Bane (9 page)

And defied his family. She recalled how often his brother Dillon had sat them down and talked to them, urging her to stay in school. He had lectured them to stop acting impulsively and to start thinking of someone other than themselves.

Deciding to continue the conversation with the goal of keeping him awake, she asked, “So what’s going on with your family? Are your brothers and cousins still single?”

His laugh was rich and filled the car’s interior. The sound filled her as well, and she wondered how the deep throatiness of his voice could do that to her. “Not hardly. In fact, after Valentine’s Day when Bailey ties the knot, that will take care of everyone.”

“Bailey is getting married?”

“Yes, and she’s moving to Alaska. Her husband-to-be owns a huge spread on an island there.”

Crystal was shocked. “Bailey always swore that she would never marry and move away.”

“Well, evidently Walker Rafferty was able to change her mind about that. I got a chance to meet him over Thanksgiving. A pretty nice guy. Ex-marine.”

The man must really be something if Bane approved of him. As the youngest two Westmorelands, Bane and Bailey had been close growing up. They’d done a lot of things together. Even got into trouble. “I’m happy for her.”

“So am I.”

She then listened as he brought her up-to-date on his other siblings and cousins and the women and men they had married. His cousins Zane and Derringer, and his brother Riley were also shockers. She remembered they had reputations around Denver as being ladies’ men.

She shifted to get comfortable in her seat as Bane continued to fill her in on his family. She loved hearing the sound of his voice and could tell he was proud of everyone in the Westmoreland family. He also told her about more cousins his family had tracked down in Alaska with the last name of Outlaw.

As she continued to listen to him, she didn’t think to question where they were headed. Like he’d said earlier, they were together, and that was all that mattered. She felt safe with him, and at the moment she couldn’t imagine being anyplace else.

Twelve

“I
’m taking the bed closer to the door again.”

“All right.”

Bane tossed his duffel bag on the bed and glanced around the hotel room. This one was roomier than the last and the bed looked inviting as hell. The first thing he intended to do was take a shower. He had driven for nine hours and he had to hand it to Crystal, she had tried keeping him company by engaging him in conversation about his family and his job as a SEAL. He had explained that due to the highly classified nature of what he did, there was a lot about his missions he couldn’t divulge. She understood and seemed fascinated by what he had been able to tell her.

He glanced over at her and could tell she was exhausted, as well. It was daylight outside but he figured as long as they kept the curtains drawn the room would have the effect of nighttime. Right now he doubted his body cared that it was just two in the afternoon. As long as he could get a little sleep, he would be ready for the next phase of his mission to keep his wife safe.

He turned to place his cell phone on the nightstand. He’d received text messages from Flip letting them know Crystal’s house had been burned down to the ground, which probably infuriated those thinking she had data stored somewhere inside it. And then Viper had texted to say that before turning those guys in the parking lot over to Homeland Security, he and his cousin had given them something to think about. Bane hadn’t asked for details, thinking it was best not to know. But he figured the men wanting Crystal had to be insanely mad when their plans were derailed time and time again. Hopefully, if those guys were the same ones who had kidnapped the other two chemists, it would be just a matter of time before they were found.

“Do you want me to order you something to eat? That way when you get out of the shower your food will be here,” Crystal asked.

He glanced back over at her. “That would be nice. Thanks.”

“Anything in particular you want?”

It was close to the tip of his tongue to answer and say,
Yes, you. You are what I want
. Instead, he said, “Whatever looks good. I’m game.” Grabbing some fresh clothes out of the duffel bag, he went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. And then he leaned against it and drew in a deep breath.

Needing a shower was just an excuse. What he really needed was breathing space away from Crystal. Sharing a room with her, being in close proximity to her after all this time was playing havoc on every part of his body. Every time he looked at her he was filled with desire so deep, the essence of it seemed to drench his pores. And he couldn’t ignore the sensations he felt knowing they were finally together after being apart for so long.

The sound of his phone alerted him to a text message from Nick. Pulling the phone out of his back pocket, he quickly read the lengthy text before placing his phone on the vanity.

Stripping off his clothes, he stepped into the shower. A cold one. And he didn’t so much as flinch when the icy cold water bore down on his skin. Instead, he growled, sounding like a male calling out for a mate he wanted but couldn’t have.

Deciding to focus on something else to get his mind off Crystal for the time being, he mentally ran through all the information Nick had texted him. Crystal’s coworker, Jasmine Ross, was nowhere to be found. Rumor within Homeland Security indicated she’d had help from inside, and for that reason Nick agreed with Bane’s way of thinking to not let anyone, especially Homeland Security, know of his connection to Crystal. Right now everyone was trying to figure out where she’d gone.

