Safe by His Side

by Debra Webb

  “Somehow I doubt that,” he said, his words blunt, his voice low and husky. The sound shivered over her nerve endings, both terrifying and tantalizing.

  “Look at me,” he ordered, cupping her face and forcing her gaze upward.

  Kate looked at his mouth first, that full tempting mouth that was almost too beautiful to belong to a man. Two days’ worth of golden-brown stubble covered his jaw, lending a definite roguish quality. Finally, reluctantly, Kate met that piercing gaze. Ice blue, with an underlying fierceness that drew her and pushed her away at the same time.

  He caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb, all the while his eyes weaved a sensual spell of their own. “Are you afraid, Kate?”

  “Yes.” The one word came out breathless, a mere whisper. A thought spoken.

  “Tell me what you’re afraid of,” he commanded.

  Kate swallowed. It was difficult to think clearly with him so close and his eyes so…so intent on her. “I’m afraid those men will find us.”

  His thumb slid over her lower lip, Kate shivered. “You’re not afraid of me?”

  Wariness had stolen into his intent gaze. Kate nodded, once. “A little,” she admitted. “But you said you would keep me safe, and I believe you.” She bit her lower lip to erase the sensation of his touch.

  He made a small sound of satisfaction in his throat. “What is it about me that puts fear in you, Kate?” She stiffened when he lowered his head and pressed his lips to her cheek in a lingering kiss. “Is it my infamous reputation?” His fingers curled around her nape, tangled in her hair and pulled her head back while he planted a line of slow, steamy kisses down her throat. Kate shuddered when need erupted inside her.

  “Or maybe—” Raine traced a path back to her ear with the tip of his tongue, leaving a trail of gooseflesh “—you’re afraid of how I make you feel.”

  Kate’s breath stilled in her lungs. Even the storm seemed to quiet for one long, electrifying moment.

  He hummed a knowing sound against the shell of her ear. “So that’s it.” He nipped her earlobe with his teeth. Kate gasped. Her heart thundered in her ears, drowning out the renewed sounds of the storm raging outside. “Sweet little Kate doesn’t want to admit that she lusts after a killer.”

  Instinctively she flattened her palms against his chest and pushed. “Stop,” she said in a shaky voice. “I want you to stop.”

  Raine’s grasp on the handful of hair at her nape tightened, keeping her from turning away when he drew back to look into her eyes. His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer, until their bodies touched intimately. Kate’s pulse reacted to the intense desire she saw in his eyes and the feel of him against her. He was aroused. She sucked in a sharp breath. He smiled. An insanely sexy, irritatingly confident gesture that affected only one side of his mouth.

  “You’re sure you want me to stop?” He pressed his hand into the small of her back, forcing her to mold to his unmistakably male contours.

  Kate squirmed, but suppressed the urge to arch against the hard ridge straining into her belly. “Yes,” she murmured, though yes was far from her thoughts. She wanted him to take her. She wanted to feel him inside her. God, how could she want him?

  Instantly, Raine’s hold relaxed, but he didn’t release her completely. “All right,” he rasped. “I just have to do one thing first.”

  Kate’s gaze collided with Raine’s a heartbeat before his mouth captured hers. Unlike his gruff words, his lips were soft, his siege tender. He tasted like coffee and something else, something dark and mysterious. A staggering swell of desire surged through her, making her dizzy with want. Without thought, Kate’s hands slid over his muscled chest and her arms twined around his neck.

  No, she didn’t want him to stop. Kate tiptoed, pressing her body more intimately against his. She didn’t ever want him to stop. Raine’s answering groan set off a series of shock waves deep inside her, the pulsating aftershocks weakening her knees. His tongue pushed inside her mouth, hot and demanding. Kate moaned her acceptance as he explored, retreated, and thrust again.

  His hand was under her sweatshirt, beneath her T-shirt, seeking, caressing. Each brush of his callused palm over her bare skin sent spasms of desire to her core. And then he had her breast in his hand; his thumb grazed her nipple, and it puckered and her feminine muscles clenched. Raine kissed her harder, commanding her body with complete mastery.

