Lightning Lingers

by Barbara Freethy

  "I'll do that."

  "And Katherine, my father speaks English when he wants to."

  She smiled. "Good to know."

  Katherine left Gloria and went down to the kitchen. After putting her clothes in the dryer, she went into the kitchen and found Jake sitting at the table, studying a map. Eduardo stood at the stove, stirring something in a big pot. When he saw Katherine, he tipped his head toward the table.

  "Whatever you're making smells delicious," she said as she sat down.

  "Have some bread." Jake pushed the plate of what appeared to be freshly baked bread in her direction. "It's better than the chocolate bar we ate earlier."

  She ripped off a piece, buttered it and devoured the bread in three bites. "You're right. I've never tasted anything so good."

  "There's more coming."

  Eduardo set two bowls of thick, spicy soup on the table.

  "This is delicious," Katherine said, in heaven after one spoonful.

  Eduardo sat down across from them and pointed to the map on the table. "You are here," he said.

  Katherine followed his finger and realized they were farther south than she'd realized, which gave her hope. "We need to go to Nic Té Há," she said. "Do you know where that is?"

  Eduardo frowned and shook his head.

  "It's a small village," Jake said. "It's about thirty miles from the airport in Tuxtla Gutiérrez."

  "Ah, sí," Eduardo drew his finger down the map and pointed to another area.

  "How far?" Jake asked.

  "Five hundred fifty kilometers."

  "That's about three hundred sixty miles," Jake said.

  "It looks closer on the map," she said with disappointment.

  "Is there a bus or a train?" Jake asked.

  "The bus makes many stops. You can get a car in Palenque."

  "How far is that?" Katherine asked.

  "Thirty kilometers. I can drive you in the morning," Eduardo replied.

  "That would be wonderful," she said. "We're very thankful for your kindness."

  "We are more than thankful for your kindness," Gloria said, walking into the room with her baby daughter now asleep on her shoulder. "Papa, she ate—finally. Katherine showed me how to calm her and feed her. I prayed for someone to help me, and God sent an angel to my door."

  Eduardo gave Katherine a look filled with gratitude. "Gracias. Gloria has been so worried."

  "It was nothing," she said feeling a little uncomfortable with their praise.

  "Would you like more soup?" Eduardo asked her.

  "If there's enough, I would love a little more," she admitted. "I think it's the best soup I've ever had."

  "Papa is an excellent cook," Gloria said, sitting down at the table. "He's cooked for me since my mother died when I was ten years old. He's still taking care of me now. My husband is an American. He's in the Army. We were living in South Carolina until he got deployed. I didn't have any family there so I came home until he gets out in six months."

  "That must be very difficult," Katherine said.

  "Papa takes good care of us, but I miss my husband."

  "I'm sure you do." Katherine paused, wanting to be honest with Gloria and Eduardo. "There's something we need to tell you. Jake and I were flying to see his great-grandmother when our plane went down on Saturday. We've been wandering around ever since. We thought we were getting help, but then we saw men with guns, and they blew up the plane. We ran for our lives. We don't know why they did what they did or if they're still looking for us. We don't want to put your family in danger, so if we need to go now, we will." She deliberately didn't look at Jake, knowing that she probably should have spoken to him first before giving up their safe house.

  Eduardo's lips tightened. "I saw the fire, but it was quickly put out by the storm. I didn't see a plane go down."

  "Do you know who would destroy our plane?" Jake asked.

  "Probably the Montenegro cartel," Gloria said. "They control this area. They might have thought you were spying on their operation."

  "We weren't doing that."

  "I will take you beyond Palenque," Eduardo said. "I will get you safely away."

  "What about money?" Gloria asked. "You said you lost everything."

  "We did," Katherine said with a nod. "We were up in the hills when a rush of water took us flying down the mountain."

  "There is a river high in the mountains," Eduardo said. "It floods with the rains this time of year."

  "We'll give you enough money to get a car," Gloria said, exchanging a look with her father.

  "You're very generous," she said. "We'll pay you back."

  "I'm not worried," Gloria replied. "When did you last see the men?"

  "It was early this morning," Jake answered. "Do you know how far away the fire was? We've lost track of where we were."

  "My guess would be about twelve kilometers," Eduardo put in.

  "That's all? I felt like we walked fifty miles," Katherine said, thinking they really hadn't gotten that far for all the effort. Her sigh turned into a yawn. Now that she was warm and dry and her stomach was full, she felt overwhelmingly tired.

  "You should go to bed," Gloria said. "You both must be exhausted."

  "Let me help you clean up," she offered.

  Eduardo waved her away. "Go. Sleep. We will leave in the morning. If anyone comes to the door tonight, you will stay in your room. Si?"

  "Yes," Jake said. "We understand."

  "Good night," Katherine added.

  As they walked up the stairs, she glanced at Jake. "I should have talked to you before I suggested we leave. I just felt they needed to know we could be bringing them trouble. They were being so nice."

  "It's fine. At least you waited until they thought you were an angel. Then they couldn't throw you out."

  She smiled. "I didn't do that much."

