Dawn looked up to see the blonde’s suddenly sheepish stare as he sighed heavily.

 

“You…I know you’re not like that.”

 

Seizing hold of his face, she peered into his eyes, breathing hard as she focused on his sad blue stare.

 

“Maybe I wasn’t always honest with you, but I didn’t set this up. And I never lied when it came to…when it was just about us.”

 

Unable to finish and not wanting to cry, Dawn turned on her heel, ready to take off in any direction of the night when Cade gathered her back in his arms.

 

“Let me—”

 

“I don’t want to,” Cade said. “Not again. Not ever.”

 

He kissed her, and Dawn slipped deeper into his arms.

 

“Sorry I’m an ass,” he said. “I’m trying to keep so many promises that I forgot my promise to you.”

 

“And what’s that, Cade?” she asked.

 

He folded her close, and Dawn savored the feel of his lips on her neck when he stepped back, his fingers still pressing into her arms. Cade started to look away when she pressed her hand under his chin, giving him no choice but to meet her gaze.

 

“You are…you are my girl,” he said. “My lady. And I want you along for the ride. I think that… no. I know you’re strong enough for it.”

 

Dawn’s heart swelled in her chest, and she returned to the dream of their bodies racing through the falling snow. She nearly asked him if they could still make that move, but she knew that he wouldn’t leave the road now. Not when he was so close to a family reunion that had the potential to twist and turn in more ways than she could fathom.

 

“So…so Lenny,” Dawn said. “Guess you’ll have to have a talk with him.”

 

“I’d rather have a talk with you.”

 

Cade crushed his mouth to hers, and Dawn flowed into his lips as they fell back to the bed, his fingers curling through her hair, as he gazed into her eyes and pressed his hot palm to her suddenly smiling face.

 

“Just talk?” she asked. “Seems to me you want so much more.”

 

“Dawn…”

 

He kissed her again, his tongue painting her teeth as she forgot her fury, pulling him closer until he pushed back, his tender touch on her face as he spoke. “So you are impressed?” he asked. “Like for real?”

 

“You’re nothing if not loyal,” Dawn said. “And at the end of the day, that’s a story in and of itself.”

 

His passion came to a stop, as he curled to his side, his fingers running down her neck as he sighed into her hair, his touch just working its way around the buttons covering her breasts. Dawn moaned, but he stopped again, staring into her eyes as he started to slip away.

 

“Don’t go,” she implored him. “I’m sorry.”

 

“For what?” he asked.

 

“It was your bike,” she said.

 

“One of these days I’ll teach you how to handle it,” he said. “You down?”

 

Her lips lifted into a smile at the thought that they would race to the moon together, maybe push past Plainfield and find a hill that kept turning up with no threat of ever crashing down.

 

“I like the sound of that, Cade.”

 

Their shared kiss, as she held him tighter, her legs spreading to feel him again when Cade inched away and bit down on his lower lip.

 

“But for real, Dawn. You come with me now. It’s not just about a story. You…we got to play this through. Didn’t figure on Nicole being so sure.”

 

“It might not be a bad thing,” she said.

 

“Maybe. Maybe not. But you…”

 

Collecting her in his embrace, Cade turned to his back, keeping her close to his chest, as he reached under her shirt. Dawn was grateful for her unmarked flesh and the feel of his hands.

 

“Just play it smart,” he whispered.

 

“I think I can do that,” she said with a smirk.

 

“Got no doubt that you can.”

 

Their lips nearly locked when the sound of someone approaching brought them to their feet. Mona cocked her head as she entered the room, her eyes seeming to swirl with the knowledge of what they were about to do when she clicked her tongue and wagged a single finger in the air.

 

“Time for that later,” she said, and Dawn hoped that later was a lock and not just a possibility. “Right now, you are running way behind schedule, and you need to make up for lots of lost time.”

 

Cade nodded his head, taking Dawn by the arm when another figure appeared behind Mona.

 

“What the hell?” he asked.

 

It was still Nicole, her perfect pale face and big blue eyes. However, the girl had swapped her baggy costume for skin tight leather, accentuating her perfect form even as it still concealed her scars. The sound of her boots smacked against the floorboards, and she tied her red hair over her neck before pressing her hands to her hips.

 

“Been waiting for this for a long time,” she said. “You ready, Cade?”

 

Dawn could sense him wanting to try to talk her out of it, his mind probably spinning with all the ways this could go wrong. However, she stepped in front of him, her hand on his arm, before the man could speak.

 

“He is,” Dawn said. “And so am I.”