Finding Home (31 page)

“That’s just great.  We have
absolutely no clue who the fourth guy could be then?”

“Not unless he starts talking or if
Sarah recalls a name.”

“I’ll ask her about it some more
tomorrow.  Maybe after she finally gets some sleep she’ll remember
something more.”

“Let’s hope so,” Mike agreed.

“I’d better get back to her. 
Thanks again, Boss.”

“No problem.  Good night, Colt.”

He went back to their room, sent a
quick email to his parents, then took a deep breath and went into the bathroom,
finding Sarah neck deep in the water of the jetted tub.  Smiling, he
quietly stripped off his own clothes and then stepped into the tub, loving when
he saw a slow smile touch her lips even though her eyes remained closed.

“Glad you could make it,” she sighed
when he pulled her into his arms, her back to his front.

“Told you I’d come wash your hair,”
he said, nuzzling her neck.

“That you did.”

“Are you sore from the wreck?”

“Not really.  I’m sure I will be
in the morning.  Right now, I’m just a little stiff.”

“Have you taken any of the pain meds
the doctor gave you?”

“Right after I came in here. 
It’ll be kicking in probably in the next thirty minutes or so.”

“Hmm, guess I need to step up my game
then, huh?” he asked, running his tongue along the shell of her ear.

“That would be wise,” she said.

“Let’s wash your hair real quick then
so we can get down to business,” he said, making her laugh. 

He quickly washed her hair then
turned her in his lap, entering her as she straddled his middle.

“Oh, God!” she moaned, “I’ve missed
you, Colt.”

He took his time with her, kissing
her into a frenzy, then running his lips down her throat to her collar bone, to
her breasts, feasting on them while maintaining a slow, steady rhythm. Sarah
held on as long as she could but it wasn’t long before she was panting and
begging him to go faster.  When his climax was nearing, he pressed his
thumb to her most sensitive bud and helped her along so that when he exploded,
she went with him.

Sarah clung to him, her hands buried
in his hair, her tongue dueling with his, frantic at first, then slowing to a
sensual claiming.  His hands moved on her hips, cupping and kneading her
butt as she moved against him.  She loved the feel of his hands on her;
they were so large and masculine and strong. 

“Please don’t ever leave me again,”
she whispered, “I know you had to go take care of things on the job in L.A.,
but maybe next time I could just go with you?  I can’t handle not being
with you again.”

“I’d like that, baby, but what about
your job?”

She shook her head.  “I don’t know. 
I don’t know anything anymore except I don’t want to ever be without you.”

He rewarded her with a kiss.  It
wasn’t a spoken ‘I love you’, but after that statement, he felt that it was
just a matter of time before she finally gave him those words. 

Colt had only been asleep for a
couple of hours when he had an overwhelming feeling that something was
wrong.  Sitting up, he quickly scanned the darkened bedroom before turning
his attention to Sarah.  She was asleep but apparently in the throes of a
nightmare, her head thrashing slightly on her pillow.  He placed his hand
on her shoulder, firm but gentle, not wanting to alarm her.

“Sarah,” he said, keeping his voice
low and calm.  “Baby, wake up.  It’s just a dream.  You hear
me?  You’re safe.  It’s just a dream.”

Sarah gasped and jolted, her eyes
flying open.  Colt immediately gathered her into his arms, stroking her
hair and rocking her.  She was panting and clinging to him but thankfully,
she wasn’t crying.  He was beginning to see that she was stronger than he
originally thought she was.

“I’m OK,” she told him quietly.

He kept stroking her hair, kissing
the side of her head.  “Want to talk about it?”

She took a deep breath, “I keep
dreaming about when they took me, from the patio at work.  They came up
behind me and put an arm around my middle and a hand over my mouth.  I’ve
never been so scared in my life.”

“I know, baby.  I’m so
sorry.  I didn’t think there was an imminent threat or I never would have
left you.”

She took a deep breath, snuggling
closer to him.  “It wasn’t your fault, Colt,” she told him.

“Did they talk to you while you were
there?  Tell you why they were after the Bainbridges?”

“Wayne said it was because of what
Buck did to people in the Valley.”

“That’s what whoever made the call
said.  Buck doesn’t know what they are talking about.  They didn’t
say anything to you about it?”

