“Kara—” She pulls me down for a kiss. In spite of myself, I respond.
She passes out again.
Her breathing is shallow and rapid but even. There’s a gray light coming in the window. I get up and see if I can find something to burn. Any wood I find, I’m sure will be soaked, but I’ve still got some of the fuel for the generator, and I consider busting up some cabinets.
I don’t think about what to do, because there are only two things to do: stay and hope she lives or take her to a hospital. Getting away afterward is chancy. Thoughts of a claustrophobic prison cell fill my head.
Kara—
I wake and notice Reno is dressed, including the shoulder holster. He shrugs into his vest. My things are laid out. “Are we going someplace?”
“Soon.”
“Wouldn’t it be safer staying here? They’re looking for us.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
I search his face in the dim light. “Were you leaving me?”
“Now that’s a hell of a thing to think, even of me,” he says heatedly.
I put my hand out to him. “You know I didn’t really think it. What I really think is that you’re convinced I’m dying or something, and you might be planning to give yourself up because of me.”
“Wrong. I’m going to get help for you. Hike up the road, get to a phone. Mine is dead, and so is yours. The generator gave out and this piece of shit RV won’t start.”
“I told you. I’m fine.” I push the cover off and sit up, swinging my legs over the side. He holds his hand out and pulls me up. I sway on my feet.
“Will you, for God’s sake, ever learn to do as I tell you?” He takes me by the shoulders; I’m quivering like an aspen just from the effort to stand up. Maybe I’m sicker than I thought.
Then I remember. “Did you tell me you loved me?”
He looks at me, mute. His hand leaves my shoulder and catches the nape of my neck, pulling me against him. I crash against his ironclad chest and he hooks a strong arm around my waist. His solid strength envelops me, just like his scent, wind and leather and all male.
“Kitten,” he mutters against my temple in a voice gravelly with concern. His fingers rub circles around behind my ear, lulling me. I melt against him, sinking into his heat.
“You must be the craziest damn woman in the world. Stay here. I’m gonna make you something to eat and get you some more aspirin.” He touches my forehead. “You seem cooler.” He presses his lips to mine and is gone.
I sink to the bed, realizing he never answered my question.
Reno—
I return with the aspirin and a bottle of water. I make her take them and drink most of the water.
“You had your chance to get rid of me,” she teases.
“Still delirious, I see.”
She laughs. “You sure you want a smartass college dropout around to nag you, keep you on your toes?”
I raise her face with my hand in time to see her faint smile. “Shut up,” I mutter.
“Shut me up.”
I do, kissing her dry lips and her closed eyes, while I wonder about the seriousness of the fever.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Kara—
On the second day, my fever breaks, and I begin to feel better. Reno mopped my forehead, fed me aspirin, and lay next to me at night, keeping me warm in the unheated RV. When I do improve, he won’t let me out of bed for another day, but by the third day, I can’t stand it. I nap off and on and wake midafternoon to find the bed next to me empty. I stare at the ceiling, sorting out my memories of the past few days, trying to figure out which ones are real. I remember hearing him when I was in the throws of delirium talking, and I know it wasn’t a dream. He was murmuring a prayer to a God I’m not sure he even believes in, begging him to give me back to him.
I crawl out of bed, slip Rusty’s old flannel shirt on over my nakedness, and walk out of the bedroom.
Reno is standing, his back to me, looking at nothing, and then he lifts a hand, and I think he wipes his eyes.
I frown. “Reno?”
He stiffens but doesn’t turn. He remains standing in the middle of the RV, back to me while I hesitate behind him.
He doesn’t speak. He seems to be looking at nothing. The silence grows unbearable. He acts like I’m not here. It’s as if he’s preparing to confront me, yet he doesn’t move.
So, I walk around to face him. I stop, trapped in his dark stare. He makes me feel shivery and hot at the same time. A rush of desire shoots through me. His eyes trail over my body, fixing on my bare legs.
His gaze is ensnaring and his expression burns me up. Wild heat flames behind those electrifying eyes.
“I like the way you look at me,” I whisper.
His hands come up on either side of my head, holding it tightly, and he pulls me to him and kisses me. I clutch to him, wanting more. He releases me and pushes me back.
“No. Babe, you’re sick, you…”
“I’m fine.”
He shakes his head, looking off.
“Fine!” I snap. “If you don’t want me, I’m certainly not going to beg.” I whirl away and end up at the sink, my hands clenched on the rim, staring out the window.
When he moves, I still, but I don’t turn. He stands, just behind me, making me wait.
When he puts his hands lightly on my shoulders, I draw in a quick breath and let it go in a little sigh of release, and his fingers tighten, pulling me back. I lean against him quietly while his arms surround me and his hands cover my breasts. He puts his face into the coolness of my hair and against the warmth of my throat.
“You’re a complication I didn’t expect. And all I can think about is how you taste,” he says in that deep growly voice that gives me shivers.
He turns me, or maybe it was I who turn into his arms. My eyes close, my lashes drop as he kisses me, softly then hungrily, stopping me from any further words.
