Cade let Laura sleep for several hours as he drove west, crossing through states in no particular direction. They were in Kansas when he finally pulled into a state park. They might have to show identification to get camping passes, but he doubted the investigators would look to see if anyone was checking into campgrounds under Laura’s name. He hoped to avoid using her name altogether, but that depended on how strict the staff at the campsite was. Some took careful track of names and required ID and others didn’t.

Since Laura was asleep when they arrived, the ranger at the gate accepted Cade’s word that she was his wife—a statement that felt oddly good to say—and let them in without identification from her. Cade paid cash and chose a remote spot on the campsite map when given a choice of sites. Laura began to wake as he steered the car down the dirt road that led to the site. They would have been better off in his Jeep, but since Laura had left in the Jeep, the description and license plate were included in the alert that had gone out to law enforcement all over the country. They couldn’t use the Jeep, so they were stuck with May’s Mazda.

“Where are we?” Laura asked, lifting her head and looking around.

“Kansas.”

Laura looked at him for a minute before breaking into laughter. She turned to Red. “He brought us to Kansas, Red. Do you see the irony in that or is it just me?”

Red looked confused but Cade laughed at Laura. It felt really good to see her laugh again. “We’re camping. I packed a tent and extra bedrolls so you won’t be too uncomfortable on the ground. I can sleep in the car if you want.” He shot her a look from across the car as he pulled to a stop in the little space for a car next to their campsite. He didn’t want her to feel pressured to share a tent with him, or to feel like he was pushing for more than she might be ready to give. He desperately wanted to make love to her, but knew he might need to wait a long time for her to feel comfortable with that after all she’d been through.

Laura shook her head. “I don’t want to be alone.”

The campsite was nothing more than a tiny clearing big enough to pitch a tent and not much else, but there was a little creek within walking distance through the woods that would be a pretty distraction.

Cade nodded and began gathering their things. He pitched the tent while Laura let Red out of the car. Most likely, there was a rule against having a dog off leash, but Cade hadn’t thought to bring a leash for Red. He watched as Red went off into the edge of the woods to go to the bathroom, but the dog never took her eyes off them and she didn’t stray far. She was back by Laura’s side within minutes.

“I’ll put up the tent, and then we can drive into town and get dinner. There are granola bars in that bag if you need something in the meantime,” Cade said, pointing to his duffel.

He suddenly didn’t know what to say to Laura. What he wanted to do was find a nice hotel room somewhere with her, not have her sleeping on the ground out in the woods.

She was just as quiet. He’d give anything to know what she was thinking.

Laura ate a granola bar while Cade pitched their tent. She watched as he tossed the bedrolls and sleeping bags in it for later. He popped the trunk of the car again and pulled out the canister of food he’d packed for Red, who immediately showed up by his side, ready to eat. Cade knelt down to hug the dog, and the dog pressed into him.

He owed this dog so much for keeping Laura safe. Alec had said Red attacked him, unprovoked, but Cade didn’t buy that for a minute. This just wasn’t a dog that would do that. She plain didn’t have it in her. For Red to gather the nerve to attack, she had to feel she was either being threatened or Laura was.

“Thank you, girl,” Cade whispered.

* * *

Their dinner was fast and simple. They had burgers at a roadside place, where it appeared no one looked too closely at Laura. Cade thought one man watched them for a while, but when the man looked elsewhere, decided he was probably paranoid. They’d returned to the campsite and walked to the creek to sit for a bit. There wasn’t exactly a whole lot you could do when you were hiding out in the woods, trying to make sure no one spotted you.

Cade had called John, and the news wasn’t any better than it had been when he’d left. Justin Kensington was in stable condition, but he was temporarily being kept in a medically induced coma. The doctors didn’t say how long he’d be kept like that. He’d relayed the news about the USB drive along with Laura’s instructions on where to find it and her permission to allow a local police officer to enter her home.

“Was John mad at you when you told him you weren’t bringing me home?” Laura asked as they settled by the creek. Cade sat on the ground with his back against a tree and pulled her down into his lap, looping his arms around her. He wasn’t going to let her get away again. She belonged in his arms.

“No. He knew I didn’t have a choice, just like I know he has no choice doing what he’s doing. It’s his job. But, I think he’d do the same thing if he were in my shoes.”

They sat and listened to the sound of the water and watched Red run and play in the stream as the sun went down.

“Tell me about Lacey,” Laura said, and Cade had to fight not to stiffen. Not because he still had feelings for Lacey. He was over her and he’d gotten past what had happened. He just didn’t want Laura to bolt again.

“There’s not much to tell. She was sick. That’s all, Laura.”

She turned in his arms and looked at him. “Do you blame yourself for what she did?”

