Heart pounding, she stared into the rearview mirror. Maybe she was wrong.
But if she wasn’t… Pulse racing, she started the car and tried desperately to calm herself, fighting the instinct to floor the accelerator in her haste to escape. Memories of his hands groping her, imprisoning her, his harsh voice cursing her and taunting her with what he’d like to do to her—
Stop it. Think what to do next.
She calmed herself by recalling Case racing across the parking lot, the answer to her prayers.
But Case wasn’t here. He would never be with her again. She had to fight this battle and beat the odds alone.
Still, the thought of Case gave her strength. She remembered most his courage, his solid confidence, his teasing tenderness…the thrill of his touch. Nothing had seemed to be insurmountable when he was near. She yearned to lean against him just once more, to replenish her own strength in the bottomless well of his. He’d said she had courage; she’d have to prove him right.
She tried not to think about how she’d ridiculed love for making a person weak. Loving Case made her feel stronger.
As she sped away from the neighborhood, she decided that her next step would be to return to the mall where the other car was parked. There was a movie complex there, she recalled. She’d sit in a darkened theater and figure the move after that.
After the repair shop had gone an hour past the regular opening time without a sign of the man or Sammie returning, Case considered whether he should leave and head on back to meet Bullhorn later that morning. His gut told him to wait.
A sudden inspiration led him to start the engine again—a smooth process when he wasn’t acting like a madman. He pulled up in front of the garage and lifted the hood. He used the time to do a general inspection of all the systems. His impulse was soon rewarded when the man he’d seen with Sammie earlier pulled into the drive and headed in his direction.
“Can I help you?”
“You work here?” Case looked out from under the hood to meet the steady gaze of the redheaded man who’d touched Sammie so lovingly. He throttled back on the urge to grind the man’s face into the pavement.
“Yeah, this is my place. Jerry Benson,” he said, offering a handshake. “What seems to be the problem?”
“Luther…Luther Cantrell,” Case offered. Until he understood more about what Sammie was doing here, he’d remain disguised. “I’m not sure. This pickup has gotten me down many a mile, but it’s running rough this morning.”
“Want me to take a look at it?” Jerry’s gaze was friendly, if a little cautious.
“Not exactly your usual type of vehicle, is it?” Case challenged.
“No, but that’s only because the luxury cars pay better. My clientele is accustomed to sparing no expense. My background is in hot rods, farm equipment, you name it.” He grinned, the easy smile making Case clench his jaw. Damn it, he refused to like this son-of-a-gun who laid hands on his Sammie. The irony of the thought was not lost on him. He’d be lucky if his Sammie didn’t spit in his eye when she saw him, after the way he’d treated her.
Jerry misinterpreted the twist of Case’s mouth. “Hey, it’s no skin off my nose if you don’t want me to help. I’ve got more business than I can handle.”
“Sorry—no offense intended.” He’d just had a brilliant idea, a possible way to be allowed to wait around to see if Sammie showed up. His tone apologetic, he continued, “It’s just that—well, I’m not too flush right now. I can do my own work, but I don’t have enough tools with me. I wonder if I could trade with you, free labor in exchange for using your tools later on.”
Jerry’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of experience do you have?”
“A lot like yours. A little bit of everything from big rigs to farm equipment to passenger cars.”
“Any foreign car experience?”
“Not a lot, but I could stick to the simple stuff and leave the fancy work to you.” Case forced himself not to push.
Jerry studied him. “Well, it’s no lie that I could use the help. I guess it’s worth a shot. Just don’t do anything you have the slightest doubt about, okay? We’ll talk our way through each vehicle first.”
Case tamped down his jubilation and merely nodded. “Sounds good to me. Let’s get to work.”
They worked in a companionable silence for the next few hours. Jerry brought lunch from down the street, saying that it was the least he could do for the free labor. Most of the time, the only sound in the garage not work-related was the radio Jerry kept tuned to a talk show. Case didn’t mind; it relieved him of the need to talk and risk revealing anything about himself to this man he was coming to like against his will. He was grateful for the distraction. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand not knowing what was happening with Sammie. Having work to do helped the time pass.
Jerry came over to the MG on which Case was adjusting the timing. “Luther?”
Case took a split-second to respond and hoped Jerry hadn’t noticed. “Yeah?”
“I’ve got to make a run for parts. I’ll just lock up and put up the sign so no one will bother you while I’m gone.”
Pleased that Jerry would trust him enough to leave him with the tools, Case nodded and returned to work.
Sammie left the mall, dressed once again in the suit, her gypsy outfit in the shopping bag she clutched in one hand. The suit was now accessorized with a big hat and sunglasses, obscuring her face. She’d decided to drive by her apartment and see if she could spot any surveillance there.
As she neared her apartment building, her heartbeat picked up. She tried to stay calm, to be observant and not dwell on the fact that this was her home. What mattered now was ending this nightmare so she could go back to her life and not harm those she loved. After what had happened up those stairs, she was less sure that the apartment would ever feel like home again, but that was something to figure out later—assuming she ever got the chance.