The plan was for him and Crystal to stay put at this hotel until tomorrow. Then they would drive overnight to the Alabama and Georgia line and meet with some of his family members. Namely his cousins Dare, Quade, Cole and Clint Westmoreland. Dare, a former FBI agent, was currently sheriff of College Park, a suburb of Atlanta. Clint and Cole were former Texas Rangers and Quade still dabbled from time to time in secretive assignments for a branch of government connected directly to the White House.

Bane stepped out of the shower and began toweling himself off, ready to have something to eat and then finally get some sleep. After slipping into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, he grabbed his phone and slid it into his back pocket. He then opened the bathroom door and walked out to find Crystal pacing the hotel room. “What’s wrong?”

She paused and looked over her shoulder at him. “What makes you think something is wrong?”

“You’re pacing.”

“So I was.” She moved to the desk and sat down in the black leather armchair. “Too much nervous energy, I guess. I don’t want to bother you.”

“You aren’t bothering me,” he said, moving to his duffel bag to discard the clothes he’d just taken off. “I just don’t want you to wear yourself out.”

“You’re worried about me wearing myself out? You? Who barely got any sleep or ate a decent meal in the past twenty-four hours?”

“I’ve survived before on less.”

“Well, I prefer not hearing about it.”

He wondered if she was ready to hear what Nick had texted him earlier. “Jasmine Ross is missing.”

“Missing?”

“Yes. Nick thinks she might have suspected DHS is onto her and went into hiding.” At that moment there was a knock on the door, followed by a voice that said, “Room service.”

“Great timing,” Bane said as he headed for the door. Deciding not to take any chances, he grabbed his gun off the table and then looked through the peephole before opening the door.

After the attendant had rolled in a cart loaded down with a variety of foods, arranged everything and left, Bane smiled over at Crystal. “The food looks good. You’re joining me, right?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’m joining you.”

* * *

“I doubt if I can eat another bite, Bane,” Crystal said, sliding her chair back from the table. Her goal had been to make sure he got something to eat and not the other way around. But he’d had other ideas and had practically fed her off his plate. She recalled how they used to do stuff like that years ago. Until now, she hadn’t realized just how intimate it was.

“Mmm, you’ve got to try this. The piecrust is so flaky it nearly melts in your mouth,” he said, reaching over and offering her his fork with a portion of apple pie on it.

It slid easily between her lips and she closed her eyes and moaned. He was right. It was delicious. In fact, everything was. Instead of ordering an entrée, she had chosen a variety of appetizers she thought he might like. And from the way he’d dived in, he had been pretty hungry. She was glad he had enjoyed all her selections.

She watched him finish off the last of the pie and tried ignoring the way her own stomach fluttered. He even looked sexy while he ate. Seriously, how totally ridiculous was that? Sighing, she glanced around the hotel room, deciding she could handle looking at just about anything right now except Bane. More than once she’d noticed him looking at her and had recognized that glint in his eyes. He’d always had that look when he wanted her. And why was she having such a hard time getting past that look?

“It’s hard to believe the sun is about to go down already.”

She glanced over at him and saw he was looking out the window. She had opened the blinds while he was taking a shower so the room wouldn’t look so dark. The light coming through the window had helped, but now they would be losing that daylight soon.

“We’ll make the twenty-four-hour mark in a few hours.”

She lifted a brow. “Twenty-four-hour mark?”

He smiled and stared at her for what seemed like a minute or two before saying, “We will have spent the past twenty-four hours together. That’s a pretty good start, don’t you think?”

Pretty good start?
Considering everything, he could think that? “I suppose.” She glanced at her watch. “Now it’s my turn to shower. I plan on getting into bed early.”

“So do I.”

She glanced at him and saw gorgeous hazel eyes staring back at her across the rim of a coffee cup. She couldn’t help but return his stare. Okay, what was going on here and why was she encouraging it? He shouldn’t be looking at her like that and she certainly shouldn’t be returning the look. She should be saying something...or better yet, shouldn’t she be getting up from her chair and heading for the bathroom? Yes, that was exactly what she should be doing.

She cleared her throat before easing to her feet. And because she felt she needed to say something she said, “Umm, I think I’ll take a tub bath instead of a shower. I feel the need to soak my body in bubbles for a while.” She frowned. Seriously? Wasn’t that too much information?

She knew it probably had been when she saw his smile. It wasn’t just any old smile but one that was so sexy it had sparks of desire shooting all through her.

“Sounds nice. Mind if I join you?”

