Monroe, Marla - The Edge of Night [The Protectors 3](Siren Publishing Classic)

by Marla Monroe

  “That’s all you’re going to order?” Morgan asked her.

  “Yeah, I’m not that hungry. Besides, vegetables are good for you.”

  He shrugged and ordered meat loaf with gravy and mashed potatoes. Amanda winced. She hoped it wouldn’t look as disgusting as it sounded to her right then. She needed to keep her veggies in her stomach. How she had managed to keep greasy fries down was beyond her. Everything else had come back up.

  “So, where you headed?” Morgan asked.

  “West, eventually.” She wiped at an imaginary crumb.

  “Why not now?” he asked.

  “Because you’re going north.” She wasn’t sure what his game was.

  “Tell me where you want to go, and I’ll take you there before I go where I’m going.”

  “Just like that? You’ll take me where I want to go? What’s the catch?” she asked, frowning across the table at him.

  “No catch. You need to go somewhere. I’m not in any hurry to get where I’m going. If it will keep you from hitching a ride with someone else, I’ll take you where you want to go.”

  “Just take me north. I’ll decide where from there. No need for you to worry about me. I can take care of myself,” she said, snapping the menu back into the holder on the table.

  “You weren’t doing such a good job earlier,” he reminded her.

  “Yeah, well, I made it this far. I can handle myself.”

  Tears threatened her composure. Amanda refused to give in to them, especially not in front of Morgan. Since when had she become such a crybaby anyway? Since Guy, a little voice reminded her.

  “Fine. I’ll take you north with me. Then you can choose where you want to stop. I’m not crossing the border, though.”

  “I’m not asking you to,” she said.

  Their food arrived and ended their stilted conversation. Amanda wasn’t the least bit hungry, but she forced herself to chew and swallow every bite of the vegetables. Twice she had to stop and breathe through her nose to keep from getting sick. Eventually, it passed, and she managed to finish. When the check arrived, she tried to take it, but Morgan held it out of her reach.

  “You’re not paying for my food. I pay my own way,” she snapped at him.

  “Might as well save your breath. I’m paying for your food while you’re with me. Get over it.” He stood up and made his way to the register without waiting to see if she would follow or not.

  Amanda seriously considered letting him leave without her, but knew she needed his help to get as far away from Guy as possible. This was one of those times she needed to not cut off her nose to spite her face, as her grandfather used to tell her. So, she left an extra dollar on the table for a tip and followed him out of the diner. He never once looked behind him to see if she was following him or not. Either he didn’t care or he knew she was there.

  When he reached the bike, he pulled out the spare helmet and handed it to her without looking at her. She gritted her teeth and fumbled with the catch until she managed to get it fastened. Her backpack felt a little lighter to her today. Maybe she was regaining her strength now. It had sure taken long enough.

  “You getting on or standing there?” Morgan’s voice startled her.

  “Getting on.” She swung her leg over the seat and settled in behind him.

  She wondered how long they would ride before he stopped for the night. Then she wondered what she would do when he did. She would do what she always had, make do. One thing she had learned early in life was how to make do with what life sent you. You couldn’t count on anyone else to take care of you, make you happy, or tell you the truth. So it was best to take care of yourself, and that was what she did—or had done until she’d fallen for pus-pocket Guy.

  Shaking off the memory of his betrayal, Amanda settled against Morgan’s back and counted the mile markers as they sped past. Somewhere around six that night, she needed to pee something fierce. She waited and waited to see if he would stop, but he didn’t, and she couldn’t wait any longer. She leaned in toward his ear and told him she needed to stop.

  He leaned back. “What for?”

  Fury warred with need. She couldn’t believe he was asking her that.

  “I need to pee,” she finally yelled back.

  He said something she didn’t catch, but took the next exit and pulled up outside a gas station. Amanda nearly fell off the bike trying to get to the bathroom. When she returned several minutes later, Morgan was leaning against the bike with a bottle of water in one hand. He held it out to her.

