Chapter Fourteen
A stab of possessiveness hit Luke hard in the abs as he watched her interacting with MacGyver so free and easy, like she hadn’t just met him today. And that asshole was eating it up. As quickly as the suspicion clenched his jaw, Luke shook it off. They had more important things to worry about than petty jealousy.
Travis walked toward him, and Luke shook his hand. Coop and, eventually, MacGyver joined them and huddled around the doorway. “We all good?” Travis’s gaze swept over him, probably to determine if he’d gotten his ass kicked tonight.
“Everything’s cool. I’ll fill you all in later—after I talk to Sally.” Luke glanced toward her, where she leaned against the sink, a coffee mug clutched tightly in both hands. She blinked and looked away.
The men started to file out. Coop clapped him on the back as he came alongside. “You got us up at o-dark-thirty…for nothin’, man. It was all over before we got here. You owe us a skirmish, Bro. Don’t forget.”
Luke grinned. “You’re supposed to be on vacation, Coop, but I’ll see what I can do.”
MacGyver stopped directly in front of him, his height giving him two or three inches of lean-over on Luke. His expression was stone-cold serious, though the bond between them shone in his eyes. “She’s hurtin’, Luke. Take it easy on her, huh?”
Luke nodded minimally, and MacGyver followed the other men outside, pulling the door closed behind him. Luke hung his head for a moment. His friend had spent all of ten minutes with Sally and picked up on the pain that he’d been blind to. Should have known better than to suspect the big man of making a play for his woman. MacGyver was one of the most honorable men he’d ever met.
Suddenly, the cabin was bathed in silence thick enough to butter bread. Luke turned toward Sally and caught her watching him again. Abruptly, she pivoted toward the sink, and her coffee cup landed a little too hard on the countertop. Damn! He’d give anything to know what she was thinking, but the only way to determine that was to have the conversation he was justifiably dreading.
He covered the distance between them and leaned against the counter a few feet from her. The smell of freshly brewed coffee grabbed his attention, and he claimed the last remaining cup, reached for the carafe and poured it full. A large swallow of the hot liquid braced him somewhat.
“Is he gone?” Sally spoke without looking at Luke.
“Yep.”
“Is Jen all right?”
“She’ll never even know the marshal was here.” He should have known she’d be worried about her daughter. Luke set down his cup, his gaze directed out the small window over the sink, same as hers. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice distant, her words clipped.
She was angry with him. What had he done besides try to protect her? He’d been surprised and furious from the instant she’d appeared in the room, in essence turning herself over to the marshal who wanted to whisk her away from him. Then finding out Brennan was her father had tipped him over the edge. After cooling off, Luke had realized it was only the fear of losing her that had jump-started his temper. But there were things they had to discuss. The conversation he needed to have with her was going to make her angrier. He knew that. It might even make her decide she didn’t want him around. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Still, he had to know he could trust her completely.
Luke took a deep breath and plunged in. “You were supposed to stay in the bathroom. We talked about why that was important. Remember? What the hell happened, Sally?” He strove to keep his voice from sounding harsh but was only partially successful.
She tensed and remained silent.
Luke sighed. “I thought you trusted me. If you don’t, tell me now and I’ll find someone else to protect you.”
Sally flinched and crossed her arms over her stomach. She opened her mouth and closed it twice before any words came out. “I know I screwed up, but don’t treat me like a child, Luke. I’ve been living this life a lot longer than you have. I didn’t come out of that room because I didn’t trust you or because what you said wasn’t important. It doesn’t even matter why. I just…had to.” Her voice cracked, and she paused, pulling herself up even straighter.
Luke’s heart constricted and his simmering anger fizzled and dissipated. All he wanted to do was fold her in his arms, the revelation that Brennan was her father temporarily pushed aside. When he took a half step toward her, she stopped him with a raised hand and a terse shake of her head.
