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He held back a groan. She’s going to pick now to argue? “Of course I was listening. What does that have to do with—?”
She flashed her palm at him. “So, are we just there for each other when everything’s good? If that’s the case, you should have gotten out of the way a long time ago, what with Emmett making a scene in front of my house…and someone trying to blow us up and run us off the road.I don’t want you hurt because of me.” Sally lowered her voice to a pretty good imitation of his own as she repeated his words back to him. “So, you should probably be going.”
The ornery woman tried to tug his covers away from him as she rolled onto her side again, and Luke had to talk himself down before he did something foolish such as laying a good smack on her sexy ass.
There was something inherently wrong with her argument. Hell, it was no argument at all. She’d just twisted his words around and fed them back to him. For some reason, he couldn’t get the exultant smile off his mug. He was humbled by the meaning behind her words—dangerous or not, she intended to standwithhim. No other woman he’d ever known had offered herself in that way. Luke still feared what might happen if she intruded into his nightmares, but damned if he could find the words to say that her loyalty, faithfulness and courage didn’t mean the fucking world to him.
Combing her dark locks behind her shoulder with his fingers, he leaned close and brushed her lips with his, kissed her eyes and then her ear. “I’m not going anywhere…and neither are you.” Locking his arms around her, he tugged her closer and lay his head down with a contented sigh. Damned if it didn’t feel good to get the last word for a change.
A full minute passed before she spoke in a whisper. “I knew you’d see things my way.” She shifted against him just enough to rub her luscious ass against his sweatpants-clad arousal.
Luke hardened even more, sucking in a breath and holding it as he refrained from grinding himself against her. She settled next to him, apparently ignoring the hard shaft that pressed unyieldingly against her backside. Unwilling to let her go after dreaming of being there beside her for so long, he opted to deal with his discomfort by concentrating on the balance of their journey.
The sun was shining brightly on the other side of the room’s heavy curtains. It would be a good day for the drive north. Daniel Mathias’s place was fifteen miles from the Canadian border. It was rough and wild country, according to Daniel. Would Luke be able to arrange some alone time with Sally once they reached their destination? Damn, he hoped so. He loved Jen, but hell, he’d pay someone to watch her for an hour if he had to. Luke listened for the girl’s quiet breathing. How long would she sleep? Was she a sound sleeper? Would Sally be quiet or would she scream out his name when he made her come?
Damnation! Quite possibly he was going to need yet another cold shower, and the sumptuous brunette in his arms would have the last word after all.
* * * *
Luke woke with a start, taking a moment to figure out where he was. The sweet-smelling angel in his arms was his first clue, the erect woody that pressed against her enticing behind his second.What time is it?He shifted to his back, groping for his watch on the nightstand.Almost eleven hundred hours.He’d slept nearly four hours straight with no interruptions. No dreams. God, when was the last time that happened?
Bedding rustled. He turned onto his left side to peer toward the other bed. Jen’s cute-as-hell heart-shaped face, surrounded by a curly mop of light brown hair, appeared over her mother’s phone. Jen tapped furiously on the device’s screen with both thumbs, then threw her bony little fist in the air, obviously claiming victory for this round. When she glanced up and saw him watching, she smiled self-consciously.
“Hey. How long have you been awake?” Luke heard Sally stir behind him.
“A while.” Amusement sparkled in Jen’s mischievous eyes as she lay the phone on the nightstand. “You were snoring.”
“Why, you little storyteller. I don’t snore.” Luke tried to feign annoyance, but when she began to giggle, he lost it too and chortled right along with her.
She was such a mellow, good-natured kid. She’d totally won him over by the second day they’d spent together. He’d never do anything to hurt her on purpose, but hell, he didn’t know anything about kids. Would seeing her mother wake up in the same bed with him scar her young psyche? He should have thought this through before he fell asleep wrapped around Sally.
“Is all that noise necessary?” Sally rolled onto her elbow and stared sleepily at them.
Luke glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her tousled hair and the sparkle in her beautiful eyes. Her attempt at looking stern failed as soon as Jen launched herself from her bed, into Luke’s arms.
Luke lifted Jen high and piled her on top of her mother, then tickled them both while laughing evilly and ignoring their demands for him to stop.
In the middle of the melee, Sally’s phone vibrated against the top of the nightstand.
Chapter Nine
Sally’s heart stuttered as the buzzing filled the room. Her gaze flew to Luke’s composed expression, then swept to the phone vibrating closer to the edge of the stand every time it rang.
Luke stretched to snatch the phone just as it reached the edge of the table. He turned it over and studied it for a moment before his steady gaze clashed with hers, silently commanding her to calm down. That wasn’t going to happen any time soon.
“Greg Lambert?” A frown creased his forehead.
Her whole body shook by the time the phone went silent, the call transferred to voice mail. Immediately, it started ringing again. Sally helped Jen move off her, then sat up and claimed the phone.Any normal person would leave a message and hang up.Why did the marshal have to be so damned persistent?
“What’s wrong, Mom? Aren’t you going to answer?”
Luke sprang into action, rising, grabbing a shirt and yanking it over his head. “Jen, want to go for a walk? Grab a sweatshirt and we’ll go ask the manager where there’s a good place to shop.”
Jen looked questioningly between Luke and her mom but soon took the hand he offered to help her crawl off the bed.
The phone still vibrated in Sally’s hand as Luke leaned toward her and spoke quietly. “Tell him you’re not ready to make a decision. Tell him you’ll call when you reach a safe place. Hell, tell him whatever you think is best, but don’t give up where we are or which direction we’re heading. You and I need to talk first. After that, if you choose to go with the marshal…I’ll respect your decision.” Luke’s eyes held sadness as he closed in to brush her lips with his. A grim smile was his only good-bye as he took Jen’s hand and led her out the door. Luke’s thoughtfulness in giving her some privacy warmed her heart, and yet she missed his calming presence. Between the ominous threat of hurling her breakfast and the inability to still the rapid beating of her heart, Sally regarded the phone as though it were a king cobra, poised to strike.
Her finger trembled as she pushed the button to connect the call. “Hello?”