  “I’m fine,” she said, ignoring the proffered water.

  “I’ve already had mine. This is yours. You need to drink it, or you’ll get dehydrated. I should have stopped a ways back, but wasn’t thinking. Neither one of us will last too long in this heat otherwise.” He held out the water again.

  This time, Amanda took the water and opened it. It tasted great going down. She slowed down after the initial three chugs. She’d make herself sick if she drank it too fast. She was smart enough to know that.

  “Think you can handle another two hours of riding before we call it a night?” he asked her.

  “Sure. I’m fine.” The truth was she was sore, but she wasn’t about to admit to that. She needed the ride.

  He pursed his lips, but said nothing. When she donned the helmet again, he climbed onto the bike and cranked the engine. She climbed on after him and held on as he pulled back onto the highway.

  Nearly two hours later, he took an exit that promised lodging, food, and gas. Her legs felt like rubber, and her ass vibrated to the point of almost being pain. She badly wanted a hot shower, but she didn’t have the money for a hotel room. She would have to sleep next to the bike. She sure as hell wasn’t sleeping with him. Not that he had asked her to anyway.

  Morgan pulled into the drive of a motel that boasted clean rooms and cable TV. She got off the bike and carefully walked around the parking lot to get her legs back in working order. The constant vibration of the motor between her legs had stimulated her clit until she thought she’d scream if her legs squeezed just right one more time.

  In another time and another place, she would have loved to make love on a vibrating motorcycle. As soon as the thought came, she brushed it away and cursed her overactive libido. It was what had gotten her in trouble in the first place. Now she had nowhere to live and no prospects of a job so far. Yeah, sex led to major trouble.

  Morgan returned, running a hand over the back of his neck. He looked agitated.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “They only have one room left. It’s a king. You’ll have to bunk with me.”

  “No way. I’ll sleep out here with the bike.” Maybe he wasn’t any different than all men, she decided.

  “Like hell you will. You’ll sleep in the bed. I’ll take the couch thing they have.”

  “You can’t make me sleep in the room. I’ll stay out here.” Her chin lifted in stubborn pride.

  “Then I’ll climb on that bike and ride out of here. I can ride all night. You can’t. You’re already about dead on your feet. Either accept the bed or climb back on the bike,” he said in a cold voice.

  Amanda squirmed. She didn’t know what to do. He was right. She’d never be able to survive another two hours, much less five or six hours, on the back of the bike without falling off.

  “Fine. You keep your distance.”

  “Little girl, I have no intention of bedding a minor, so just put that thought right out of your mind.”

  “I told you, I’m twenty-eight,” she groused, following him as he pushed the bike over to one of the rooms.

  She watched him unlock the door then step inside. She hesitated long enough that the door slammed with her on the wrong side of it. She wasn’t sure whether to knock or just wait and see if he opened the door again. She didn’t have long to wonder. Morgan opened the door and held it for her.

  “Come on in, Amanda. I’m not going to attack you.”

  “I k
now.” She bluffed.

  “No, you don’t. That’s why you’re hesitating at the door. Get over it already, and come in. You’re letting all the air-conditioning outside.”

  Amanda grimaced and crossed the threshold. When he didn’t immediately attack her, she relaxed and looked around the room. Sure enough, there was only one king-size bed. The only other furniture not bolted to the floor or the wall was the very uncomfortable love seat next to the window. Even at her short height, it wouldn’t be comfortable. There was no way she was going to let him try sleeping on that then drive them on the bike.

  “You can’t sleep on that love seat. You’re at least six-three. Even I’m going to be tall for it,” she told him.

  “Unless you are inviting me into the bed, it’s exactly where I’m going to be sleeping,” he said. “You want the bathroom first?”

  Amanda gnawed on her lower lip for a second, then grabbed her pack and walked to the bathroom. She really wanted that hot shower. The bed situation could be figured out later. Right now, she wanted to wash off the grit of the road and stretch out her aching muscles. Her butt was going to be one sore spot come morning, she realized.