She didn’t see anything out of the ordinary at first. Then she spotted a large sedan parked across the street and down the block a bit. Was it the one from the truck stop? She couldn’t be sure—too much had happened that night.
As she neared it, however, she heard a roaring in her ears as her heartbeat sped up. Black dots danced at the corners of her vision.
Breathe. Calm down.
It was the same car. Oh, God. The bitter taste of terror scalded the back of her throat. Did they know she was here, or was it merely a precaution? She pressed a hand to her heart, willing it to slow down. She drove past, staring straight ahead, afraid she’d alert some animal sense in them if she didn’t get herself under control. She forced herself to drive at a moderate speed, knuckles white on the steering wheel as she fought to keep a grip on her sanity, to rein in her terror.
She had her answer. She had no choice but to go forward—no going back to her old life now. She had to find a solution.
Or remain a fugitive forever.
“Hey, Luther, it’s time to knock off for the day. If you want to use my tools to work on your truck now, it’s fine with me,” Jerry offered. “Want to grab a bite before you do?”
“Thanks, but if you’re willing to leave me here, I’ll just go ahead and get to work. I’ve got a friend I need to see, and I’d better head out pretty soon,” Case responded. He’d managed a quick call earlier to leave Bullhorn a message not to expect him.
“If you were going to take off with my tools, you could have done that before now. Want me to lock up?”
“No, it’s pretty hot. Leave the door open, if you don’t mind. I’ll punch in the lock before I leave, if you’re not back.”
“Okay. Go out the back way and lock this deadbolt from inside. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” Jerry paused until Case looked up. “Thanks. You do good work. Don’t suppose you’re looking for a job?”
“Sorry, no.”
“Well, if you change your mind, you’ve got one here.”
Case held out his hand. “Thanks.
I’ll remember that. Much obliged.” Jerry shook hands with him, then turned to leave.
Sammie’s exhaustion was as much mental as physical. Fear and confusion had taken their toll. This nightmare seemed to go on and on, an endless cycle of terror. As she ascended the stairs to Jerry’s apartment, she wondered if she should insist on relocating. Maybe he could loan her the money for a motel room somewhere. She could be endangering him, too, without knowing it. She’d tried to be careful, but she was a novice at this. How did she know if she’d been careful enough? She thought about the precautions Case had taken. His instincts had given her a margin of safety, a time of respite. Time was what she needed most, time to figure out what to do to end this nightmare. She wished, yet again, that Case were here. Together they could solve this, she just knew.
Case. Her thoughts always came back to him. She had to stop thinking about him, had to stop longing for him. He wanted nothing to do with her, and she had to get over him.
“Jerry?” she called out, knowing already from the feel of the apartment that he wasn’t here. She’d look downstairs in the garage, where a faint light spilled onto the drive.
The side door to the garage was open. She passed through the darkness, gravitating toward the light. “Jerry? Are you here?”
She neared the pickup hood from which the light was coming, and all her senses prickled. When she came around to the side, she lurched to a halt, stunned by the shock of what she saw.
Case. He was here. Here, before her very eyes, surely a vision conjured from her longings. Her legs nearly collapsed.
Their gazes met as he lay barely under the truck, the air snapping with the shock. The longing.
She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t comprehend that he could truly be here. He’d told her to get away from him. She knew she was supposed to forget him, yet here he was, a dream come to life. She fought the urge to run to him, to sob in relief at seeing him. She ached to go nearer.
The night closed in around them, and the sounds from outside crept in slowly, birds settling down to rest, cicadas humming in the sultry summer night. The garage was humid and dark, the trouble light hanging near him the only illumination, shadowing his sable mane and angular beauty. He shouldn’t be here. She shouldn’t want him to stay. He was dangerous to her resolve, and she was a danger to him. She should turn and run away—far, far away.
But she wanted him…oh, how she wanted him here.
The sight of him stole her every last thought. He lay there, his long, muscular legs spread, giving her a clear impression of the bulge that had worn his jeans almost white. Lay there with that powerful chest and the ropes of muscles layering the arms she wished with all her heart she could feel around her once more.
Temptation. A dark angel. Carnality as pure as sin.
And maybe the love of her life.
She wanted this man. Craved to forget everything else and lose herself in the fog of desire filling the space between them. To crawl into his arms and never leave.
No one had ever pulled at her like this, had ever wrapped himself around her without coming close enough even to touch. He was six feet away, for heaven’s sake, and her heart was pounding.
Case tried to look unmoved. He was anything but. Unsure of his welcome, he was nonetheless certain of how much he wanted her. She was the lightning rod for all of his longings, amplifying them back at him in pulses so powerful that all he could do was to lie there, his body pounded by wave after wave of hunger for her.
Sammie watched him rise slowly, wiping the grease from his hands with a rag. His hair was tousled, hanging low over his right eye, shadowing the arresting brightness of those green eyes. As he moved toward her, she took a step back, unnerved by the draw he exerted, afraid to believe there was a chance for them. She was stopped by the hard wooden edge of a workbench, and she placed one hand on his chest as if for protection.
