by Arianna Hart
Jane stiffened and lifted her chin up a notch. She knew she wasn’t well-endowed but that didn’t mean she looked like a boy.
“Maybe we do it because we’re constantly judged by our appearances?”
“Don’t give me that line of garbage. Men like breasts. It’s hard wired into our DNA. There’s no escaping genetics, you know.”
“Believe me, I know.” Jane clenched her teeth to keep from snarling at him.
Gerard had apparently found her lacking in that aspect of her genetic make up, because he’d left her for his secretary and her 38-DD, DNA.
It still rankled her that he’d been willing to throw away their five-year relationship and their successful counseling practice for a pair of mammary glands.
Oh, he’d fought her on the divorce, saying it was an aberration and they could work through it. He’d even gone so far as telling her getting a divorce would ruin their reputation in professional circles.
When that hadn’t worked he’d blamed the whole event on her, saying if she had been more open, more accepting of his needs as a man he wouldn’t have looked elsewhere. That had been the death knell as far as she was concerned. After five years of boring, unfulfilling sex he was the one complaining about his needs being met? It had been too much for her pride to take.
Somehow she didn’t think Lex would leave any partner of his unfulfilled after lovemaking.
Chapter Five
“Turn in there. We need to get some supplies before we go any further.” Lex pointed to the nearly deserted parking lot of a Wal-Mart. Thank God this one was open twenty-four hours.
He’d been looking at the map and a germ of an idea had begun to form. An idea he was almost positive Jane wasn’t going to like. Too bad. He didn’t much care whether she liked it or not.
She didn’t say anything, for once, just obediently parked the car close to the front of the store. Her eyes had dark circles under them and her face looked pinched with fatigue, but she hadn’t voiced a complaint. If he’d made one of his sisters drive all night while he slept, his ears would be ringing for a week.
He didn’t get Jane. Not one little bit. But that didn’t stop him from sneaking glances at her while pretending to sleep. Although she wasn’t lushly sensual like most of the women in his past, she had a classic beauty that intrigued him.
Just because she wasn’t his type didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate her attributes. The way her nipples pebbled up under her thin T-shirt had him imagining things to do with those attributes that would probably shock her right out of her cotton panties.
Oh yeah, she wasn’t wearing any panties.
His body tightened instantly, hardening at the thought of her shucking off her tight jeans to reveal her naked ass for a more thorough investigation.
Down boy.
What the hell was wrong with him? This was his stick-in-the-mud neighbor he was fantasizing about. Get real. If he came on to her she’d stick her nose up in the air and stalk off like the Queen of freaking England.
“What are we doing here?”
“I told you I’d replace the things you had to leave at the hotel. Here we are. Do you have any other shoes? I don’t think you can go in barefoot even here in the back end of nowhere.”
“I have a pair of flip flops that I keep for when I get a pedicure. I think they’re in the back seat.”
She wore a shell-shocked expression that tugged at his heart, but he pushed it away. They didn’t have time for her to fall apart. She’d just have to suck it up until he could figure out what was going on and who was after them.
Jane unbuckled her seatbelt and reached into the back seat for her shoes. The scent of soap and woman drifted over him, charging his libido like a lightning bolt. Her breasts pressed against the thin shirt and his mouth watered.
It must be jet lag That had to be what was making him think of Jane as some tempting morsel instead of the iceberg she was. It would pass.
Damn it, it had better pass. He couldn’t afford to get distracted by his hormones.
“I cannot believe I’m going out in public like this,” Jane muttered ruefully.
“What? Wearing jeans, a T-shirt and flip-flops? That’s the uniform for half the United States’ population.”
“Not for me. I’ve never gone out of the house without any—ah—in this condition before.”
Without any underwear.
She couldn’t say it but he understood all the same. The picture of her curvy little butt shimmying into her jeans flashed through his memory, making him almost lightheaded as his blood went south in a rush.
“Trust me, no one will even notice. It’s six o’clock in the morning. No one’s going to pay any attention to you at all.” Except for him. Good Lord did he notice. “Come on. Let’s get moving. We’ve got a lot to do and not much time to do it in.”
***
Jane tried to hunch over so no one could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra. Although, Lex was right, no one even looked twice at them as they pushed their cart through the aisles.
She’d picked up a couple changes of clothes and toiletry items as well as a pair of flannel pajamas and some sneakers. Hopefully, it would be enough to last them until she could go home and hit Nordstroms.
Her mother would drop dead if she saw Jane shopping in Wal-Mart, wearing flip-flops and jiggling freely under a ratty T-shirt. Good thing she was more resilient than her mother.
Lex had gone off with the cart while she’d been searching for a new bra. Her face had flamed as he offered his opinions on which bra would be the best. She’d shot him a quelling glare, but something had made her grab the raspberry demi-bra instead of the plain white one she’d been looking at.
And the lacy underwear she’d chosen had nothing to do with him at all. They were just on sale and it made sense to buy the frivolous three pack instead of the cotton grandmother underwear that was the same price.