  You’re a woman…you’re young and beautiful. That will get you closer than anyone else… The words exploded inside Kate’s head. This was a mistake. She had to make him stop. Kate struggled to push Raine away. To stop his sensual assault. He broke the kiss and stared down at her, his breath ragged, his eyes glazed.

  “I can’t do this,” she gasped, fighting for her next breath. She needed to get away from him. Kate pushed harder, trying to put some space between their heated bodies.

  “It’s all right,” he assured her. “I’ll stop.” He took his time removing his hand from beneath her shirt, allowing his palm to glide slowly down her rib cage. Kate stood stock-still, afraid to move at all for fear of throwing herself back into his arms.

  He lifted that hand, still warm from clutching her breast, and traced the outline of her cheek. “But next time I won’t.” He leaned closer, filling the tiny distance she had managed to put between them. “Next time I’ll be so deep inside you that you won’t know where you end and I begin.” He dropped one final kiss on her cheek, his lips lingering there as he said, “Be careful what you let yourself lust after, Kate, you might just get it.” Then he straightened and resumed his distant stare into the night.

  Anger shot through Kate’s veins, pushing strength into her boneless limbs. “You bastard! I didn’t want that!” Her hands tightened into fists at her sides.

  Raine leaned against the window frame and shot her a look over one broad shoulder. “Oh, you wanted it all right. Maybe you didn’t want to want it, but you wanted it just the same.”

  Kate had no idea if she tended to be short-tempered under normal circumstances, but these circumstances were anything but normal. And her hold on her temper wasn’t just short, it was nonexistent. Her breath came in ragged spurts. “You started it! You kissed me!”

  Raine faced her then, and crossed his arms over his mile-wide chest. “You don’t have to justify what happened, Kate. Many women have fantasized at one time or another about having wild, hot sex with a bad boy, especially one on the run. Why should you be any different?”

  Raine manacled her wrist before her palm connected with his jaw. He shook his head slowly from side to side. “You don’t want to do that,” he said in a low, warning tone.

  Kate jerked her arm from his hold and took a step back, out of his reach. “Don’t touch me again.”

  Lightning flashed, giving Kate a good look at his face. He didn’t smile, but she didn’t miss the gleam of triumph in his eyes. Somehow he considered himself the winner in what had just taken place. The winner in what respect she didn’t know. If she was smart, she wouldn’t want to know.

  Kate whirled away from him and strode back to her bed. She didn’t want to look at him. She didn’t want to talk to him. And she sure as hell didn’t want to want him. Sliding beneath the covers, she squeezed her eyes shut and willed herself to sleep.

  THE SOUND OF WATER spraying woke Kate from a drugging sleep. She forced her eyes to obey her brain’s command to open, but it proved a difficult task. A thin ray of sunlight sliced through the dark room from the crack where the drapes met. On the bedside table, the clock’s display read 10:00 a.m. Sitting up, Kate stretched and groaned with satisfaction at finally feeling rested.

  Raine. Images from their early-morning kiss flooded her mind. She shivered and pulled the covers up around her. She scanned the semidark room. Where was he? The sound of water invaded her consciousness again and Kate realized he was in the shower.

  In the shower—and she wasn’t locked in the closet. Obviously he had given up on her waking anytime soon and decide
d to shower on the assumption that she would sleep through it.

  Call in… The words raced through her mind, sending a rush of adrenaline through her veins. Call in. She had to call in. Numbers spilled into her head: 312–555–4911.

  “Call 312–555–4911,” she repeated aloud. Kate threw back the covers and dropped her feet to the floor. She stared at the telephone for all of three seconds before she turned the base to face her. Kate listened for Raine; he was still in the shower. She quickly read the instructions for making a collect call. She didn’t want any charges to be added to the room.

  Kate swallowed the lump of fear rising in her throat and dialed the appropriate numbers. When the operator asked for her name, she had to whisper Kate Roberts twice before the woman understood her. Finally the call was connected. One ring sounded across the line, then another.

