by Lacey Thorn
He lifted a brow at the junk food in her hands.
“I said we’d grab something to eat.”
“I don’t want a greasy burger. That shit will kill you.”
He almost laughed as he took in the sweets in her hands. A burger would kill her, but the sugar overload was fine?
“Do you have anything other than candy and chips there?”
She just glared at him, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to the cold section. He did a quick scan and picked out a couple of subs he thought might be fresh, or at least as fresh as they were going to get in a gas station. He saw the soda in her hand and shook his head, grabbing a couple of bottles of water to add before moving toward the checkout.
“Will that be all?” The woman behind the counter all but purred the words to him.
He almost staggered under the gagging smell that hit him. Did the woman not bathe? He looked closer. Her shirt was just shy of indecent, dipping so low he could almost see the color of her areola, but it appeared clean. Hair and face perfectly done.
“Twenty-two seventy-five.” Her voice grated on his nerves, and he had no idea why.
He could feel anger radiating from Amia, anger and hurt. He reached out and tugged her into his side as he pulled out his wallet and paid for their haul.
“Anything else I can do for you?”
Amia growled beside him, and it was all he could do to hold her to him. She was practically vibrating. He wanted to laugh at her display of jealousy, and that’s when it hit him. Lust. He was smelling the other woman’s lust, and it left him sick and twitchy. This wasn’t the sweet smell of Amia’s desire for him. This was nauseating.
“Let’s go, baby,” he said to Amia and, ignoring the woman’s question, turned toward the door.
Amia was still seething in silence beside him when he started the Jeep.
“I saw a sign for a Wal-Mart up the road. You want to stop there and grab a few things?” He’d ditched the clothes he’d been wearing when the Blanes had captured him, not wanting the taint of them around him. It’d been easy to toss them on the fire pit and burn them while at the cabin. Though he’d offered Amia one of his shirts, she’d steadfastly refused, putting her clothes back on after their shower.
“No.” It was a soft whisper and not what he’d come to expect from Amia.
He drove there anyway. She had to want some fresh clothes. Toothbrush. The myriad of stuff women always seemed to carry with them. Amia didn’t even have a purse. She was silent when he pulled into the lot of the store, but she didn’t make a move to get out when he shut the engine off again. She stepped out when he opened her door and walked beside him all the way inside. Her easy compliance had him feeling edgy, as if shit was about to go bad fast. What was she up to?
He grabbed a cart and headed to the women’s section. She didn’t say a word as she grabbed another pair of cargo pants and threw them in the cart. Reno took note of the size and grabbed a pair of low-slung jeans and tossed them in. Oh, yeah, he wanted to see those clinging to her hips. She glared, but stayed silent, grabbing a black shirt and tossing it in. Just to see her reaction, he picked up a V-necked T-shirt in a deep green similar to her eyes and tossed it in, as well.
Next stop was the lingerie section. He was fingering lacy confections while she browsed the cotton. Not that he didn’t like what she wore, but there was a black lace set he wanted to see her in. He picked it out and tossed it in.
“I’m not wearing that. Lace is itchy.”
“No problem. You won’t wear it for long,” he promised, and the sweet smell of her lust washed over him. He couldn’t hold back the smile and just for kicks threw in a pale peach set, as well.
She tossed in her cotton items, a package of socks, and they were off again. She grabbed a toothbrush, brush, deodorant and the myriad of other stuff he’d known she wanted. He never said a word as they went through the line and paid. She was ahead of him, swinging the bags, as they made their way to the exit. Her little huff was starting to piss him off. She was already outside when he hit the first set of automatic doors.
He heard the squeal of brakes followed closely by a scream—Amia’s scream.
He hit the second set of doors with a roar that had everyone’s attention shifting to him. Two men had Amia between them, trying to force her into a black van with the back panel slid open. He let loose another roar, and both men stopped shoving her and turned toward him. One released Amia to reach for a gun when Reno moved.
Amia’s foot came up and caught the guy under the chin before he could pull the gun free. Reno felt pride as he watched the man crumple to the ground. The one holding her pulled her back against him, and Reno decided he would die for the bruises he was leaving on her. She struggled against the hold. Reno reached them and wrapped his hand around the guy’s neck, almost yanking him off his feet as rage hit him.
“Take your fucking hands off her.”
The guy gritted his teeth and did the unthinkable. He jerked her around by her hair and tried to throw her into the van. She hit the door hard then fell to the pavement with a sharp cry of pain. Reno saw red. One minute, the guy was dangling from his hands, and the next, he was lifeless on the ground. Fuck! He needed to quit snapping necks.
A woman’s scream pierced the fog of adrenaline, and he scooped Amia up along with the bags she still clutched and sprinted toward the Jeep. He could already hear sirens in the distance, and he didn’t have time to deal with all the red tape. Especially since he’d left a body behind.
He glanced back as he peeled away and saw two men lifting the two who had grabbed Amia inside the van. They wouldn’t be leaving anyone behind. It had to be the Blanes.
“I told you they would find me,” Amia said, confirming his suspicion.
