The Girl from Her Mirror (Mirrors Don't Lie Book 1) (8 page)

Hardin moved even closer, his hand still
on her wrist as he gently wound her arm behind her and maneuvered her body up
against his own. When she lifted her face expectantly to his, he pulled her arm
forward, to wrap around his own waist. The sky blue of his eyes darkening with
desire, Hardin slipped his fingers into her hair and cupped her face within his
large, calloused palms.

“Then let’s close the night on a perfect
note,” he murmured, brushing his lips against hers. He slid his mouth slowly
across hers, more a tease than a kiss. He dropped a small peck at the corner of
her mouth, then drug his lower lip back across hers, his breath warm and
scented with chocolate and wine. Pulling her face closer against his, he
increased the gentle pressure of his mouth, pressing his lips firmly into hers
before he pulled slightly away and began a slow exploration of her mouth. He
began by nibbling on the fullness of her lower globe, then slid the tip of his
tongue over the seam of her lips, on his way to explore the curve of her upper
lip. By the time his tongue returned to run along the sensuous pleat of her
mouth, Makenna was tugging his hips closer, encouraging him to deepen the maddeningly
slow and masterful kiss.

His tongue slipped inside the honeyed
recess of her mouth, still exploring. Makenna’s body tightened with unexpected
desire, even as her knees sagged. When she stepped back against the wall for
support, tugging him along with her, he pressed his body close against hers. He
deepened the kiss, one hand tangling in the curls at the nape of her neck to
keep her face bound close to his, the other hand wandering down her collarbone,
down along the dipping neckline of her holey green sweater. Hardin’s fingers
slid down her bare shoulder, down almost to her elbow, until they found the end
of her sleeve. Slipping beneath the loose weave, his fingers traveled back up
the length of her arm with slow deliberation. His touch never strayed from the
safety of her upper arm, but there was something completely erotic about the
feel of his fingers gliding over her highly sensitive skin.

By the time the kiss ended, Makenna was
breathless. She vaguely noticed he was having similar difficulty breathing, but
her mind was too muddled to take clear notes. Her entire body was in
over-drive, her blood humming wildly as it zipped through her veins, her heart
hammering a wild pace all its own.

“Perfect,” he murmured against her lips,
lingering there for one more kiss. “Absolutely perfect.”

“Mmm,” she agreed dreamily. It was the
best she could manage.

Hardin stepped back, allowing them both
a chance to gather their senses. Makenna finally thought to fish in her purse
for her hotel card, which Hardin took from her trembling hands and slid through
the reader with ease.

“I’ll see you at eight-thirty,” he
reminded her, leaning in for a brief kiss. Her lips lingered, then his. “I’d
better go,” he finally said, but his voice was rough with obvious reluctance.

“See you in the morning.” She slipped
quietly inside and shut the door, her legs a trembling mess.

Morning sun warmed the interior of the
little red sports car as it hugged the curves of the mountain highway, climbing
its way to the top. The air was crisp and invigorating, almost cold, but the
bright rays of sunshine held the chill at bay. Still, Makenna was thankful she
wore a light jacket over her black V-necked t-shirt.

“This is amazing!” she beamed, glancing
over at Hardin. “I definitely see why you came here to train for cycling. The
temps here are fantastic!”

“And no humidity,” he reminded her.
“Although this morning it was just down-right cold, before the sun got fully
up.”

“You rode this morning?” she asked in
surprise.

“After the workout I had yesterday, I
couldn’t slack off completely or I’d be too sore to move. I got in a couple of
miles this morning, just to keep me limber.” He craned his neck to get a better
view over the edge of the mountain. “I think there’s a place to pull over just
up here. We could probably see pretty good from there.”

It was taking them longer than normal to
travel the scenic route through the White Mountains. At a moment’s notice, they
would whip off the side of the road to explore a rocky stream or to gaze out
over a beautiful mountainside vista. With the help of tourists’ maps and local
input, they were finding waterfalls and overlooks and a full array of nature’s
beauty.   

Makenna was particularly enchanted with
the mountain streams, even those that did not feature a waterfall. Half a dozen
times, they stopped alongside the road and scrambled down the rocky embankments
for closer inspection of a clear mountain stream. They waded out on numerous
boulders, standing amid the teeming waters so she could take picture after
picture of the white capped currents. More than once, she was sprayed by the
frosty waters or misjudged the depth of an embedded rock, getting her shoes
wet.

The higher they drove up the mountain,
the more snow they saw. They stopped for a snowball fight and took pictures of
each other, including a selfie when he unexpectedly kissed her cheek. Makenna
sent a copy to Kenzie, knowing her friend would bombard her with a hundred
questions, but she was careful to keep the screen from Hardin’s view. She
couldn’t very well have him see the name “Kenzie” on her phone, not when he
thought that was
her
name.

