Falling for Her

by Sandra Owens

  After drying off, and choosing something to wear from her meager supply, she went looking for Jamie.

  “He’s wet,” Jamie said when she walked into the living room with Junior wrapped in a towel.

  “Well, yeah. We just took a shower.”

  “Okaaay.” One corner of his lips twitched. “If you wanted a shower partner, you could’ve checked with me.”

  Oh. She tried to think of a clever comeback, but the man stole her wits sitting there in the old-fashioned recliner—a root beer dangling from his fingers and his bare feet hanging over the too-short leg rest—and wearing a lazy smile on his face. He wasn’t the same unsmiling man who’d showed her to the guest room before briskly walking away. Truthfully, he was wearing her out, hiding behind the walls he’d built around him one minute, flirting with her the next. How was she supposed to know what to expect at any given time, or how to act around him?

  Still not sure of his mood, she perched on the edge of the blue-and-white print sofa. It was weird, this feeling she was sitting in some grandmother’s living room instead of one belonging to a he-man warrior who faced danger without a blink of his eyes. Talk about contradictions. Her gaze flitted around, settling on a collection of bells, some of them crystal, some porcelain, and a few brass.

  “They were my mother’s. She loved collecting them. Made it easy to know what to get her for Christmas.”

  The wistfulness in his voice tugged at her heart, and suddenly, she missed her mother with an ache that brought tears to her eyes. What a sad pair the two of them were. “They’re lovely.”

  He cleared his throat. “Unless you want moldy cheese, potato chips, and a root beer for dinner, we need to make a trip to the grocery store.”

  Subtly clearing her own throat, Sugar forced a smile. “Sure. Could we make a stop at my condo so I can pick up a few things? I kinda packed lightly. If I still have a job, I’d like to go to work tomorrow. Guess I should call Maria, and see if I can take back the e-mail I sent her.”

  “I’ve taken care of it. Called when we were driving back, and she said to tell you she expects to see your smiling face at K2 first thing in the morning.”

  Well, she wasn’t so sure about that. What if she had to run again? Was it fair to expect Maria to spend time training her if she wasn’t sure she’d stay? The only way she’d feel right about it would be to lay it all out and let Maria decide. Looked like a day of true confessions ahead. Both Jamie and Maria would get the full story, and more than likely, they would send her on her way, both relieved to be rid of her.

  “Let me grab my shoes and purse,” she said, setting a sleeping Junior next to her on the couch.

  Although she wore leggings and a loose T-shirt, except for the addition of a bra, she decided not to change. Not like she had much to choose from anyway. She pulled her damp hair up into a short ponytail, and other than some lip gloss, skipped applying makeup. Slipping her feet into a pair of flip-flops, she slung her purse over her shoulder. At the bedroom door, she stopped, considered, and then went to her suitcase and retrieved her stash of money, along with her gun and fake identity. After stuffing them in the bottom of her purse, she returned to the living room.

  Jamie gave her the once-over, then grinned. “You look like a teenager.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll go change.” What had she been thinking? Like he would want to be seen with a woman dressed like she was fixin’ to clean house or something.

  “Take it as a compliment, Sugar, the way it was meant.”

  Then he prowled toward her, his gaze capturing hers, freezing her like the proverbial deer in the headlights. Then he was kissing her, and she dropped her purse to the floor and wrapped her arms around his neck. His fingers grasped her hips, pulling her against him. Their tongues found each other, and hers rejoiced in the taste of him as flavors of lemon and root beer burst through her mouth.

  As she slid her hands up, gliding them over the bristles of his short hair, she pressed her body into his, felt the tingles in her breasts, in her oversensitive nipples, felt his erection pushing against her stomach, low and almost right where she wanted to feel him. She trembled from need for him.

  A moan filled the air between them, one she realized with gratitude came from Jamie. Desperate to show him she loved him without saying the words, she climbed up his body, and wrapped her legs around his waist. His arousal pressed against the part of her that would only and ever belong to him.