By the time she found Lex, the cart was filled to the brim and he was headed for the check out line.
“Did you pick up a jacket? You might want to grab something to keep you warm. The nights can get pretty cool in the mountains.”
“Mountains? What are we going to be doing in the mountains?”
Lex swore a blue streak and pulled her behind a magazine rack as headlights flashed across the store windows. “I’ll explain later. Stay out of sight. As soon as this stuff is rung up, take as many bags as you can and prepare to run.”
Adrenaline shot through her, making her knees weak and heart pound. Even though Lex appeared to wait patiently as the cashier checked out their items while carrying on a conversation with the clerk in the next lane, Jane could see the barely leashed energy churning in him. His eyes scanned the parking lot continually and he practically bounced on the balls of his feet.
As soon as the last item was rung up, Lex handed over a wad of cash before stuffing Jane’s arms with blue bags. What the heck had he bought anyway? She hadn’t paid attention but it was a lot more than some clothes and a toothbrush.
He pocketed the change then gathered the rest of their purchases. Jane headed for the automatic doors but he stopped her in her tracks.
“Hold on. I need to check this out before we walk blindly into a trap.”
The car that had pulled into the lot while they were in line was a black Cadillac, just like the one that had almost run her down yesterday.
And it was parked in front of her Saab.
Lex swore again.
“Come on, there has to be a back door.”
Jane’s arms ached with the weight of the bags she carried, but she was too scared to complain. Lex held even more than she did and he managed to move along just fine.
“Would you slow down? I’m going to fall if you keep pushing me like that.”
“Then move faster.”
She practically ran through the shoe department to a door marked “Employees Only.”
“We can’t go in here. It says employees only.”
�
�So arrest me. We need to get out of here without our buddies in the Caddy seeing us. It won’t be long before they get sick of waiting and come into the store, if they haven’t already.”
Lex led her to a garage door that was partially open. Gas fumes and cigarette smoke lingered in the air.
“Wait here while I make sure they don’t have someone covering the back door. If you hear shots, run like hell and scream your head off. They won’t try anything with this many witnesses.”
Gunshots? Again?
Dropping his pile of purchases, Lex pressed her behind a forklift and slipped out the door. A shiver danced down her spine and she clutched the packages closer to her chest.
What on earth was happening to her?
Her heart raced and sweat dripped down her face as she imagined a million catastrophes. What if he left her here? What if he got shot? Worse, what if she got shot? What if right this very second someone was coming to get her?
A whimper tried to claw its way out of her throat but she bit it back. How long had he been gone? She strained her ears to pick up any little noise but all she heard was the rushing of traffic in the distance.
Her knees almost buckled when a car pulled up to the docking bay. Lex burst out of the front seat and charged toward her.
“Move it, Janey. I knocked one of the guys out but he could come to any second. The other one is in the store right now.”
Her head still spinning from fear, Jane ran as fast as she could in flip-flops over the dew-covered pavement. Lex had already thrown his bundles in the back seat and motioned for her to hurry up.
“C’mon! Get in.”
A pebble jabbed the arch of her foot through the thin rubber but she ignored it as she practically fell into the front seat of the huge car.
She wasn’t even buckled when Lex put the car in gear and crept out of the driveway.
“Keep down.” He pushed her head next to his thigh, crushing the bags she still held to her chest.
“Are they after us?”
“Not yet. When we didn’t come out the front door, the big guy went into the store. I waited until he was in before I got you. If luck is on our side for once he won’t find his missing partner right away and that’ll buy us some time.”
“So can I sit up?”
“Not yet. They’ll be looking for a blonde so I want to keep your head out of sight as long as possible.”
“This is vastly uncomfortable.” The seatbelt cut into her stomach and her face was pressed just inches from his jean-clad leg. She could smell the musky odor of sweat and man and it did strange things to her insides.
“Not as uncomfortable as a bullet in the head.”
Good point. She wiggled around to try to find a better position. Her face brushed against his thigh and he let out a groan.
“Could you please keep still?”
“I’m sorry. I’m doing the best I can. I’ve never had to lie across the front seat of a car before.”
“What a shock.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She tried to lift her head up to get a better look at him but he pushed her head back down.
“Forget it. You wouldn’t understand.”
He was laughing at her. She could hear it in his voice. “Just because I don’t run from gun-wielding lunatics on a regular basis is no reason to make fun of me, you brute. I’m doing the best I can under the circumstances.”
“I’m not making fun of you. Really.”
“It sure sounds like you are.”
A gust of air ruffled her hair as he sighed. “When you were a teenager, did you fool around in your boyfriend’s car?”
“Of course not!” Her mother would have killed her. Ladies didn’t “fool around” at all, but most especially not in a car. Not that Jane wouldn’t have been willing to try it at least once if she’d had the opportunity. Unfortunately, her dates in high school were limited to chaperoned events orchestrated by her mother.
“I didn’t think so.”
“What does my youthful experience,” or lack thereof, “have to do with being squashed against the seat?”
“Lady, you don’t want to go there. Trust me.”