  “Hello.”

  Kate frowned at the strangely familiar male voice. She listened as the operator asked if he would accept a collect call from Kate Roberts. The man agreed without hesitation.

  “Kate? It’s Nick, honey. Are you all right?”

  She couldn’t put a face with the voice, but no warning bells went off inside her head, so Kate took that as a good sign. “I’m all right,” she replied tightly.

  “We’ve been worried sick about you. Why haven’t you called in before now?”

  Kate shivered. How could this man know her and she not know him?

  “Kate, are you there?” Concern colored his voice.

  Kate blinked. “I’m here,” she said softly.

  “Aunt Vicky needs to speak to you. She’s been beside herself for two days.”

  Two days. Did that mean something? The man emphasized those words. Should they mean something to her? Kate creased her forehead in concentration. And who was Aunt Vicky?

  “Kate, if you’re safe that’s our main concern. But…” He paused. Then, “Did you reach your destination? Was it everything you had anticipated?”

  The water shut off in the bathroom. “I have to go,” Kate muttered distractedly.

  “Wait, please wait. I need you to stay on the line a little longer. Vicky needs to speak with you about your missed appointment. Don’t hang up.”

  Kate glanced from the bathroom door to the telephone. If he caught her on the phone, what would he do? Should she tell him she had remembered this number?

  “Kate? Are you still there?”

  Kate stared at the handset. The voice…it was her. The woman’s voice she always heard in her head.

  “Kate, it’s Aunt Vicky, are you all right, dear?”

  The toilet flushed. Fear gripped Kate’s heart. “I have to go.” She quietly replaced the receiver in the cradle before the woman on the other end could respond, then pushed the phone back to its original position on the table.

  Kate stood just as Raine stepped out of the bathroom. Quickly, she stretched and then brushed the hair back from her eyes. “Thanks for letting me sleep late,” she said, trying her level best to keep the fear from manifesting itself in her voice. Those same old warnings kept echoing inside her head. If he suspects for one second…

  Raine didn’t say a word. He simply stood there, showered and dressed, and scrutinized her from head to toe. The thickening beard on his chiseled features made his presence even more fear-inspiring. When he at last seemed to be satisfied with the results of his visual inspection, he spoke, “You needed the rest. As soon as you’re ready, we have things to do today.”

  Kate only nodded and hurried past him to the bathroom. Once inside, she closed the door and sagged against it. Aunt Vicky. We’ve been worried sick. Two days. Was it everything you anticipated? Missed appointment? Kate closed her eyes and willed the voices away. She couldn’t think about that right now. None of it made sense anyway. And she could never let Raine suspect that she had made that call. He won’t take the time to find out which side sent you. Which side of what? she demanded. No answer came.

  Kate opened her eyes. She could do this. She had to do this.

  RAINE UNLOCKED the door to their hotel room and entered first. The room faced the rear parking lot—not the usually requested view, but he preferred direct access to the outside. He set the packages containing their purchases on the table. A late-afternoon storm had kicked up, rivaling last night’s. Raine didn’t allow himself to waste any time dwelling on the kiss he had stolen from Kate. To say it had moved him would be a vast understatement. He didn’t like the way she made him feel, but his actions were a means to an end. Kate had kept her distance all day. She didn’t let him get close and that was what Raine had wanted.

  Want really didn’t have anything to do with it, he amended. He needed the distance. He had to keep his head on straight or they would both wind up on ice. Raine swallowed hard as he checked inside the closet. He didn’t want to die himself, but the thought of Kate lying lifeless on the ground with a bullet through her head appealed to him even less. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. And if she proves to be your enemy, what then? Raine ignored his own warning.

  When he was sure the room was clear, he motioned for Kate to come inside. She sighed and pushed from the door frame she had leaned against. The day had taken its toll on her. She dropped her coat onto the bed and curled around one fluffy pillow, then closed her eyes.

