Live By The Team (Team Fear Book 1) by Cindy Skaggs Read Free Book Online

“You’re late for class, Lauren. Wake up.”
    Her eyes popped open. A hand went to her head. “Ryder, what—” She snapped upright, her butt sliding to the open window against the grass embankment. “The brakes.”
    “ Can you move?”
    “ I just did.” She ran a hand over her legs, exploring, looking for injuries, and brushing off shattered glass. “I think I’m good. Except the head.”
    “ Let’s go.” He hefted her to her feet.
    A grimace twisted her pouty lips. She squared her shoulders and tried—failed—to imitate his swagger, something she’d done before when he didn’t respond the way she thought he should. “That was a heck of a spill you took, baby, maybe you should rest for a minute,” she mimicked in a deep voice. She glared at him. “Why, how sweet of you to worry, Ry,” she answered in a false voice, enjoying her one-sided conversation. “But I could really use a glass of wine and a bottle of aspirin. You’re such a sweetheart to suggest it.”
    “ Want a hot tub with that?” he asked with a wry grin.
    “ Wouldn’t turn one down.” A flush warmed her cheeks, and her eyes were clear and bright.
    “ Good news.” Ryder brushed a knuckle along her jaw. “Your smartass bone isn’t broken.”
    “ Bruised, though.” She rested her head on his chest. After everything, she still leaned on him. His heart fisted at the thought, so maybe he had a heart after all.
    Ryder wrapped his arms around her. How could he do anything else? She squirmed closer, fitting into him and resting her head under his chin. Her hair tickled his nose. She smelled of floral shampoo and copper. He leaned back to get a better look at the cuts. “Took quite a header.”
    She tilted her head to meet his gaze. “Scared me. When the brakes went to floor...” Her voice shook. “I thought I was road kill for sure.”
    For a minute, so had he, and there hadn’t been a damn thing he could do about it. He hadn’t been around to take care of the truck. He hadn’t been there to catch Lauren. What else had he missed?
    Lights flickered as a passing car made the tight curve and continued down the highway. “They didn’t stop,” Lauren complained.
    “ You’re pretty low in the ditch. Probably can’t see it in the dark. Come first light, it’ll be visible.”
    “ Fat lot of good that would do me.” She gestured with her hands to emphasize her point. He loved the way she talked with her hands. She was so full of life she couldn’t keep it contained. Everything about her vibrated with energy. If people had a life force, hers burned brighter than any he’d ever seen. “If you hadn’t been there—” A hitch cracked her voice.
    “ I was.”
    “ I’d have been stuck all night.”
    He flinched, because the result could have been worse than being stuck beside the road all night. “You aren’t stuck all night. I’m here.”
    “ For how long?” Her gaze dared him to answer.
    She wanted to know how long he’d stay, but Ryder didn’t have an honest answer. He couldn’t tell her the truth. He dropped a gentle kiss to her lips. Warm and sweet. “Hop up.” He patted her back and eased away. Lacing his fingers to make a stirrup, he hoisted her through the passenger window. Her butt hit the cold metal and her feet dangled.
    “ Grab my purse.”
    “ Where?”
    “ Under the seat.”
    Under the seat was now the sidewall. Ryder peered under, but Little Debbie wrappers papered the floor/wall. “We need to talk about your eating habits.”
    “ Not now, Ryder. Someone’s coming.”

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    “ Time to go.” He brushed her feet the rest of the way out before climbing through. Headlights glistened like search lights near the top of the hill. Every instinct pushed him to get the hell out before the enemy zeroed in on their location.
    Enemy? Shit, his brain was still fucked. And that right there was why he needed to stay away from Lauren. If he didn’t get his head screwed on straight, she’d end up