No Knight Needed Read Online Free

complete stranger. Her life. Her daughter’s life, potentially. The children of her friends.
    But it was a little too late to back out now.
    Except for the summer tourist crowd, which was still two months away, there were no strangers in Birch Crossing, and any unknowns who came to town were regarded with distrust until they’d proven their worth for at least a decade.
    She’d lived here her whole life, and she’d never heard of the man sitting inches away from her.
    “How old is your daughter?” he asked as the truck roared up the road, bouncing over rocks with a little too much fervor.
    She grabbed the overhead grip and braced her left hand on the console. “Can you slow down a little?”
    He shot a surprised look at her. “Aren’t you worried about your daughter?”
    “It won’t do her much good if I die before I get there.”
    Griffin stared at her for what felt like a full minute before he seemed to grasp her point. “You think I’m going to crash?” He asked the question as if he couldn’t quite comprehend that fear.
    “Well, maybe slide over the edge or something.” Clare peeked out her window, but it was too dark to see the steep drop off she knew was just below her side of the truck. She also couldn’t see clearly enough to determine whether there was a safe expanse of road between them and the sheer cliff. Oh, God. She tightened her grip on the overhead handle and ordered herself not to dissolve into a sniveling lump of terror. “Stuff like that happens.”
    “Clare.”
    She turned her head toward Griffin at the low urgency in his voice. “What?”
    His face was blue-lit by the dash, showcasing a hard set to his jaw and tendons flexed in his neck. “I’m not going to crash.” His voice was calm and non-judgmental. Just a simple stating of fact.
    His hands were relaxed on the steering wheel. No tension. No fear. Yet, the energy rolling off him was a hyper-vigilance, as if he knew the exact location of every stone his tires sprayed up.
    He exuded confidence. Not crazy, blind brashness. He had the unconcerned demeanor of a man who was fully aware of what fate could do to him and was absolutely certain he had the tools to triumph. His faith was reassuring, and she felt her grip on the handle loosen slightly, and the pressure in her chest eased off.
    He smiled. “There you go. Relax. Enjoy the scenery. Soon enough, the truck will be full of kids and our intimate moment will be over.”
    She almost choked at his words. “We’re not having an intimate moment!” But even as she made the protest, she became aware of the closed quarters of the truck. The damp heat of the air, warmed by their bodies, moistened by the rain. Of Griffin’s scent, a mixture of wet leather, Old Spice, and something more refined. His shampoo, maybe? And a deeper, lower fragrance, the aura of pure man, an intimate scent that usually only lovers would get close enough to experience.
    Suddenly, the cab felt very small, Griffin seemed extremely male, and the distance between them was temptingly close. Clare watched the strength of his hands on the wheel, and a long-forgotten warmth curled through her belly, a sensation that absolutely terrified her... and filled her with the most delicious fascination, which she couldn’t afford. Not now. Not ever. She cleared her throat and dragged her gaze off him. “Really. We’re not.”
    Griffin grinned, his low chuckle wrapping around her like a warm seduction. “What? You don’t have intimate moments with complete strangers you meet in the middle of storms on mountain ridges? What kind of woman are you?”
    She bristled at his accusation, at the words she’d heard so many times questioning her choices, her competence, her life. “There’s nothing wrong with me—”
    “Whoa!” He held up his hand, his voice gentling. “I was just teasing. Trying to lighten the moment.” He raised his brows as the truck bumped over another ridge. “How would I have any idea if there’s