He glanced at her and nearly drove off the road. She had her shirt up and was probing her side where a bruise was already starting to form.
“Jesus! Are you okay?”
“Hit my side against the door when he tried to toss me inside. Looks worse than it feels.”
He doubted that.
“You have to let me go,” she stated.
“So they can grab you? I don’t fucking think so. You’re staying with me where you’re safe.”
“But I’m not safe. You have to realize that now. And I’m just putting you in danger. They found us, here, after you’ve driven how far?”
He grunted and didn’t reply.
“They always find me. Always. You can’t protect me, no matter how much you seem to want to.”
“You’re staying. End of discussion.”
She sighed, and he watched her lean her head against the seat, closing her eyes.
“Tell me something?”
“What?” he asked, feeling a little leery of where she was headed.
“This place you’re taking me to. I’m guessing there are other people there. Friends? Family maybe?”
He nodded. His friends were his family. Always had been. Most of his life, it had just been him and his mother. She’d been struck while crossing the street by a drunk driver when he was overseas on his first tour of the desert. She’d passed away before he’d made it home. He’d gone a little crazy when the letter had finally reached him. Tah and Logan had been the ones to hold him together, to help him grieve and come to terms with her no longer being there for him. He’d been young and selfish and had thought his mom would live forever.
“I’m guessing you care about them a lot,” Amia said.
“Yes,” Reno agreed.
“You’d kill for them?”
He nodded.
“Anyone who endangered them?”
He nodded again.
“Then let me go, Reno, or you’re going to have to kill me.”
“I’m not going to kill you, Amia.”
“Then you’re going to get them killed.”
Chapter Seven
They drove longer than he’d planned to before he pulled off and headed to get food and a room for
the night. Amia would have to settle for a burger and fries tonight since they were on schedule to reach the cabin in Colorado sometime tomorrow. He’d see Tah and Abby again and have to explain who Amia was. Tah would demand answers, answers they were desperate for. Reno couldn’t protect her from that. They needed them too badly. Just the thought of it made his stomach cramp and his heart ache. He really wished she’d learn to trust him before then. And wasn’t that funny. They’d had sex and would most definitely have it again, but she still didn’t trust him. What would it take to break down the walls she’d built up around her?
He went through the drive-thru of the first fast food place he came to and ordered from the menu. Amia slept through it, though he wasn’t sure how. She must've been exhausted. He looked for a hotel with a well-lit parking lot, hoping that might deter any of the Blanes from coming after Amia again. It made no sense to him. He’d been watching diligently since they’d left and had caught no tail. But obviously the Blanes were following them. How? And why had he not known until the moment they’d almost taken Amia from him?
Just the thought had one lip peeling back and a rumble growling up his throat. Amia awoke with a jerk.
“What’s wrong?” She moved her head around rapidly, looking everywhere.
Interesting. She could sleep through a crackling speaker, light conversation at a drive-thru window, and the aroma of hot salty food, but one growl from him and she was wide awake? What was happening here? He’d purposely kept himself from biting her, understanding from Tah that if he did, Amia would be bound to him, linked biologically if what Diane and the Professor suspected was true. By biting her, he would share some part of his animal genetics with her through the absorption of his saliva into her blood. They still didn’t understand the hows and whys of things. Diane and the Professor were working their asses off to try and figure it all out. But right now, the focus was on Abby and the baby, which was exactly where it needed to be.
“Reno?”
Her voice was soft and low, wrapping around his balls and sending his dick to happy-to-see-you status. He could feel the beast rising inside him, prowling and growling. It was demanding he claim her, bite her and mate her. And every time he looked at her, it became harder and harder to remind himself of all the reasons he couldn’t, wouldn’t. He knew all the things Tah and Abby had been through, and shit was only beginning. He couldn’t ask Amia to step into the unknown with him. She’d obviously been through enough already. He recalled the scars she held, both on her body and inside, where she thought they were hidden from others. But he saw her and admired the woman she was in spite of what had obviously been done to her. But by whom? And to what extent?
“We’re stopping here for the night.” He finally remembered to answer her question as she lifted a brow at him. “I grabbed some food.”
She eyed the bags and made sure he saw her displeasure.
All he could do was shake his head. “It’ll have to do for tonight. We both need some sleep.”
She gave a weary sigh of acceptance. He watched her shift, stretch, try to smother a yawn, then turn those big green eyes back his way. Jesus. He was three seconds away from seeing how far back his seat would go and if she’d fit over his lap.
“Let’s go see what they’ve got,” he said, killing the engine and pulling out the key.
“I’ll just sit here.”
He was already shaking his head before she finished. “From now on, you stay with me. Period.”
She glared, shifted again and opened that sweet mouth up for what he knew was going to be a snappy comeback. “You planning to hold my hand while I use the restroom too?”
His lips twitched, but he held the grin in. “If I need to.”
