NaturesBounty

by J. Rose Allister

  “Maybe those other guys tried to get me away from you because they want your cut of the reward. Whoever hands me over gets the money, right?”

  “It doesn’t quite work that way. This isn’t the old days where anyone could capture guys on wanted posters to get the gold. Bond enforcers don’t go around stepping on one another’s toes because we aren’t all given the same assignments. We’re hired to do a specific job, and we do it. Asa trusted I could do this one, or he wouldn’t have brought me out of retirement.”

  She shifted in her seat, obviously uncomfortable. “You’re right. It doesn’t make sense.”

  Traffic crept forward again. “He wanted me,” he muttered to himself. “Me in particular. He knew I could find you fast.” He glanced at her. “It’s a talent.”

  “I’ll admit it bruised my ego a little. I thought I did pretty good throwing you guys off the trail.”

  “I have my ways.”

  The words sank in.

  “My ways,” he repeated. “My conditions. That’s why he wanted me. He knew I could find you fast, but he also knew I’d do it alone and unarmed. The last time we talked, he made sure of it.”

  “So?”

  “That would make it easier to intercept you afterward.”

  “Intercept me for what?”

  “Good question.” He blew out a breath as the freeway resumed normal speed. He pressed the button for the window, took one final look at his phone, and chucked it into the freeway’s concrete center divider. “Shit. I liked that phone.”

  “What did you do that for?”

  “Same reason you apparently dumped yours in New Mexico. So people like me couldn’t follow you.”

  “So they’re following us now?”

  “Now, they can’t.” He gave her a hard look. “But I have an ugly feeling both of us are about to be officially declared fugitives.”

  “And neither of us deserves to be.”

  Plans began swirling in his head and clicking into place, although the plans of what he couldn’t do seemed much clearer than what to do instead.

  “Someone wants to find you,” he said, as much to her as to himself, “but not to send you back to jail. Why? There’s something else going on.” He glanced at her. “I suppose I need to temporarily revoke my policy never to listen to crap about innocent bond skips. I think it’s about time I heard your side of the story.”

  She stared at him then, ironically silent.

  “Isn’t that what you want?” he asked. “For the bounty hunter to hear your case and take your side?”

  “I’m not sure it’ll make a difference. Andrew seems to have this whole thing locked up tight. That was my boss. Andrew Waller, CEO of FTI. Or as I’ve recently renamed it, Fucking Thief Incorporated.”

  “An hour ago, it wouldn’t have made a difference. But now I really need to hear what wasn’t in the file I read about your case.”

  Lydia sucked in a deep breath, which pushed out her already impossible-to-ignore chest. He rerouted his thoughts quickly.

  “The short version,” she began slowly, “is that this started six months ago when I accidentally ran across a discrepancy in the accounting logs at my company. I told Andrew right away. I was thanked most vigorously for my ‘sharp eye and dedication’. Before long, it was clear that was just a brush-off. That’s when I got suspicious that the ‘mistake’ in the books was something more.” She let out a frustrated growl. “I should have kept my nose out of it. But I couldn’t let it alone. I started staying late and nosing around through files. It took some doing, but I finally pieced it together.” She shook her head and looked at him. “Andrew was siphoning funds into offshore accounts.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I should have acted immediately, but I was scared. I wasn’t sure who to tell. And as it turned out, I didn’t get the chance. I woke up to a knock on my door.” She leaned her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. “I had this bad feeling before I even answered. Sort of the same way I felt when you first showed up.”

  He felt a strange twitch in his stomach at that, but he didn’t answer.

  “That’s when it dawned on me that maybe I hadn’t been as sly as I’d thought. There are security cameras in the building that picked up my every suspicious move, something that looked really bad for me when the accusations were turned.”

  “So you weren’t stealing, you were trying to prove your CEO was.”

