Wynter's Captive by Milly Taiden Page A

delays.”
    Guilt made Lili wince. She knew it was her own fault she was running late. If she hadn’t been called in to work at the real estate office, she would’ve been at the wedding site the day before. “I’m sorry, Jay. I’ll be there soon, and it all will be absolutely perfect.”
    Jaylin sighed loudly. “I know. But I can’t get married without you here. Brandon is already freaked out because I told him without you there’s no wedding.”
    The image of her cousin’s big, sexy fiancé freaking out made Lili burst into laughter. Brandon Hayes did not look like the type to let anything worry him. He was tall, blond, and so cute he made her eyes hurt. Personally, Lili preferred a more rugged look. Any man that looked better than her made her worry. “Listen, you and I both know Brandon is the last person to worry about your wedding. He’s got you locked so tight to him you two don’t even need to get married.”
    Jaylin gasped. “We do if he wants me to sleep with him again. There is no way in hell my baby is going to be born out of wedlock!” An underlying panic came through along with Jaylin’s threat.
    Lili rolled her eyes. She knew their family was old-school traditional, but if Jaylin didn’t want the possibility of a baby being born out of wedlock, then she shouldn’t have been doing the chandelier-dangling mambo with pretty boy Brandon. She wasn’t as stuck in tradition as Aunt Patty. However, she had never really done anything to call attention to herself like Jay, who tended to always get the family riled up with the men she’d dated. If they weren’t from the bad side of town, they were wrong for her in every way possible. Until Brandon came along, she honestly thought Jay was just trying to upset Aunt Patty. “Relax. Does Aunt Patty know about the baby yet?”
    “Are you crazy? You know she would’ve had one of her panic attacks by now if she did. Not to mention she would’ve been pushing for this wedding to happen much sooner than now. Oh! My makeup and hair person is here. I’ll see you soon my love. Call me if you run into any problems. I’ll have Brandon’s sexy brothers go get you.”
    The only thought more uncomfortable than having to wear one of Aunt Patty’s dresses to the wedding was possibly having all those tall, handsome guys come to her rescue. “Sure, I’ll call you in case I run into any trouble, but by the looks of the road and the fact that my hybrid needs nothing, I think I’ll be fine. See you soon!”
    Different voices sounded in the background on the other side of the line. Jaylin made lip-smacking noises. “OK. Kiss, kiss, Lili. Can’t wait to see you!” The line disconnected a second later.
    Lili glanced down at her radio. Maybe it was from driving alone for so many hours, but a slow shudder crawled up her spine. She needed music. The humming of the heater was not filling up the eerie silence enough to help her relax. Oh why did she have to love horror flicks so much? They always came back to haunt her when she found herself alone. She clicked buttons, continually taking quick glances back at the road. When she couldn’t find the song she wanted to listen to, she kept her gaze on the radio tuner a little longer than normal. When she glanced up, she saw a man standing in the road, and she was driving right toward him.
    “Oh my god!” Slamming her foot on the brakes, she attempted to stop before hitting the guy. Bile rose up in her throat, choking the air out of her lungs. Tires screeched. Gripping the wheel with all her might, she jerked forward and slammed back in the seat. The car skidded to a stop in the middle of the street. Angry pants and her own heartbeat was all Lili heard. It took her a moment to make her fingers let go of the wheel. With shaking hands, she looked out the front window. The man who’d been crossing the street was in front of her car on the ground. Oh no !
    She removed her seatbelt and rushed out of the car, leaving her door