He refused to answer any questions and demanded her silence. His anxiety and sense of urgency had her anxiously watching the forest around them just as intently as he was.
She gasped for breath, almost wishing their pursuers would find them and put her out of her misery, when Ryan finally called a halt to their mad dash through the forest.
Jessica plopped down right where she was and lay spread-eagled on the ground. Her chest heaved, her pulse pounded in her ears, and she was so nauseated she abruptly sat up and started gagging.
Ryan was immediately beside her, holding her hair out of her face as she dry heaved. There was nothing to throw up, but her body took a while to realize that before she stopped heaving.
She shoved her hair away from her face with a shaky hand and leaned back against a tree.
“I’m sorry, Jessie. I pushed you too hard. You’re dehydrated, and you need to eat.” Ryan handed her a bottle of water, and a granola bar.
Knowing they were running low on granola bars, Jessica broke it in two, refusing to eat any of it until Ryan grudgingly took the other half.
Several minutes later, when the nausea settled down and she felt human again, she climbed to her feet. She winced. The mad dash had earned her a set of blisters.
“What happened back there with the gunman?” she asked. “Why did we just run a marathon?”
“The gunman is dead. I wasn’t sure if he was alone, so I wanted to get us as far away from there as we could.”
Jessica glanced around. “Do you think we’re safe here?”
“For now, yes. You did a good job being quiet, keeping to the hard ground, not leaving a trail to follow.”
Jessica blushed with pleasure, which seemed ridiculous when she thought about it. Who would have thought she’d ever be proud to be able to pass through the woods without leaving a trail? Like that was a skill she’d ever thought she’d need.
Ryan’s face tightened into lines of disapproval as he stepped closer to her. “Why didn’t you stay where I’d left you when I went after the gunman?”
“I was worried about you. I heard shots and thought you might need my help.”
His face paled. “You went looking for me?” His hand shook as he ran it through his hair. “You could have been shot. That gunman was firing so wildly, he could have hit you.” He cursed and glared at her. “Don’t go running after me if I’m chasing someone with a gun. You got that?”
By the time he finished his tirade he was glaring down at her.
That was it. She’d followed his orders all day and had the blisters to prove it. She wasn’t putting up with any more orders today, or lectures. She jabbed her finger against his chest. “Taylor Hunt.” She jabbed him again. “William Gavin. Joey Acres. Michael Rogers. Those are the four marshals who died protecting me. I don’t want your name branded into my conscience, too. I don’t want you to die for me.”
His face had gone pale at the mention of the first name. He stared at her, his eyes wide. “You remember their names?”
“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?” She whirled around and stomped through the bushes, struggling to hold back the angry words she wanted to say. For the first time since she’d testified against Richard DeGaullo, she’d gone on the offensive, determined to protect Ryan in any way she could. For what? So he could lecture her?
“Jessie, wait.”
He caught up to her and grasped her shoulders. He forced her to turn around but she refused to look up at him.
“When I couldn’t find you, I thought someone had...” His words faded away and he pulled her tightly against his chest.
He was worried about her? That’s why he was so angry?
He gently pushed her back and cupped her face between his hands. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.” He yanked her toward him and captured her lips in a fierce kiss. When he stepped back, sympathy was etched on his face. “I’m so sorry to do this, but we have to keep going if we’re going to make that cabin by nightfall.”
The words he didn’t say hung in the air between them. If one gunman had caught up to them, another one probably wasn’t far behind. That’s what he was really worried about. They had to keep moving.
Their lives depended on it.
* * *
“ARE YOU SURE a forest ranger isn’t going to find us here?” Jessica asked, following Ryan into the cabin.
He smiled. “I think I can handle a park ranger if one drops by. There’s a propane tank out back and I just flipped on the water heater. You’ll have plenty of hot water for a shower in a few minutes. Go ahead and grab your clothes and scout around for a towel. I’ll see if they’ve got anything in the pantry we can eat. Unless you prefer I hunt up a squirrel and make some stew.”
She shuddered at the squirrel reference and he grinned back at her.
“What about heat?” she said, hoping she wouldn’t have to put her jacket back on after taking a shower.
“If the fireplace was wood-burning, you’d be out of luck. But it’s gas so we won’t have to worry about the smoke alerting anyone. Go ahead and take your shower. By the time you’re done it will be warm in here and I’ll have something ready for us to eat.”
“Every woman’s dream. A hot guy who does all the cooking.” Jessica’s face flushed as soon as the words left her mouth. She grabbed her clothes and toiletries from the backpack and escaped into the bathroom.
* * *
RYAN GRINNED WHEN Jessica slammed the bathroom door. She flustered so easily. He loved the way her blush turned her fair skin a tantalizing pink. His mouth watered as he pictured how far down that pretty little blush extended.
His gaze drifted toward the bed that dominated the room. His pulse leaped at the thought of sharing it with her. He tamped down his raging desires with difficulty. There wasn’t time for that nonsense. Jessica needed her sleep. She was exhausted. It was the only reason he’d taken the risk of staying in the cabin, and they couldn’t stay for more than a few hours. Anything longer would be too risky without knowing how close their pursuers might be.