When he lets me go, his fingers make a bad job of undoing my buttons while I press against him with little murmurs, not quite words, whispering against his face between the kisses. Shaken, he swears at the damned buttons and leaves me to it.
Easing free of me, avoiding my eyes, he leads me to the bed. He starts to undress, unbuckling the shoulder holster and laying it nearby, never far out of his reach. He takes off his shirt and glances at me.
I don’t know why I’m suddenly shy, but that supply closet in Tuscaloosa seems so long ago.
Reno—
She’s still standing where I left her, barelegged in Rusty’s old flannel shirt, looking as if it’s the first time, ever. It’s a look like Patty’s.
I go to her quickly and pick her up, putting her on the bed where I can kiss those somber innocent eyes closed, wanting her just like that, with her long, coltish legs around me and Rusty’s shirt pulled up to her chin.
I forget how I was first going to make her see things for what they were.
It’s heaven with her wrapped around me. I dip my head and kiss first one bare nipple and then the next. “You’ve got the prettiest tits I’ve ever seen, baby.”
She arches, and they quiver. I bury my face in them, brushing my beard over her soft skin. She moans, undulating under me, wanting more. I lick and suck and nip until she’s purring.
Then I slip down her body, my mouth blazing a path along her quivering belly, stopping only long enough to toy with her piercing before moving on to my ultimate destination—that sweet heaven between her legs.
I push her knees apart and stroke her with my thumb. I’ve dreamt of this since that night in the closet. She’s wet and ready.
“Please, baby,” she whimpers, her hips lifting off the bed, reaching for my mouth.
I give her what she wants, what she needs, dipping my head and stroking her with my tongue. She moans. I toy with her clit, nuzzling it with my nose, and then dip down for a taste.
I can’t resist thrusting two fingers inside. Her slick response coats them, and I search out tha
t little trigger I know will drive her wild. I find it, and she sucks in a breath.
“Oh, yes. Right there.”
I drag my fingertips back and forth until she’s thrusting up, meeting each stroke. Her breaths are panting, and her breasts are jiggling. I love the sight of her stretched out for me and letting me play. I add my thumb to the mix, swirling in tight circles. It kicks her reaction up a notch.
“You like that, Kara?”
“Yes, oh, yes.” I keep at her, not letting up for a moment. She’s getting close, so close.
“You gonna come for me, Kara? You gonna come long and hard for me and coat my fingers?”
“Yes,” she pants, her hips working against my hand.
I suck on a nipple hard, and she detonates, her body jerking against me and stiffening, her head flinging back. She moans long and hard. Then she sinks into the mattress, her breathing heavy.
“Oh, God. That was so good, so good.”
I smile. “We’re not finished yet, sweetness.” I pull her to the edge of the bed, dragging her across the comforter. I drop to my knees, spread her wide, and lap up every bit of her release until she’s coming all over again.
“Oh God, Reno,” she pants, her hands fisting in the covers.
I stand and jerk my clothes off, anxious to get inside her. She lays there all sated and soft eyed and staring up at me. She bites her lip when her eyes drop to my erection. I take it in hand and put a knee to the bed. I swirl the head around her lips, coating myself in her release. Then I drive inside her, leaning over her with two fists on either side of her.
Her hands stroke down my chest and abs. Her touch is light and drives me wild, skating along my skin and setting little tingles of liquid fire everywhere she touches.
I groan as I slide fully into her. I grab her thigh and push it back, spreading her even more. I want in as deep as I can get. “Let me in, babe. Let me all the way in.”
She shifts and grabs my neck with her hands, pulling me down, but I’m not having it. I want to look at my dick sinking into her again and again. My head is dipped, my eyes locked on where we’re connected.
“Beautiful,” I murmur. “Fucking beautiful. Look at that pretty pussy takin’ me so damn good.”
“Oh, Reno. Oh God, yes.”
I slide into her and pull out, slow and easy, again and again. I watch her breasts bounce with each thrust.
“Fuck yeah. Show me how much you want me, Kara. Show me.”
She hooks her legs around me, gripping me tight, like she doesn’t want to let my dick go. I feel the rippling grip of her pussy clamping down on me again and again and wonder if she’s even aware she’s doing it.
“You’re gorgeous, baby. Prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Before long, I feel that tightening tingle and know I won’t be able to go much longer.
I pump into her, locking eyes with her and watch them drift to barely slits. Her mouth is relaxed, and she looks like heaven. There’s a sheen of perspiration on her that makes her glow. She’s the sexiest thing I’ve seen in forever.
I take a fist from the bed and slide my palm over her trembling belly, up, up to those phenomenal bouncing breasts. I close over one and squeeze.
She moans. Then she cups them and lifts them, straining toward my mouth. I give her what she wants and swear I’ll always give her what she wants.
I latch onto one and suck hard. I can tell from how it drives her wild that she loves it. I give the other one the same treatment.
And then I go solid and explode inside her with the strongest orgasm I’ve ever had.
I collapse on her, loving the feel of her soft curves cushioning me so sweetly. She wraps me in her arms, pressing little kisses along my neck. I love them. I could get used to them.