  “Store,” he gasped, the one word vibrating over her lips.

  “Store?” She sucked on his tongue, wanting to crawl under his clothes and put her hands all over his body. She wanted to press her fingers into the muscles she knew existed in his arms, his chest, his abs, his legs. She’d explore him, taste him, love him until he’d never want any woman but her.

  He put his hands on her waist and lifted her into the air, then set her on her feet. “If we don’t go now, we won’t. I hurt for you, Sugar.” He took her hand and pressed it against his erection. “See?”

  She nodded, too dumbfounded to do anything but nod like some kind of head-bobbing toy. He could remember they needed to go to the store? After the most explosive kiss ever?

  “If we don’t go now, we won’t.”

  “Ya just said that,” she said, proud she was following their conversation, something she considered a miracle when all she wanted was to climb right back up him and finish what he’d started.

  His laugh was shaky as his hand blatantly readjusted his jeans. “You’ll be the death of me yet. Let’s go get our errands out of the way. Then . . .” He winked. “Then we’ll have all night for, um, whatever.”

  No man had ever winked at her before, and Sugar decided it was the sexiest thing a man could do. It seemed such an intimate gesture, something meant just for her. Storing his gift in her treasure box marked Jamie, she snatched her purse from the floor, then walked to the couch and picked up Junior.

  “You’re not taking him with us, Sugar. Close him up in your room. He’ll be okay.”

  No way. If something happened, she needed Junior with her. She had her money and new identity on her, and the last thing she wanted was to have to find her way back to Jamie’s house to collect her cat. “I don’t want to leave him in a strange place alone. He’ll be fine if I hold him.”

  A roll of his eyes and a manly sigh was his only response before he opened the front door and ushered her out. She gave him a cheeky grin as she walked past him, impulsively adding a wink. Maybe it’d please him as much as it had her.

  It occurred to Jamie as he followed Sugar to the car that she was the first woman to ever wink at him. It was kind of cute. The last thing he’d expected when he’d chased after her was to bring her back home with him. As he’d followed her on the return drive, he’d finally accepted that he needed her in his life, and the best way to keep her safe was to keep her with him.

  He glanced over at her, sitting with her cat standing on her lap, his paws on the window as they both looked out. She was giving Junior a running commentary of the sights they were passing, and it appeared the creature was paying close attention.

  He shook his head at his whimsy. The woman messed with his mind. Like when she’d walked out after her shower, her hair damp, the leggings and T-shirt hiding none of her curves, her wet cat snuggled in her arms, and all his intentions had gone the way of . . . wherever. They’d just gone, and he’d found himself smiling and flirting with her. And kissing her. He’d meant to keep his distance until they took care of her problems, then they could turn their attention to whatever was going on between them. As soon as she walked into the living room, however, her cheeks pink from the shower, and a shy smile on her face, he’d known keeping his distance wasn’t an option. As usual where Sugar was concerned, things didn’t go as planned.

  “Why are you scowling?” she’d asked.

  Because I think I’ve had it all wrong the
past ten years. “Sorry, it’s been a long day, and I’m just a little tired.” The setting sun disappeared over the horizon, making the interior of the car dark. Although he couldn’t see her expression, her hesitation hung in the air between them and he knew, just knew what she was going to say.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to come after me.” Her gaze shifted to the window, and she peered out. “I didn’t want to involve you in this mess.”

  Bingo. He held out his hand and waited for Sugar to put hers in it. Instead, he got a handful of fur as Junior scrambled over, arching his back under Jamie’s fingers.

  “Mowwl.”

  “Mowwl back atcha.” As if he’d just given permission in cat talk, Junior hopped over the console and curled up in Jamie’s lap. Amused, he chuckled. The cat was the ugliest thing he’d ever seen, but with his missing ear and bent tail, he had the marks of a warrior and was impossible not to like.

  “He likes you.”

  “And I like his owner.” He held out his hand again. She looked at it for a few seconds, then slid her palm over his and entwined their fingers. Such a feeling of rightness flowed from their joined hands that he almost jerked away. What if he truly did fall for her, and she wanted no part of him when everything was over?

