To Love and Protect Her

by Margaret Watson

  “All right.”

  When he returned with the wood, she was still sitting next to the fire. The cabin was definitely getting colder. By morning, it would be like a refrigerator. “Go get ready for bed while I build up the fire,” he said, trying not to think about Willa in the oversize T-shirt she wore to bed.

  “Where are you going to sleep?” she asked.

  “Upstairs.”

  “It’ll be cold up there. Why don’t you sleep down here, near the fire? There’s plenty of room for both of us.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  Even in the dim light from the fire, he could see her blush. “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  She was thinking the same thing he was thinking. Turning away from her before he could do or say something really crazy, he threw a log onto the fire with vicious accuracy. Willa hurried away, and he heard the door to the bedroom close with a tiny click.

  She emerged a few minutes later, her T-shirt tantalizingly draped over her slender frame, her shapely legs tempting him. He saw that she’d left her socks on, and the picture she made was at once innocent and sexy.

  He jerked away from her and tried to concentrate on arranging the logs on the fire. In a few minutes the fire was blazing and heat poured out of the fireplace.

  “You should be set now,” he said, standing and moving away from her. “If it gets cold during the night, call me and I’ll put more logs on the fire.”

  “I’m perfectly capable of putting a log on the fire by myself,” she said, arranging a blanket on the floor and being careful not to look at him. “But thanks for the offer.”

  “You’re welcome.” He watched her for a moment, wanting nothing more than to curl up next to her on the floor and pull her close. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he turned away. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Good night, Griff.”

  Her voice was soft, and he heard an unmistakable yearning in her tone. Before he could stop himself, he turned around to look at her. “Sleep well, Willa.”

  Her gaze caught and held his, and she couldn’t disguise the flash of need. Then she looked away. “You, too.”

  Her silhouette was reflected in the firelight, making her face shadowed and mysterious. But he wouldn’t forget the desire that her eyes had revealed.

  He’d think about it all night.

  He forced himself to walk up the stairs to the loft before he could touch her again. Because if he touched her tonight, he wouldn’t be able to stop at a few kisses. If he touched her tonight, they’d go places from which there was no turning back. And that couldn’t happen.

  It was cold in his room, but he welcomed it. The cold would keep his mind off Willa, keep his mind off the heat they could generate together. As he slipped between the chilled sheets on his bed, he thought once more about her, sleeping in front of the fire. He allowed himself to linger on the image for a moment, and then he banished it from his mind. If there was one thing he was good at, it was focusing on the job that had to be done.

  It had just never been this hard before.

  The house was cold and still when he woke with a jerk. Several hours had passed, he knew, since he’d fallen asleep. But something had startled him, and he lay quietly in the bed, listening.

  The sound came again, a soft cry of distress, and he knew instantly that it was Willa. Shoving the blankets aside, he scrambled out of bed and grabbed his gun before running down the stairs. Nothing was out of place in the cabin. The door and all the windows were closed, and Willa appeared to be asleep on the floor in front of the fireplace.

  Then she cried out again, a sound that tore his heart out. She was having a nightmare.

  He hurried over to her side and dropped to the floor next to her. Her auburn hair tumbled around her face, and she moved restlessly on the blanket she’d spread on the floor. “Willa,” he whispered, touching her shoulder. “Wake up.”

  She didn’t open her eyes or respond. Instead, she gave another sharp cry, and tears began to run down her cheeks. “Willa,” he said, more loudly. “You’re having a nightmare. Wake up.”

  She wore a cardigan over her T-shirt for warmth, and her restless movements made it gape open in front. The neck of the T-shirt was scooped low on her chest, and when she turned toward him, he saw a flash of pale flesh. His whole body tightened painfully, then he carefully pulled her cardigan together again.

  “Wake up, Willa.”

  Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked at him, but her eyes were curiously blank. “Griff,” she murmured, and held out her arms.

  She was still asleep, he realized. Without thinking, he lay down next to her and pulled her close to him. Wasn’t it dangerous to wake a person having a nightmare? But only a monster would let her suffer through a nightmare alone, he told himself. She clearly wasn’t going to wake up, so the next best thing was to comfort her while she slept.

  She settled against him with a murmur of pleasure. Nestling her face into his neck, she pressed her hand against his chest and immediately fell into a sound sleep.

  Her breathing changed as he held her. He felt it deepen and smooth from ragged to even and slow. She didn’t cry out, didn’t move. Apparently he’d chased the nightmare away. But now she was curled around him as if they belonged together, and the rest of the night was going to be his nightmare.

  Or his dream come true.

  How else could he describe the opportunity to hold Willa close, to savor the scent and feel of her? He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the insistent throbbing from certain areas of his body. Willa was asleep and safe. In the morning, she wouldn’t even remember that he’d been holding her. He’d slip away before she woke up. So Griff allowed himself to hold her close, allowed himself to indulge his fantasies.

  It was only one night, after all.

  Willa woke up slowly, floating on a sea of pleasurable sensations. She was dreaming about Griff. His scent surrounded her, and his heart beat strong and steady against her cheek. She didn’t want to open her eyes, afraid that the fantasy would burst like a bubble in the air.