Why had he had to ask her that? And why had his gaze just lowered to her chest just now? And why were her nipples stiffening into buds and feeling achy against her T-shirt? “You took a shower earlier. Besides, you’d be bored to tears.”

His rich chuckle filled the room. “Bored to tears? In a bathtub with you? I seriously doubt that, sweetheart. In fact, I know for sure that won’t be the case.”

She raked her eyes over him from head to toe. She had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case as well, but would never confess that to him. “But I’m sure such a macho SEAL wouldn’t want to smell like vanilla,” she said, moving quickly to the bed where she’d laid out a change of clothes.

Grabbing the items off the bed, she dashed into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

* * *

Bane took the last sip of his coffee as he continued to stare at the closed door. Did he have his wife running scared? He grinned, thinking how he’d at least asked about taking a bath with her...even if she’d turned him down. Already he heard the sound of running water and his mind was beginning to work overtime, conjuring up all kinds of fantasy scenarios involving Crystal’s naked body and a bathtub full of bubbles.

He had it bad. Yes, he most certainly did. But hell, that could be expected. He was a full-grown man who hadn’t shared a woman’s bed in five years, and the woman he’d been holding out for was behind that closed door without a stitch of clothes on, playing with bubbles and smelling like vanilla.

He shifted his gaze from the closed door to glance out the window. He might as well get up and close the blinds, since it was getting dark outside. However, instead of moving, he continued to gaze thoughtfully out of the window. He wondered how long it would be before he could officially bring Crystal out of hiding. According to Nick’s text messages, two arrests had been made, but so far those guys weren’t talking.

Just then, his phone went off. He picked it up when he recognized the ringtone. “Yes, Bay?”

“Just checking on you and Crystal. Dillon told us what’s going on.”

Bane leaned back in his chair. “So far so good, considering someone had sewn a tracker inside Crystal’s jacket. Luckily, we were able to stay ahead of them anyway.”

“Dillon said you’re headed south. Why not come home to Westmoreland Country?”

“Can’t do that. The last thing the family needs is for me to deliver trouble to everyone’s doorstep.”

“We can handle it, Bane.”

“It’s not the old days, Bay. My brothers and cousins have wives and kids now. We’re dealing with a bunch of crazies and there’s no telling what they might do. I can’t take the chance.”

“Then, come to Kodiak. Walker told me to tell you that you and Crystal are welcome there. We’re leaving for home tomorrow and won’t be returning to Westmoreland Country until a week before Christmas.”

Bane smiled. “Did you hear what you just said?”

“About what?”

“Kodiak, Alaska. You said that you and Walker were leaving for
home
tomorrow. It’s strange hearing you think of anywhere other than Denver as home.”

Bailey chuckled. “I guess I’m beginning to think of wherever Walker is as home for me.”

Bane nodded. “You really love the guy, don’t you?”

“Yes. Now I know how you and Crystal felt all those years ago. Especially the obsession. I can’t imagine my life without Walker.” She paused a moment and then asked, “And how are things going with you and Crystal? You guys still love each other, right?”

“Why wouldn’t we?”

“The two of you haven’t seen each other in five years, Bane. That’s a long time to not have any kind of communication with someone.”

Yes, it was, but he’d known the moment he’d seen Crystal that for him nothing had changed. But could he say the same about her feelings for him?

Before his cousin could ask him any more sensitive questions, he said, “I need to make a call, Bay. Thank Walker for the offer and tell him if I decide to take him up on it, I’ll let him know.”

“Okay. Stay safe and continue to keep Crystal safe.”

“I can’t handle my business any other way.”

He ended the call, then stood and closed the blinds before wheeling the table and dishes out into the hall. Once back inside he reached for his phone, figuring now was a good time to check in with Nick before calling it a night. His friend picked up on the second ring. “What’s going on, Nick?”

“Glad you called. I was about to text you. Jasmine Ross has been found.”

* * *

Crystal drew in a deep breath as she slid into her bathrobe. She felt good and refreshed. Soaking in the tub for almost an hour had definitely relaxed her mind. Hopefully Bane was asleep by now and she would be soon, too. They both needed a good ten hours’ worth before heading out again.

Opening the bathroom door she allowed her eyes to adjust to the semidarkness. The first thing she noticed was that Bane was not in bed sleeping as she had hoped but was sitting at the desk with his back to her.

He turned around when he heard her and she could tell from the look on his face that something was wrong.

“Bane? What’s going on?”

He stood and stuck his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “I talked to Nick a short while ago.”

Nick, who was usually the bearer of bad news, she thought, tightening the belt of her robe around her. “And?”