by Sheila Kell
Rylee’s melodic laughter drew his attention. Her face shone in the light, and the reds in her hair almost looked aflame. She had donned a navy-blue jacket to ward against the evening chill, but his mind still pictured how enticing her chest had been in her snug flannel shirt. All day he’d wanted to reach out and rip the buttons off the shirt, spread it open wide and bury his head between her glorious breasts.
His groin tightened, and he shifted to disguise his thickening need for her. Christ, he was nearly thirty-two years old. He should be able to control his libido better than this. Not that he didn’t desire her all of the time since he’d been here, but his body chose certain times—like now—to put it on full display.
Always rationalizing things, his mind reminded him that she was his wife and there was nothing wrong with seducing her. She’d been putty after their kiss earlier.
Rylee cocked her head in question and a stroke of concern wove into her voice. “Devon?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but those damn eyes of hers held him captive. They stared deep into each other’s gaze, and their breaths rasped loudly in the night air. He searched the depths of her eyes looking for something he couldn’t name, and his heart pulsed with the flickering golds and browns that made up the whiskey shade of them. As he pulled himself out of the depth of their fiery beauty, her eyes began to change… to darken… to dilate… and he knew why. She wants me.
A tiny smile curved the corners of his lips and satisfaction settled in his being. Although he wanted to snake his arms out around her, he told himself to be patient. To lighten the mood, he laughed at himself. “Wow, I guess I cooked this one a bit too much.” Not wanting Angel to burn herself on the hot inside, he chucked the ruined food into the fire, grabbed a fresh marshmallow from the bag on the blanket between him and Rylee, and tossed it to the mutt who’d been lying patiently to the side.
“Uh, okay. I was worried for a second.”
If she’d known what he’d been thinking, she probably would’ve bolted. “I was just thinking how great these will be when we pick up the stuff to make S’Mores. Just think of the gooey, chocolaty goodness.” That only incited visions of licking her fingers with the tip of his tongue, then sucking it off her lips, tasting her succulent sweetness.
He had to reach down and adjust himself regardless if she observed it or not. His dick was painfully hard thinking of her tongue doing the same to him. Dammit!
Rylee cleared her throat. “Since we’re getting to know each other, tell me, what was it like growing up with so many brothers?” Her nervousness should’ve surprised him, but she’d seen him make himself more comfortable in his jeans so he gave her that emotion.
“Hmm.” His eyebrows dove into an inverted arch. “I’d have to say mostly it was great. I mean there were times when not getting a moment to yourself became a problem. Usually though, I could slip away without anyone noticing. Since our dad worked so much, Jesse took responsibility for all of us. The twins kept his hands full. They fought like cats and dogs one minute, then were conspiring together the next.”
She twirled her marshmallow. “What did you do when you were alone?”
“Read. Mess around with programming. I knew pretty early that while my brothers were very hands-on with things, I was more comfortable behind a keyboard.”
“Jesse used to rave about you and the work you did for HIS.” She looked at him quickly. “I didn’t know then.”
He shrugged, ignoring her added statement. “When we were in high school, Jesse tried to get me to try out for a sport. I did eventually—track, but he didn’t consider that manly enough for a Hamilton. He didn’t understand what I could do with a computer, so I hacked into his e-mail one day—right in front of his eyes—and explained how I planned to make my mark on the world, and he never bothered me about it again.”
She raised and lowered her eyebrows playfully. “Anything juicy in the e-mails?”
Devon chuckled. “I didn’t read them, although most were from girls. Anyhow, when I wanted to join the CIA and do computer instead of fieldwork, he didn’t bat an eye. He even told me he was proud of me.”
“That sounds like Jesse.”
He wanted her to have that much satisfaction… no, pride… no, confidence in him that she had in his brother.
After removing his marshmallow from the fire, he blew on it to cool it off. He split it open and continued to let it chill. Just when he got it to a manageable temperature, Angel bounded over, pushing on his chest to get to the treat. Instead, she knocked him askew and the marshmallow smeared on the side of his face.
Settling the dog off him, he sat back up and began to wipe at his cheek noting Rylee bouncing with laughter. “It’s not that funny,” he growled.
Surprising him, she moved closer and softly pushed his hand away. “Here, let me.” She proceeded to gently pick marshmallow from his cheek and hair. Her touch didn’t ignite the fire he’d been feeling. Instead, it touched his heart, made him have that warm and fuzzy feeling he’d heard people talk about. She had a loving touch.
“Did Angel hurt you?” she asked softly.
He shook his head. “No.”
She pulled back. “Stay still so I can get this all out. You’re lucky it wasn’t still hot. All the gooeyness—as you called it—would’ve burned you. As it is, you’re a bit red, but not anything that’s permanent.”
The fire lit up her face. Damn, she was beautiful. And this caring and affectionate side of her, that she’d been trying so hard to hide, only made him realize even more that she was meant for him.
Continuing the cleaning, she sighed. “She’s really a good dog. I think you’re giving her that marshmallow may have spoiled her.”
He didn’t care if that was the case since it resulted in Rylee taking care of him. He’d suffer through anything for that to happen.