Spotting another photo op, Makenna
slowed the convertible. “I’ll pull over if this car will ever get off my butt,”
she said, watching as a gray car came up behind them. The biggest challenge of
sight-seeing was to do it amid all the other cars on the road. There was only
light traffic, but it seemed each time she wanted to slow down to enjoy the
view or to make an impromptu stop, there was always a vehicle behind her, such
as now. “Come on, buddy, go around.” She was talking to the other driver as if
he could hear her.

“He’s coming up awfully fast,” Hardin
said, glancing in the side mirror.

“Yeah, I’d better not try to make this
one.” With a resigned sigh, Makenna resumed her speed.

“Damn, Kenzie, I think that guy’s going
to run us over!”

At Hardin’s startled tone, Makenna
glanced into her rear view mirror. Sure enough, the car was right on her
bumper. She sped up, thinking she would put a comfortable distance between
them, but he kept pace with her.

“Not again!” Makenna moaned, taking a
curve faster than she felt comfortable with. “Hardin, what do I do? I don’t
want to go this fast, but I’m afraid he’s going to hit my bumper if I slow
down!”

“What is that guy doing!” Hardin
bellowed, turning around in the front seat of the convertible to get a better
look at the vehicle behind them. The tinted front windshield offered little
more than the silhouette of a single occupant, hands intent upon the wheel.
Hardin waved his arm, motioning for the car to pass, but it remained steadfast
on their bumper.

“What do I do?” she demanded again.

“Just keep it steady. Don’t go any
faster. See if he’ll pass on this straightaway.”

They made the curve, straightened out,
but still the gray car followed close behind.

“What the —!” Hardin whirled around
again, motioning wildly at the other driver. In response, the gray car tapped
against their bumper, then backed slightly off.  

“Not again, not again, not again!” was
all Makenna could say as they were jarred forward from the contact. Hardin was
more vocal, calling the man behind them vivid names and yelling at him to back
off.

“There’s a big curve coming up, Hardin!
What do I do? I’m going too fast!”

“Ease over, half way in the other lane,
as you let off the gas.”

“What if a car is coming?” she cried,
but did as he instructed.

“Pray that it’s not. Okay, he’s coming
up closer again, trying to edge you over. Stay steady, right on the line…
that’s it… steady.” As they came into the curve and saw no oncoming traffic,
Hardin gave her new instructions. “Okay, move all the way into the other lane.
He’s going to come up fast on our right, trying to keep you in this lane. When
I say, I want you to -”

“Oh my gosh, Hardin, there’s a car
coming up ahead! What do I do?”

The gray car pulled beside them and
matched their speed, refusing to let them back in the lane. Trying to pass him
would be impossible.

“Let up on the gas. It’s going to be
rough, but there’s a drive on your left in a hundred feet. When I say, I want
you to hit your brakes and swing into it. The tail-end of the car is going to
fishtail, but I’ll help hold it steady.”

“When?” she screamed. “That car’s coming
closer!”

 “Ready? Okay-  now!”

The brakes squealed in protest as
Makenna stomped down hard on them. The sports car went into a skid, the
rear-end swinging wildly as Hardin predicted. “Let up on the brake!” he yelled,
his hands firm on the steering wheel as he whipped it to the left, then
straight, then left again.

For a heart-stopping moment, they were
airborne. Makenna felt like she was watching the moment in slow motion. The
on-coming car was honking its horn, slamming on brakes that squealed, still
barreling straight for them as the convertible sailed over the pavement and
into the small clearing of a driveway. In the other lane, the gray car sped up
and away from the potential accident in progress. Bushes scraped along the
sides of the little red sports car, and suddenly things switched from slow motion
to utter chaos. The gravel driveway rushed up to meet them with a vengeance,
jarring Makenna off the seat. If not for Hardin’s strong hands still on the
wheel, she would have lost complete control of the vehicle. When she came down,
she bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood.

Dust swirled around them, the acrid
smell of burnt rubber and asphalt hung in the air, and the car slid sideways,
coming to a sharp and abrupt stop.

For a moment, neither spoke. “Did we
make it?” Makenna finally asked in a weak voice.

“Barely. Damn, girl, what was that?!”

In answer, Makenna folded her arms over
the steering wheel and rested her forehead there, shaking her head.

“Hey, are you okay?” This time, his
voice was gentler. He touched her shoulder, forcing her to look at him. “Are
you okay?” he repeated.

“I-I think so.”

He cupped her face and pulled her to him
for a quick, hard kiss. “You did great. You did perfect. Where’d you learn to
drive like that?”

Still too shaken to speak, she merely
shook her head with a clueless shrug.

