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“You know I’ll help, sunshine. If you want Jen away from us, I’ll call Garrett and ask him to come get her. We’ll see if Ellen and Bridgett want to go with them.”
“Yes,yes!That’s a good idea. They’ll be safe at the lodge with Garrett and Jonathan.” She moved as though she would go around him.
He held his arm out to stop her. “Tomorrow,” he said firmly.
She shook her head and opened her mouth, clearly to argue the point.
Luke put his fingers to her lips to stay her words. “Tomorrow will be soon enough, Sally.” He turned her away from the bedroom. “Come and sit with me. Tell me why you can’t sleep. Is your leg hurting?”
She was calmer now. Apparently, making the decision to send Jen away from them had been enough to forestall her hysteria. Where had it come from? Was it simply a feeling? Or something more? He’d come back to his many questions about her prediction later, when she wasn’t so agitated. He’d learned over the past year not to discount his, or anyone else’s, gut instinct.
“No, it’s fine. You and Matt should stop worrying.”
“Not going to happen. MacGyver’s always concerned about infection because we saw so much of that overseas. A person can lose a limb in a couple of days if it’s not taken care of properly. As for me? I’m going to worry about you—get used to it.” He settled her beside him on the couch. “So…whatiskeeping you awake?”
She dropped her gaze, her cheeks flushing to a pretty pink. “Aside from strange premonitions? It’s been quite a day. My mind won’t shut off. Luke, how do you think my father found us?”
Luke had asked himself that question more than once and had never come up with a satisfactory answer. “A retired Russian spy probably still has a few resources at his disposal. There’s always someone willing to take a bribe in exchange for information. Even someone inside the US Marshals Service.”
Sally frowned. “He could have found out the marshal was coming for me and had him followed.”
Luke issued a noncommittal grunt. Apparently, they’d never agree on the integrity of Marshal Lambert. At least she’d recovered from her panic attack enough to mention the incident, and although Luke was tempted to ply her with questions, he’d let it go for now. He shifted until his legs stretched lengthwise on the couch, his shoulders wedged between the arm and the back cushions. Then he pulled Sally on top of him, her breasts plumping against his chest and her hips resting between his legs. “I should have been paying more attention. I promised you he wouldn’t sneak up on us.” All the more reason Luke should take heed of her warning. His right hand splayed across one cheek of her ass, pulling her tighter against him, awakening desire once again. Hell, he couldn’t get enough of her.
One index finger touched his mouth softly. “Shh…you were distracted.” Her smile was reflected in her eyes until she stretched toward him and touched his lips with hers.
“True that,” he whispered as she pulled back. Fisting his free hand in her long, wavy tresses, he held her head in place while he plundered those soft, sweet lips at his leisure.
Luke awoke to bright sunlight invading the room through open blinds, his body melded together with Sally’s on the couch. He groaned at the stiffness of his back, although it wasn’t nearly as stiff as a body part that resided below his waist. Sally opened her eyes, kissed his jaw with a smile and slowly unfolded her legs as she started to slide off the couch. At the last second, Luke tightened his arms around her and kept her from leaving.
“Um…hard-on alert. Why don’t you grab me a pillow before Jen pops out here unexpectedly?” This kid-in-the-house thing was a killer—one he’d happily get used to.
She grinned but quickly wiped it away and stretched again. “Hmmm…sounds like a personal problem.”
He cocked one eyebrow and moved his hips in a circular motion as he ground his thick and hard arousal against her. “It could beourproblem easily enough.” His lips teased her throat and the tops of her breasts while his hands dove beneath the waistband of her pajama bottoms to cup her butt cheeks and squeezed. A squeal escaped her for a fraction of a second before he covered her mouth with his. Her nipples pebbled against his chest through her silky top.
She broke the kiss, a flush highlighting her cheekbones. “Okay. I see your point.”
Luke smiled, glad she appeared to be back to normal this morning, acknowledging for the first time how badly she’d scared him last night. “What’s it going to be? You could slide one of those long, sexy legs over and straddle the problem…and take care of this for me…or…you could grab the pillow we knocked on the floor.”
Sally tapped her chin with her finger and narrowed her eyes. “Would it make me a horrible mother if I chose the first option?”
Damn it. Sally had accepted his dare and gone one further. If only Jen wasn’t a mere thirty feet away, he’d show her which option he’d choose. The smug grin she fixed him with seemed to indicate she’d won…and damned if she hadn’t—this time.
Luke laughed. “It’s not nice to tease, babe. I might decide the risk is acceptable.”
The grin disappeared. “No, you wouldn’t.” Suddenly, she didn’t sound so sure of herself. She set her feet on the floor and grabbed the pillow, tossing it at him. It hit the tented front of his sweats and Luke grunted, clutching the pillow in front of him.
With her running interference, he retreated to the bathroom. His shower was quick and filled with speculations about how best to convince Daniel and the guys to send Ellen and the girls away because of Sally’s premonition.No, that’ll never work.He’d have to approach them as though the idea had been his and do whatever it took to sell them.
When Luke sauntered from the bathroom, dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, Sally sat cross-legged on the bed beside Jen’s sleeping form. Hair mussed and pajama top hanging off one shoulder, she took his breath away. His ego got a boost when her gaze traveled over his body appreciatively, and her smile made him feel like a million dollars. Striding to the bed, he leaned his arms one on each side of her and locked his lips with hers for a sweet, lingering kiss. When he pulled away, she kept her eyes closed for a beat or two, and he heard from his dick again.
With a low chuckle, Luke reached beyond her and shook Jen’s leg. “Time to get up.”
Jen yawned, then sat straight up in bed. “Why’s it so early?”
“We’re taking a little ride today. Your mother will explain while I arrange our transportation.” His gaze swept back to Sally for a moment before she nodded solemnly. Dread stirred in his gut. Damned if her sense of foreboding didn’t seem more plausible in the cold light of day.
Chapter Nineteen
