by Rowe, Julie
Smoke rose out of the canyon faster than any man had a right to manage. He frowned at Henry and scowled at Kini. “What?”
Kini couldn’t believe that’s all he would say. She opened her mouth to say so, but Henry spoke first.
“You doing okay?”
Smoke seemed to consider the question seriously. “Yeah, okay.”
“Coming back to work next week?”
Smoke nodded.
“Good enough.” Henry gave him a brief nod and started walking back to the SUV parked not far away.
Smoke looked at her then shouted at Henry, “Forget something?”
“Nope,” Henry said, sounding positively cheerful. “She’s your problem now.”
Smoke turned to her, his scowl turning into a glare.
She glared back. “How’s the fishing going?”
“Caught something I didn’t expect,” he muttered.
“Well, you should have.” Anger flared hot and bright, giving her more energy than she’d had for days. “You walked out of my room without so much as a goodbye.” She walked up to him and poked his chest with an index finger. “That was rude as well as cowardly.”
He flinched. “I was trying to avoid this conversation.”
“You avoid all conversation,” she said, putting her hands on her hips “Yet, I never had any problem understanding you until now and vice versa. What changed?”
He turned his body so he could only see her in the corner of his eye and said with a quiet voice that vibrated with despair. “I broke my word.”
“What are you talking about?” Then she remembered the first conversation they’d ever had, in his room, on his bed, with her naked on his chest. “You kept your word. You kept me safe.”
He spun and grabbed her shoulders, holding her in place while he bent down until they were nose to nose. “If I’m with you, I can’t keep you safe from me.”
“What do you mean, from you?” She angled her head to one side. “Smoke?”
“I promised I wouldn’t use violence. I broke my word. It’s going to happen again, it’s just a matter of time.”
It was her turn to scowl at him. “This fishing trip of yours didn’t do its job.”
He stared at her like she’d lost her mind. “Didn’t you hear what I said?”
“I heard, now it’s your turn to listen to me.” She thrust a finger under his nose and shook it. “The sheriff gave you no choice. You had to kill him. If you hadn’t, he would have killed me, and many more people. You did the only reasonable thing possible.”
He shook his head, so she put her hands on either side of his face and held him still. “You were forced to make a decision between two horrible outcomes. The sheriff’s death or my death. You made a choice to save me, not because it was easy, but because it was hard, and that choice hurt you.”
His gaze never left hers, and it was so full of pain and self-disgust she wanted to shake him and kiss away all the hurt at the same time. “You are not a monster. You’re a man who sacrificed his peace of mind to save others.” She took in a deep breath. “You’ve also taught me that I can’t hold what my father did against the rest of the human race. I can’t let what he did dictate my life.”
He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, breathing deep for several long seconds. “Thank you.” He pulled back with a solemn expression on his face. “Maybe…you’re right.”
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
He didn’t answer, just closed his eyes and rested against her as if she were the sun and he’d been freezing his whole life.
She wanted to hold him, kiss him, love him, but she was running out of energy fast. Her limbs seemed to weigh more than they should, and her body ached.
“So, are you done with your fishing trip?” she asked, glancing at the jeep she’d driven. His jeep. It had been hidden by Henry’s rented vehicle.
When she met his gaze again, it was to find him frowning at her. “You look pale.”
“This is my first full day out of the hospital.” She put a hand up to stop him from saying whatever put the scowl on his face. “I’m fine, just a little sore, but finding you, talking to you, was important to me.”
“I’ll drive you back to town.” He studied her for a moment. “When do you go back to work?”
“I don’t know, maybe a week or two from now.”
“Wait for me in the jeep,” he said.
Would he ever stop frowning at her?
“I’ll get my gear.” He took off down the canyon while she walked slowly to the vehicle and got in the passenger seat.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Smoke hurried to get the rough camp he’d set up inside his hideout cleaned up and all his gear gathered. Kini had looked more than just pale—she looked like she was in pain and about to fall over.
By the time he got his shit together and arrived at the jeep, she was asleep in the passenger seat. He put a hand on her face and found himself shaking. Her skin was as soft and supple as the petals of a rose. His thumb brushed over her plush lips. He wanted to put his mouth on her and devour her for hours, drown himself in her taste and scent until neither of them had the strength to move.
Not going to happen anytime soon, asshole. Recovering from two bullet wounds was no joke, and after…she might be able to forgive his shooting the sheriff, but that didn’t change the core problem.
Him. He was damaged. Rage and war were part of who he was, and she’d already experienced enough killing to last her whole lifetime. He could take care of her now, satisfy the primitive thug inside him with that much, and hope that would be enough.
He needed to get his head on straight.
He put in a call to the CDC doctor, Gunner, who’d looked after both of them. The guy was a bit of an asshole, but that just made him easier to work with.
Gunner answered the phone with a barked, “What?”
“This is Smoke. Kini is with me.”
“I heard you were hiding out in the desert,” the doctor said. “What the fuck is she doing out there with you? She’s in no shape to be hiking or anything more strenuous than a walk to the nearest bathroom.”