  “Exactly. But he found out and twisted it around so I’d take the fall. While it wasn’t quite the same as the gun-toting jackholes who busted into the beach house, I was put into cuffs and hauled away for a crime I didn’t commit.” She gave a tight smile. “But not before I managed to smuggle out evidence that he was the one behind it all along.”

  Nate hadn’t had a chance to reply before she jolted upright. “That’s what this is about. He knows I have the documents, but not where they are now, how many copies I’ve made, or what I intend to do with them. He wants to get a hold of me first, before the cops do. Maybe he wants to work a deal.”

  Nate sat quiet for a while, nodding while he thought this through. If she was telling the truth, this was all making a new sort of sense. “If you’re right, the copy you had at the beach house will have been destroyed by now.”

  “Lucky for me, I have two more copies. One in each state I drove through on my way here.”

  “New Mexico?”

  Lydia nodded. “Santa Fe and Flagstaff.” She hesitated. “So does this mean you believe me?”

  “Until a better explanation comes along, I’m not sure I have a choice. I’m not going back until I know ‘gun-toting jackholes’, as you so eloquently put it, won’t be waiting there to send either of us into permanent retirement of the really bad kind.”

  “I suppose as alliances go, I’ve heard better.”

  He arched a brow at her. “And believe it or not, I feel an obligation to protect the fugitives in my custody. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

  Something lit in her eyes then, a jolt that punched through his middle.

  “Then since we’re partners in not-crime,” she said, “can we please pull over so I can get out of these cuffs? At this point, I think the marks are going to be permanent.”

  He took a moment to weigh the insanity of what he was about to say. Was he really about to do this?

  “Fair enough. For the time being.”

  “Thanks.”

  On a whim he added, “Stick with me, Lydia. Don’t run off on your own. I’ll help us figure a way out of this.”

  She nodded. “I trust you. Which, considering this hours-old relationship was founded on your giant lie, probably says a lot about my issues with men.”

  That twisted the corner of his mouth upward. “We’ll turn off the road up ahead. I want to make a stop. The cuffs will come off then.”

  “What’s there?”

  “I need to gas up the tank, and we have some shopping to do before we head to Arizona.”

  “Good. I could use some aspirin when we get there. Apparently, my hangover has arrived.” She moaned. “I didn’t even get the usual six hours of pleasure buzz out of it.”

  He reached over her. “No need to wait. I’ve got painkillers in the glove box. Along with a bottle of water.”

  “Thank God. Then I take back the mean stuff I said about you a few minutes ago.”

  “You didn’t say anything mean.”

  “I was thinking it in my head.”

  The mood in the car shifted when he leaned over into her personal space. When he held the pills out in his hand, her lips feathered his palm and sent a charge up his arm. He recognized the glimmer of fire in her piercing blue eyes, but it wasn’t merely the chemistry that had failed to dim between them. She was, for the time being, no longer a law-breaking captive he was returning to justice. They were a team, two magnetic opposites clutching to one another in a common cause. He just hoped his instinct to trust her didn’t turn out to be a mistake, like his insti
nct to fuck her on a dining room table.

  Although, as he took another sidelong glance, he started thinking that particular decision hadn’t been such a mistake, after all. And judging by the way her gaze slid over him in return, maybe she was thinking pretty much the exact same thing.

  Chapter Four

  Sometime later, Lydia had the satisfaction of seeing Nate’s eyes widen when she walked up to him with the tags still fluttering on the outfit she was trying on. He gaped at her in almost as stunned a fashion as when she’d followed the drunken whim to pull off her bikini top.

  She stopped beside the display laptops he was poking around and lifted her arms. “Well, what do you think?”

  The way his eyes raked over her made her feel downright caressed, and it made her skin tingle.

  “I thought you don’t wear jeans,” he said.

  Lydia shrugged. “I don’t like jeans.” But admittedly, these were stretchy enough to be almost comfortable, and they fit like a soft, sensual glove. More important, her ass and hips looked fucking great in them.

  He eyed her curves again. “Well, jeans definitely like you.”

