Completely Smitten

by Susan Mallery

  There was no way he could spend that much time with her. Shot or not, even with his head pounding, even with her in another hideous floral-print dress that looked more like a tent than a fashion statement, he wanted her. Yup, right here under the scratchy sheet, with the painkiller coursing through his veins, his groin throbbed with an ache that had nothing to do with recent injuries.

  Spending time with Haley, even the day or two it would take to get to Possum Landing, would be a level of torture he didn’t deserve.

  She was too sweet, too innocent, too…everything. She deserved way more than the likes of him.

  “I don’t want to hold you up,” he said, trying to sound gentle instead of horny. “Don’t you have an island to drive to?”

  She smiled slightly. “I already told you, I know I can’t drive to Hawaii.”

  She looked at him. Despite being a grown woman, she obviously didn’t know how to conceal what she was thinking. He could see every thought flashing through her big eyes. Hope, fear, excitement. He made her nervous, but he could see she still wanted him to say yes. For reasons that weren’t clear to him, she wanted to spend time in his company.

  Why? Did she see him as some knight who had come to her rescue?

  “I’m not one of the good guys,” he told her, angry at her for thinking the best of him and angry at himself for caring.

  She frowned. “Of course you are. You’re a U.S. Marshal. And last night—”

  “Just forget about that. It doesn’t count.”

  “It does to me.”

  Trouble, he thought again. She was trouble, he was in trouble and damn if it wasn’t going to get worse.

  He shouldn’t say yes, but he couldn’t say no. Somehow he’d been trapped.

  Last night, she’d wanted him to kiss her. If she hadn’t been drunk, he would have obliged. Then what would have happened? Stupid question. He already knew the answer.

  If he wasn’t strong enough to turn down her offer to drive him home, how was he going to resist anything else she might choose to throw his way?

  “Be careful what you wish for,” he told her. “You just might get it. And then where will you be?”

  Haley blinked at him. “Was that a yes?”

  He was slime. Actually, he was the single-celled creatures that aspired to be slime. He was going to hell for sure.

  “Yes.”

  Chapter Four

  The next day, despite several protests and some muttered grumbling, Kevin found himself being wheeled out of the hospital. The practice of forcing patients to leave via wheelchair didn’t make sense to him. The second he was gone, he would be on his own and expected to walk, so why not now?

  The drill-sergeant-looking nurse hadn’t been impressed by his argument.

  But his mild humiliation and annoyance were instantly forgotten when he was wheeled out in front of the main building and saw Haley waiting for him. Sure he noticed her—she had on yet another of her incredibly ugly shapeless dresses that fell nearly to her ankles and covered her arms down to the elbow. Somewhere underneath the faded-purple, floral-print fabric was a great body, not that anyone could tell by looking. Yet it wasn’t Haley that captured his attention. Instead, it was her car.

  He was a typical guy with some interest in cars. Faster was always better than slower. Sleek was a nice bonus. Haley was a conservative young woman from a small town. He would have guessed she drove a sensible sedan of some kind. Nothing flashy. Nothing outrageous. He could never have put her with the massive pale yellow Cadillac convertible she stood next to.

  It had stopped raining at some point between his being shot and now, which was a good thing because the top was down.

  He shook his head to clear his vision—obviously this was an illusion—then wished he hadn’t when pain exploded behind his eyes. When he could speak without wincing, he squinted slightly and told her, “This can’t be your car.”

  She beamed. Really. It was like looking into the sun. “Isn’t it fabulous? Don’t you love it?” She opened the passenger door and stroked the buff-colored leather. Not exactly a practical color.

  “I traded my car in for this. There’s no way you would have fit in my old car. Not with your leg and all. I saw this on the lot and fell in love. I’ve never felt this way about a car before. It’s spectacular.”

  He wasn’t sure if she meant the vehicle or her feelings for it, then he decided he didn’t want to know. “How much did you pay?”

  “Oh, I got a great deal.”

  “Uh-huh.” Somehow he wasn’t convinced.

  The nurse helped him to his feet. He shifted his weight, took a single step and slid onto the smooth leather. He had to admit it was certainly big enough. With the passenger seat all the way back, he could stretch out his injured leg and still have room to spare.

  “Thanks,” Haley said to the nurse, then took the paper sack holding Kevin’s belongings from her and tossed it into the back seat. She shut his door and walked around to the driver’s side.

  “This is going to be so great,” she said when she’d settled into her seat. “I stopped and got maps. I have our route all figured out. It took me a while to find Possum Landing, but then I did. A mechanic checked out the car for me and swears it won’t be any trouble at all.”

  Kevin squinted against the sun and wished he had his sunglasses, or at least a hat to protect him from the glare. The late morning was warm. At least the heat felt good.

  “You don’t even know where we are. How did you find a mechanic?”

  “I called a local church and asked the minister’s secretary to recommend one. When I explained the problem, she said her brother was a mechanic and that he would be happy to help. He even came with me to the dealer.”

  Smart move, he conceded. Maybe she hadn’t been robbed. “You’ve had a busy morning.”

