When she heard the bathroom door close she released a deep sigh. How were she and Bane going to share a hotel room without...
She shook her head. The thought of them making love was driving her nuts. All of a sudden the memories of their last time together were taking hold of her. They had been happy. They had just gotten married and thought the future was theirs to grab and keep.
When she heard the water from his shower she couldn’t help but recall when they had showered together. All the things he had taught her to do. Bane had been the best teacher, and he’d always been easy and gentle with her.
As she drew the bedcovers back and then slid beneath them, she tried to not think of Bane. Instead, she thought of her house and how at that very minute it could be going up in flames.
Eleven
Twenty minutes later Bane walked out of the bathroom and glanced over at the bed where Crystal lay sleeping. Or was she? He found it amusing that she was pretending to be asleep while checking out his bare chest and the way his sweats rode low on his hips. He had no problem with her ogling him; she could even touch him if she liked. Better yet, he would love for her to invite him to her bed. He would love to slide between the sheets with her.
Intending to give her more to look at, he decided he might as well get on the floor and do his daily exercises. He’d begin with push-ups after a five-minute flex routine that included bending to touch his toes. Maybe a vigorous workout would work out all the desire that was overtaking his senses and at the same time arouse her enough that she would want him to make love to her. It was worth a try.
Less than thirty minutes into his exercises he wondered if she realized her breathing had changed. He most certainly had noticed. Now he was off the floor and running in place. His sweats had ridden even lower on his hips and his bare chest was wet from sweat. Now for a few crunches.
“What you’re doing doesn’t make sense, Bane.”
He forced himself not to smile. “I thought you were asleep,” he said, lying, when he knew she’d been peeking through a slightly closed eye at him.
“How could I sleep with all that racket you’re making down there on the floor?”
“Sorry if I disturbed you. And what doesn’t make sense?”
“For a person to take a shower only to get all sweaty again.”
He chuckled. “I’ll take another shower. No problem.”
She had shifted in bed to lie on her side and look over at him. “You did three hundred push-ups. Who does that?”
“A SEAL who needs to stay in shape.” Evidently she’d been counting right along with him but had missed a few. “And I did three hundred and twenty-five.” He wondered where her concentration had been when he’d done the other twenty-five.
“Whatever. I just hope that’s the last of it.”
“For tonight. I do the same thing each morning. But I’ll try to be a little quieter so as not to disturb you.”
* * *
The sound of him exercising wasn’t what was disturbing her, Crystal thought, trying not to let her gaze roam all over Bane. Jeez. How could sweat look so good on a man? It was such a turn-on. All that testosterone being worked up like that. Rippling muscles. Bulging biceps. Firm abs. Mercy! She’d gone without sex for five years and it had never bothered her before. But now it did. Only because the man here with her now was Bane.
She had pretended to be asleep when he’d come out of the bathroom. But seeing him bare chested and wearing sweats was just too much. She had tried closing her eyes and holding them shut. Tight. But the sounds of him grunting sent all kinds of fantasies through her mind and she’d begun peeking. And definitely getting an eyeful. If she didn’t know better she’d think he’d deliberately gone after her attention.
“I’ve worked up an appetite. Do you want something?”
She had worked up an appetite watching him as well, but it wasn’t for food. She definitely wanted something, but it was something she’d best do without—it was just too soon since Bane had come for her, and she needed to stay focused until she was out of danger. “No thanks. I’m still full from those waffles and chicken we ate earlier. But you can order room service if you like. The hotel clerk did say the kitchen was open twenty-four hours.” But who wanted to eat at four in the morning?
He glanced at the clock on the nightstand separating the beds. “I think I’ll order something up. Nothing heavy. If I do it now, it will probably arrive by the time I get out of the shower. But if they come while I’m in the shower, don’t open the door for anyone. They can wait a few minutes. If they can’t, then they can take it back to the kitchen.”
She wondered if all that was necessary. But then all she had to remember was her house was probably getting burned to the ground about now. “Fine.” She hoped by the time he got out of the shower for a second time that night she would be asleep for real. But that hadn’t worked during his first shower—the sound of running water and picturing him naked beneath that water had kept her awake.
She watched as he moved over to the desk and picked up the phone to order a steak dinner with potatoes. At four in the morning? She lifted a brow. Hadn’t he said nothing heavy? If that wasn’t heavy then what was his definition?
And speaking of heavy...
Why had her breathing suddenly gone that way? Could it be because her gaze had now landed on the perspiration dripping off his hard chest, past those chiseled muscles, and making a path toward the waistband of his sweats? And why did the thought of licking it before the drops of sweat could disappear beneath the waistband actually appeal to her?
He had grabbed more clothes and was about to go into the bathroom when his cell phone rang. “That’s Nick,” Bane said, turning and heading back toward the desk.
Crystal felt a tightening of her stomach. It seemed that whenever this guy Nick called, he was the bearer of bad news. “Maybe they changed their minds about burning down my house.”
The look Bane gave her all but said not to count on it. “Yes, Nick?”