  Then her pillow moved, and she opened her eyes with a start. She was sprawled on top of Griff, her arms around his neck and her legs intimately tangled with his. Her head was pillowed against his chest, and the thin T-shirt he wore was no barrier against the heat that poured from his body.

  In that first instant of realization, all she wanted to do was savor his closeness. She wanted to snuggle closer to him, to allow herself to sink into him. She didn’t want to think about why he was sleeping next to her. She only wanted to enjoy it.

  But Griff had seemed so determined to avoid getting involved with her. What had happened the night before? Something had, or he wouldn’t have ended up next to her. But she suspected he wouldn’t be happy about this, either.

  So she shifted her legs slowly, trying to ease away from him before he woke up. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable—and the attraction that simmered between them definitely made him uncomfortable.

  As she eased her leg from between his legs, she brushed against him and froze. Part of him was definitely awake. Slowly she looked up and found him watching her.

  “Good morning,” he said, his voice raspy with sleep.

  “Good morning to you, too.” She tried to make her voice light and careless, and was afraid she’d failed miserably.

  “You had a nightmare last night,” he said, his hands tightening on her as she tried to pull away. “I couldn’t wake you up, so I decided to stay with you until you fell back to sleep. I guess I fell asleep, too.”

  “Thanks.” She gave him a casual smile, and tried to pull away again.

  “Anytime.” His voice deepened, and his arms shifted around her, pulling her more snugly against him. “Do you remember what it was about?”

  She shook her head. “No,” she whispered. His hand was drifting slowly down her back, then brushing over her hip, and she was having a hard ti
me speaking. “I don’t remember.”

  “Do you have nightmares often?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “It must be the kidnapping attempt.”

  “Hmm?” He’d burrowed his other hand beneath her cardigan and splayed his fingers against her side. Heat pulsed into her, spreading like liquid fire.

  “I didn’t mean to stay here for the rest of the night.”

  “It’s all right,” she managed to say. “I appreciate it.”

  “Do you?”

  He nuzzled against her neck, and the stubble from his beard rasped against her skin. She shivered once, helplessly, as desire burst into life inside her.

  “I know you were just being kind,” she gasped.

  “Kind?” His mouth drifted down her throat and his tongue dipped into the hollow above her collarbone. “I’m not kind, Willa.”

  “You’ve been very kind to me.”

  He raised his head and looked at her. “Is that what you think? That I’m kind to you?”

  She nodded, unable to look away from the heat in his eyes. “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Kindness isn’t what I feel for you,” he muttered, then bent his head to her again. His mouth swept over her chest, exposed by the neck of her T-shirt. Suddenly he cupped her breast in one hand, his heat searing her through the thin material. Then he shoved the neck of her shirt down and took one of her nipples in his mouth.

  She arched up to meet him, her primal need shocking her with its intensity. Griff shifted abruptly, pinning her beneath his weight. She felt the hard length of him probing against her, and she moved to accommodate him.

  His hand trembled against her, then she felt him gather himself and withdraw from her. He pulled her T-shirt back up over her breast and smoothed his hand down her chest. “Time to get up,” he said.

  She scooted away from him and sat up, leaning against the couch as she watched him stand and look around. “What an interesting way to wake up in the morning.”

  He scowled at her. “It wasn’t what I planned when I lay down with you, believe me.”

  “And here I was hoping,” she murmured.

  He gave her a sharp glance. “We’ve already discussed this, Willa. You know how I feel.”

  “No, Griff, I don’t. If you want nothing to do with me, why did you stay with me last night? Why didn’t you just wake me up, and go back to sleep? And why did you kiss me just now?”

  “I already told you, I didn’t mean to fall asleep with you last night. And I wasn’t awake yet when I kissed you,” he snapped. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  “I like it when you don’t think.”

  “It’s dangerous when I don’t think. I already told you why I can’t get involved with you.”

  “And I told you that you were wrong. We’re all alone here, Griff. No one knows where we are. You’re not endangering me.”

  “That remains to be seen.” He walked away and looked out the window. “Let’s get going. I want to get into El Paso for that belt, and back as quickly as we can. The longer we’re there, the more chance we have of being spotted.”

  “All right.” She scrambled to her feet. “I’ll change my clothes and we can go.” She looked longingly at the kitchen. “I suppose there’s no time to make coffee, is there?”

  He turned around, and his face softened. “We’ll stop at a take-away restaurant and get some.”

  “What’s a take-away restaurant?”

  “Someplace that has a window where you stay in your car and order your food. They’re all over in America.”

  “A drive-thru.” Her lips twitched. “I’ll hold you to that.”

  She turned and hurried into her bedroom. She saw her breath in the air, and realized Griff was right. It got too cold at night in the mountains to stay here without a working generator.

  In ten minutes she was ready to go, and she emerged into the living room in time to see Griff strapping himself into a shoulder holster. He slid his gun into it, then put on his jacket.

  “Are you sure you can carry that gun around here?” she asked, fascinated in spite of herself. He seemed so comfortable carrying the ugly, deadly weapon.