  “I never thought I’d see this place again,” she said when he pulled into her parking spot.

  “Where did you plan to end up?”

  “New Mexico. Arizona, maybe.”

  That seemed a world away, and thinking of her on the run and alone sent a wave of relief through him that he’d found her. “You shouldn’t have to spend your life looking over your shoulder, sweetheart. Let’s get whatever you need, get our grocery shopping done, and not think about any of this tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll start planning how to put an end to it.”

  “Okay. I’ll only be a minute.”

  “I’ll come in with you.” He wasn’t letting her out of his sight.

  Taking Junior, she draped him over one shoulder and her purse strap over the other. Once inside her condo, she set Junior on the floor. “Go get your toys,” she said.

  Jamie watched in amazement as the cat scampered under the sofa, returning a few seconds later with a small ball in his mouth, which he dropped at her feet.

  “Go get the rest.”

  “Are you sure he’s not a dog?” he asked when Junior trotted off again.

  Her beautiful eyes crinkled at the corners. “One sometimes wonders. If you’d get the cat food from the pantry for me, I’ll grab some clothes, and we can be off. You’ll see some plastic bags on the same shelf you can put the cans in,” she called over her shoulder as she headed down the hall.

  The cans were easy to find, and he also added the bag of dry cat food. Noticing a wine rack on the floor, he grabbed a few bottles. Just because he didn’t drink didn’t mean she couldn’t relax with a glass or two. With two plastic bags in hand, he turned toward the living room.

  The only warning he had was Junior crouched under the coffee table, his tail twitching, the pupils in his green eyes dilated, and the fur on his back standing straight up as he stared intently down the hallway. His low growl sent a chill down Jamie’s spine.

  He gently set the bags on the counter and reached for his gun.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Stupid.

  She was so damn stupid. Hadn’t she felt his evil coming closer? Because she’d ignored all the warnings, she’d put Jamie in danger, and she’d rather die than see him hurt.

  “Who is he, Hannah?”

  The slick-as-oil voice sent a shudder of revulsion through her. It was impossible to answer with Rodney’s hand covering her mouth, and the gun poking into her back did nothing to help calm her nerves.

  “If you’ve fucked him, I’ll kill you both.”

  And he would. OhGodOhGodOhGod.

  Snap out of it, Sugar. You’re not Hannah. Think!

  Yes, she needed to think, to figure out how to keep Jamie safe. That was all that mattered. Rodney was crazy, but he was crazy like a fox. Somehow, she had to outwit him. Tugging on the hand covering her mouth, she muttered against his fingers, hoping he’d let her talk.

  “If you scream, I’ll put a bullet through your spine. You won’t die, but you’ll be paralyzed for life. All the better to make you stay put.” His hand loosened, although he still kept it over her mouth.

  “He’s just a friend,” she whispered. “Someone I work with.”

  “If he’s only a friend, why is he here? Where were you last night?”

  The unmade bed caught her attention, the one she’d carefully made up for what she’d thought would be the last time. Oh, just gross. He’d slept in it. Her mind trailed off to a vision of burning it. If he were in it, all the better when it went up in flames.

  “Where were you, Hannah?”

  She snapped back to her current predicament. Where had she been? Think. Where? Somewhere she’d read that when telling a lie, one should keep it as close to the truth as possible. “At a weekend away in New Orleans that the people I work for hold every year. Everyone was there, all twenty-six of them. My car quit on me and had to be left at a repair place. Ja . . .” Sugar almost bit her tongue off when she heard herself about to say Jamie’s name. “He gave me a ride back, that’s all. He only came in because I have a book he wants to read.” Lame, Sugar. So freakin’ lame.

  “I want to believe you, Hannah. I really do. But you’ve given me no reason to. Let’s go meet this friend of yours.”

  “I’ll come home with you, Rodney, if you’ll leave him alone. I was going to anyway. I thought I wanted to be on my own, but it wasn’t what I expected. I missed you. Let’s just go home, okay?”

