She tried to force a smile. Was sure she failed. Was also sure she shouldn’t start this conversation, but Caitlyn did anyway.
“Do you think of Lily when you see the baby?” she asked.
Drury looked away, dodging her gaze for a couple of seconds, and she was certain the answer was yes. It cut her to the core to think what this was doing to him.
“No,” he said.
Oh. And she added another “oh” when their eyes met again. That wasn’t the look of a man dealing with the old memories.
“Sometimes, it’d be easier if I did think of her,” he added. “Because then I wouldn’t feel this guilt that I’m forgetting her.”
“You’ll never forget her,” Caitlyn assured him.
He made a sound that could have meant anything and then groaned softly. Caitlyn was sure he would find an excuse to leave so he could deal with these feelings that were causing chaos inside him.
But he didn’t leave.
Drury stared at her. “If you’re going to stop this, stop it now.”
She knew exactly what he meant by this. Sex. They’d been skirting around it for days. Heck, for years. Now the fire was burning even hotter than ever, and the walls they’d built between them were crumbling fast.
Caitlyn shook her head, almost afraid to trust her voice. “I’m not stopping it.”
She couldn’t tell if that pleased Drury or not. But he must have accepted it because he slid his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to him.
* * *
DRURY DIDN’T ALLOW himself to consider that this was a mistake. Everything he did with Caitlyn seemed to fall into that category, and he was tired of fighting this attraction. This need. Tired of fighting with himself, too.
Apparently, Caitlyn felt the same way because she moved right into the kiss. Before his mouth touched her, all Drury had felt was the spent adrenaline and the bitter taste of what would be regret.
The kiss erased them both.
Caitlyn somehow managed to rid him of the remaining doubts along with heating up every inch of his body. He didn’t believe in magic or miracles, but she could weave some kind of spell around him. She’d always been able to do that.
She slipped her arms around him and pulled him closer. Not that she had to urge him to do that. Drury was already heading in that direction anyway. And he continued moving, continued kissing her until there was no way for them to get any closer. Well, not with their clothes on anyway.
“Don’t stop,” Caitlyn warned him.
A good man would have. Or at least a sensible one would have. But Drury wasn’t in a good, sensible place right now. He was in an apartment, the door was locked, and even though they could get interrupted, he’d go with this and try to put out this raging fire they’d started.
He took the kisses to her neck and got the exact reaction he wanted. Caitlyn made that silky sound of pleasure. He knew there were other places where he could get the same reaction from her, and Drury wished he had time to rediscover them all. But there wouldn’t be much time for foreplay tonight.
Maybe next time.
That thought didn’t give him much comfort. Because there might not be a next time, and even if there was, next times came with even more complications. Sex couldn’t be just sex with Caitlyn.
He shoved up her top and went even lower with his next round of kisses. To the tops of her breasts. She repeated the sound, kicking the heat into overdrive. Apparently kicking up her own need, too, because Caitlyn kissed him right back. On his neck. His chest.
That sure didn’t slow things down.
Along with the raging need, Drury could feel everything speeding up. Not just for him but for Caitlyn. Her hands were trembling, hurried, when she took off his shoulder holster. Drury helped. Helped with his shirt, too, though he didn’t manage to get it off, only unbuttoned.
Because Caitlyn went after his zipper.
“Please tell me you have a condom,” she said.
“Wallet,” he managed to answer.
She rummaged around for that while Drury pulled off her top. Then her bra. No way could he pass up her breasts, so he dropped some kisses there despite the fact that Caitlyn seemed hell-bent on finishing this off now.
Drury hated that this felt like some kind of race. Hated that it would only cool the fire temporarily. But that hate vanished in a split second when Caitlyn peeled off her jeans and underwear. Then his. Seeing her naked was a way to rid him of any doubts he had about this. A way to rid him of every thought that had been in his head.
He took her.
Drury pulled her back onto the bed with him with only one thought in mind. Finish this. So that’s what he did.
Their bodies automatically adjusted, and he eased into her. He had to take a moment, to rein in his body. To settle himself. But he also took a moment just to enjoy the feel of her. Always pleasure.
Always something more.
The more fueled him. Not that he needed anything else now. He had plenty of motivation.
The years melted away, and they fell right into the old rhythm. The one that would end all of this much too soon. Drury tried to hold on to each sensation, each sound that she made. The taste of her.
Each moment.
He kissed her when she shattered and gathered her close. That was all he needed.
Just Caitlyn.
Drury held on to her and shattered right along with her.
Chapter Sixteen
Caitlyn had been certain that she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Not with the insanity that had been going on. And especially not with Drury in the bed with her. But when she woke up and looked at the clock, she realized it was already past midnight.
Four hours of sleep might not sound like much, but it was the most rest she’d gotten since this whole ordeal had started.
She could thank Drury in part for that.
The sex had calmed her nerves along with giving her the pleasure that she knew Drury was plenty capable of giving. The trouble was she wanted more of that pleasure. She wanted more of him.