  “Believe me, Willa, if I have to use it, the kidnappers aren’t going to ask me if I have a permit.”

  “What if the police see it?”

  “They won’t see it unless I want them to see it. And that’s not going to happen.” He grabbed the broken belt and shoved it into his pocket. “Let’s go.”

  They drove in silence down the trail that led to the road. Griff had distanced himself from her after he’d kissed her that morning, but she was very aware of him in the close confines of his truck. If she reached out a hand, she would touch his thigh. When he shifted gears, his hand almost touched her.

  By the time they reached the outskirts of El Paso, the truck felt much too warm. She was relieved when they saw the first buildings. She needed a distraction from Griff’s presence.

  “There’s a place we can get coffee,” she said.

  He glanced at it and kept on going. “Not there.”

  “What was wrong with that place?”

  “There aren’t any people in line. We want to go to a place where there’s a lot of business. Where they serve one person after another. That way they’ll be less likely to remember one person or any particular car.”

  “You’d better let me drive, then, and order. Anyone will notice your accent.”

  He gave her a sharp glance, but nodded reluctantly. “You’re right.” He looked out the window and pulled into a parking lot. “Here’s a place with a lot of business.”

  He stopped in the parking lot beneath the familiar red-and-yellow sign, and they quickly switched places. Then Willa drove into line at the drive-thru.

  “Do you want anything besides coffee?” she asked.

  He gestured at the menu. “A couple of those breakfast sandwich things.”

  When they got close to the window, he said quietly, “Don’t let the person at the window get a good look at you. Give him the money, take your food and coffee, and look away as quickly as possible. And if there’s a problem with your order, for God’s sake, don’t say anything.”

  Her hands clenched the steering wheel as they crept closer to the order window. She had her money ready, and the young man who took it gave her the change quickly, looking bored. When he handed her the sacks of food and cups of coffee, she thanked him and turned to hand the bags to Griff.

  Without looking back at the young man, she drove away and parked in the lot once more. Then she and Griff switched places again. Sitting back on the passenger side of the truck, she leaned against the seat, her heart pounding. When she took the cup of coffee that Griff handed her, some of the dark liquid slopped over the side of the cup. Her hands were shaking, she realized.

  “I guess I’m not cut out for this spy stuff,” she said weakly.

  “You did great.” His voice was soft and intimate in the small cab of the truck. “You did exactly what you needed to do.”

  “You mean I have a future as a secret agent?”

  He studied her for a moment, then, to her surprise, smiled.

  “I hope not. You’d terrorize everyone in the business. They wouldn’t know what to make of you.”

  “I hope that’s a compliment,” she said, trying to make her voice light.

  “Absolutely, Blue.” He handed her the sack containing her pastry. “Let’s eat. I know you’re already suffering from coffee deprivation.”

  Fifteen minutes later they were back on the road, looking for a home-improvement store. “I’ve seen those huge stores,” Griff said. “They’ll probably have what we need, and they’re so busy that no one will remember us.” He changed lanes and turned into a parking lot. “Here’s one.”

  They found a display of black rubber belts of various sizes, and spent about ten minutes searching for one that appeared to be the same size as the broken belt from the generator. “Now we need to find one a little bigger,
and one a little smaller,” Griff said.

  “Whatever for?”

  “Just in case this one doesn’t work. We don’t want to have to come back here.”

  “Good thinking,” she said.

  He grunted as he sorted through the sizes of belts. It didn’t take long to find several in slightly different sizes. “These’ll do. Let’s take all of them.”

  “All right.”

  As they walked through the store, they saw a clerk with a stack of boxes ahead of them, staggering up the aisle. They both moved to the side, pressing against the display rack so that he could pass, but he tripped on something and the boxes tumbled from his arms.

  “Oh, God, I’m sorry.” The young man turned to them, his face bright red. “Did I hurt you?”

  “We’re fine,” Willa said with a smile. “None of them touched us.”

  The clerk’s eyes widened as he looked more closely at her. Then his mouth fell open. “Dr. Simms?” he said.

  Eight

  Willa felt herself pale as she recognized one of her students from the previous semester. “Pete.” Her voice was faint. “What are you doing here?”

  “Making some money over Christmas break,” he answered cheerfully. He seemed to have gotten over his embarrassment at dropping the boxes. “How about you?”

  “We’re, ah, on our way to California for the holidays, and we realized we needed a few things,” she improvised desperately. “We figured we could find it here.”

  “We’ve got just about everything,” the young man said, his voice proud. “Can I help you find the part you need?”

  “No, we’re all set,” she said quickly.

  “Then have a good trip,” he said, bending to pick up the boxes. “Maybe I’ll be taking one of your classes next semester.”

  “That would be nice,” she said, as Griff pulled her away. They hurried around a corner before Pete could say anything more.

  “Hell.” Griff proceeded to let out a long string of curses. “What damn bad luck.”

  “I thought you were being ridiculous to worry about seeing someone I knew,” she said in a low voice. “I can’t believe we ran into Pete.”