All the Way Read Online Free Page A

Then she wouldn’t have watched from the restaurant window as he rolled through the green light, waving from his motorcycle…when the car came out of nowhere.
    The glass had felt so cold, her face and hands pressed against it in shock, horror. But it was nothing compared to the chill that settled in her bones, the marrow hollowed out by the realization of what she had just lost. How small Robby’s hand had felt in her clammy one later, his confused little face looking to her to explain why he couldn’t dodge the police tape, tear off the bloodstained sheet on the stretcher and hug his invincible daddy.
    Every sound became deafening. She choked back a sob. The pack rumbled past, carrying the vision with it, replaced by the dark night that seemed to close in around her.
    Suddenly a single headlight beamed at her face. A motorcycle slowed, pulling up beside her just as her vision clouded. Feeling dizzy, she clutched her head, nearly stumbling into a muddy ditch. Two hands shot out to grab her waist.
    When her vision cleared, Blake Desanto loomed over her. Her fear-fogged brain had trouble deciding if he was a devil or an angel. It didn’t matter, if she could rely on his steady hold for one more minute.
    When his grip shifted, she seized his wrists, a silent plea for him not to leave her. Maybe never again, but for this moment at least, Layla needed him.
    He held fast.
    “It’s okay,” he murmured. “I won’t let you go.”
    Blake felt Layla shaking in his grasp. Her face appeared an ungodly shade of pale, the most haunted look Blake had ever seen. “What the hell happened to you?”
    She gulped air, and blood seeped back into her cheeks. “M-my car broke down.”
    That didn’t answer his question, but a thorough glance-over didn’t produce any signs of physical assault. Thankfully, his heart rate normalized before he suffered a heart attack.
    “Why didn’t you call somebody?” he asked.
    Layla looked down at the pointed toes of her red high heels. “I couldn’t afford two cell phone payments. It’s more important for Robby to have one than me.”
    “Since when is your safety not worth fifty bucks a month?” His tone came out furious. So much for the careless front . He lowered his voice, stripped it of emotion. “Hop on. I’m taking you home.”
    Defiance flashed in her eyes. “What makes you think I’d go anywhere with you, after the things you said to me at the Handle Bar?”
    “This isn’t up for debate. Get on.” On closer inspection, he recognized another emotion in her eyes. Fear. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Layla.” He held one hand over his heart and extended the other one to her. “Trust me.”
    “Trust you ?” She scoffed. “I’ll take my chances alone, thanks.”
    “I’m not giving you that option.” Their eyes locked in challenge, forcing a stalemate. “Fine,” he muttered. “Here’s your choice. Get on the bike, and I’ll take you home. But if I have to lasso you to the damn thing, you’re coming home with me . Tied up, at my mercy…until you beg me to stop.”
    She snorted. “You’re an egomaniac who thinks he’s God’s gift to women.”
    “Maybe.” He gave a careless shrug. “But I think I know where to find your brother.”
    “You—you do?”
    He sat back down on the Harley. “I don’t feel you on the back of my bike yet.”
    “I’m doing this for Robby,” she insisted, as she slid behind him. “This has nothing to do with you and me.”
    “Should I have used the lasso?”
    Her arms locked around him, her limbs tense with nervousness. “With you and your libido, it’s a wonder there’s room for me on this motorcycle.”
    “You didn’t refuse… I think I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’”
    Revving the v-twin of his Fat Boy, he drowned out whatever retort she launched. He blew out a long breath and snapped up the kickstand. Her hands had better stay flattened on his stomach, because if they drifted south she would discover his kickstand.