Taelon stiffened and followed it with his gaze until it parked in the next row.
Anxiety and anger rose as he waited for the occupants to exit and calculated his chances of slipping out of his own vehicle and retrieving Lisa unnoticed.
A woman emerged, wearing blue pants and a brightly colored shirt. When the door on the opposite side opened, a younger woman who closely resembled her emerged. Two children clambered out of the back.
Relieved, Taelon relaxed back in his seat and resumed his vigil.
Lisa exited the store, pushing a cart.
Taelon’s heart sped up as he kept a sharp eye on those around her, ready to leap to her defense at a moment’s notice.
At last she reached him. Opening the back door, she hastily transferred several bags to the back seat, pushed the cart over to join a line of others, then returned and settled herself behind the wheel.
Turning, she smiled at him. “See? Easy peasy.”
Taelon yanked her into his arms and hugged her tight.
“No sign of the men in black?” she asked, leaning against him and returning the embrace.
He shook his head.
“Good.” Easing out of his hold, she sat back and regarded him with the same soft smile that twisted his heart. “Okay. So here’s the deal.” She reached into the back and dragged a bag onto the console between them. “We’re in Austin, Texas, now. I’m not sure where we were originally, just west of here somewhere. I’m originally from California. We moved to Texas two years before my mom got sick. And even though I’ve been to Houston for some of my mom’s cancer treatments, I’m not that familiar with the layout of the other cities and towns in Texas. It’s a big damn state.” She drew a device encased in a shell of plastic from the bag. “I figure it shouldn’t take much longer for the guys in black to figure out we stole their SUV, if they haven’t already. There’s only one way in and out of that place, so the guard at the gate will know something’s up when Agent Walker tries to leave, because he thinks Agent Walker already left. The guard thought you were him, right?”
Taelon nodded.
“And if Walker or one of the others guys goes to use this SUV and finds it missing, that will launch a search, too.”
Again he nodded. When she seemed to have trouble liberating the device from the plastic, he took it from her and forced the package open.
“Thank you,” she said as he handed it back to her.
“What is that?”
“A prepaid cell phone.”
One of Earth’s primitive communications devices. From what he understood, it had a very limited reach, restricted only to select locations on the planet.
“I’m going to use it to call a Forward Mover to come pick us up,” she continued. “They’re hired drivers. And we’re going to go to a small used-car lot I passed on the way here that sells older models. Once there, I’ll need you to make the clerk think the cash I offer him is enough to cover the cost of whatever car looks the best and is least likely to have any kind of built-in GPS tracker. I feel bad about screwing the dealer over, but we don’t really have a choice.” Her brow furrowed as she studied him. “Do you think you can still do that—make him see what you want him to? Your nose bled a lot before you passed out. So I’m worried that maybe—”
“I can do it.” He would do whatever was necessary to keep her safe.
“Okay.” She bit her lip. “I wish I could think of another way to—”
He rested a hand on her knee. “It’s all right, Lisa. I can do it.”
After a moment, she nodded. “Okay. So once we buy the car, we’ll head out of town. I paid for my purchases with the credit card, so hopefully nobody’s noticed it’s missing. Once we get the car, I’d like to stop at another store and buy more food and water, because I couldn’t get cash back without knowing the PIN and there wasn’t much cash.”
He glanced at the bags in back. “What did you purchase?”
“The basics. A couple of changes of clothes for both of us. Toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other toiletries. A golf bag to hide the rifle in. Some first aid stuff that I hope will help with your wounds. Bottled water. Soda in case I need a jolt of caffeine to make the trip. And enough food to get us to North Carolina and last several more days afterward since we need to save the cash for fuel and motel stays. I don’t want to use the credit card again once we leave Austin. If we do, the guys in black will be able to trace us and extend their search.”
He stared at her.
“What?”
“I am so attracted to you.”
Her eyebrows rose and the corners of her full lips turned up. “What?”
“It appears you’ve thought of everything.” He shook his head. “And I find your intelligence as immensely appealing as your beauty.”
Pink flooded her cheeks. “Flatterer.”
He grinned. “What’s that saying you Earthlings have? I’m just calling it as I see it?”
She laughed. Reaching back, she grabbed one of the other bags and plunked it in his lap. “Change your shirt while I make the call. Then we’ll go sit at one of those picnic tables they’re showcasing over near the garden department. That way the Forward Mover driver won’t associate us with the black SUV.”
There were two shirts in the bag, one black and one gray. Taelon turned away slightly when he removed his shirt and donned the black one. He didn’t want her to see the angry red infusing the incision that ran down his middle. The new shirt was wonderfully soft and fit looser than the other, so it irritated his wound less.
As soon as she made the call, Lisa handed him the phone to tuck in one of his many pants pockets. “Your pockets are bigger than mine.”
He tucked the rifle and some of the other goods in the golf bag and zipped it closed while she pulled a plastic container from one of her bags. Peeling open the top, she pulled a damp white cloth from it and began to wipe all the surfaces inside the car. “What are you doing?” he asked as he watched.