  The man who’d claimed a fifteen-year-old girl as his—the man who’d beat her, made her steal money from a kind woman, and laughed at her tears when that woman had been murdered—spun her around and lowered his Bradley Cooper handsome face to hers.

  “You’ll come home with me whether I let him live or not, Hannah. And you’ll tell me where my money is.”

  It took every fiber of her being not to vomit all over him. Swallowing her bile, she nodded. “I will, I promise.”

  Please God, keep Jamie safe, and do your God thing, and make him take Junior home with him.

  If the man and cat she loved were together, she could accept her fate. And some day she’d escape again, but when she did, she’d cross some ocean or other and disappear somewhere he’d never find her. Rodney pushed her ahead of him, the gun still digging into her spine.

  “Where is he?” Rodney said, pulling her to a stop when they reached the end of the hall.

  “Probably left. I told you, he just wanted a book.” Where the hell was he?

  “I’m right here, behind you.”

  She’d never heard Jamie’s voice sound so cold and deadly. Hope exploded inside her. Jamie had somehow known Rodney was there. If Rodney thought he was a badass, he didn’t have a clue. The K2 men expected the worst, trained for the worst, and could show a small-town, bully cop who thought he was a badass the true meaning of the word. She exhaled a slow breath, but tensed again when Rodney pressed the gun hard against her back.

  No, Rodney played dirty and she didn’t want Jamie involved; she couldn’t bear to think of him being hurt.

  “Go home, Saint. This isn’t your concern.” Please, Jamie, go home.

  Jamie laughed, but it wasn’t really a laugh. It was a sound that would’ve scared her into handing him her gun, and agreeing to anything he asked.

  “Saint?” Rodney echoed. “Who the hell wants to be a saint? I’ll put a bullet through her if you don’t step in front of us. Like right now.”

  The air sizzled with determined male testosterone as the two men refused to give way. “Please, Saint. Please.”

  “I don’t think so, Sugar. He won’t shoot you cause he knows I’ll
end his sorry-assed life before his finger’s off the trigger. You do know that, don’t you, Mr. Vanders.”

  Rodney’s fingers dug into her arm at hearing his name from Jamie. “It warms my heart to know you’ve talked about me to your friend, Hannah.” He poked her again with his gun. “Tell him if he doesn’t step in front of us right now, I really will shoot you.”

  What she’d dreaded telling Jamie might be the only thing to make him leave, the only way to keep him safe. She’d just hoped after she explained, he could forgive her, but any chance of that had been stolen by Rodney’s appearance. Blinking back tears of regret, she took a deep breath and willed herself to say the one word she’d hoped to never hear pass her lips again.

  “Please do as my husband asked, Saint.” Rodney’s thumb made a slow caress over her skin as if in approval. She really was going to vomit.

  Time seemed to stop, the air seemed to leave the room, and her heart seemed to cease its beats. No one moved, no one spoke, yet through the dead air, she could sense Jamie’s shock.

  Any second, if something didn’t happen, she was going to either faint or lose the contents of her stomach. Then Jamie was standing in front of her, his gun pointed at her. Was he going to shoot her? Not that she’d blame him.

  Ice-blue eyes lasered onto hers. “Is that true?”

  She resisted lowering her eyes in shame. She was still Sugar, still had balls Hannah had never dreamed of possessing. Sugar could look the man she loved in the eyes and do whatever it took to keep him safe.

  “Yes, it’s true, so you should go now.” Please, go. “Rodney . . .” She glanced up at her husband, aiming for a softness she would never feel in this life or the next for bad cop, and fearing she’d failed miserably. How the hell was she supposed to go all soft for a man who’d raped Hannah and murdered her only friend? “Um, Rodney’s my husband, and I’m going home with him.”

  Whoever said things got easier with repetition lied. Saying my husband made her want to vigorously scrub a Brillo Pad over her tongue. Jamie’s hard gaze speared through her, and she gave up trying to pretend anything.