“Well, Wayne said Buck fired him for
drug use.  Back then, Wayne was belligerent about it and threw in with the
others in the kidnapping plot…and he mentioned something about his father but I
never did hear what that was about.”

Colt was combing his fingers through
her hair, helping to relax her.  She sighed, content to just lie in his
arms, her fingers tracing over his tattoo.

“Were you able to get the security
system fixed at Presley’s?”

“For the most part.  What’s left
my guys there can do now.”

“That’s good,” she said, sitting up
and crawling over him, her hands on his pectorals. 

“Want something?” he asked, his eyes
straining to see her in the moonlit room.

She smiled, lifted her gown over her
head and threw it across the room. 

“I want you inside me,” she said,
leaning down and kissing him, capturing his lower lip between her teeth,
running her tongue along it.  “I want your hands on me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, his hands
sliding up her thighs to her hips, up her ribcage to her breasts.

She reached down and freed him from
his underwear, yanking them down his legs and off, then groaned when he entered
her.  She looked down at him reclined on the bed underneath her, his
muscles on full display and she marveled for the millionth time how it was that
someone like him could be attracted to her. 

“Have I told you, Colt, how
absolutely, breathtakingly gorgeous you are?”

He smiled and Sarah thought she could
survive just on that dimpled smile alone.

“You’re pretty fantastic yourself,
baby.  You take my breath away.”

“I don’t know about that, but you,”
she said, biting her lip as she trailed her nails down his washboard abs, “you
are like, sex on a stick.  I can’t get nearly enough of you.”

In one powerful move, he surged up
and reversed their positions so that she was on her back looking up at
him.  He pounded into her hard, so fast that she was on the brink within
just a few strokes.  When her breath caught and she felt as tight as a
bowstring, as if one move would have her shattering, he stopped and raised up
on his hands to look down at her.

“When are you going to get it through
your head that you are the most beautiful woman in the world to me?  I
love every single thing about you.  Everything about you turns me
on.”  He flexed his hips, pushing deep into her.  “You feel that,
baby?  That’s for you.  Look at me,” he demanded, going down on his
forearms so he could cup her face in his hands.  “I don’t want to ever
hear you putting yourself down or questioning why I’m attracted to you
again.  Not ever again.”

“Colt,” she whispered, a tear
spilling down her cheek.  He quickly kissed it away then proceeded to move
with such need and such force that all she could do was hold on and enjoy the
ride.  When her release came, he covered her mouth with his to absorb her
screams, and her enthusiastic cries prompted his own release.

Panting, face pressed into her
breasts, he wanted to tell her he loved her but didn’t want to face the
disappointment of yet again not hearing it back from her.  She’d just come
home from a bad ordeal and had suffered through a nightmare.  He didn’t
want to ruin what they’d just shared by picking an argument.

Sarah’s fingers were idly combing
through his hair, her legs still wrapped around his waist.  He was sweaty
and knew he needed to get up and grab a quick shower but couldn’t bring himself
to move just yet; it felt too good to be in her arms, to feel her beneath him.

“Are you falling asleep on me?” she
asked and he could hear the smile in her voice.

“I might,” he said against her
breast, “I think you sapped all my strength.”

She laughed, smoothing his hair back
from his brow.  He pressed a kiss to the side of her breast then slowly
rolled off of her and got to his feet.  She watched him move across the
room, admiring the beauty of his nude body. 

“I’m hopping in the shower. 
Want to join me?” he asked.

She hugged her pillow closer, smiling
up at him.  “I would but I honestly don’t think I can move.”

Chuckling, he leaned down and pressed
a brief but searing kiss to her lips, then he went into the bathroom and she
heard the shower start.  Sighing, she closed her eyes and settled into the
bed, smiling when she felt his lips press to her forehead.

“Good night, sweetheart,” he whispered,
then left her again to get his shower.

The next time Sarah woke, the sun was
streaming in through the windows and she was in bed alone.  She reached
out toward Colt’s side and her hand brushed a piece of paper on his
pillow.  Smiling, she turned to face his side of the bed and picked up the
note he left her.