I pull from her, kiss her mouth softly, and fall to my back, pulling her into my arms. Both our bodies are like jelly.
“I think I’m in love with your cock,” she whispers against my chest and I hear the smile in her voice.
I grin, my eyes closed. “Good to know, because I know I’m in love with your pussy.”
She giggles.
“I could never get tired of fucking you, Kara.” My calloused palm strokes down her back. She presses a soft kiss to my skin and snuggles against me. Soon we fall into a deep sleep.
***
When I wake and feel the naked female body nestled into mine, it seems so normal, but in all my years, I’ve never slept an entire night with any woman. Not until Kara.
In the past, I always took what I wanted, gave as good as I got, and got them gone.
I lift a hand and touch her, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She’s lovely. So beautiful, so angelic, and she’s all mine.
For now, my brain corrects me. Something inside me knows I can’t keep her. I fight back the thought, not ready to let the sweet dream of her evaporate. Not yet. I want to dream that she’s mine; that every morning from now until forever I’ll wake up with her naked body pressed to mine, the sweet heat of her skin burning into me. I don’t ever want to wake up in a cold, empty bed again.
But it’s more than that. It’s her smile when she looks at me; it’s her trust in me that shines deep in those dark eyes. It’s her touch, calming me.
I know, when the time comes, it’s going to be hell walking away from Kara.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Reno—
We sit along a pond not far from the meadow, just over a slight rise from the RV. The grass here is soft and still green. It’s a warm day for fall, and we’re both tired of the RV. Kara lies back in the grass. I pluck a piece of grass and tickle her face until she bats my hand away.
I look up at the sun that will soon slide down the horizon past the tree line. I worry about Rusty. He should’ve been back by now. I’m sure Quick and Reload have reported the RV and girl are gone. They’ll know who to blame.
If they’ve caught him, they may have killed him. I decide I can only afford to give him one more day before we’ll need to abandon the RV and hike out of here. What food we have is running out, and I feel like a sitting duck. If Rusty’s in trouble I need to find him.
I glance down at Kara. Her face is thinner, but she’s gotten a little sun on her nose and cheeks today. I smile, grab a handful of grass, and rub her face with it, then shove more down her neck. She fights back, and I catch her and pin her to the ground beneath me.
She lays suddenly quiet under my long gaze, the laughter fading slowly from her face.
“Somebody,” I say thoughtfully, “has a propensity to freckle.”
“I do not!”
I stare down at her perfect face. This girl is becoming important to me in a way I never intended to let another woman be. In that cold RV last night, I let myself think for a moment of abandoning the MC and Rusty’s plan and taking her with me to some distant place of safety, where we could live out our lives together.
She stares up at me, and I sense in her a yearning to be loyal, a bent for devotion to something or someone, as earnest as a young prospect. It’s the single most unsettling thing about her, because I have no belief in the loyalty of women, no experience or expectation of it. Yet here she is, proving everything I didn’t believe in as true.
I try to tell myself she’s just a diversion; she’s enticing, mostly when she doesn’t try to be, but she is not to be counted in with my future plans. She’ll grow tired of the MC life I lead. Sooner or later, she’d leave me.
I start to rise and wake her from her doze when I hear the sound of movement in the woods below us. Hunters? Hired investigators? I still wouldn’t put it past her father to have hired someone good at finding people who don’t want to be found.
I drop down beside Kara and put my hand over her mouth before she can speak.
I think we’re well hidden from view, just over the rise.
Kara’s hand pulls at mine to free her mouth. I release her. Her eyes are more pissed than frightened.
“I wasn’t going to cal
l them. Don’t you know that yet?” she whispers.
“Be quiet.” They pass us by. I see flashes of orange hunting vests through the trees below us. They move on, never slowing.
When they are gone, I say, “Let’s move.”
She sits up, and I see tears in her eyes. “They’re looking for us.”
“No, they’re just out hunting.”
She shakes her head. “They’re after us. It’s my fault. I should have told you before.”
I watch her, my face stilling, tension forming in my shoulders and up my neck.
“You got the word out through someone.” It was a statement, not a question.
She nods. “That motel, the first night?”
“Yeah?”
“I left a note under the bed sheet for the maid to find.”
I search her eyes. “What’d it say?”
“My name and to call my father, his phone number. That I was kidnapped and being taken away in a gold RV.”
I stare at her.
“I’m so sorry, Reno. That was long ago. Everything was different. I was afraid. I meant to tell you, but every day that I put it off, it was harder to say.” Her tears brim over. “So I just let it go.”
I put out a finger and wipe one of them away.
“All right. You told me,” I say at last. “Let’s move.” I take her arm gently, speak softly, but she still looks in need of some kind of absolution; the kind I’m not in the mood to give it at the moment.
I think about hiking out then, but I don’t need anyone running into us and remembering. Having no connection to the outside world for the last few days, I have no clue if we’ve been splashed all over the news.
Another group of hunters comes through an hour later. We watch from inside the RV.
“What are they, can you tell?” Kara asks, whispering, although there’s no need in the RV.
“Hunters.”
Dirty Deeds Page 15