After she finished, she graced him with a brilliant smile. “All done.” Before he could reach for her, she moved back to her position and placed her marshmallow back in the fire.
“Thank you,” he managed to say around a dry throat.
“You’re welcome.”
Heaving a heavy sigh, Rylee pulled her marshmallow out of the fire and blew on it. “I thought we’d go check on the girls tomorrow.”
His heart sank with the switch in topic. “We will, but first I need to go to town and pick up my equipment. While we’re there, more food would be good since I don’t know how long we’ll be here, and we’re going camping.”
“The stuff you had sent?”
Proving the girls were here, or not, was important to him, but he couldn’t do anything tonight. He wanted to put this time to good use getting her to open up to him. “I’ll show you tomorrow. Now,” he stated and reached for another marshmallow, “let’s see if I can make one of these for my woman.”
The change in the body beside him couldn’t be missed. She tensed, her body visibly snapping straight, her jaw tightening.
He fought not to laugh. “Don’t go getting all crazy on me. I was just joking with you.”
She narrowed her eyes at him and relaxed, somewhat, but didn’t smile. “It’s not funny. I don’t think….” She swallowed, the lump visibly sliding down her long, creamy throat. “I don’t think….”
He wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless, but knew he couldn’t yet. He had one trick up his sleeve that he prayed helped, and that—the tape of them—could wait until tomorrow. “Then don’t think.” He laid down the marshmallow and holder and leaned in to her. His prior notion of not kissing gone. “Rylee,” he rasped and reached up with one hand and touched her cheek.
THE TENSE SILENCE filling the car was heavy enough to all but smother Rylee’s air passages as she sat in the passenger seat on their drive into town. Devon hadn’t spoken to her since she’d walked away from him the night before. Okay, she’d fled after she said she wouldn’t do it again.
Initially, when he’d put his hand on her cheek, she’d turned into it, attempting to regu
late her heavy breathing. It had been surprising he couldn’t hear the thumping of her heart over the crackle of the fire. Damn, but it taxed her to fight her growing attraction to the man.
Then, his eyes had darkened and darted to her lips.
For one breathless moment, she’d thought he’d been about to kiss her, and she hadn’t planned to stop him. She’d wanted his lips touching hers again, his mouth covering hers, and his tongue stroking inside her mouth. A delicious shiver had made its way through her at the thought, and she’d wet her lips in anticipation.
Then he’d gone and broken the spell. Ruining it all.
“Rylee, I know you said you’d give us a try, but what’s holding you back?”
At the question, her heart had plummeted to her toes. There was only one thing to do and that was to tell him the truth. Maybe after hearing it, he’d understand and give her the annulment. Maneuvering her face free of his magical hold, she responded in as firm a voice as she could. Hell, she’d just been ready to kiss him so it didn’t sound too strong to her. “When I marry, I want to marry for love. I don’t want to be like my mother who married and divorced six times because she thought she was in love when it was just intense lust that burned out in no time. I want the love you see where couples are in their nineties still as enamored with each other as the day they met.”
He took a deep breath, held it and exhaled slowly before speaking. “You do realize you have already married. And, since we don’t know for sure, it could’ve been for love.”
“No.” She shook her head. “It was a drunken mistake.”
Narrowing his eyes, he spoke with a tight jaw and what appeared to be extreme control. “I think you know better than that. You didn’t look drunk in the tapes, and the preacher and his wife didn’t say you were.”
“Then why did I blackout?”
He shook his head. “I don’t have that answer. But, I do know that by getting this annulment, you’re starting off in your mother’s footsteps.”
“Don’t say such a thing! The annulment wipes out my poor lack of judgment. It doesn’t count as a divorce.” She surged to her feet and raced to the cabin, slamming the bedroom door behind her like a child. He was wrong. She wouldn’t be like her mother. An annulment didn’t count.
He’s right. Maybe you should try, a voice whispered in her mind. No. I don’t love him. I want to marry for love.
After that, she’d remained awake, listening for Devon’s return to the cabin. He hadn’t even slowed his footsteps when he’d walked past her door.
This morning, he’d only said what was necessary, and it’d been clipped words.
It had taken her time to realize that she’d called marrying him “a mistake” and “poor judgment.” Of course she needed to apologize, but the words remained lodged in her throat. She had to try. “Devon—”
“We’ll hit the UPS store first. Before we pick up groceries, I need a few electronics. Do you know anywhere to go?”
She hadn’t been in town except to grab the food on her way through it. “No.” She also didn’t want to stay out in public for long. No one may have seen her at the accident, but the two goons knew she’d been there. And who knew if they blamed her for their boss’s death. Preferring to remain careful, she’d not returned to the quaint little town.
She wasn’t stupid enough to disregard that if Robert Carver had the girls, he might also have the name of whomever Dave and his asshole father had planned to sell her to. She had to be careful, that was for damn sure.
She’d get with Arthur after this was over to see if he could resolve that issue for her so she wouldn’t have to look over her shoulder. She wasn’t one of his agents any longer, but he’d been kind to her and she knew he’d help. Besides, he wouldn’t want her sold. She shuddered at the thought. It wouldn’t happen.