He exited the Jeep and walked around to get her door. She wasn’t happy, but she complied, and just to reward her, he took her hand and linked their fingers as he headed them toward the door. Okay, it was more of a personal reward since she was already trying to tug her fingers free. It was quick and easy to grab them a room and head back out to the vehicle. He drove around the building before parking then grabbed his pack and the shopping bags with her stuff. Amia gathered the food and drinks, then they headed to the room. He’d managed to snag one on the bottom level so he could see the car from the window. Plus this motel didn’t have room doors opening into the parking lot. There was a locked door requiring a keycard between them and the lot. If the Blanes planned anything here, it would be easier to smell them coming.
He inhaled as they stepped in and didn’t sense anything off. Chances were the Blanes would be busy dealing with the dead body he’d left them, at least for a bit. Amia preceded him into the room, and he shut and locked the door. Nothing big, one large bed, TV on a dresser, bedside table with a lamp and phone. Food was probably cold by now, but they both needed to eat anyway.
“I need a shower,” she muttered as she rummaged through the food bags, setting stuff out.
His mind filled with why she needed a shower—the branch where he’d bent her over and taken her like an animal. Then the way she’d ridden him when he’d finally regained control. When he tried to shove those thoughts away, he vividly recalled the blowjob she’d given him in the shower last time. Fuck. He was practically snarling with the need to feel her again. Her skin on his. He needed her like an addict craving his next fix.
“How much food do you need?” she asked.
He glanced over to see her gawking at the loot she’d unloaded—four burgers and three large fries.
He’d actually gone light. He was just shy of six feet six inches. There was a lot of him to feed. He had huge appetites, though right now food was the last thing on his mind. His gaze skimmed over her, snagging and holding on her peaked nipples. He wanted to suck them, lick them and do his best to bring her to orgasm with just that touch.
“Food’s getting cold,” she whispered, grabbing a burger and settling on the bed with it.
Food was already cold. But Amia was just warming up. He could smell the scent of her lust filling the room. His dick twitched behind his zipper, wanting out or more precisely, into something else. Her mouth. Her pussy. Her ass. He groaned. He really wanted to feel her hot ass gripping his dick and milking it. He wondered if she’d noticed the bottle of KY he’d thrown in the cart when they shopped earlier? And if she’d let him use it?
“Eat, Reno.” Her voice had gone soft again. Her cheeks were flushed with color. He knew she wanted him too. Knowing that could be his undoing. He was barely holding his shit in check as it was.
“Talk to me, Amia.” He grabbed a burger and sat next to her on the bed. “What’s going on here? Why were they trying to take you?”
She shrugged as she finished the bite in her mouth. “Marcus will never let me go. They always find me. There is no escape for me, ever. I keep trying to tell you that. You really need to let me go. I’m only going to endanger you and any friends you’re with.”
He shook his head. “Not happening. So give it up.” He finished his burger and stood up to get another one. “We just need to figure out how they knew where we were.”
“They followed us,” she said.
“No. I would have sensed any tail we had. Nothing. Or at least not close enough for me to sense them, and trust me, my senses are pretty fucking off the charts now.”
“Are you okay?”
He heard the quiver in her voice and wanted to roar. He was pacing, actually prowling was more accurate. The beast was raging inside him. Mine was a fucking mantra in his head that was becoming harder and harder to keep in. His muscles were tensed as he fought the desire to take and claim.
“Reno, you’re scaring me.”
He snapped his head back and did growl then, in frustration at himself. The last thing he wanted was to make her afraid of him. Then a thought occurred to him.
“Take your clothes off and hand them to me.”
She let out a nervous laugh. “You might want me to shower first.”
He took full n
otice of her reply. Not a no, and those fingers were already reaching for the hem of her shirt, tugging it up, up and over those lush breasts his mouth was still salivating for a taste of.
“You don’t have anything with you except the clothes you’re wearing. Everything else we bought new. Maybe they tagged your clothes some way.” He dropped his gaze to her boots. Fuck. “We should have grabbed new shoes.”
“I never thought of that.” Her eyes were wide, and she was making quick work of stripping down to her sexy cotton underwear. “You think they managed to tag my clothes?”
“Anything is possible. I should have burned yours when I took care of mine. I never even thought about them using a tracker to tag our clothes, and I should have,” Reno said as he stepped closer to scoop it all up in his hands.
She had him tied in knots of lust, want and need. His cock was always fully engaged. His brain apparently wasn’t.
“Give me the bra and panties too.”
Her gaze locked on his, and yeah, that was mutual lust heating up the room.
“Better safe than sorry,” he whispered huskily.
He kept his eyes on hers as she shimmied out of those panties and bra then tossed them to him. She was naked, and even with that hellacious looking scar on her belly, still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
He turned and dumped one of the shopping bags on the bed, then jammed her old clothes in it. She groaned as he reached for her boots and shoved them in as well.
“We’ll have to get you some new shoes tomorrow.”
She nodded, her eyes clouded with whatever path her thoughts were taking. Didn’t look like a good path to him. He stepped closer and pulled her naked body against his fully clothed one. Dipping his head, he took her mouth, kissing them both breathless. This time when her eyes met his, there was nothing but need reflected there.