Or who, exactly, their pursuers were.
He snapped the battery into his cell phone. The first call he placed was to his boss. As usual, Alex answered on the first ring, and this time he recognized Ryan’s number.
“Ryan, where are you? I’ve called a dozen times. Why didn’t you bring the witness in—”
“Who torched Jessica’s house?”
“What? Why are you ask—”
“I’m about to hang up.”
“Wait, wait. Okay. I don’t know for sure who’s behind the fire yet, but I do have some new information. The police found the real Mike Higgins today, the insurance salesman, murdered in the woods. But we still don’t know who the gunmen were that tried to kill you at your cabin.”
“Do you have any leads at all?”
“Only a handful of people have access to the information on witness locations. We’re looking at each of them, eliminating them one by one.”
Ryan glanced at his watch. He was pushing his luck. Alex had to be trying to trace his phone right now. “The day of the courthouse bombing, you ordered me to fill in for Marshal Cole. Why?”
“Why? Cole was sick. The mistrial was declared unexpectedly. You still don’t trust me, do you?”
“I gave my trust to a man I worked with for over two years in Afghanistan. He betrayed me and four of my men died. I’ve known you for far less time than that. So don’t expect me to trust you, especially since you broke standard procedure on this case. Why did you assign me to move in next door to Jessica, and order me to stay—indefinitely? As far as I know, that’s never been done before in WitSec.”
Alex swore a blue streak. “Assigning you to stay with her wasn’t my idea. It came down from my boss. When I questioned him about it—and I did ask—he said the order came from higher up, some suit in Washington. He thought it was because her case was so high profile, that we couldn’t risk anything happening.” He laughed harshly into the p
hone. “Fat lot of good that did.”
Ryan winced. He’d deserved that, he supposed, if he looked at it from his boss’s perspective. Still, he’d had to be sure. His gut told him his boss wasn’t lying. “What’s the name of that higher-up?”
Alex gave him the name, Alan Rivers, but it didn’t sound familiar.
“Do you have trackers on our trail right now?”
“You know I do. They started out as soon as your twenty-four hours were up. You’re neck deep in trouble for not bringing the witness in. I’m doing everything I can to find you two.”
He glanced at his watch, nervous about being on the phone so long. He crossed to one of the two windows in the cabin and pulled the room-darkening curtain to the side to look out. “A gunman caught up to us today. There must be others out here, too. I doubt he was working alone.”
“Since you’re still breathing, can I assume he isn’t?”
“He’s no longer a threat.”
Alex sighed. “Did you recognize him?”
“No.” He thought about emailing his boss the picture on his phone, but he still wasn’t sure he could trust him.
“Tell me where you are. I can get a helicopter out there, evac you out.”
“Not until you find the mole.”
He disconnected the call and made one more.
“Hello?”
“Stuart, it’s Ryan. Did you get the photo I sent you?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know who he is. Must be one of DeGaullo’s low-level thugs.”
“Maybe, I’m not sure. I also have a name for you to check out—Alan Rivers.” When Stuart didn’t answer, Ryan glanced at the phone to make sure the call hadn’t been disconnected. “Stuart? You still there?”
“I’m here. Sorry. What was that name you wanted me to check—some guy named Rivers?”
“Alan Rivers, some Washington bureaucrat who passed down orders to my boss that went against WitSec’s standard operating procedures. It’s not much to go on, but it’s something to look at. Have you gotten anywhere with your investigation?”
“Not much. Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out. I’ll look into this Rivers guy. Where are you now?”
“In that cabin you told me about. I can’t keep Jessica on this mountain anymore. It’s too dangerous. I need a favor.”
Chapter Fourteen
When Jessica opened the bathroom door she was delighted to see a roaring fire in the fireplace. The cabin was toasty warm and a mouthwatering smell came from the kitchenette where Ryan stood with his back to her.
She padded to him on bare feet, her toes curling against the cool, hardwood floor. He was stirring something with a long wooden spoon.
“Smells wonderful. What is it?”
“Would you believe beef stew?”
“Probably not.”
He held a spoonful of the stew beneath her nose and her stomach growled at the incredible aroma.
“Please tell me it’s not squirrel,” she said.
“It’s not squirrel.”
She chewed her bottom lip. “You’re not going to tell me it’s Bambi, are you?”
His mouth quirked up in that familiar lop-sided grin. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
It wasn’t exactly a “no” but she was so hungry she decided not to press. She wanted that stew. Desperately. “I don’t suppose those forest rangers hid a Venti Mocha in their cupboard, did they?”
“I did see a pile of used Starbucks cups in the trash. I guess they drank it all.”
“Selfish jerks. Okay, serve me up some of that squirrel stew. I’m starving.”
“It’s not squirrel. It came from a can.”
Her stomach rumbled in answer. “Trust me. Right now I really don’t care what it is.”
Since there wasn’t any furniture besides the bed, they both sat on the edge of the bed to eat. While Ryan took a shower, Jessica cleaned their dishes and replaced them in the pantry. She refilled their empty water bottles from the faucet and hand-washed their dirty clothes, hanging them on the countertops and stove handle to dry.