He was still next to her in the small bed. A surprise. Though he was no longer naked. Sometime after she’d fallen asleep, he’d gotten dressed. Probably because the building was full of Ryland lawmen. That reminder was her cue to get dressed as well.
Caitlyn tried not to make a sound, but the moment she moved, Drury’s eyes flew open.
“They’ll knock first before they try the door,” he said, sounding very wide-awake. “And the door is locked.”
Yes, she knew that. “If they knock, I don’t want them to hear me scrambling around in here for my clothes.”
Of course, she also didn’t want to climb out of the bed naked and dress with Drury watching her.
“They’ll know we’ve had sex,” Drury added. “I don’t know how they’ll know, but they will.”
Caitlyn didn’t doubt that. There seemed to be a deep connection between Drury and his cousins and brothers. She’d witnessed many instances where unspoken things had passed between them with just simple glances.
She nodded, and despite the being-naked part, she got up anyway, gathered up her clothes and took them to the bathroom so she could freshen up and dress. Caitlyn figured she was in there only five minutes or less, but when she came back out, Drury was not only up, he was making a fresh pot of coffee and was looking at something on the laptop.
“Did something happen?” she asked.
The corner of his mouth lifted for just a moment, and Drury glanced at the bed.
“Did something happen other than the obvious?” Caitlyn amended. “I know what went on there.”
Now Drury’s gaze came to hers. “Do you? Because I’m still trying to figure it out.”
This seemed like much too deep of a pos
t-sex question, so she went to the coffeepot and poured them both a cup.
“I, uh, don’t want you to think this means something,” she said. “I mean, it does mean something. To me.” Mercy, she was babbling. “I just don’t expect you to have to feel the same way. In fact, you don’t have to feel any way at all.”
Yes, definite babbling.
Drury’s expression didn’t change even though he was staring at her, and just when Caitlyn thought he was going to sit there and let her keep talking, he stood, brushed a kiss on her mouth.
A kiss so hot that it could have melted chrome.
“It meant something to me, too,” he said in that hot and cowboy way that only Drury could have managed.
But she didn’t get a chance to ask him what he meant by that because there was a knock at the door. When Drury opened the door, she saw Mason standing there. Since he was only a reserve deputy these days, it meant Grayson had to be plenty busy to call him out, and Mason didn’t look very happy about it. Of course, Mason wasn’t the looking-happy-about-anything sort.
“The roads are clear,” Mason greeted. “No guarantees, of course, but there are no signs of the kidnappers or idiot clowns who want to shoot at you. That means you can head back to the ranch, unless you’re busy...” He glanced at the unmade bed. Then he turned those glances on Drury and her.
Yes, Mason knew all right.
“You ready to leave?” Drury asked her.
“More than ready. I want to see my daughter.”
“I figured you would.” Mason started down the stairs, and they followed him. “Gage had to leave. Lynette’s having labor pains. Somebody’s always having labor pains at the ranch,” he added, though he didn’t seem upset that it had caused him to be called into work.
However, Drury’s forehead bunched up. “Isn’t it a little early for Lynette to be having the babies?”
Mason shrugged. “The doc said twins can come early.”
Drury didn’t exactly seem comforted by that. Maybe because it brought back memories of Lily. The sex upstairs wouldn’t have helped with that, either, and Caitlyn suspected it wouldn’t be long before he would feel guilty. Almost as if he’d cheated on his wife.
“Is Lynette having boys, girls or one of each?” Caitlyn asked.
“Boys,” Mason answered. “No shortage of those at Silver Creek Ranch.” He looked back at her. “Having your little girl there is a nice change. Not just for Drury but for all of us.”
Caitlyn couldn’t be sure, but she thought maybe that was some kind of hint that she was welcome there. Or maybe even more than that. Was he matchmaking?
No, she had to be wrong about that.
When they made it to the squad room, Caitlyn immediately spotted the car parked right outside the front door. “It’s not a cop car,” Drury explained. “It’s one of Mason’s.”
“Is it bullet resistant?” she quickly asked.
He nodded. “Mason had it modified, and I’m hoping that since it doesn’t look like a cop car, we won’t be followed.”
She hoped that, as well.
Drury didn’t have to tell her to move fast. Every second out in the open was a second they could be gunned down, so she hurried into the backseat of the car with Drury following.
However, Mason didn’t join them. Deputy Kara Duggan was behind the wheel, and Dade was riding shotgun. The moment Drury and she were inside, Kara took off.
“We need to take the long way,” Dade informed them. “Just to make sure no one is following us.”
As much as Caitlyn hated spending any more time away from Caroline, this precaution was one she welcomed. She definitely didn’t want to lead those armed thugs back to the ranch.
Dade glanced back at Drury. “The safe house is finally ready. Just as you requested, first thing in the morning the Rangers will be taking over the protection detail for Caitlyn and the baby.”
That brought on an uncomfortable silence. Drury had made those arrangements before, well, before, and maybe he wasn’t regretting them now. Or not. He could want some space so he could sort through everything that’d happened.