“Not my idea.” Smoke sighed, but it was his fault. “She came looking for me. She’s asleep now. Should I bring her back to the hospital?”
“Fuck no.”
“Hotel?”
“That’ll do. Light exercises only. And by ‘light’ I mean walking at a pace she sets for herself. No lifting, no working, and no wild monkey sex. Got it?”
“No monkeys. Got it.”
“She’ll have to have her dressings changed in a couple of days.”
“I can do that. I wasn’t a medic in the army, but I qualify as an EMT.”
“Good. Saves me having to track you down.”
Smoke cleared his throat. “I need to talk to you.”
“We are talking,” Gunner said after a moment.
“About…the shit…inside my head.” That was harder to say than he’d expected.
“I may not be the best person for that,” Gunner said slowly. “I’ve got a fair amount of shit of my own to deal with.”
“That makes us equals,” Smoke said.
“Huh.” The grunt came out sounding surprised and thoughtful. “That it does. You want this on the books or off?”
“On. I’m pretty sure the CDC would insist.”
“I’ll make it a mutual thing,” the grumpy doctor said. “They’ve been yammering at me to talk to someone, too.”
“Like a support group?” At Gunner’s silence, Smoke added, “I’m not holding your hand.”
Gunner laughed. “Good, I hate awkward dates.” Still laughing, he hung up.
Smoke phoned River next, caught him up to speed, then headed into town. He left the jeep running with Kini in it while he had a fast shower and packed for hoteling it rather than camping out.
His mother told him he was going to get into trouble for not asking Kini what she wanted to do, but he just shrugged. He w
anted her someplace comfortable, with all the amenities, not a cheap motel off the highway.
The drive to Las Vegas was uneventful, and Kini didn’t wake up until they were almost at the hotel. She blinked several times, looking out the window with a frown. “We’re in Vegas? How did we get here?”
Since the answer was obvious, he didn’t say anything.
She glanced at him, her gaze lingered on his clothing and clean-shaven face. “How long did I sleep?”
“Three hours.”
She stared out the window. “Why did we come here?”
“Better hotels, food, and no outbreak.” He kept his tone neutral and unconcerned.
She turned to look at him, her gaze going over him carefully. “What’s going on?”
“Huh?” Everything was exactly as it appeared. He was taking her to a nice place to recover from her gunshot wounds.
His hands gripped the steering wheel and twisted.
And twisted.
She squinted at him. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Aside from nearly getting you killed?”
She leaned toward him and hissed. “I distinctly recall you saving my life.”
He’d said that out loud? Fuck.
“Is that what’s been going through your head for the last week?” she asked, her voice rising. “Are you seriously blaming yourself for anything those greedy, narcissistic, morons did?”
The words blasted out of him with a despair he thought he had locked down. “I sure as hell didn’t help.” Way to go, asshole. Bellowing at her is a great way to keep things on the down-low.
“Blackwater and Davis knew the second they laid eyes on you that they couldn’t intimidate, bully, or otherwise control you.”
When he didn’t respond, she threw her hands up in the air. “For fuck’s sake, they set me up to take the blame for an outbreak they and their treasonous friends started.”
Smoke already had his mouth open to argue with her when her words registered.
Wait, back up. “Treasonous friends?”
“See? This is what happens when you disappear for a week. You miss out on important information. Sheriff Davis wasn’t alone in his production of dangerous bacteria and viruses. The FBI says that there’s a whole convoluted trail of shell companies, offshore accounts, and invisible buyers involved. All of which seemed to have found ways to disappear into financial and legal black holes about the time the first cases were reported three weeks ago.”
“Is that why Davis went off the rails? He finally figured out he’d been left holding the bag?”
She shrugged. “The FBI and Homeland security have only begun to untangle things, but Henry and River seem to think so.”
They pulled into the Bellagio’s valet parking line.
Smoke turned off the engine then gave her his full attention. “We’ll talk more about this when we’re alone. For now, we’re staying here for a few days. Doctor’s orders.”
She snorted then winced. “Okay, fine. Force me to stay at a nice hotel and eat good food. Hurt me again.”
He was very afraid he would do exactly that. Still, he didn’t want the conversation heading back into emotional territory, didn’t want her thinking too hard and understanding just how bad he was for her, so he asked, “Grumpy much?”
She pinned him in place with a laser stare. “Don’t start.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Smoke got out of the jeep, tossed the keys to one of the valets, then helped Kini out. He’d have carried her, but she gave him such a dirty look he didn’t dare suggest it. He grabbed their bags, and they went inside.
Ten minutes later, they were entering the suite he’d reserved. A bedroom and sitting room with a small kitchen. He put her bag in the bedroom, but left his in the sitting area. The sofa bed would be more than adequate for him.
She sat on the sofa and scowled at him.
He handed her the room service menu. “Pick out something and I’ll order us up an early dinner.”
They ate in silence. Kini seemed just as angry two hours after arriving at the hotel as she’d been in the vehicle.
He didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t make things worse, so he kept his mouth shut. He wanted to tell her how scared he’d been when the sheriff shot her. How stupid happy he’d been when she woke up, and when he’d seen her standing at the side of the canyon earlier.
If River, Henry, or any of his Battle could see him now, struggling desperately for the right things to say, they’d laugh their asses off.
At eight o’clock, she wished him a cool good night and went into the bedroom. The only thing that gave him any solace at all was that she left the door open a few inches.
…
Kini couldn’t breathe. There was too much smoke in the room and the hand around her throat was so tight. She clawed at that hand and the arm it was attached to, trying to make the grinning monster let her go, but he just laughed and squeezed harder.
“Kini, wake up. Wake the fuck up!”
Her eyes opened to find Smoke’s face only a few inches from hers, and the only hand around her throat was her own.
She coughed. “Smoke? What?”
He buried his head against her shoulder. “Fuck.” The word shuddered out of him, and his whole body shook. “You were having a nightmare I think, but you were choking and couldn’t seem to breathe.”
She sucked in a couple of hard breaths. “I’m okay.”
He didn’t respond, didn’t move.
She put her hand on his head and let her fingers pet and stroke him. It seemed to help decrease his shaking so she kept doing it. “Before you chopped your way to me with that axe, which was incredible by the way, I was certain I was going to die in the fire.”
He lifted his head to stare at her with sad, sad eyes. “This isn’t the first time you’ve had this dream?”
“No. I scared the absolute shit out of Dr. Gunner a couple of times.” She tried to smile. “You know how he likes to work the night shift.”
“Did he give you any medication to help you sleep?” Smoke asked.
“No, but he did say there was something better than medication.”
Smoke frowned. “What?”
“Sleeping with a friend.”
Smoke reared back as if to get off the bed. “He offered to sleep with you?”
“What? No. No. He advised me to do it with someone trustworthy. Someone my body and subconscious would recognize as safe.”
Smoke stared at her like she’d just told him she had an incurable disease.
“I can think of only one person who meets all of the doctor’s criteria,” she continued.
His eyes grew wide and he shook his head.
“Yes. You.” She snagged one of his hands before he could bolt and tugged on him, whispering, “Please don’t leave me.”
He stood, staring at her and breathing fast, for several seconds. When he spoke, his voice came out a low rumble, “This is a very bad idea.” He disengaged himself from her and stood next to the bed. Was he going to leave?
His hands went to the waistband of his jeans and he shoved them down. His skin-tight boxer briefs were molded to his muscled thighs and ass.
Lord have mercy, he was a beautiful man.
He crawled under the covers with her and coaxed her to roll over so he could spoon her from behind and put an arm over her waist.
The heat, scent, and feel of him did something to her insides, relaxed muscles she hadn’t realized were tense. “Thank you.”
“Bad idea,” he murmured in her ear.
“Bah humbug to you, too,” she said, her eyes so heavy she couldn’t keep them open.
She woke up on Smoke’s chest again.
This is a neat trick. Here she was in Las Vegas, in bed with the best-looking man she’d ever met, and neither one of them was wearing a whole lot of clothes.
As super powers went, it wasn’t bad.
Should she be a good girl and remove herself from her somewhat comp
romising position?
Sheesh, where would the fun be in that?
Kini wiggled until she was a little higher on his chest before tracing the outline of his cock through his underwear. He was already hard. And thick. It would feel so good when he took her. So very good.
His hand clamped down on hers. “Kini.”
“I need you,” she whispered.
His face twisted like he was being tortured. “You’re injured. Two bullet holes. Two.”
She went nose to nose with him. “I only need one thing to make me feel better and it isn’t any damned pill.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then don’t.” She kissed him. “You can be on top. Do all the work.” She kissed him again and again, teasing him with her lips and tongue show him how much she needed him.
He released her hand and carefully rolled her over. “You will tell me if I hurt you.”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Even if it’s a little bit.”
“Yes, I promise.”
He helped her take her T-shirt off, one of his, before he kissed her. His mouth took hers as if he were desperate to taste her, know her, yet his hands were gentle, his arms a cradle for her wounded body.
His mouth tasted her everywhere, her neck, between her breasts and even around her bandaged wounds. He spent a lot of time teasing her nipples by not quite touching them, then a little flick of his tongue to get them wet, before starting all over again.
She finally resorted to begging. “Please, Smoke, I need you to suck on them. Bite them. Something.”
He hovered over her chest. “Do you?” His voice was low and rough. “Poor baby.”
She made an inarticulate noise and began to struggle. She needed him to touch her.
He put his mouth on one nipple, sucking it deep and hard, while he pinched the other, and she nearly came then and there. The pleasure rolled over her in waves and she lingered on the precipice of orgasm.
“Smoke, please,” she whimpered. “I need you inside me.”
His answer was to slide one hand under her panties and part her private flesh. “So wet,” he growled, angling away so he could pull her panties off. When he moved over her, settling himself between her legs, he was naked, too.
His cock nudged the entrance to her body, then he pushed inside, rocking back and forth until he was all in. “Fuck,” he hissed as he pulled out then pushed back in.