“Kate called me last night. She found out Mrs. K. sent you stuff. I can’t believe you used her.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t have much choice. Had I known she’d get caught….” He shook his head. “Jesse called me, and I think he knows about you and me. He didn’t say it, but he was too pissed off for my just staying up here with you for no real reason.”
“Are they coming?” Part of her wanted them to, while the other begged for them to stay away… for now. She was responsible for those girls, at least that was how she saw it. And, her gut told her a bunch of people creeping around the woods would scare this man off. If they’re there, her mind tried to remind her.
She closed her eyes for a moment and prayed they were. She couldn’t take not finding them.
He glanced at her and back to the front, but not before she noticed his frown. “No, they aren’t coming.”
She nodded. Satisfied. “I promise we can tell them if the girls are there.”
“Oh, my dear Rylee,” he bit out. “We’ll tell them then, or if I decide things are too dangerous, whether you like it or not. We can locate the girls, but it’ll take more than both of us to rescue them. And I think you know that.”
That stilted conversation again. She had to think of something to help get them back on civil footing. “What was it like growing up as a senator’s son?”
He looked at her, then back to the road. “When we were young, it sucked. Our dad worked so much and we couldn’t participate when he entertained. However, in my teens, I rather enjoyed it.” A smile crossed his lips. “I met some very interesting people. I actually met the French Ambassador.”
“You didn’t mention that when I told you my dream of living in France when I was young.”
A quick glance at her, and he focused his gaze forward. “I hadn’t thought about it until now. He’s not the ambassador any longer. In fact, I’m not even sure he’s alive. But, he did make France sound like a great place.”
“I knew it,” she said confidentially.
Laughter bubbled out of him. “I said we’d visit, but we’re not living there.”
That wasn’t the first time he’d said “we” when referring to future plans, but it stopped her from speaking more on the subject.
“So, your sister is Madison Maxwell. I have a brother who drools over her. Do you think she can visit sometime? I’d love to see him fall all over himself.”
“Most men drool over her. She’s gorgeous. Yeah, I can invite her to visit.” She didn’t add that it would be to her home and not their home.
“Are you two close?”
She nodded. “We are pretty close for living so far away from each other. I consider her my best friend.”
They arrived in town, and at their first stop—the UPS store—Devon turned to her. “I have a very important question.”
Automatically tensing, her mind raced through all the possible things he might want to know. As long as he didn’t get back to the accident.
“What are you wearing that has made the car smell so damn good I’ve had to fight to keep my hands on the wheel and not you?”
Stunned to silence, it took her a moment to process. “Beau—” She cleared her throat. “Beautiful by Estee Lauder.” Since her mouth couldn’t hold back, she rushed to add, “But, I’m also wearing Pink Cashmere lotion from Bath & Body Works.” Lord, he didn’t need that last bit of information. He meant the perfume.
Devon raked his gaze over her and her body responded as if he’d just used his hands to rub that lotion over every square inch of her. She shifted to alleviate the growing warmth and dampness between her thighs.
“I like them.” He opened his car door, but before he stepped out, he added, “A lot.” Then he left her alone to gather her senses and follow. The man’s changing moods was not what she’d expected, but he kept her on her toes and she was beginning to enjoy it.
Together they filled the back seat with the packages waiting for them. Curiosity was killing her not knowing what he’d had sent. What kind of stuff did he plan? As far as she was concerned, they just had to get in and out without anyone seeing them. She couldn’t imagine what he’d need.
On the sidewalk, a prickling sensation skipped along Rylee’s spine and continued up to the hairs on the back of her neck. The overwhelming feeling that she was being watched almost knocked her breathless. She slowly turned her head, taking in the area and scanning every face. Her FBI training had taught her how to assess her surroundings, and she didn’t miss a thing. She also didn’t notice anyone suspicious.
Maybe paranoia had taken hold and was trying to shake up her resolve to search for the girls. Yet, part of her wondered about Dave’s plan. He said he’d be bringing her to the twins. If she allowed herself to be captured, could she save them? All three of them?
That was by far her stupidest idea. First, she didn’t know for certain the girls were here. She crossed her fingers in juvenile hope. Second, getting herself captured was ludicrous. The risk was too high that she’d fail and lose herself in the process. No, finding them and then bringing in help was the trick.
Devon followed her scanning of the area. “Is something wrong?”
“No.”
Did she imagine it or had he stepped closer to her and stood more rigid? She told herself not to dream up something that wasn’t there. He probably did it because they had entered an area with an increase in foot traffic. “Here’s the grocery store.” She split off to the right, and her mind eased when he remained close to her.
She wasn’t sure which of them was on alert more—her or him.
Down the soup aisle, a woman searched the shelves while her toddler kicked his—she guessed a he because the child was dressed in a blue jumpsuit—feet in the buggy. The little one kept opening and closing his hands and babbling, “Hi. Hi.”
She couldn’t help but smile and wave to the child. “Hi there.” Her voice was soft and held laughter. It held a childlike quality—one that adults used when speaking with a baby or toddler.