“Of course, I can cancel the Rangers if you’d rather keep them in your protective custody,” Dade added.
Even in the darkness, Caitlyn had no trouble seeing Dade’s half smile. So maybe he wasn’t totally opposed to Drury being with her. But that didn’t mean the Rylands would welcome her with open arms. Heck, it didn’t mean Drury would, either.
“Was there some kind of family meeting about Caitlyn?” Drury came out and asked.
“Some things were mentioned,” Dade admitted. “The wives got involved.”
And with that cryptic comment, Dade turned in the seat to look at her. “They seem to think we’ve all been too rough on you. Of course, there’s the part about you drop-kicking Drury’s heart, but the suggestion I got was that everyone deserves a fresh start.”
Drury opened his mouth but didn’t get a chance to answer because his phone buzzed. Caitlyn was close enough to see the blocked caller on the screen, and her stomach dropped. No. Not another call from the kidnappers.
“I’ll record it,” Dade offered, and he pressed the button on his phone to do that just as Drury took the call and put it on speaker.
“Drury?” she heard the caller say.
It was Nicole.
“Are you okay?” Drury immediately asked.
“For now. I escaped, and I stole the kidnapper’s phone so I could call you. You have to help me, Drury. You have to help me now.”
Drury groaned softly. Not because he wasn’t relieved that Nicole was alive, but because he didn’t want to do this with her in the car.
“Where are you?” Drury demanded.
“Nearby. Pull over right now.”
Caitlyn glanced around. They were at the end of Main Street where there was only a handful of businesses. All closed for the night.
“Should I stop?” Kara asked.
She could practically see the debate going on inside Drury and Dade, and like her, they were trying to pick through the dimly lit street.
And Caitlyn finally saw her.
Sweet heaven.
Nicole staggered out from between two buildings, and Caitlyn got just a glimpse of the woman’s bloody, battered face before Nicole collapsed onto the ground.
* * *
“DON’T YOU DARE get out of the car,” Drury warned Caitlyn when she reached for the door handle.
She was probably running on pure instinct to help an injured woman, but it was possible that Nicole wasn’t even hurt.
Or if she really was hurt, she could be bait.
Either scenario wasn’t good because it meant someone was going to try to ambush them.
“I’ll call Grayson so we can get some help out here,” Dade said, taking out his phone.
“Please help me,” Nicole begged. At least she sounded as if she were begging, but Drury wasn’t about to trust any of this.
“Where are the men who kidnapped you?” he asked.
Nicole didn’t answer right away. All he could hear was her ragged breath, and she lifted her head, only for it to drop back down again. It twisted at him to think she could be truly injured and that he was just sitting there. But he didn’t have a lot of options here.
“I ran from them,” Nicole finally said. “They were going to kill me after they got the ransom. I heard them say it. They were going to kill both Caitlyn and me.”
“Why Caitlyn?” Drury pressed.
Nicole lifted her head again. Shook it. “I don’t know, but I think they want the baby. Please don’t let them have the baby.”
“I won’t,” Caitlyn quickly assured her. That’s when Drury realized she was trembling. Of course, she had a good reason to do that since she’d just hear
d that someone was out to kill her. If they were to believe Nicole, that is.
“Grayson’s on the way,” Dade relayed when he ended the call.
Both Kara and he already had their guns drawn. Drury, too. And they had them aimed at Nicole. Like the others, Drury also continued to look around to make sure no one was trying to sneak up on them. As soon as backup arrived, he wanted to get Caitlyn out of there.
“Watch the tops of the buildings,” Drury told Dade, and Drury turned his attention back to Nicole. “How bad are you hurt?”
“Bad. I think one of the thugs broke some of my ribs. I’m in a lot of pain.” She moaned again.
“Why did they only hit you?” Drury pressed. “If they wanted to kill you, they could have just shot you.” He heard his own words and mentally cringed. Definitely not kid-glove treatment, but he had to treat her like a suspect until he was positive that she wasn’t.
“They were holding me just a few blocks from here, and I ran when they stepped away to make a phone call. They caught up with me, and the big guy tackled me. Then he punched me. He would have killed me, but I kicked him between his legs and ran. I came here because I need you to help me.”
Yeah, she’d made that clear. “Help is on the way.”
She lifted her head, looked at him. He expected her to demand that he allow her in the car. Something that would give her or those thugs easy access to Caitlyn. But she didn’t.
“Thank you,” Nicole said, and she lay her head back down.
Dade’s phone rang, the shrill sound shooting through the car and causing Caitlyn to gasp. Obviously she was as much on edge as he was. Dade didn’t put the call on speaker, maybe because he didn’t want the call to drown out any sounds they might need to hear.
Like footsteps.
But only a few seconds into the conversation, Dade cursed, and Drury knew they had more trouble on their hands.
“Grayson said someone set fires on Main Street,” Dade told them, and now he pressed the speaker button so they could hear the rest from Grayson himself.
“It’s a wall of flames right now in both directions,” Grayson went on. “I have no way of reaching you, except on foot.”
Drury Page 15