“Aw, come on, don’t fall apart on me
now,” he urged softly, gathering her to him in a gentle embrace. “You did
great. You handled that like a pro.”

I’ve had enough recent experience,
her mind
screamed, but her body was too weak to verbalize the thoughts. She leaned into
him, absorbing his solid strength.

He gave her a few more moments to
collect herself, then he set her away. “Would you like for me to drive?” he
asked.

She nodded. It was against rental policy
to let him drive, but then again, it was against policy for her to drive, as
well; the car was in Kenzie’s name.

Hardin helped her from the car,
practically carrying her when her legs threatened to give way. Settling her in
the passenger’s seat with a gentle kiss on the forehead, he took a moment to
inspect the car before he slid behind the wheel.

“Believe it or not, I only see a couple
of scratches, and I think they can be buffed out before you return the car. I’m
surprised we didn’t flatten all four tires, as hard as we slammed down.” He
adjusted mirrors and gadgets, then put the car into gear. He appeared unfazed,
rattling on about mufflers and airbags and things Makenna was too emotionally
drained to even think about. It wasn’t until they were pulling back onto the
highway, headed in the same direction they had been traveling, that she roused.

“Where-Where are we going?”

“We still have a full day ahead of us.”

“We’re going on?” she asked weakly.

He sent her a sharp look. “Don’t you
want to?”

“I-I don’t know. What if - What if the
car is up ahead, waiting on us?”

“They’re long gone by now. They were in
a major hurry to get up the mountain, and for all they know, they just caused a
wreck. They don’t want to be anywhere near if the cops are called.”

“I guess,” Makenna murmured, but she was
unconvinced.

“I’ll make you a deal. We’ll stop up
here and have lunch, and see how you’re feeling. If you want to call it a day
after that, I’ll take you back to the hotel.”

A vague “Okay” was all she could muster.

They had their picnic near the crest of
the mountain, at a scenic overlook that provided a magnificent view. On a clear
day, it was said you could see the ocean from there.

Ocean view or not, the stone gazebo with
its informative kiosk and telescope for examining the breath-taking view, along
with picnic tables, made it the perfect spot for their noon meal. Best of all,
they had the mountaintop all to themselves.

The solitary setting and stunning vista
were all it took to settle Makenna’s nerves. After taking a dozen photos, she
settled down at the picnic table with Hardin to examine the prepackaged basket
he had purchased. A glass of wine was the final touch needed to soothe her
scattered senses.

When the meal was over and Makenna
repacked the picnic basket, Hardin threw away their accumulated trash.

“All better now?” he asked, coming up
from behind and resting his hands on her waist.

“Yes, much.”

“We can keep going, then? I want to
explore some of the covered bridges and at least one or two more waterfalls. I
hear one of them is pretty spectacular.”

“I think what we’ve seen so far has been
spectacular in itself,” she said, allowing him to turn her around.

“Yeah, but you ain’t seen nothing yet,”
he murmured, slipping his hand behind her neck and pulling her forward for his
kiss. He cradled her head within both hands, this kiss slow and sweet and full
of promise.

Makenna locked her arms around his
waist, holding him to her. She needed to be close to him. She needed to feel
safe.

When he finally lifted his head, his
eyes were once again clear and intensely blue. “We still have the entire
afternoon to enjoy,” he reminded her. Letting his gaze wander over the lips he
had just kissed, his voice turned husky. “And the entire evening.”

Suddenly nervous at the implied meaning,
Makenna went with a teasing reply. “Yes, an entire evening to be tortured by
Lisa and Bob Lewis,” she said sweetly.

“Ah, woman, you are cruel. You really
know how to knock a guy down.” He dropped a quick kiss into her bronzed curls
before he released her. “Look on the bright side. Maybe we’ll have a flat and
miss dinner completely.”

“Better watch what you wish for!”
Makenna laughed as they gathered their items and headed for the car. “I have no
idea where they even hide the tire jack on this little number.”

By late afternoon, they had viewed
almost a dozen more mountain streams and half as many covered bridges. They
crisscrossed and backtracked, trying to make as many of the sights as possible.
Concerns about the gray car faded into the shadows, as the day shone bright
with sunshine and charming company.

As they trekked into the woods to see
one of the waterfalls featured in their brochure, they had a brief and close
encounter with a moose. Makenna wasn’t sure who was more startled, herself or
the moose, but she captured the moment with her camera. She couldn’t wait to
share the photo with Kenzie! She was practically dancing as they came out of
the woods, laughing as they recalled the moment the huge shaggy beast jumped
with all four feet off the ground.

“This has got to be one of the best days
ever!” Makenna insisted, swinging their arms merrily. Their hands were clasped
together, moving in tandem. “Of all the things we’ve done and seen today, the
look on that moose’s face has to be the best!”