“Removing my fingerprints. Yours aren’t in the system. But mine are. And if they find one and trace it to a woman who has supposedly been dead for seven months, I’m guessing it would make them search for us even harder.”
Taelon drew another damp cloth from the container and helped her. Leaning his seat back, he wiped down the surfaces in the back as well. “What about the motel room?”
“I did a half-hearted wipe down before we left. But that place wasn’t very clean. It’s probably covered in prints. And mine wouldn’t raise as many red flags there as they would in one of their own vehicles.”
They used the cloths to open the door and exit the SUV, then surreptitiously wiped down the outer door handles as well. Once they made their way to the picnic table with the bags, they sat down across from each other.
Minutes ticked past.
“Your chest wound is worse,” Lisa commented softly, her gaze surveying the parking lot behind him.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.”
Her brown eyes met his. “I notice everything about you, Taelon.”
The way she said it… the emotion behind those simple words… sent warmth spiraling through his chest. He reached across the table and offered his hand, palm up. When she placed her own in it, he gave it a squeeze. “I’ll be all right.”
Her throat moved in a swallow. Then she nodded.
A vehicle pulled up beside them and stopped.
Taelon stiffened.
The passenger window rolled down and a young man with glasses leaned over with a smile. “Hi. Are you the couple that called for a Forward Mover?”
Lisa smiled. “Yes. Are you Chad?”
“Yes ma’am. Nice to meet you. Would you like me to help you with those?”
She shook her head. “We’ve got it, thanks.”
Rising, Taelon gathered their bags together.
Lisa ended up not feeling bad at all for screwing over the car dealer. They found an older-model car free of GPS tracking that seemed to be in good conditio
n. She had learned very quickly how to recognize, diagnose, and even repair some problems on cars once her family’s money had all gone to her mother’s healthcare. And the little economy car she test-drove seemed solid.
The dealer, on the other hand, was a total ass, a stereotypical good ol’ boy who hadn’t even wanted her to test-drive it. He’d wanted Taelon, the man, to do the test-driving because they both knew women were terrible drivers. Nudge. Nudge. Wink. Wink. Know what I mean?
Taelon had not been amused.
The dealer had also haggled over price with Taelon and acted like Lisa was just an empty-headed bauble. When she asked pertinent questions, he either ignored them or in a roundabout way told her not to worry her pretty little head about it, so Taelon had to repeat each question in order to get an actual answer. The only part of Lisa the damn man didn’t seem to view with disdain was her pregnancy-enhanced breasts. And Taelon had growled—actually growled—when the man kept ogling them.
She glanced over at Taelon now and smiled.
Sensing her gaze, he turned his head away from the darkness whipping past outside the window and looked at her. His lips tilted up. “What?”
Her smile widened. “Nothing. I just like being with you.”
His white teeth flashed in a smile. “I like being with you, too.”
Her heart tripped over itself in her chest.
The baby kicked.
She dropped one hand to her belly and kept the other on the steering wheel. A green sign whipped past. “Looks like we’re coming up on Lafayette, Louisiana. We should stop and get some rest.” Her stomach growled.
He chuckled. “And something to eat?”
She laughed. “Yeah.” They had stopped briefly a few hours ago to stretch their legs, use the restroom, and make peanut butter sandwiches. But she was ready for a little more sustenance, and the long drive was starting to make her groggy. Or maybe it was the adrenaline rushes she’d experienced earlier in the day.
It didn’t matter. Either way, she was tired.
“Do you think it’s safe? I could drive while you eat and rest.”
She shook her head. “We should be good. I haven’t used the credit card since we were in Austin, only cash, so they can’t trace us that way. And if they accessed Walmart’s surveillance-camera feeds and tracked down the Forward Mover who picked us up, the car dealer he took us to couldn’t tell them where we went after we bought the car. You even made him see a different number on the temporary license plate he gave us. So I doubt they would be able to track us here. They know we were in Texas all week and probably think we’re still in Austin.”
“And if they don’t?”
“If they don’t…” She shrugged. “There are only so many traffic cameras… and I don’t even know that they could gain access to them. But if they did, I’m sure they lost us once we hit Houston. It’s a huge city with a lot of traffic, and this car is silver and blends in pretty well. As soon as we reached the outskirts, I left Highway 290 and took a roundabout route to I-10 that took us through a lot of residential neighborhoods and away from traffic cams. We should be in the clear.”
And whether he admitted it or not, he needed rest, too.
At last he nodded. “Okay. I trust your judgment.”
After dealing with the asshole car dealer, that meant even more to her.
Lisa found a small, cheap motel that had few patrons. Fewer patrons meant fewer people Taelon would have to make see what he wanted them to see. She still worried over that horrible nosebleed he’d had earlier. Either the blood loss or the pain in his head had left him pale.
As soon as they were safely ensconced in their rented room with the door closed and locked, she set the bags she carried on a round table. “I want to take a look at your wounds.”
Taelon set his bags beside hers. “I’m fine.”
