It was a little exciting and a lot scary, not knowing where she was going or where he’d take her. Yet the feeling of joy suffusing her body was too good to ignore. The need to be with him outweighed any rational concerns she might have felt if she’d thought things through. She pushed herself off the bench, smiling at him as she walked. “Of course I’m coming. I’d hate to leave you alone with your thoughts.”
When she reached the car, he curled his fingers around her neck, drawing her body against his chest, his arms wrapping around her shoulders like he didn’t want to let her go. He felt warm and strong, his embrace reassuring and calm. Rachel melted into him, breathing out a long, ragged breath. It felt so good. She wanted to bury herself in him and never come out.
As he kissed her, she thought maybe she could.
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COMING SOON FROM CARRIE ELKS
Halfway Hidden Volume 2 (Exposed)
Unexpected Volume 1 (a New Adult Romance)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carrie Elks lives near London, England and loves to write sexy stories with a dash of intrigue. At the age of twenty-one she left college with a political science degree, a healthy overdraft and a soon-to-be husband. She loves to travel and meet new people, and has lived in the USA and Switzerland as well as the UK.
Nowadays, she spends her days sorting out people’s problems at work and her evenings glued to a computer keyboard. An avid social networker, she tries to limit her Facebook and Twitter time to stolen moments between writing chapters.
When she isn't reading or writing, she can usually be found baking, drinking wine or working out how to combine the two.
www.facebook.com/CarrieElksAuthor
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank my publishers, L.J. Anderson and Evelyn Baldwin at Mayhem Publishing, After Dark, for holding my hand through the whole scary process. Many thanks also to Marti Lynch for her hard work proofing the story.
Love to my girls—Kate, Deb and Shelli who kept me sane and pre-read the story for me, making fantastic suggestions and reassuring me it was all going to be okay. To all the bloggers who have supported this story, I give my unbound gratitude.
A big shout out to my husband and family for putting up with me during the whole writing process. Thank you for being there, even when my mind is elsewhere.
Finally, to the readers. You, dear person, who picked up the story and made it through with me to the end. Thank you so much for taking the time—I hope you enjoyed the story. I hope even more, that if you can spare the time, you will drop a review onto Amazon or Goodreads. I would truly appreciate your support.
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