Free Girl of Mine by Taylor Dean Page A

them closed with a defining clap.
    He gasped and his eyes flew open. For just the smallest second, their eyes met as she hovered over him. Still in the realms of sleep, he whispered, “Jill?” His tone didn’t imply wonder at what was going on. It said, “Is it really you?” As if he’d longed for the moment when he could awaken with her close by.
    Or maybe that was what Jill wanted to hear. Her imagination was running wild, after all.
    She moved away from him swiftly, before she did something she would later regret.
    Coming to his senses, Luke sat up, tugging at the handcuffs as if he couldn’t quite figure out what was wrong with his arm.
    Jill stood just out of arm’s reach and tossed the keys in the air and caught them, over and over, as if she didn’t have a care in the world and her escape had been massively easy.
    As realization hit, Luke stilled, his eyes narrowing. “Give me back my keys, Jillian.”
    “No can do, Lucas,” she said, faking nonchalance.
    “Jill, c’mon. Don’t do this.”
    “Hmmmm . . . funny, I remember saying something similar earlier today.” She took a few steps toward the door.
    “You’re not gonna leave me here?”
    “Don’t worry, I’ll call mommy and tell her to come and rescue you. No, wait, even better, I’ll call the guys at the station and let them know an officer is in need of assistance. I won’t leave you here for long.”
    A small smile played on his lips. “You little minx.”
    “You asked for this, Luke. You drew first blood.”
    “Don’t mess with Rambo.”
    “Already did. And won.” She blew him a kiss. “See ya, Luke.”
    Jill stepped onto the porch and hesitated. Her fake smile died a quick death. All of the life inside of her seemed to drain from her body, making her feel heavy and downtrodden. Even though she’d won, she’d lost. Big time. They could fake this was all one big funny game between them, but really the stakes were high and they both knew it.
    Jill turned and walked back into the ranch house. Luke hadn’t moved, his handcuffed hand lying limply next to him on the couch. He looked slightly forlorn.
    All humor gone, she said, “Come to my house tomorrow morning. I promise I won’t avoid you. I’d like to hear what you have to say.” Her voice seemed unrecognizable to her own ears; serious and subdued.
    His eyes tense, he stared her down, saying nothing.
    “Bye, Luke.” Jill ran to his truck and climbed in. There were five keys on his key ring, one being the handcuff key. She tried all four keys with shaking hands and none of them fit the ignition. Telling herself to calm down, she tried each one a second time.
    None of them were a match. Jill rested her head on the steering wheel. No wonder Luke was so calm. He knew she wouldn’t get far. She toyed with the idea of walking twenty miles. For all her bravado, she didn’t relish the idea of wandering around by herself in the countryside. She’d rather take her chances with Luke. Besides, she couldn’t leave him handcuffed for hours on end. What if she got lost? In spite of everything, she couldn’t treat him like that. It would be cruel.
    The screen door banged loudly behind her as she entered the ranch house. Luke still sat on the couch where she’d left him, but he dangled a set of keys in front of his face, mocking her, a crooked smile on his face.
    He was much too handsome for his own good, the scoundrel. Game back on. Jill felt like grinning from ear to ear like the proverbial Cheshire Cat. “Give me the keys to the truck, Luke. We’ll make an even trade.”
    “No can do, Jill,” he said in a teasing tone.
    Welcome to the dance of love.
    “C’mon, handcuff keys for the truck keys. That’s fair.”
    “Is it?”
    “Yes. You toss me the truck keys and I’ll toss you the handcuff keys. If you can catch me before I leave, then I’ll stay.”
    He pretended to think it over, tapping his finger on his lips, making a big show of his decision. “Um . . . no