“When I heard Greg talking about me as though I was an empty-headed bimbo who needed a man to make her decisions, I lost it. It was foolish. Greg might have hurt you…or worse…and it would have been my fault. I don’t blame you for being furious. And I’d totally understand if you wanted me to leave.”
Luke closed his eyes for a minute, relief washing through him like floodwaters in a dry creek bed. If she was leaving that decision up to him, damn sure she was staying right here. He tried to hide the grin he couldn’t seem to wipe away. “I’m proud of you.”
Sally glanced at him, clearly surprised, then looked away again.
“You used what you had—the beginnings of a panic attack—to cause a diversion that put us back in control of the situation without anyone getting seriously hurt. I had to go through Navy SEAL training to learn to think on my feet like that.”
Luke stepped toward her, close enough he could brush back the hair that had fallen into her eyes. She was trembling, and her arms crossed in front of her seemed to be the only thing holding her up, but she didn’t scoot out of his reach.
“I get it. No small rooms for you. I had a feeling it was a bad idea from the start. I was a little disappointed—okay, maybe irritated—when my plan fell apart, but I’m nothing if not adaptable. I can adjust if need be. We’ll work out a better plan next time.”
She huffed as she turned away from him. “First, the word you’re looking for is sullen. Next time? I don’t think so.”
“Wait.” Luke stepped in front of her and forced her chin up with one finger. “What’s that mean?”
“It means you and everyone else will be safer if Jen and I leave.” Sally’s eyes filled with tears, and still he wouldn’t let her look away.
Luke’s sense of relief and well-being melted away and trepidation coiled like a snake in his stomach. For a few seconds, words escaped him. The idea of her leaving him was unthinkable. Hell no…he wouldn’t let her go without him—plain and simple. Perhaps they had brought danger too close to Daniel and his family. With Travis and the boys here, though, Luke would bet on them coming out on top in anything short of a full-scale enemy attack. Surely Sally could see they were safer here.
Was she looking for an excuse to bail? He tried to clear the lump from his throat, but it still lodged there. “I see. So…you’re still mad at me.” His voice hardened slightly.
“No. I’m not mad at you, Luke.” She pulled away from his touch.
“Okay. Then tell me what I’ve done to deserve you running out on me. We’re relatively safe here. Travis, Coop and MacGyver have our backs. For someone in your position, it doesn’t get much better. So, let’s hear your reasoning. I deserve to know, don’t you think? Unless I’m right and you’re just plain-ass angry at me. Go ahead. Tell me. Yell if you have to.” Luke could see her distancing herself emotionally and physically. He was pushing her intentionally, hoping to break through the barriers she’d apparently erected around her heart.
Sally turned away; her stream of mumbled words went unheard.
“What did you say? Speak up, sunshine. Or didn’t you want me to hear your answer?” He bombarded her with questions.
She whipped around, her hands again fisted at her sides. “I. Don’t. Yell.” The words, issued at the decibel level of a rock and roll band in concert, echoed in the silence of the room. Sally covered her mouth as remorseful eyes locked on him. Tears rimmed her beautiful blues and overflowed down her cheeks.
Luke raised an eyebrow, then threw back his head and laughed. A watery smirk appeared on her lips fleetingly, chased away by a stuttering sob.
He caught her before she could turn away and wrapped her tightly against him. “I love you, sunshine. Did you forget? Regardless of what you might think, I would be a basket case if you and Jen walked away. You can get mad and yell at me as much as you need to—I still won’t let you go. Whether you know it yet or not, you don’t want to leave me.” His mouth came down on hers, not a soft, gentle kiss but one of deep need and hunger.
Finally, her body relaxed against his and her arms threaded around his neck. When he raised his head, she stayed put, a smile riding her lips that made his heart ache deep down inside. Without a word, Luke swept her into his arms and strode to the bed. His heart wasn’t the only thing aching. His arousal had swollen, hard and impatient, and now throbbed in time with his pulse. He placed her on her feet on the bed and pulled her jeans down to her ankles.