She saw the tightening of Bane’s jaw and the dark and stormy look in his eyes. And when he said, “Damn” three times she felt uneasy and suspected the news wasn’t good.
“Thanks for letting me know. We’re on the road again. Contact Viper. He’ll know what to do.”
Crystal had eased up on the side of the bed. As soon as he clicked off the phone she was about to ask what was wrong when he asked, “Where’s your jacket?”
She lifted a brow. “My jacket?”
“Yes.”
“Hanging up in the closet. Why?”
“It has a tracking device on it.”
“What!”
Already Bane had reached the closet and jerked her jacket off the hanger. She watched in horror as he took a pocketknife and ripped through a seam. “Bingo.” He pulled out a small item that looked like a gold button.
She drew in a deep breath and met Bane’s gaze when he looked over at her. “Does that mean...”
“Yes. Someone has been keeping up with our whereabouts all this time, and chances are they know we’re here.”
“But how did someone get my jacket?”
“Probably at work. Do you keep it on during the day?”
“No. I always take it off, hang it up and put on my lab coat.”
He nodded. “Then, you have your answer. And I suspect the person who put this tracker in your coat is the same person who gave you the stuffed giraffe.” He rubbed his hands down his face. “Come on. Let’s pack up and get the hell out of here.”
“But what about your food? Your shower?”
“I’ll stop somewhere later to grab something, but for now we need to put as much distance between us and this place as we can. As for my shower, you’ll just have to put up with sharing a car with a musky man.”
“I c
an handle it.” She was already on her feet and pulling out her luggage. She considered how Bane hadn’t expected all this drama when he’d come looking for her. “I’m sorry, Bane.” She glanced over at him and saw he was doing likewise with his luggage.
He paused in tossing items into his duffel bag and looked back at her. “For what?”
“For being the cause of so much trouble. I guess you hadn’t figured on all of this.”
“No, but it doesn’t matter, Crystal. You’re my wife, and I will protect you with my life if it came to that.”
She shivered at the thought and hoped it didn’t. But still, the words he’d just spoken had a profound impact on her. She pushed several locks of hair back from her face to focus on Bane as he continued to pack. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Bane’s sexiness that was wearing her down, but his ability to still want her in spite of everything.
“Ready?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“We need to be aware of our surroundings more than ever and make sure we aren’t being tailed. There’s a pretty good chance someone is sitting and waiting for us in the parking lot, which is why I’m putting plan B in place.”
“What’s plan B?”
“You’ll see.”
After Bane checked up and down the hallway, they left the hotel room, moving quickly toward the stairwell instead of the elevator. She followed his lead and didn’t ask any questions. And when they came to a locked door that led to the courtyard, he used what looked like a knitting needle to pick the lock.
“Still doing that, I see,” she said.
He shrugged. “Not as much as I used to.”
In no time the lock gave way and she saw they were in the courtyard, which was located on the other side of the building from the parking lot. “How will we get to our car?”
“We won’t.”
She was about to ask what he meant when suddenly a white SUV pulled up, tailed by a dark sedan. Since Bane didn’t seemed alarmed by the two vehicles, she figured he knew the occupants. When the door to the SUV opened and a big bruiser of a man got out, she saw Bane’s lips ease into a smile.
When the man came to a stop in front of them, Bane said. “Crystal, I want you to meet Gavin Blake, better known as Viper. Another one of my teammates.”
* * *
Bane wasn’t bothered by the way Viper was checking out Crystal. He was curious, as most of his teammates were. They had wondered what kind of woman could keep a man faithful to a wife he hadn’t seen in five years. Bane could tell that Viper, a known ladies’ man, was in awe, if his stare was anything to go by.
Moments later, Viper switched his intense gaze from Crystal back to Bane. “She’s beautiful, Bane.”
“You forgot to check out my teeth,” Crystal said, frowning.
Viper let out a deep laugh. “And she has a good sense of humor,” he added. “I like that. She’s definitely a keeper.”
“Yes, she is.” Bane had known that the first day he’d met Crystal. “Did you check out the parking lot?”
Viper nodded. “Yes, and it was just like you figured. A car with two men inside is parked beside the one you were driving. I phoned in the description and the license plates to Nick, and according to him, it’s the same vehicle an eyewitness saw in the area when one of the other biochemists was kidnapped. So you did the right thing by having Nick call me.”
Viper nodded toward the SUV. “Here’s your new ride. Chances are those guys don’t know you’re onto them. They probably planned to snatch your wife the minute you checked out of the hotel tomorrow morning.”
“Like hell.”
“That’s what I said,” Viper said, chuckling. “I figured they don’t have a clue who they’re messing with. I’m going to keep those guys busy while you and your lady get a head start. This ought to be fun.”
Bane frowned. “Don’t enjoy yourself too much.”
“I won’t. I brought my marine cousin with me to make sure I stay out of trouble. At least as much as I can,” Viper said, handing Bane the keys to the SUV. “Do you have a plan from here?”
Bane nodded. “Yes. My brother is calling in family members with connections to law enforcement.”