  "Whatever you did, I'm thrilled. We've eaten, we have a roof over our heads, and tomorrow we have a ride to town. All our immediate problems have been solved."

  She nodded, but as soon as they entered the guest room and her gaze fell on the double bed, she realized that there might still be one problem…

  Eleven

  Katherine looked over at Jake as he walked over to the bed. "What do you think?"

  He shook his head. "No way am I sleeping on the floor, Katherine. We're sharing this bed."

  "I wasn't going to ask you to sleep on the floor." She actually didn't know why she'd said anything, because all she'd done was bring attention to the fact that they were going to sleep together.

  "Good, because I'm not going to, and neither are you."

  She got into bed next to him, careful to keep some space between them, which wasn't easy in the full-sized bed. She rolled onto her side and tucked her hands under her head, facing Jake. "I have to admit, I can't quite believe we're safe. A few hours ago, I wasn't sure we would make it."

  "I never had a doubt."

  "Liar."

  He smiled. "So, what miracle did you work with Gloria and her baby?"

  "She was having trouble breastfeeding. I showed her a technique that usually calms a baby down and then helped her get into a better position. It wasn't a big deal."

  "It was to her."

  "She's a nervous young mother whose husband is deployed. She just needed a little support."

  "Well, I think you made a friend for life. Her father liked you, too. I had no idea he spoke English until you came downstairs, though. He didn't say a word to me."

  "Gloria told me he spoke English, but that he's distrustful of strangers."

  "Can't say I blame him, but I was happy when he put down the gun."

  "I'm actually glad he has one, just in case those men come knocking on the door."

  Jake frowned. "I had a gun in the backpack."

  "You did? I didn't know that."

  "We have them in the cockpit now. I put it in the bag before we left, but that's long gone."

  "I know Gloria said she'd lend us money for a ca
r, but how are we going to get around Mexico without passports?"

  He sighed. "We'll figure it out. If we can get to my great-grandmother's, she'll be able to help us with all that."

  "Okay. I'll worry about that tomorrow."

  "Finally, an attitude I can get on board with," he teased.

  She smiled back at him. "I guess you're rubbing off on me."

  "About time." He paused. "You want to hear something crazy?"

  He put his hand on her hip, and her pulse leapt. She was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that they were in bed together. "What's that?" she asked, her voice a little too breathy.

  "I'm not as sleepy as I was downstairs."

  "Really? How is that possible? We climbed a mountain, walked about a hundred miles, and fought our way through a flood. You should be exhausted."

  He gave her the lazy, sexy smile that always sent butterflies dancing through her stomach. "It was quite a day, and we survived. I think we should celebrate."

  "I'm not sure I like where you're going with this."

  "Oh, you'd like it very much, Kat."

  "Jake," she said, sighing a little. "We don't even like each other anymore."

  "Don't we?" he asked, his fingers tracing a circle on her hip. "I told you earlier that I thought you were amazing today."

  "You weren't bad, either, but it wouldn't be smart. We have enough problems to deal with."

  "Do we always have to think about every possible outcome before we do something?"

  "I usually do. You know that."

  His grin broadened. "That's true. You and your very long pro and con lists. I sometimes wondered how I ever made the cut."

  "You wouldn't go away. I tried to get rid of you more than a few times."

  "But I kept coming back. You were too special not to fight for, Kat."

  Her heart warmed at his words. "And you were too irresistible to fight against," she murmured. "You could talk me into anything. Sometimes it feels like a hundred years ago when we were together, and sometimes it feels like yesterday."

  "If it feels like yesterday, does that mean I can still talk you into something?"

  "You are bad, Jake."

  "You used to like that about me."

  She still did. "We should just sleep. We need to rest for tomorrow."

  "I feel too wired at the moment. I think you do, too." He paused. "It doesn't have to mean anything, Katherine."

  "It always seems to mean something with you, Jake." She looked into his beautiful green eyes. "Even when I don't want it to."

  "Think of it as a celebration of life. We survived a flash flood, for God's sake."

  She licked her lips, so tempted by his words. She needed to find some way to say no. "What about protection? I'm on birth control, but there are other issues to consider."

  "I'm healthy. What about you?"

  "I am, but to be absolutely certain, we should have a condom."

  He laughed. "I love it when you talk dirty to me."

  She punched him in the arm. "I'm a doctor. I know what is important."

  "You're not a doctor tonight. You're Kat—the most beautiful girl I've ever seen with silky blonde hair, incredible blue eyes, and the softest, sexiest mouth I've ever tasted. You're the girl whose body I dreamed about every night for years, a dream that went on far longer than our relationship." The green in his eyes deepened with emotion. "I want you, Kat. Is there any chance you want me, too?"

  His intimate, tender words stole the last of her resistance.

  "There's a chance," she whispered.

  His answering smile made her pulse jump.

  Jake slid across the mattress, putting his arm around her, snuggling against her so close his warm breath teased her mouth. She soaked up his heat with absolute delight. The mattress cradled their bodies, the pillows soft beneath their heads. Everything felt so good, and then even better when Jake touched her mouth with his.