With nothing else to do, she stripped down to her T-shirt, turned down the comforter, and slid under the covers. The shower had turned off several minutes ago and she twisted her fingers in the sheets waiting for Ryan to come out.
Why was she so nervous? Except for the requisite bathroom breaks and hurried baths in freezing mountain streams, she and Ryan had been in each other’s company constantly for days. So, they were going to share a bed tonight. It wasn’t any different than sleeping on a pine bed in a cave, or at least it shouldn’t be.
The bathroom door opened and Ryan stepped out with a towel slung low on his hips. Jessica closed her mouth when she realized it had fallen open. She clutched the covers over her T-shirt, hungrily watching Ryan cross the room, his golden skin glowing in the firelight.
He double-checked the curtains, she presumed to make sure the light from the fireplace couldn’t be seen from outside. Then he tucked his gun under the pillow next to her. He lifted the comforter to get into the bed, but paused when his gaze met hers. “Do you want me to sleep on the floor?”
“No, of course not. We’ve slept together this whole time. There’s no reason for me to be shy.”
“But you are. You’re embarrassed. Your face is fire red.” His gaze dipped down to her chest and she automatically raised the sheet, causing him to look back up into her eyes.
“Sleeping together in a real bed just seems...different somehow. You must think I’m a total prude.” She fisted her hands in the comforter.
“I think you’re refreshing.”
She glanced away, uncomfortable with his praise since she’d been lusting after him from the day they’d met. She wanted him more now than ever. After the way he’d responded to her when they were giving the gunman a show, she’d taken it for granted that he wanted her, too. And yet, here he was offering to sleep on the floor. She didn’t understand him. “Well, good night.”
He slid under the covers and turned to face the other direction. “Night.”
* * *
JESSICA WOKE UP blinking and glancing at the window next to the bed. The curtains were so heavy she couldn’t tell if it was day or night outside. She started to reach for the curtain to look out.
“It’s still dark outside, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
She jerked around at the sound of Ryan’s voice. He was sitting on the floor next to the fireplace with his back braced against the wall. Watching her.
“Ryan? Is something wrong?”
“We’ll have to leave soon. Go back to sleep while you still can.” His voice was deeper than usual, oddly strained. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“Then why are you sitting on the floor?”
He gave a short bark of laughter, his voice sounding harsh in the silence of the cabin. “You haven’t dated much, have you?”
“Why would you ask me that?”
“Because you asked me why I’m sitting on the floor.”
“I’ve dated. I’m not a virgin, you know.” If her face got any hotter, she thought she’d die.
“And yet you have no idea why I’m sitting here instead of in bed? With you?”
Enlightenment dawned and her gaze flew toward his lap. His shorts did little to conceal his aroused state. He sighed and raised his right knee, shielding her view.
“Ryan, you confuse me.”
“It’s not that complicated. I’m a man. You’re a beautiful woman.”
“No. I’m not. That’s what’s confusing.”
He stood in one fluid motion and approached the bed. He sat on the edge looking down at her, his brows drawn into a dark frown. “You are beautiful. Why is that so hard to accept?”
“I’m a geek, a nerd. Men, especially men like you, never pay attention to me.”
“Men like me?”
She smoothed imaginary wrinkles from the sheet.
His hand covered hers, stilling her movements. “Men like me?” he repeated.
The corner of his mouth quirked up in a wry grin. “I can’t have muscles and be a fashion cover model? You’ve shattered my dreams.”
“Do not make fun of me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Can we just forget I said anything? I’m sleepy.”
“Liar.”
She punched her pillow and wiggled down farther under the covers, trying to avoid his gaze. “Good night.”
“You have beautiful eyes. They sparkle when you laugh, darken when you’re angry...or excited.”
Her gaze shot to his and she swallowed nervously. “You...you think my eyes are beautiful?”
“Yeah. Oh, yeah. I love your mouth, too. Those sexy, pouty lips can drive a man wild with fantasies.” He ran his thumb across her lower lip, making her shiver. She craved his touch, wanted to feel his hand running down her body, cupping her breasts.
“Your skin is incredibly soft,” he whispered, trailing his fingers down her neck to her collarbone, raising goose bumps wherever he touched.
She shifted her legs restlessly beneath the covers. He was setting her on fire, making her ache for his touch. Tugging the covers down to her waist, he slid his hand up under her T-shirt, gently stroking, burning a trail up toward her breasts. She sucked in a deep breath in anticipation but he changed direction.
She grabbed his hand, belatedly remembering she wasn’t wearing any underwear.
His gaze met hers as he lifted himself off the covers and flipped them out of the way to the end of the bed.
She quickly smoothed the shirt down to cover her hips, and flushed as he sat down again, his hip pressed intimately against hers.
He stroked her thigh, gently squeezing. “Did I mention how sexy your legs are?” His fingers worked some kind of wicked magic against her skin. She couldn’t suppress a little whimper. His hand jerked on her leg and the pressure of his fingers increased as he continued to stroke her.
“Ever since I first saw you I’ve imagined your incredible legs wrapped around my hips as I—”
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