She squealed when he bent and jerked her feet out from under her, then ripped her pants the rest of the way off. The sexy woman sprawled on the bed wore no panties, which turned him on even more. He hastily got rid of his boots and pants and joined her amid the rumpled covers.
Luke locked his mouth on hers, plundering with lips and tongue. The soft mewls he swallowed said he must be doing something right, but it wasn’t enough. He straddled her stomach and pushed her shirt up to reveal firm, ripe breasts. The nipples were hard and pebbled, and his rough hands surrounding them, pulling and tweaking, made her writhe beneath him and cry his name.
He grinned when she reached for his manhood, standing sentinel between them. He caught her hand and stretched it over her head. “Not this time, sunshine. I’m just barely hanging on as it is.” Capturing her other hand, he joined her wrists on the pillow above her. Raining kisses over her face, neck and breasts, he smiled as she tried to pull her hands away. “In a minute. Don’t get impatient.”
He brought his hand to her mound, and she arched into him. His fingers split her folds once, twice, and then sunk deep inside. His thumb circled her sensitive core, coming closer and closer to her swollen nub, while he worked his fingers inside her. Damn, she was so wet and hot—and she was his…just like he was hers. She would know they belonged together before he was through.
His fingers found the spot that ripped a tortured moan from her lips, and he rolled her engorged center between thumb and forefinger. Sally reared off the bed with a cry and then came apart with a whimper beneath him. Her eyes were glazed and unfocused. She moaned, and her breath caught as he released her hands and sat back on his knees. Fumbling for a condom, he ripped open the package and had it seated in seconds.
Luke lowered himself between her silky thighs, his hard-on nestled in the warmth between her legs. She smiled lazily and brought his face to hers for a kiss. Raising up on his elbows, he studied her. “Tell me you’re staying with me. I need to hear you say it.”
Worry, or something worse, creased her brow. “Why haven’t you asked me about…my father? I should have told you.”
“Hell, if it’s one thing I can understand, it’s having family members you’d rather not claim. My old man is a perfect example. That the senator is my father is information I seldom volunteer.” Damn straight—she should have told him, and it stung, more than a little, that she hadn’t.
Her warm hands caressed his face. “I guess you’re stuck with us, then.”
Not exactly the commitment he’d wanted to hear, but he wouldn’t push her—not yet. He searched her face for any sign of doubt and found none. “I want you so bad, sunshine. I don’t know if I can be gentle.”
“I trust you, and I’m pretty sure I won’t break.” Her lips at the edge of his mouth encouraged him.
Luke rocked his hips back and penetrated her tight sheath. The sound of her sudden inhalation reached him, but he was lost in her heat and the way her muscles squeezed his throbbing member. With a groan, he wound his arms around her waist, binding her to him, and began a slow and steady rhythm. Suddenly, he rolled over, clutching her tightly and bringing her with him until she sat, straddling him, impaled on his rigid shaft.
Surprise lined her face, but a sultry smile slid into place on her lips. “You might warn a girl,” she whispered.
“I like keeping you off-balance. Always knowing what to expect is boring. Life with me won’t be boring, sunshine.” He held his breath when her brow furrowed for a heartbeat.
She hadn’t committed to life with him or anything close, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to plead his case every chance he got.
“Good to know.” Her faint smile returned.
Luke fastened his hands around her waist. “Are you ready?” He bucked upward and grinned when her eyes grew round. He was ready—that was for damn sure.
Her tender gaze, locked on his, was enough to help him find the gentleness within himself he’d been afraid he couldn’t harness. He moved with her until they found the rhythm he craved so badly, and as her release crashed over her again, Luke took satisfaction in how perfect they were together.
Holding her tightly, he rolled her beneath him and plunged deep until, a groan escaping him, he exploded into fiery bits of pleasure and lust that left him depleted. It was a long time before his lungs recovered and he could feel his legs. When he moved off her, she curled up next to him, her head resting against his heart. Contentment and hope curved his lips into a grin as he pulled a sheet over them and wrapped his arms around her.