  Turning on the shower, she adjusted the temperature, then stripped and stepped beneath the spray. The water pressure wasn’t great, but it was enough to rinse off the soap once she finished bathing. She stepped out of the shower and dried off feeling 100 percent better. A good night’s sleep and she would feel good as new. That was until she remembered why she was where she was—Guy.

  Sighing, she brushed her teeth and hair and pulled on a sleep shirt that reached just below her knees. Then she pulled her jeans back on and opened the bathroom door.

  * * * *

  Morgan stopped what he was doing when the bathroom door opened. Steam escaped, and then she emerged surrounded by it. Immediately his eyes were drawn to her nipples that had instantly bounded to attention once the air-conditioned air in the room reached them. Fuck. They were huge and long. He snapped his attention away from her luscious breasts and concentrated on pulling off his boots instead.

  “It’s all yours. I didn’t use all the hot water, but don’t expect much water pressure,” she said.

  He watched from the corner of his eye as she walked around the other side of the bed and pulled back the cover. She stood there a moment, hesitating, then turned her back to him and, bending over, pulled her jeans off from beneath her top. Damn. When she’d bent over, her generous ass beckoned to him. She had plenty of cushion for the pushing without being too large. He could imagine spanking those rounded globes as he pounded into her from behind.

  Morgan shook his head and huffed out a breath. He grabbed his things and escaped to the bathroom. He was in so much trouble. She was too young for him. Even if she was telling the truth about her age, he was close to thirty-eight. That was ten years’ difference.

  His cock ached from tip to balls to bury himself so far inside her she wouldn’t know where he stopped and she began. He turned on the shower and was rewarded with a steady stream of hot water, but without a kick that would beat his naughty thoughts into submission. He had no right to even think about her like that. She was bad news—running from something or someone. He didn’t need to get caught up in her mess.

  He scrubbed up and rinsed off, but still his balls tightened and his dick throbbed. Shit, he couldn’t go out there with a freaking hard-on. She’d take one look and scream. Morgan took his cock in one hand and began pumping it. He tried to bring up the face of one of the few women he’d had of late. Until recently, he’d been celibate.

  Instead of the last woman’s face he remembered sucking his cock, he couldn’t get Amanda’s delectable mouth out of his mind. He tried bringing up the last ass he’d fucked and couldn’t get past Amanda’s generous globes just outside the bathroom door. Finally, he gave up and let his mind have her despite knowing he couldn’t possibly in real life.

  He tightened his grip and began tugging on his cock at a brutal pace. He needed to come and then get her out of his head. It seemed the faster he pulled and the harder he thought about her, the more elusive his climax became. Disgusted, Morgan stopped and banged his head against the back of the shower stall. Then he started over and thought about how good it would feel to sink his dick between her plump lips and fuck her face slow and deep.

  He reached between his legs and fingered his balls. They were already hot and tingling. He massaged them as he thought about her tongue licking him there, maybe even taking them into her mouth. Would she be able to handle it, or was her mouth too small to hold even one of his balls? Morgan groaned at the thought of her tongue racing around the mushroom cap. When she finally deep-throated him, he came, shooting cum up on his belly as he squeezed his balls.

  It took him a few minutes to catch his breath before he could rinse off and step out of the shower. The water had already turned cold by that time. There wouldn’t be any steam to herald his emergence from the bathroom.

  Morgan quickly dried off and pulled on fresh boxers. He had no intentions of sleeping in his jeans. They were already molded to his skin from wearing them so long. She would have to deal with boxers. When he emerged from the bathroom, it was to find that she’d piled up on the love seat with a pillow and a blanket. She didn’t fit it at all, so he held little doubt that he would.