Viper nodded. “That’s good. There’s nothing like family backing you when you’re in a pinch.” He then turned his attention back to Crystal and smiled. “It was nice finally getting to meet you. You have a good man here. And, Bane, if you need my help again, just call.” With those words, Viper walked away and got inside the dark sedan before the driver pulled off.
Bane watched him leave before turning his attention to Crystal. “Come on, let’s get the hell out of here before those guys sitting in the parking lot figure out we’re one up on them.” He opened the trunk and placed their luggage inside.
“Do you want me to drive, Bane? You have to be tired.”
He smiled when he opened the SUV’s door for her to get in. What he was enduring was nothing compared to missions he and his teammates typically encountered. “No, I’m fine. We’re together, and that’s all that matters to me.”
* * *
We’re together, and that’s all that matters to me.
A half hour later, as Bane took the interstate with a remarkable amount of ease for a man who hadn’t gotten much rest, Crystal couldn’t help but continue to recall those words. Shouldn’t that be all that mattered to her, as well? The one thing she knew for certain was that she was glad he was here with her. No telling what her fate would be if he wasn’t. She wouldn’t have known where to go or what to do. Her plans had been to head for the Bahamas, not knowing someone would have been there, waiting for her at the airport to grab her before she could get on the plane.
But Bane had known. Through his intricate network of teammates, he’d been able to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. What had gone down at the hotel was too close for comfort. She would never have known a tracker had been sewn inside her jacket.
She was surprised Jasmine Ross was involved. The woman was a few years older than she and seemed perky enough. Jasmine had even tried to befriend her a few times, but Crystal hadn’t been ready to become the woman’s friend. She hadn’t thought anything about the stuffed giraffe, since Jasmine had given everyone working in the lab a gift. And as for her jacket, Crystal hung it on the coatrack like everyone else, so Jasmine had access to it. She could have sneaked off with it and placed a tracker inside without being detected.
Crystal wondered what would entice a person to be on the wrong side of the law. What was in it for the woman? Crystal didn’t want to think about what those other two chemists were enduring against their will. They’d been separated from their families and probably didn’t know if anyone would find and rescue them. Were they even still in this country?
“You okay over there?”
She glanced at Bane. As far as she was concerned, she should be asking him that. At least she’d gotten a couple hours of sleep earlier tonight. “Yes, I’m fine. What about you?”
He chuckled. “I’m great.”
To a degree, she believed him. Bane was definitely in his element. This was a different Bane. More in control. Disciplined. Not impulsive, irresponsible or reckless. The Bane she remembered would have gone out to the parking lot to confront those guys, ready to kick ass. The old Bane had an attitude and detested anyone telling him what to do, especially when it involved her. That was why he’d butted heads with her father countless times and defied the law.
And defied his family. She recalled how often his brother Dillon had sat them down and talked to them, urging her to stay in school. He had lectured them to stop acting impulsively and to start thinking of someone other than themselves.
Deciding to continue the conversation with the goal of keeping him awake, she asked, “So what’s going on with your family? Are your brothers and cousins st
ill single?”
His laugh was rich and filled the car’s interior. The sound filled her as well, and she wondered how the deep throatiness of his voice could do that to her. “Not hardly. In fact, after Valentine’s Day when Bailey ties the knot, that will take care of everyone.”
“Bailey is getting married?”
“Yes, and she’s moving to Alaska. Her husband-to-be owns a huge spread on an island there.”
Crystal was shocked. “Bailey always swore that she would never marry and move away.”
“Well, evidently Walker Rafferty was able to change her mind about that. I got a chance to meet him over Thanksgiving. A pretty nice guy. Ex-marine.”
The man must really be something if Bane approved of him. As the youngest two Westmorelands, Bane and Bailey had been close growing up. They’d done a lot of things together. Even got into trouble. “I’m happy for her.”
“So am I.”
She then listened as he brought her up-to-date on his other siblings and cousins and the women and men they had married. His cousins Zane and Derringer, and his brother Riley were also shockers. She remembered they had reputations around Denver as being ladies’ men.
She shifted to get comfortable in her seat as Bane continued to fill her in on his family. She loved hearing the sound of his voice and could tell he was proud of everyone in the Westmoreland family. He also told her about more cousins his family had tracked down in Alaska with the last name of Outlaw.
As she continued to listen to him, she didn’t think to question where they were headed. Like he’d said earlier, they were together, and that was all that mattered. She felt safe with him, and at the moment she couldn’t imagine being anyplace else.
Twelve
“I’m taking the bed closer to the door again.”
“All right.”
Bane tossed his duffel bag on the bed and glanced around the hotel room. This one was roomier than the last and the bed looked inviting as hell. The first thing he intended to do was take a shower. He had driven for nine hours and he had to hand it to Crystal, she had tried keeping him company by engaging him in conversation about his family and his job as a SEAL. He had explained that due to the highly classified nature of what he did, there was a lot about his missions he couldn’t divulge. She understood and seemed fascinated by what he had been able to tell her.
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