Cade shook his head. “No. I did for a while. I thought I failed her for not getting her the help she needed, but one day I realized I needed to let that go. I told her dad to get her help. And, the truth is, I couldn’t just stay with her because she threatened to hurt herself. That wasn’t good for either one of us. She needed more than I could give her.”

Laura settled herself back against his chest. Having her there felt so damn right.

“Did she get help?” she asked.

Cade nodded and rested his head on her shoulder, breathing in the soft scent of her, nuzzling his face into the crease of her neck and listening to her breath catch in response.

“Yes. She’s doing better now. Shane saw her in town recently. She’s living in Austin with her mom. It sounded like she’s moving on.”

Cade ran his hands over Laura’s belly, feeling the slight swell that was starting to form.

“You’re starting to show,” he whispered, and felt her shiver as his breath ran across her neck.

“Does it bother you?” Laura asked, twisting to face him. The expression on her face was like a kick to his gut. Fear of rejection, plain and simple. God, how could she not know he’d never reject her?

He shook his head. “Not one bit.”

He lowered his head and kissed her, the kind of sweet long kiss he loved to get lost in with her. The kind of kiss he knew she hadn’t had during her life before this.

“Take me to bed,” Laura whispered against his lips. Cade pulled back and looked at her, startled that she’d ask him. She nodded and pulled his head down for another kiss, but Cade broke the contact, shaking his head.

“Not here, Laura. Not like this. You deserve better than a tent in the middle of a national park.”

Laura leaned back and poked him in the chest with one finger. Hard. “Don’t tell me what I deserve and what’s best for me. I’m a grown woman and I know what I want,” she said, emphasizing each word with another poke to his chest.

Cade flipped her to her back and covered her mouth with his, taking her lips roughly, deeply. His tongue delved into her, tasting and demanding all at once. He let loose the pent-up passion he had for her, one hand sliding up her waist to cup her breast, then brush over the nipple. He groaned with need and pressed his rock hard erection into her. He wanted her to know what she did to him. How she drove him mad with wanting her.

He waited for her to panic. Waited for a flashback to her husband or some sign that she was unsure.

But that wasn't what he got. Laura pushed back against him, but not with her hands. She raised her hips and met his, letting him know exactly what she wanted. He pulled back and looked in her eyes, seeing nothing but passion and heat and a plea he was powerless to deny. Even if he’d wanted to, he didn’t know how he could. His whole body was coiled tight and screaming to find release within the woman in his arms. He needed to make love to her. Needed to feel their bodies joined.

He lifted her and carried her back down the trail to their campsite with Red following behind. Cade set Laura down next to the tent and followed her in. He’d dreamed of making love to her for a month, and wanted nothing more than to make this what her husband should have made it for her all those years ago: perfect.

He slowly stripped each of them of their clothes, reveling in the stunning beauty of the woman who lay before him. Her body was perfection, but the look in her eyes was what went right through him. There was heat and need in her gaze, and the effect of that intensity on his body was something he’d never felt before.

He ran his hands over her soft skin, loving the way she gasped or moaned, writhing in response to every touch. Her nipples peaked beneath his tongue. He kissed each scar on her body, tracing them and creating new memories for her. Erasing those that might haunt their future. She responded so incredibly to him, her body soft and pliant as his mouth and fingers worked to show her what love should be like.

When she whispered his name, he knew what she wanted. He moved his hand to her thighs and slid his fingers between her folds. She was wet and swollen and more than ready for him. He circled her clitoris before filling her with first one finger, then two. He loved the way she pushed against him in response, riding him, driving him on with each moan and gasp. He needed to feel her surrounding him, feel her taking his body into hers. Feel her orgasm as he drove into her.

When he donned a condom and slipped inside her, the heat and the slickness of her tight channel all but overpowered him. He had to grit his teeth to keep from coming right then. But, he made himself slow down as he slid almost all the way out, before driving in again. And again and again. Over and over, she accepted him into her body, her legs wrapped around his waist, as if to pull him tighter, to bind them together.

As he looked into those eyes that had grabbed him the day she’d walked into his world, he made love to her. And, when her body tensed and she cried out his name, he felt the orgasm rip through her, and he was helpless against it. He thrust deeper, harder, and emptied himself, never wanting the feeling of loving Laura to end. Never wanting to be without her again.

Cade hugged her to him as her breathing steadied and she traced small circles over his skin with her tongue. He’d never felt more complete than he did in Laura’s arms. This was where he needed to be. He knew in his heart he wanted to spend the rest of his life making her as happy as he possibly could, giving her everything she asked of him and more. He just needed to keep her safe if they were going to have a hope for that future he wanted for them together.