  “I had fun.” She started the engine. “We need to go by your motel and get your things. I’m all checked out and packed. Then we can head out. I figure it will take us four days to get to Possum Landing.”

  Kevin leaned his aching head against the headrest and closed his eyes. Three seconds later they popped open. “Four days? It can’t be more than six or seven hundred miles.” They could practically do that in a day.

  “I know.” Haley put the car in drive and headed out of the parking lot. “I like to go about two hundred miles a day. There are so many wonderful things to see.”

  He closed his eyes again. “Like what?” he asked, already sure he didn’t want to know.

  “Little out-of-the-way towns, museums, antique shops. I’ve had the best time exploring the country since I left Ohio. You meet the most interesting people.”

  How could he argue with that? He’d met her.

  “Four days, huh?”

  “It will be fun,” she promised.

  Maybe. Maybe not. He figured he could have stayed put, healed in a motel and been able to drive home in about the same amount of time it was going to take Haley to deliver him.

  “Oh.” She glanced at him, her smile fading. “I forgot. You need to get home quickly. You have that family thing going on.”

  She was wearing sunglasses, but he could imagine the light fading from her eyes. He remembered his mother’s promise that everything was fine and what she had to discuss with him wouldn’t go anywhere. She’d said it wasn’t about anyone being sick or dying. As she’d never lied to him in the past, he had no reason to doubt her now.

  “It’s not an emergency,” he said before he could stop himself. “We don’t have to rush.”

  “Really?”

  The smile returned and when it did, something inside him sparked to life. He didn’t want to know what it was, or what it all meant. Just his luck, he was going to be trapped in a car with Haley for several days. While his injuries distracted him now, what would happen when he started to heal and found himself wanting her? Did he have enough self-control to do the right thing?

  Hell of a way to find out, he thought as he closed his
eyes again and tried to relax. Beside him, Haley turned on the radio. “Pink Cadillac” was playing. Wouldn’t you just know it?

  Haley drove to the row of motels by the bar where she and Kevin had first met. He directed her to the plain two-story building where he’d rented a room. She found a parking space right in front, turned off the engine, then circled around the car to help him to his feet.

  “I’m fine,” Kevin protested as she swung open the passenger door.

  She reached into the back and handed him the cane he’d been given in the hospital. He used it to push himself slowly to his feet. Once there, he wobbled a bit. She moved close and started to put an arm around his waist.

  “I’ll be okay,” he said, and took a step toward the motel door.

  As Haley watched, some of the color seemed to drain from his face, leaving behind pale skin and multiple purple-and-red bruises. They’d removed the bandage from around his head. The bandage on his thigh was still in place. It was thick and very white against his skin where someone had cut the right leg of his jeans off just below the crotch to get them over the bandage.

  “You look like you’re going to fall over,” she said, trying not to sound too worried. “I don’t think I can pick you up on my own.”

  He glanced at her and almost smiled. “Thanks for the news flash. I’ll keep it in mind.”

  He took small, halting steps toward the motel door, then fished the key out of his jeans’ pocket. Haley grabbed the bag of his belongings from the back seat and followed him into the small room.

  The space wasn’t all that different from the room she’d had. Full-size bed, TV, a small dresser and a bathroom off to one side. Kevin sank onto the only chair in the room and sucked in a breath.

  “Okay, maybe crutches would have been a better idea.”

  She studied the sweat on his face. “We could go back to the hospital and get them.”

  He shook his head. “By tomorrow I’ll be fine.”

  She had her doubts, but didn’t say anything. He was trying to act tough, but he wasn’t doing a very good job of it. No doubt getting hit in the head and shot took a lot out of a man. If she’d been the one in his position, she would have refused to leave her hospital bed for a least a week.

  He jerked his head toward the small closet. “My overnight bag is in there.”

  She crossed to the louvered door and pulled it open. A black duffel bag sat on the carpeted floor. “Is this it?” she asked.

  “I was only planning to spend the night.”

  She thought about the three suitcases of her belongings that were currently in her trunk. Of course she hadn’t had much of a plan when she’d decided to run for freedom, so she’d pretty much packed all her clothes.

  She set the empty duffel on the bed and went into the bathroom first. An electric shaver, can of deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste and a brush and comb sat on the small glass shelf. Haley put them into the black zip-up container sitting on the back of the toilet, then checked the shower for shampoo. There was only a small bottle provided by the motel.

  She returned to the bedroom and tucked the shaving kit into the duffel, then turned her attention to the paper sack from the hospital.

  His jacket was inside. The garment had been rolled up. When she shook it out, something hard, dark and scary fell onto the bed.

  A gun.

  Haley jumped back as if she’d been bitten by a snake.

  Despite his battered appearance, Kevin managed a low chuckle. “Don’t panic. The safety’s on.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I checked it myself. Bring it here and I’ll show you.”

  Bring it? As in, pick it up and carry it? Haley sucked in a breath, then very carefully picked up the gun. It was cold and heavier than it looked. She crossed to where Kevin was sitting. He took it from her and pointed to a small lever.

  “See how it’s down?”

  She nodded.

  “That means the safety is on. It won’t go off.”

  “Is it loaded?”

  “Yes.”