It was a bad move. Her hand came to rest on his warm flesh at the point where his shirt opened onto a hard ridge of muscle. Desire arced between them, shock thrilling through her. Her fingers flexed into the crisp hairs, nails lightly grazing his flesh. Hot wells of need threatened to boil over.
She looked up quickly as his head bent to her, his gaze fixed on her lips with a burning intensity. She used her tongue to quench the searing sensation. His eyes smoldered at the sight.
Case was trapped as surely as a deer in headlights. He could no more move away from her than leap to the moon. There might be a thousand reasons for them to be apart, but right now none of them meant a damn. He wanted her so badly his gut ached, but he didn’t want to frighten her. Needing to touch, he reached out with one finger, marking her cheek with one lazy, smooth streak of grease.
She felt both branded and caressed.
Sammie grasped that hand with her free one and slowly, very slowly, her eyes never leaving his, streaked his mark across her bare skin just above her bodice, then moved his large, warm hand to cup her breast.
Mesmerized by her bold move, desire crackled through him like a bolt of lightning. Her fingers slid up to his shoulder and drew him closer until he dipped his head and drank of those lips that were driving him mad. A slow, soft moan rose from deep within her as he got a taste of what he’d been craving.
Barely able to breathe, he cruised his lips down her pale throat.
She gasped softly, and her nipple tightened beneath his palm.
He used his teeth lightly to secure his claim, his tongue soothing the soft bite. As she melted into his arms, he drew her close, but nothing seemed close enough. Every rational thought drowned out by the buzz of desire, he lifted her to the workbench, shoving the tools aside with one sweep of his arm.
She hardly reacted to the noise, so filled were her senses with his presence. This was a wildfire burning out of control, and nothing short of the Second Coming was going to stop it. She surrendered, catching herself on her elbows, head falling back as that wild, scorching mouth of his worked its magic down her body.
His hands slid up under her slim, tailored skirt, giving him a view at last of what he’d remembered at least a thousand times in his dreams. He wanted to fall to his knees before her, a poster girl lying there, every man’s fantasy, sensuality incarnate, draped in sexy disarray on the workbench. If this was a dream, he prayed never to awaken.
He started at the end of those long, tempting legs, removing her heels and cradling one slender foot in his large hand. As he bent to kiss her instep, she sighed.
His tongue made its way up her curvy calf to lick around to the back of her knee.
Sammie moaned. She felt exposed, wanton…tantalized. Her arousal deepened when his hands eased her legs apart and caressed the inner curves of her thighs. By the time he tortured his way upward, his heated breath whispering across the dark curls, she was panting and shifting restlessly. He slid her panties off and she plowed her fingers into his thick dark hair, grasping and flexing in frenzied bliss as the magic of his tongue sent her soaring.
She couldn’t stand any more, mad with need for him to fill the aching void he’d left when he’d sent her away. She levered up and grabbed for his belt buckle, both of them fumbling with the fastening. He returned his hands to her body, his face tight, visibly struggling for patience to wait for her to free him. He stripped off her suit jacket and caressed her breasts, working at the tiny buttons of the severe blouse covering those curves.
When they succeeded, both breathed sighs of relief. His gaze met hers in shared amusement at the sound.
The amusement didn’t last long. His eyes darkened, and hers closed as he buried his fingers in her hair. He drew her to him for a slow, scorching kiss.
“Oh, Case….” Just like that, she was rising again, her body gathering to fly once more.
“Look at me.” His voice was rough. Hungry.
When she did, he made them one.
She gasped. He groaned, standing stock-still and drinking in the solace after the long, painful separation.
Then urgency
gripped them once more and they began to move, this time together in a dance as old as time, as primal as the beat of blood rushing through veins. Higher and higher they climbed together, yearning unrelenting and intense.
Breathing hard, thrusting deep, Case couldn’t get close enough.
Finally, he picked her up, still full and aching within her, and settled on the high stool next to the workbench. She perched her feet on the rungs at the sides, rocking sinuously above him as his strength supported both of them. She wrapped her arms tightly about his neck, lowering her head to mate with his mouth while her hot, sweet warmth stroked him with agonizing pleasure. Her hair formed a dark, glowing curtain around them, little whimpers escaping her throat. Case groaned from somewhere deep in his soul, and the firestorm consumed them.
Moments later, as her head rested on his broad shoulder and nerve endings screamed from the power of their release, the phone in the office rang.
“There’s no way in hell I’m answering that, even if I thought it was for me.” Case’s voice was still husky, still raw.
Her lips quirked up in a lazy smile, and his tilted in answer. They were still for a moment, reveling in the closeness. He closed his eyes to savor the moment before reality could split them apart again.
Words had been the enemy. He wasn’t ready for them yet.
Chapter Seventeen
Sammie tensed and slid off his lap. Picked up her panties and put them on with her back to him. Then she retrieved her blouse and worked on the buttons, face still averted.
Case moved to stand behind her, one hand hovering just above her shoulder. He was suddenly unsure of his right to touch her, painfully aware of how he’d wronged her.
Hell with that. She’s welcome to yell at me all she wants, but I’m going nowhere.
The Marshalls Boxed Set (Texas Heroes: The Marshalls Books 1-3) Page 66