“Right. Like I’d trust you about anything.”
“Whaddya mean by that crack?”
“You have to admit, you’re not the most upstanding of citizens.”
“What’re you talking about? I was a freaking FBI agent!”
“You run away from the police, you carry a gun, and you have a penchant for, ah, playing the field.” Her face flamed in embarrassment, but she didn’t back down. If he was going to mock her for her lack of experience, she could comment on his plethora of it.
“My what?”
“The revolving door on your bedroom.”
“You’re crazy. I’m not a player.”
“Oh pul-lease. If you had any more women parading through your condo you’d have to install one of those ‘take a number’ machines like at the deli. You are most definitely a player.” Whatever that was.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve had relationships with all the women who’ve ‘paraded’ through my room. Jesus, it’s not even like there’s been that many. I’m not home enough to be a player.”
“It’s none of my business how you choose to live your life.” Oh Lord, could they please just drop this subject? She should have kept her mouth shut. This was only slightly humiliating.
“You’re right. It’s not.” He tapped his hand on his thigh.
Jane couldn’t help but stare at his long fingers just inches from her nose. He had a strong hand, very masculine with a smattering of dark hair sprinkled across the knuckles. It would look perfectly natural holding a beer can or a hammer. She couldn’t picture Lex drinking from a wine glass or using a delicate fish fork with those broad, callused hands.
An image of his fingers cupping her breasts, his darkness against her lightness, flashed through her brain, singeing every synapses along the way. He wouldn’t be a gentle lover. No, he’d be hard and demanding and probably very thorough.
Her breath hitched as her heart rate shot through the roof. Suddenly she felt far too warm. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck and between her breasts.
“I am not a player.”
“Whatever you say.”
“Don’t try that reverse psychology crap on me. Just because I don’t live like a monk doesn’t mean I use women. They know the deal going in. I’m not around enough for a permanent relationship. That’s not what they’re looking for either. Just a mutually satisfying experience between consenting adults.”
“Of course.” Very satisfying, from what she could tell.
“Why am I explaining myself to you?”
“I have no idea.”
Lex swore softly and Jane hid a smile. The conversation was completely inappropriate, but he was no longer picking on her for not making out in a car as a teen. It was nice to actually win a battle with him for once.
“You can sit up now.”
“Thank you.” Jane’s head spun slightly as she righted herself. “Would it be possible to stop for something to eat soon?” Her stomach growled as if to emphasize her point.
He grunted but didn’t answer her. His forehead was scrunched up in thought.
She didn’t want to ask again, but if she didn’t eat soon her blood sugar would drop to her toes and she’d probably pass out. Her stomach rumbled even louder.
“I hear you, I hear you. We’ve got to ditch the car before it gets reported stolen and the cops start looking for it. I don’t want to leave it just anywhere because I don’t want a trail pointing right to us. I’ve got to find a place to stash you and the gear safely while I get us new wheels.”
“You stole this car?” And she was in it. That made her an accessory to the crime. She’d be arrested. Her name would be in the paper and everyone would see that she’d been involved in a grand theft auto. Her reputation would be shot.
“No, I asked politely
if I could borrow it. Of course I stole it, how do you think I got it?”
“That’s illegal!”
“Mac will handle it if we get caught. Which I don’t plan on happening. Ah, perfect.”
Jane turned to see what was so perfect and spied a big silver trailer. A neon sign reading “Mom’s Diner” blinked overhead. Several tractor-trailers were already parked in front of it. Lex slipped in between two semis, the big rigs completely dwarfed their stolen sedan.
He used the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe off the steering wheel and the door. “We’ll eat here and figure out what to do next.”
That was fine with her. She’d never eaten at a truck stop before but she was too hungry to care if she got food poisoning. She grabbed her purse from the floor of the car and heaved the car door open. Copying his actions, she wiped the handle and shut the door with her hip.
Lex waited for her, bouncing on his toes as she tried to finger comb her hair and straighten out her shirt. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips when her stomach voiced its complaints—loudly.
“Come on, let’s get a table before you pass out from hunger. You’re tiny enough as it is.” He held her arm and walked her up the metal steps to the door.
“If you tell me I’m as skinny as a boy again, I’m going to smack you,” Jane warned.
Lex let out a loud laugh and she shot him a death-glare.
“I never said you look like a boy. And even if I did, there’s no mistaking you for one in those jeans.” His eyes grew hot as his gaze roamed over her hips and legs.
Although tingles bubbled in her veins from his gaze, she said, “You called me a skinny little boy in the car.”
“No I didn’t. I said I’d never understand why women starved themselves to look like skinny little boys. I never said you were one.”
“Well that’s how sounded.”
“Then I apologize. Trust me, I never once thought you appeared anything less than a lady in all the time I’ve known you. At least until today.” He gave her a mock bow and held the door open for her.
Mom’s Diner didn’t have a diverse menu, but if you liked grease, it was the place to be. Jane rearranged her silverware into the correct placement, scrubbing the fork and spoon with a napkin she yanked from the dispenser in the booth.