Meeting with Mike and the rest of
the guys downstairs in Buck’s office.  Clothes for you hanging in the
bathroom.  Come down to the office to find me when you get up and get
going.  Love you.  C  p.s. your phone is on the bedside table.

She scrambled over and picked up her
phone, seeing messages and missed calls from all her friends.  She texted
the work crowd back and then called Janine.

“This had better be you, Sarah
Sauter!” Janine said without preamble.  “Your boyfriend is hot but I’m
getting tired of talking to him.”

“It’s me,” Sarah said, “I’m sorry I
haven’t been in touch lately.”

“Oh, gee, I wonder why!  Are you
all right?  I was so scared.”

“I’m fine.  It really wasn’t
quite so bad.  One of them was really nice to me.  And hey, getting
totally doted on and babied by Colt was pretty awesome.”

Janine laughed slightly.  “Oh,
I’m sure.  But getting kidnapped and hurt in an accident was really not
cool.  And not calling your best friend for nearly twenty-four hours after
getting rescued is not cool, either, missy!  I was worried sick.”

“I know.  I’m sorry.”

“Where are you now?”

“At the Bainbridge’s ranch in
Wyoming.  You should see this house, Janine.  It would take up our
entire block!  It’s enormous.”

“You’ll have to send me
pictures.  Where is Colt this morning?”

“He’s meeting with his guys
downstairs.  There is still a kidnapper on the loose.”

“Oh, my gosh!  Really?”

“Afraid so.”

“That is so scary!  Tell me you
are going to stay locked up in that huge house until they get him!”

Sarah raked her fingers through her
hair.  “I don’t know, maybe for a few days, but, realistically, I don’t
see how I can.  I mean, these guys stayed quiet for almost twenty-seven
years.  Who’s to say this guy won’t do that again, especially with two of
his crew dead and one in jail.”

“What does Colt say about it?”

Sarah sighed.  “I don’t
know.  He’s upset with himself that he didn’t take the threat more
seriously.  His crew wouldn’t even let him come in after me at the cabin
because they were afraid he’d go off the deep end, but he’s been wonderful ever
since I’ve been free.  I don’t want him to blame himself for what happened
but I know he and Tag both do.  I’m afraid he will stop taking contracts
when he needs to because he’s afraid something will happen to me.”

“Well, hopefully, they will find that
fourth guy soon and then you won’t have to worry about it.  Everything
will go back to normal.”

“Girl, I hope so.  Whatever
normal is these days, anyway.  I’d better get up and get ready for the
day.  I just wanted to check in with you and let you know I’m OK.”

“I’m so glad you did.  Evan has
been scared to death.”

“I’ll shoot him a text when we get
off the phone.  Tell Grant I said hi.”

“Will do, sweetie.  Love you.”

“Ditto, sweets.  See you later.”

She ended her call and was pulling up
a text to Evan when Colt’s voice startled her.

“Well, at least I know it’s not just
me,” he said, coming into the room.

“What?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Nothing.  Charlotte wants to
take you up to the Foundation today to meet everyone.  Are you up to that?”

“Will you be coming?”

“I go where you go, babe,” he said
with a wink.

She took a deep breath and let it out
slowly.  “OK, then, I’ll go if you do.”

He cupped the nape of her neck in his
hand and leaned down to kiss her.

“Get up and get going, baby, everyone’s
anxious to see you.”

She pulled him down to her and
wrapped her arms around him.  “Can’t we just stay locked up in here all
day?  Veg out in bed?”

He chuckled, kissing her neck. 
“As much as I’d like that, can’t do it.  Too many people wanting our
attention.”

A shiver ran through her and she
tightened her hold on him.  “I just want to go home, Colt.  I’m not
used to being around so many people.  I’d love to be up on your mountain
again, just the two of us.”

“As soon as all this is over,
baby.  I’ll take you there and we’ll stay for a month.  Or we’ll go
to Cabo and chill out on the beach.  Whatever you want.  I promise.”

She stroked her hand over his
stubbled cheek and then kissed him.

“OK, honey,” she whispered.

“Good.  Now, get ready and come
downstairs,” he said, giving her a quick kiss and a quick spank before leaving
her.

She stuck her tongue out at him,
making him laugh as he walked out the door, then got up to get dressed.