  She’d never seen a gun before, not in the flesh, so to speak. And certainly not one that was loaded. She and Kevin were not from the same place at all, she thought.

  She eyed the deadly weapon. “Have you ever killed anyone?” she asked without thinking.

  The silence in the room grew, pushing against her until she wanted to drag the words back and never even think the question. Kevin tossed the gun onto the bed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

  “Don’t ask questions unless you want the answer,” he told her.

  Haley sucked in a breath. He glanced at her and in that second she saw the truth in his eyes. He had killed someone. She saw the flicker of ghosts, the echo of pain.

  “Rethinking your invitation to drive me home?” he asked wryly.

  “Of course not. You’d never hurt me. Whoever you shot deserved it.”

  “You sound sure of yourself.”

  “I am.”

  “Does anyone deserve to die that way?”

  “Did you have a choice?”

  “No.”

  “That’s good enough for me.”

  She walked to the dresser, but before she could pull out a drawer he spoke her name. She turned to him.

  “Just like that?” he asked. “You’re not curious, not worried?”

  “You said you didn’t have a choice. I believe you.”

  His dark eyes narrowed. “I could be lying.”

  “You’re not.”

  “Maybe trusting me isn’t such a good idea.”

  That made her smile. “The fact that you’re trying to warn me about yourself only reinforces my point.” She pulled out the dresser drawer and froze.

  Logically she’d known she was helping him pack his clothes. That’s why she was here. So it made sense that she would be seeing his clothes, even touching them as she put them into his duffel. But knowing and doing it were two different things.

  She stared at the neatly folded pair of briefs—dark blue briefs—and the clean socks. But it was the underwear that caught her attention. She’d never seen a man’s underwear before. Well, okay, she’d seen her father’s on occasion, although the housekeeper usually did the laundry. Her father wore plain white boxer shorts. Not dark blue briefs.

  “Everything all right?” Kevin asked.

  She nodded without speaking, then scooped up the garments and tossed them into the bag. In the next drawer down was a clean T-shirt. There weren’t any other clothes.

  “I hadn’t planned on an extended trip,” he said when she straightened. “I guess we should stop somewhere and get me a few things. I remember there being a Wal-Mart store just off the highway. That should work.”

  “You don’t have any pajamas.”

  He grinned. “Never bother with ’em.”

  “Oh.”

  So what did he sleep in? His clothes? No, that didn’t make sense. His—

  “Nothing.”

  She looked at him and blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “You were wondering what I slept in. I told you. Nothing. I sleep naked.”

  The N-word. Heat flared instantly and she pressed her hands to her cheeks.

  “You’ve got to get out more,” he told her, chuckling.

  She dropped her hands to her sides and nodded. “I guess so.”

  Naked. She didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to think about anything else. What would it be like to be so comfortable with herself and her body that she would be able to sleep without clothes? She couldn’t imagine that happening.

  It only took a few more minutes for her to double check the room, then help Kevin back to the car. She put his half-full duffel in the trunk, then returned the room key to the front desk.

  He directed her toward the Wal-Mart. As she drove she couldn’t help thinking about his colored briefs and the fact that he slept naked and that last night she’d wanted him to kiss her. He’d refused, but for a second, she’d wonder
ed if he’d been tempted. Maybe if she hadn’t thrown up he would have done it. And then what? Would things have progressed?

  She glanced at him sitting next to her and knew that she wouldn’t have protested. Even beat-up Kevin looked good. Last night he’d been…delicious.

  She smiled slightly. No man had ever fit that description before, but he did. And she knew that he would never have pushed her too far. He wouldn’t have made her feel uncomfortable and she would bet that he would have been a really good kisser. In fact, despite the bruises and the bullet wound, she still wanted to kiss him. Very much.

  But she wouldn’t say anything. Mostly because without the courage brought on by margaritas, thinking about it wasn’t nearly as rough as actually convincing him to do it. Still, they were going to be together for several days. Who knew what could happen in all that time?

  The sight of the Wal-Mart up ahead broke through her musings. She made a mental note to fantasize about Kevin another time and pulled into the parking lot.

  She was lucky enough to find a spot up front, which meant Kevin didn’t have to hobble very far. When she’d settled him into a seat at the snack bar, she sat across from him and pulled a piece of paper out of her purse.

  “We’ll need supplies for changing your bandage,” she said, and started writing.

  “New jeans,” he said. “The bandage will be smaller in a couple of days and regular jeans will fit. Thirty-four waist, thirty-six inseam.”

  Haley scribbled the numbers down, not sure what they meant. But she hoped she would figure it out when she hit the men’s department.

  “Socks, briefs. Plain white is fine.”

  She glanced at him and saw humor brightening his eyes. So he had noticed her embarrassment when she’d seen his underwear.

  “Maybe a couple of shirts?” she asked, trying to act as though this was no big deal.

  “Yeah, but nothing fancy. T-shirts, polo shirts, whatever.”

  “Okay. I’ll turn your pain-medicine prescription in first and pick it up when I’m done. You’re going to want to stay here, right?”

  He nodded. “I’m not feeling strong enough to walk the aisles and I’m too big to be pushed around in a cart.”