  Her stomach heated. “Thanks. I just figured these would be a smarter fashion choice for a wanted fugitive on the run.”

  Nate’s head whipped back and forth at that. “Do you want to say that a little louder?” he asked in a sharp whisper. “I don’t think the security guard napping in housewares heard you.”

  “The place is practically empty. I thought these big box stores stayed open twenty-four hours because they’re so popular? Besides, you didn’t comment on my top.”

  When his eyes fixated on her chest, he looked annoyed rather than appreciative. “Don’t they have some baggy t-shirts or something? I thought I saw some over in the men’s department.”

  “Why, what’s wrong with this?” She held out the front of the long-sleeved top she’d selected. The thin, knit fabric was soft and very clingy, and it was patterned in a subdued, floral palette. The neck was slashed quite low, and she’d left the front ties hanging flirtatiously loose.

  “The point to getting you some clothes was for you to cover up.” He waved his hand up and down at her ensemble. “Not to, uh, accentuate things.”

  “Why, Nathan Antillean,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes in a gesture of innocence, “I do believe that was a compliment.”

  “My name isn’t Nathan.”

  “Nate’s short for Nathan, isn’t it?”

  “No.” He paused and shot her an unconvincing scowl. “It’s short for Nature, if you must know.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “Nature? As in Mother? Nature Antillean?”

  “Long story.”

  “I take it your parents were hippies, and you were conceived at Woodstock.”

  His eyes rolled. “I was born on a camping trip.”

  “Oh.” She gave a shrug. “Cool. But back to the wardrobe discussion, I don’t do baggy men’s shirts. More importantly, this shirt is on sale.”

  “Then maybe I like it better.”

  “From the way you were staring when I walked up, I’d say you like it just fine.” He opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off. “Anyway, what are you doing over here? I thought you said you were going to grab a throwaway cell phone, not shop for a new computer.”

  He held up a phone he’d set down on the shelf in front of him. It was a smart phone that appeared to be permanently encased in stiff plastic packaging. “I need to use a computer, not buy one,” he said with another glance over the top of the shelves they stood in front of. They were facing the electronics department’s service desk, and the clerk there had his back to them while he fiddled with his red uniform vest.

  “Can’t you check your Facebook later?” She stood on tiptoe to peer over his shoulder. “Ooh, does that model come with a Blu-ray player?”

  “I found a WiFi connection nearby,” he said. “I’m going to use it to check something that is similar to Facebook, if you’re a guy like me looking for people like you.”

  “Sounds kinky. And what’s that supposed to mean, ‘people like me’?”

  “Criminals.”

  She let out an exasperated growl. “I thought we recently established that I am not, in fact, a criminal?”

  “You jumped bail and left the state. So you are, ‘in fact’, a wanted felon. For that if nothing else.”

  “And you don’t have a laptop stuffed in the trunk next to the spare keys and prisoner hogtie devices?”

  He glanced at her. “As a matter of fact, I do. But I can’t risk using it. There’s a chance our location could be tracked if I turn it on.”

  A heavyset woman in a housecoat pushed a cart up their aisle, and Nate clicked up a demo window to hide whatever it was that he was doing. He switched back the minute the woman turned the corner.

  He was typing furiously while keeping one eye trained on the clerk, who was completely ignoring them. Lydia stopped watching what he was doing and started staring at him with a whole other sort of interest. Nate in profile was a fascinating study in male architecture. His long lashes flicked up and down while he shot glances over the lid of the laptop, and his broad shoulders were squared and proud even though he was a lot taller than the level of his workspace. There was no arguing how gorgeous he was, whether he was holding pink balloons, bending Lydia over a table, or offering her his hand in the middle of an escape from rogue gunmen.

  My, how she had thrown herself at him the second they met! Damn alcohol. Even so, had she known he wasn’t really a stripper, no amount of booze would have compelled her to come on to him so blatantly. What must he have thought of her? The thought sent a flush of heat to her cheeks. She was embarrassed, it was true. But she couldn’t drum up any remorse.