  Closing her eyes, she surrendered. She wanted his kiss, his touch, his body…everything. She wanted to escape from reality. She wanted to feel something other than pain and discomfort and worry. She wanted him, the boy she'd fallen in love with, the one who'd made her feel reckless and brave and desirable every time he looked at her.

  She opened her mouth to him, welcoming the slide of his tongue against her teeth. She slid her hands under his T-shirt, loving the feel of his hard muscles under her fingers.

  In her professional life, she could be detached and unemotional and keep her feelings locked deep inside, but now, with Jake, she was all emotion. Her brain had completely shut down. She wanted to be with Jake, and she didn't want to care about what would happen tomorrow or next week or next year. Tonight was all that was important.

  Jake's hands crept up under her top, and she tore herself away from his kiss so she could pull her shirt up and over her head. Her bra and underwear were still in the dryer downstairs. Once she shed the clothes Gloria had given her, she was completely bare.

  Jake made fast work of his clothes as well, and when they came together again, they were skin to skin.

  It felt both familiar and incredibly different making love to Jake now. He was passionate yet restrained, in a needy hurry at times and deliciously, mind-blowingly slow at others. When she urged him to go faster, he gave her a steely-eyed look that told her he was going to make her crazy with want before he gave her what she wanted.

  And what she wanted was him—all of him.

  His body was beautifully mature, his chest broader than she remembered, his arms stronger, his touch more possessive, more knowledgeable. His hands were everywhere, his mouth following close behind, until she was writhing on the bed from an overwhelming surge of sensation.

  She wanted to explore his body as much as he wanted to explore hers, to taste him, and to torture him in exactly the same way. But as much as she wanted to take control, Jake wouldn't give in. It was clear he was running the show, and it was exciting and sexy to surrender, to let him lead, because where he led felt amazing.

  When he finally slid into her body, she cried out his name in absolute pleasure.

  They moved in perfect sync, the rhythm between them matching their frantic breathing and racing hearts, until they came together in a passion that was both old and new, that touched her soul, her heart, and all the parts she hid away from everyone but Jake.

  After a few moments, Jake rolled over onto his back, and pulled her into the crook of his shoulder. She rested her head on his chest and felt almost deliriously happy.

  "I thought it would be like before," Jake muttered.

  There was something in his tone that brought her head up. She gazed into his eyes. "But it wasn't?"

  He shook his head. "It was better. How is that possible?"

  She had to admit to sharing the sentiment. "I don't know. We got better with age?"

  He laughed and stroked her back. "We did."

  She settled back against him, throwing her arm across his waist as she closed her eyes, exhaustion sweeping back over her. "Time for sleep."

  She waited for Jake to answer, but the steadiness of his breath told her he'd already slipped into dreamland, and she was eager to follow.

  * * *

  When Jake woke up, Katherine was gone. He stared at the tangled sheets in bemusement. He ran a hand through his hair and then glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was eight o'clock and there was sun coming through the windows.

  He hadn't planned on sleeping so late. He'd wanted to be on the road as early as possible. He wondered why Katherine hadn’t woken him.

  Katherine.

  He smiled at the memories of last night. Making love to her had been better than he'd remembered. He just wished he hadn't fallen asleep. He also wished she'd woken him before she'd gotten out of bed this morning.

  But he suspected Katherine already had her guard back up.

  As much as that annoyed him, he had to consider that it might be a good thing. They had a lot of other things to focus on today. The
night they'd shared was going to have to be a memory for now. He'd told her earlier that it didn't have to mean anything. He hadn't really believed it when he said it, but he'd wanted her more than he'd wanted to speak the truth. Being with Katherine had always meant something, and being without her again was probably going to bring back a boatload of pain.

  But the way he felt right now…he had to believe it was worth it.

  He got out of bed and went into the bathroom. When he returned to the bedroom wearing nothing but a towel, he caught Katherine putting his dry clothes on the bed.

  Her eyes widened, and her mouth parted when she saw him. The remembered intimacy between them flashed through her eyes in a way that made his body immediately harden.

  "I brought your clothes," she said quickly.

  "I can see that. I'm not necessarily in a hurry to put them on."

  "You should be, because Eduardo is almost done making breakfast for us, and it looks spectacular."

  "You look spectacular."

  "Your vision is obviously not that great. I'm pretty beat up."

  "Even beat up, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

  "You shouldn't keep saying things like that, Jake."

  "Even if it's true?"

  "You said it didn't have to mean anything, Jake, so all these compliments aren't necessary."

  He'd known she'd retreat, put her walls back up, but knowing it and experiencing it were two very different things. Katherine always had to make things hard, but maybe that was part of the appeal. She'd always been a challenge, and she still was.

  "So get dressed, and I'll meet you downstairs," she continued. "I want to get on the road as soon as possible, Jake. We still need to find TJ."

  He grabbed her by the arm as she turned to leave. "I know what we need to do, Katherine, and we'll do it," he promised. "But I'm not going to regret last night."

  She stared back at him for a long second. "I don't regret it, either."

  "Good." He let go of her arm, and she practically sprinted to the door. He wanted to believe her speedy escape was because she was fighting her own desire to stay with him, but that might just be a nice story he was telling himself, he thought dryly.