  Raine frowned. The impression that something was wrong with her still niggled at his conscience. He pulled off his coat and tossed it across the bed. Maybe she needed some sort of special diet or vitamins. But he didn’t have time to worry about that at the moment. Right now he had to consider the information Lucas had given him. Such as it was.

  He shoved his hand through his hair and paced the length of the room. He hadn’t wanted to make that call, but being saddled with Kate had left him little choice. Raine hoped like hell he hadn’t made a mistake. He desperately needed Lucas to keep the various government agencies off his back for just a little while. Of course, putting the feds on Raine’s trail wouldn’t have been Lucas’s idea anyway. That order had to have come from Cuddahy, the director of Special Ops. He was relatively new to the organization and intent on making a big name for himself. Raine didn’t know much about the man, but he had the reputation of being a “by-the-book bastard.”

  Raine slowly turned and retraced his steps. He hadn’t given Lucas their location and he’d made sure that he hadn’t stayed on the line long enough for a trace. That’s why he had made several different calls, and always from a different location. Kate hadn’t complained about all the walking, but she had later protested the shopping.

  He had bought new clothes and necessities for her as well as himself. Raine expelled a weary breath. He had to admit that Kate was the first woman he’d ever had to coerce into shopping. She hadn’t wanted to do anything but come back to the room.

  New clothes, dining at a nice restaurant, none of it appealed to her, as it would have to most women. She was tired, she’d said. Raine scrutinized her pale features. Maybe she had some sort of health problem. The bruise on her temple looked much better. But overall she seemed weaker now than when she’d first staggered into his cabin from the cold.

  Raine suddenly remembered the unmarked bottle of pills he’d found in her purse that first day. The medication she hadn’t recognized. He retrieved the bottle from his coat pocket and peered through the colored plastic at the small blue pills. Maybe this was the key to what was going on with Kate. He glanced at her still form and made a decision. If he had remembered the pills earlier, he could have done this today, but he hadn’t given them a thought since the day he’d shoved them into his pocket.

  Now he would just have to go out again and locate a pharmacist still open at 6:00 p.m. to find out what the bottle contained. Raine clenched his jaw and strode over to her bed.

  “Kate.” He shook her gently. His frown deepened when he noticed the sheen of perspiration on her face. He brushed the back of his hand across her forehead. Her skin was cool and clammy. “Damn,” he muttered. She was definite
ly sick. Raine shook her again. “Kate, wake up.”

  Kate opened her eyes and stared vacantly at him. “What?” she murmured.

  “We have to go out again. There’s something I need to check.”

  She shrugged off his hand and turned back into her pillow. “No way. I’m exhausted. You go without me.”

  Raine blew out a puff of air. “No can do, Kate. Where I go, you go.”

  She rolled to her back and glared at him. “You don’t have to worry, I won’t run away. I don’t have the energy to do anything but lie here. Just go and leave me alone.”

  Raine considered that possibility for about two seconds. As easy as it would be to do, he knew better. Kate might not take off on him, but he couldn’t take the chance.

  “Sorry, but I can’t do that. Now get up.”

  Raine straightened as Kate struggled to her feet. When she had steadied herself, she planted her hands firmly on her hips and glared at him. “It’s pouring down out there, I’m not going with you.” She lifted her chin defiantly. “And you can’t make me.”

  Raine bit back a grin. At least she still had some fight left in her. “I think you know better than that, but if you’ll promise to behave yourself I’ll let you stay.”

  “I swear,” Kate said quickly. “I’ll be an absolute angel.”

  “And you won’t make a sound?”

  She nodded adamantly. “Not a peep.”

  Raine shrugged. “Okay, suit yourself.” He took the eight steps necessary to reach the closet and opened the bifold doors. “I’ll let you out the moment I get back.”

  Kate’s mouth gaped in disbelief. She glared at him, crossed her arms over her chest and said, “No.”

  “That’s not an option. You either come with me—” he gestured toward the closet “—or you stay in here until I get back.”

  Kate marched across the room, muttering things he couldn’t and didn’t want to understand. She stepped into the close quarters and whirled around to give Raine what could only be called the evil eye.