Luther pulled out a small radio and started shouting into it. Lily’s eyebrows rose. If he’d been able to talk to Nikoli before, why had he waited and worked himself up into such a nervous wreck?

Before Lily realized what was happening, Nikoli pulled ahead and then drifted right hard, forcing the other car to swerve. The Chevelle’s rear end slammed into Nikoli, and both cars started spinning out of control. They were simply going too fast. Lily watched, horrified as both cars bounced off each other again. That final hard slam sent Nikoli’s Mach 1 over the finish line, while the Chevelle hit the side of the building, smashing the front end up into the dash.

Nikoli’s car came to a halt and Lily ran, despite Luther shouting for her to wait. She needed to see that he was okay, that he wasn’t dead. The car took a beating, and she knew Nikoli had as well. The door was flung open, and she reached him just as he fell out onto the pavement. Dropping to her knees, she grabbed his face and pulled it up so she could see his eyes. He gave her a half smile before dragging her closer for a kiss full of fear, passion, and need. It left them both breathless. He stared at her in shock when he pulled away from her.

“I love you,” she blurted out, and Nikoli blinked. She knew she’d shocked him. She could see the shock in his eyes. She hadn’t meant to say that. God, she hadn’t meant to, but how was she going to take it back?

Lily started to say something, but the smell caught her attention. It was a mixture of gasoline and nitrogen. Her father warned her if she smelled that to run as fast as she could. She looked over to the Chevelle and saw them struggling to get the driver out.

She stood up and ran over. “Luther, get your ass over here and help us get him out before this thing blows!” She pulled out her small pocketknife and concentrated on getting the seatbelt off him while others yanked the door off and pulled the seat back so they could drag the guy from the car. She felt Nikoli at her back and looked to see him struggling to help them with the seat. He only gave her a grin when she sent a glare his way. He should be sitting down, not trying to help.

The guys managed to pull the seat back and free the driver’s legs. Lily took a step back so they could drag him out of the car. Luther tossed her the keys to the Lexus and then jumped in the Mach 1. Nikoli headed for the Lexus, and Lily stared after Luther for a minute before hurrying to catch up with Nikoli. He slid in the passenger seat, and Lily got in the driver’s side.

“Drive,” he bit out before she could say anything.

Lily did as she was told without another word. She knew the police would be here soon, and they needed to be gone. He directed her down several side streets and through two alleys before they emerged onto the main highway. Lily pulled over at a gas station about ten minutes later and turned to assess the damage.

Nikoli had several nasty bruises, and a cut on his forehead was still bleeding heavily. She popped open the glove box and took out the first aid kit they’d stored there yesterday. Nikoli grumbled when she cleaned the wound and then closed it up with butterfly bandages.

When she was satisfied she’d done as much as she could with what she had, she closed the kit and gave him a once over. She knew without asking, he wouldn’t go to the hospital.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “Is there anything I can get you?”

“A bottle of water would be nice,” Nikoli told her, seeing the worry in her eyes. She nodded and got out of the car to go into the gas station. He let out a small sigh of relief. He’d won. It had been close, and he owed that to Lily. Luther warned him the guy was about to launch a speed boost, and Nikoli would have been sunk if that happened. Thank God she knew so much about cars, especially race cars.

When she’d kissed him, Nikoli realized two things. She loved him, but more importantly, he loved her. He felt how much she loved him in the way she’d kissed him. She’d put everything in that kiss she didn’t dare say out loud. Not only had he responded, but he’d put just as much into the kiss as she had. He loved her, and it terrified him.

Then she’d gone and told him she loved him. The kiss had told him that already, but then her blurted confession confirmed it.

He didn’t know how to respond to that.

This road was a familiar one for him. Sure, Lily hadn’t asked him for anything, but who was to say that down the road, as she got her claws sunk deeper into him, that she wouldn’t become just like every other woman? He’d misjudged one woman once, and he wasn’t about to put himself in that position again. He couldn’t do that to himself, no matter how much he loved Lily. He couldn’t take the risk of feeling that heartbreak again.

Lily opened the car door and gave him the water, along with a few wet paper towels. He cleaned up his face and then swallowed half the bottle in one long pull.

“You’re sure you’re okay?” she fussed. “You could have internal injuries. Maybe we should go to the hospital?”

“No.” He shook his head. “They’ll be checking the ERs and local clinics looking for injuries from a car accident. I can’t go there. I’m fine, Lily, really. Just get us back to the hotel room so I can lay down.”

She started the car and pulled back into the flow of traffic. Nikoli closed his eyes and winced when she hit a rough patch in the road. He didn’t think he had any internal injuries, but he was sore and felt every bump. It would be a relief to just lie down in the bed for a while.

It took a little over an hour to reach the hotel because of early morning traffic, but Luther was waiting when Lily parked the car. He helped Nikoli out and started to lead him through a side door Lily hadn’t seen before. It was a back entrance only the staff used, but there was an elevator a few feet in front of the door. Once they got Nikoli to his room and settled in bed, Luther headed out, saying he needed to make arrangements for the car.

Lily sat down on the chair across from the bed and watched him sleep. He’d fallen out minutes after his head hit the pillow. Lily worried about a concussion, but he hadn’t shown any signs of one. He wasn’t dizzy or seeing double, and his eyes had been focused. Still, she worried, so she watched him for any signs of trouble.

She still couldn’t believe she’d been stupid enough to tell him she loved him. The look of shock in his eyes worried her. Even though she hadn’t meant for the words to slip out, she was glad they were out there. Sometimes, she thought Nikoli loved her as much as she loved him, but she couldn’t be sure. She loved him enough to risk her heart being broken.

It was a risky bet and one she didn’t know if she’d win.

When Nikoli opened his eyes several hours later, he saw Lily curled up in the chair she’d dragged close to the bed. She smiled softly when she saw him staring at her. His heart clenched, knowing what he was about to do to her. She didn’t deserve it, but he couldn’t risk his heart again. He just couldn’t.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” she said. “I was starting to get worried about you.”

“I’m fine.” He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. “Give me a few minutes, Lily Bells. Then we need to talk.” He got up and headed to the bathroom. He slowed down as soon as his injuries caught up to him. He’d been slammed into the car door more times than he could count. Sure enough, once he took his shirt off, he saw the bruise that ran the length of his arm and wrapped around his shoulder.

He turned on the shower and then slipped in a minute later, letting the hot water hit the bruises on his body to help soothe the sore muscles. How was he going to break her heart? How was he going to look into the eyes of the woman he loved and tell her he didn’t love her? How had he gotten into this mess in the first place?

All because he was determined to have the one woman who not only ignored him, but inspired a hunt like no other. She ran, and he chased. When he caught her, he found not a sly fox, but a sweet and innocent young woman who truly epitomized the meaning of a good person. He hadn’t been prepared for her. She made him laugh, made him question his own sense of self. She made him want to be a better person.