  She wasn’t sorry she’d fucked him. Not one damn bit. He’d responded to her so readily, and he’d upped her game to something far hotter than she’d ever gotten. So good that even now, she felt a dull throb stirring in her clit. Maybe alcohol wasn’t the only thing that got her crazy horny. Life on the run apparently got her bikini bottoms wet. Or maybe it was the man who’d spanked her and made her love it.

  “This Wi-Fi is for shit,” Nate said, glowering at the screen. “It’s taking forever for the damn page to load.” He glanced up and caught her staring. “What?”

  She looked away in a hurry, just in time to spot trouble. “Uh-oh.”

  He followed her eyes and grunted. “Figures,” he said under his breath. “When you want help, they’re never anywhere to be found.”

  “Can I help you folks with something?” asked the clerk who had finally waddled himself over.

  Nate hid his page with the demo again, but before he could answer, Lydia launched into action.

  “Why yes, thank you so much,” she gushed. Nate looked at her as though springs had just shot out of her ears, but she ignored him. “I was just asking my boyfriend what he thought, and he agrees with me.”

  She wandered straight up to the guy to halt his advance on the commandeered laptop, and along the way she deliberately put a bounce in her step to give extra jiggle to her breasts. She pointed to them as she stopped in front of the clerk, whose name badge read “Thaddeus”.

  “I was just saying I think this shirt is a bit too snug in the chest,” she said, thrusting her boobs out for effect. “I know this isn’t your department, but I couldn’t find the salesgirl over in the women’s section. I don’t suppose you can help me figure out if you carry this top in a bigger size?”

  To finish off, she peeled the blouse over her head. Before the fabric had even cleared her eyes, she could feel that Thaddeus’ had glued themselves to the rounded flesh that was barely covered by her string bikini. She grabbed the tag on the shirt and held it out. “This one is a size small. I think I need at least a medium.”

  Several sounds that weren’t exactly words came out of the man, and with a nod, he led her back to the service desk. He got on his phone there without once looking away from her tits. Whi
le he spoke in a rush to the clothing department, she glanced over her shoulder at Nate, who shook his head. She waggled her brows at him before turning back.

  “We have several sizes in stock,” Thaddeus said. “I’ll show you.”

  She thanked the clerk profusely while he walked her over to the clothing aisle. Lydia delayed him for as long as she dared to give Nate time to finish his web surfing. After she finally got rid of Thaddeus, she grabbed her jogging pants out of the dressing room she’d abandoned earlier and looped them over her arm while she made her way back.

  Nate found her first, and he didn’t look happy. He clutched the packaged phone, a powder-blue ski jacket he’d picked out for her, and some snack food.

  “Let’s go,” he said stiffly.

  “Why, you’re welcome for the ongoing use of my tits as a male distraction device,” she said as they headed for the checkout. “You know, I think that guy was about to ask for my number. I hope it was worth whatever you were looking for.”

  “I found it.”

  “And?”

  He worked his jaw. “Asa officially fucked me hard. I’m wanted for aiding and abetting a felon.” He flicked her a hard glance. “Guess we are both fugitives now.”

  She swallowed and followed him to the nearest open register. “So what now?”

  He didn’t answer right away. He grabbed several prepaid credit cards from a hook by the cashier and divided his goods into two piles. Nate pulled the sales tag right off the ass of Lydia’s jeans so the checker could scan it. He paid cash for the prepaid cards and used a credit card for the rest.

  On the way to the car, he finally spoke. “We need that evidence of yours, and I need time to think.”

  “Do you think we can come up with a plan to deal with Andrew?”

  “Right now, I figure your best bet will be to use the evidence to get your fair day in court. But I need to see the document first. And probably sleep on it as well.” He stopped in front of the passenger door to his car, where he glanced at her and pulled the newly purchased top out of the bag. “Either way, as soon as I use my card to gas up the car, that’s it. We go off the grid after that. You said the closest copy is in Flagstaff?”