  He started to yell at her to get back in bed, but found she was fast asleep. Damn, if she could sleep like that, yelling at her probably wouldn’t wake her up at this point. He threw caution to the wind and picked her up in his arms. She weighed little or nothing. He gently laid her in the bed and pulled the cover back over her. Then he retrieved the pillow and blanket and got on top of the covers on the other side of the bed. He pulled the cover over him and turned on his side to go to sleep. It didn’t take long. He’d had very little sleep in the last few days.

  Morgan had been helping a friend keep his woman safe from her crazy ex-husband and hadn’t gotten much rest. He planned to visit Dodge up north and figured to get some rest then. It looked like his plans had changed again, though. He had a woman to get to safety, wherever that turned out to be. With that thought, he fell into a restless sleep.

  Chapter Three

  Amanda felt comfortable and wasn’t really in any hurry to wake up, but she needed to go to the bathroom. She cracked one eyelid and realized she was back on the bed. No wonder she’d slept so well. Then she realized her pillow was moving. Both eyes flew open, and she nearly screamed. She was lying with her head on Morgan’s chest and her arms around his waist. Dear God, she was almost on top of him.

  Panic threw her into action. She backed off of him and in the process managed to elbow him in the groin. He woke up and threw her beneath him to the bed, pinning her with his superior strength and weight.

  “What in the hell?” he began.

  “Get off of me,” she yelped, trying to free her hands.

  Morgan slowly backed off her and stood up by the side of the bed. She rolled off the other side and hit the floor on her ass.

  “What were you doing on the bed with me?” she demanded.

  “I was on top of the covers, and you were under them. I didn’t think it would be that big a deal, and we both needed to sleep.”

  “Well that’s not how we ended up,” she complained.

  “Hey, don’t look at me. I wasn’t the one who climbed on top of me,” he groused.

  Amanda’s face heated up at the implication. She’d been the one to breach the covers. If he’d just left her on the love seat. Then something else punched through her outrage.

  “What’s that noise?” she asked.

  Morgan groaned and crossed the room to pull aside the curtain. It was raining. Not just raining, but it was pouring buckets.

  “Does this mean we can’t go anywhere?” she asked.

  “Yeah, it means we’re stuck here until it blows over. A little rain won’t hurt, but trying to ride a bike in a deluge like that would only get us killed.” Morgan shoved his
hands onto his hips.

  Then he seemed to realize he was all but naked and grabbed his jeans and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving her alone in the room. She took advantage of the alone time and pulled her jeans back on. She debated on trying to put her bra on, but was afraid he would walk out when she was half dressed.

  Resigned to being braless for the time being, Amanda gathered the bedding and made the bed. No need to leave it mussed up. They were going to be there a while and didn’t need the added reminders of their sleeping together. Unfortunately, she could still feel the strength of his chest beneath her, as well as the tickle of chest hairs against her cheek.

  A few minutes after, the shower shut off, and Morgan emerged from the bathroom dressed in jeans but no shirt. His hair was still damp. A single drop of water rolled lazily down his chest to disappear into the waistband of his jeans. Amanda swallowed hard around the knot forming in her throat. He was by far the most handsome man she’d ever seen.

  “Just as soon as this rain lets up, we’re out of here, so make sure you have everything packed.”

  “I’ll be ready,” she assured him.

  She grabbed her pack and headed for the bathroom at the same time he turned around to return to it. They touched chest to hip in the doorway. At his quick indrawn breath, she knew he felt that she wasn’t wearing a bra.

  Morgan’s hands grabbed her shoulders to steady her as she stumbled. The heat from them seared a path from her shoulders to her nipples. Why was he affecting her this way? It had to be hormones.

  For all of an instant, she thought he would kiss her. He even seemed to lean in toward her, but something stopped him, almost as if he remembered something. He stepped back out of the doorway and turned his back on her.

  Amanda let out a breath and hurried inside the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She needed to get her bra on and be ready the minute the rain stopped. She wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t leave her behind given half the chance.

  When she walked back out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later, she was fully clothed, armored up against the attraction she was beginning to feel toward Morgan. Why now, when everything hinged on his helping her get away from Guy, did this have to happen?