“That’s bullshit and we both know it.” Closing the distance between them, she cupped his stubbled jaw in one hand. “Don’t lie to me. If you’re hurting, I want to know it. I need to know it, okay? I care about you.” She was actually well on her way to falling in love with him even though her mind tried to tell her that seven days in someone’s company was not enough time in which to form such a deep connection. “Wouldn’t you want to know if it were me?”
Sighing, he pressed his forehead to hers and slid his arms around her. “Yes.”
“Then tell me how you feel.”
“Like someone shot me in the head with an energy blaster.”
“So… not good, huh?”
He huffed a laugh. “Not good.”
“And your chest?”
His forehead rocked from side to side against hers. “Worse, I think.”
That’s what she had been afraid of. “Let’s go have a shower then and see if any of the first aid stuff I bought can make a difference.” She doubted it but had to hope.
He raised his head and arched a brow. “Let’s go have a shower? As in let us have a shower? Together?”
Heat rushed into her cheeks. “Yes.” He was so pale she worried he might pass out in there if he showered alone.
His lips turned up in a mischievous smile. “Then I revise my previous analysis of my physical state. I am now feeling quite well.”
She laughed. “I bet you are. Come on, handsome.” Taking his hand, she led him into the cramped bathroom.
Though Taelon hadn’t seemed thrilled with the idea of her examining his wounds, he didn’t hesitate to get naked.
Lisa frowned as she watched him. Even though he claimed he was underweight, he was still ripped with muscle. Freaking perfect, despite the many wounds that marred him. She, on the other hand, was not.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Battling self-consciousness, she pulled the maternity tunic over her head and dropped it to the floor. “Even riddled with wounds, you’re freaking gorgeous, while I look like some preschooler’s art project.”
He stared at her. “I don’t know what that means.”
Clamping her lips together, she tugged the rest of her clothing off in a rush. “I look like a big balloon with pipe cleaner arms and legs.” She had never felt less attractive in her life.
“I don’t think my translator is defining pipe cleaner accurately.”
Against her will, she felt her lips twitch. “What is it telling you a pipe cleaner is?”
“A worker who scrubs the inner surfaces of waste pipes.”
She laughed. “Yeah. The translator got it wrong.” Face no doubt flaming red, she motioned to her body. “I look like an obscene snowwoman. My belly and breasts are huge, but my arms and legs are skinny twigs. It’s weird.”
His features softened with a smile full of affection. “Look again at my body and tell me if you think I find you unattractive.”
She lowered her gaze from his face. Her eyes widened. He was very aroused. “Oh. Wow. Really?”
“Really,” he responded, his voice deepening.
“Even with the headache?”
“Even with the headache.”
Desire shot through her. She wanted to look up at his face but couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away from his groin. He was built very much like a human male. Short hair a shade darker than that on his head surrounded the base of the long, hard shaft jutting toward her. The head of his cock featured the same mushroom shape as that of the two men she’d slept with. But Taelon’s cock was larger—both thicker and longer—and bore faint ridges along the top of his length from base to tip that she suspected would feel really good rubbing against her as he plunged inside her.
Heat flooded her, pooling in her core and making her nipples tighten.
“Do my wounds make me less attractive to you?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
She shook her head.
“We look the way we do because of where we’ve been, dashura. My wounds will heal. Your limbs will fill out now that you’re receiving better nourishment. And the fact that your belly is round and full with my child, your breasts
plumper so you can feed her, arouses me so much I could practically spill my seed where I stand just from staring at you.”
She raised her eyes and met his. “That’s so hot,” she whispered.
He jerked his head to one side. “Get in the shower.”
Hell yes. All self-consciousness forgotten, Lisa stepped into the bathtub-shower combo.
Taelon followed, then yanked the curtain closed.
Steam rose around them as water sprayed from the standard shower fixture. They took turns standing beneath the wondrous, warm spray. Then Taelon turned Lisa away from him.
Her pulse picked up. Did he plan to take her from behind? She wouldn’t have thought him capable of sex with those wounds and his pallor, but the hard length poking her in the back implied otherwise.
Taelon reached past her, grabbed the tiny bottle of shampoo, and applied some to her hair.
She smiled, uncertain whether she felt disappointed or touched as he proceeded to wash her hair for her, massaging her scalp in a way that loosened the tight muscles in her shoulders and drew a moan of pleasure from her.
He rinsed her hair when finished, careful not to get any soap in her eyes. Then he reached for the soap.
Again her pulse picked up when he settled his hands on her shoulders, keeping her back to him. After a brief massage that loosened her muscles even more, he drew his hands down her arms, leaving a sudsy trail behind as he caressed her. He twined his fingers through hers when he reached them, sliding them in and out in a way that made her body go liquid.
Her heart began to beat faster.
He trailed his hands up her arms, then down her back, rubbing every tense muscle until she was languid and relaxed despite her rapid pulse.
He reached for the soap again. Lisa waited with bated breath as he lathered his hands.
What would he touch next?
He slipped those large hands of his under her arms and cupped her tummy. His lips brushed her neck, his warm breath making her tingle as he smoothed his hands over her big belly. She tilted her head to one side to give him greater access.
The Lasaran (Aldebarian Alliance Book 1) Page 18