Desert Guardian (28 page)

"I
realized how important you were to me the moment you left my cabin yesterday.
Then less than an hour ago, I almost lost you forever."

She
blinked, her eyes shining, her lips parted, but she remained silent while
waiting for him to go on.

He
grabbed her hand and held it between his own. "Everything's different for
me now. After what Valya did to me, and to my mother, I never thought I could
love anyone. Women were a threat, not to be trusted. But then I met you."
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the backs of her fingers.

Kelly
shuddered beneath his touch and smiled. She leaned back against the wall of the
ambulance. "Okay, you've convinced me. Men really aren't so bad."

"Sure
we are," he said slyly. "We just need you women to make us better."

Never
having had a meaningful relationship, how was she supposed to express how she
felt? She'd already made a fool of herself once, when they had picnicked that
night at Key Views. Coming on too strong had caused a fight between them, which
had ultimately ended in a night to remember. Maybe blurting out her feelings
wasn't such a bad idea after all. "Sam?"

"Yes?"

"I
love you."

"I
love you, too."

She
stared at him, nonplused. "Are you teasing me?"

"Why?
Are you teasing me?"

She
let out an exasperated gasp. "I think I'll return to my original
assessment of men. You're all jerks."

He
rolled his eyes.

"How
dare you make fun of me. I just bared my soul to you, and you won't even take
me seriously. You think it's easy to admit how I feel? Men have been running my
life since the day I was born. You're all self-centered brutes. After
everything I've been through with you these past few days, I can't believe you
have the nerve to mock my—"

He
silenced her with a kiss. A long, deep, hungry kiss that sent wonderful
sensations scurrying to her most sensitive parts. When he finally drew away,
leaving her breathless, he said evenly, "Shut up."

"Okay."
She kissed him back, her tongue dominating the dance between their lips. She
pulled back first and said, "Better?"

His
eyes were dark with passion. "How about we close these ambulance doors and
do it right?"

Her
lips quirked in a teasing smile. "Would you like me to stay in California?"

"Need
you even ask?"

"It's
the polite thing to do."

"What
about your father?"

She
sighed. "It's going to take some time for me to get used to the
New Dad
. I haven't forgiven him for how
he abused Jake and me when we were kids, but I've softened to the possibility."

"What
about Jake?"

Kelly
paused before saying, "He'll decide for himself. But I'd really like it if
you'd work with him, Sam. He's going to need counseling after all this."

Sam
frowned. "And what do I get in return?"

She
hummed as if deep in thought before saying, "Me. I'll help you with
Lynette,
and
I'll be your partner in
the cult intervention business. We make a good team."

"Indeed
we do." He leaned in to kiss her again, his booted foot nudging the
ambulance doors until they closed.