Lone Rider (16 page)

He started rattling off the places he'd been stationed. When she didn't respond,
Dallas
glanced down. She'd fallen asleep in his arms, as trusting as a baby.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and settled back, satisfied to watch the flames in the fireplace die down. He didn't care if she slept for hours. For now he was content just to hold her.

*     *     *

Tess woke up in his arms, like she did every morning now, her bottom spooned low against his abdomen, his leg pressed possessively between hers. She slept in one of his T-shirts and a pair of her own underwear.

He'd given her an ultimatum on sleepwear. She could either wear the silky nightgown he'd found in her bag or a T-shirt. She'd picked one of his T-shirts because they were longer then hers.

For a few moments she lay still, savoring the closeness, relishing the odd security she felt at being wrapped tightly in his arms. In the days since freeing her from the pantry,
Dallas
had only l
eft her twice. Both times he'd k
ept his word and been back within an hour.

Outside of kissing her, which, if she was honest, she'd admit she enjoyed, he hadn't made any untoward advances. Just as he promised.

Maybe it was that integrity that made her wonder what an intimate relationship with him would be like. After these weeks of waking up in his arms, his body was familiar to her. She knew the contours of his wide shoulders, knew the ripple of his abdomen pressed against her back. He was much taller, yet she didn't feel threatened by his size.

In fact she grew increasingly
...curious. In the nights they'd spent together, she'd felt his rock-hard erection pressed against her on more than one occasion, felt it rub against her buttocks. It wasn't unpleasant.

It was odd, but during the time she'd spent with
Dallas
she realized how superficial her relationship with Geoffrey had been. They'd had no physical connection; both of them had been too wrapped up in their different careers. Geoffrey, in fact, spent the majority of his time in the
London
offices of his father's export company while Tess built her business in
Boston
.

One day, when Tess realized Geoffrey had been gone two months and she didn't miss him, she broke the engagement. It had all been terribly civilized. Madeline, her mother, had been more distraught by the news than either she or Geoffrey had been.

Tess sighed. Had
Dallas
ever been engaged? Married? Had there been one special woman he adored above all others?

She could readily imagine him in a relationship. She'd bet he'd be solicitous. Slightly jealous. Wondrously attentive. And sexually demanding. Exactly what would it be like to be made love to by Dallas Haynes? Hot? Sinful?

Illicit.

And something she didn't need to think about experiencing with this man. Not now. Not here. Not ever
.

Closing her eyes, she forced her thoughts to clear. Here she was dreaming about making love with a man she should still be trying to escape. And it wasn't just about sex. She was falling for
Dallas
, which made it even more critical than ever that she get away.

Not caring if she woke him, she moved. ''I'm going to take a shower."

Dallas
yawned and rolled away. "I'll make coffee."

Alone in the bathroom, Tess turned on the faucet, then started tugging at the nail in the window. Every day she tried to loosen the nail, to no avail. Until yesterday. She thought she'd felt it turn.

To her amazement the nail popped free as soon as she grabbed it, pinging noisily aga
inst the tile floor before skid
ding and ricocheting off the tub.

She almost squealed.

Pressing her fingers against the sash, she pushed, but still the window wouldn't budge. Applying pressure at a different angle, she pushed again, usin
g every bit of strength she pos
sessed, but with no success.

Damn! What was wrong? She'd already checked the edges to be certain they hadn't been painted shut. She frowned. At least not from the inside.

Glancing back briefly to check the door, she pressed her nose against the glass, peering down toward the outside sash. That's when she saw the line of nails. Five of them.

Dallas
had nailed the window shut from the outside, too. Her heart pounded dully in
her ears, disappointment bring
ing tears to her eyes. She had been so focused on getting the single nail out that it hadn't even dawned on her the window might refuse to open for other reasons.

Turning the shower on full blast, she stepped under the spray. She would have to find another way to escape.

*     *     *

They had just finished breakfast when someone banged on the door.

Tess looked expectantly at
Dallas
. To her surprise, he didn't order her to hide in another room. Nervous, she started clearing the table. When she finished that, she peeked around the door, wondering who
Dallas
talked to.

Immediately she regretted her impulsiveness as Snake leered at her over
Dallas
's sh
oulder, his black eye patch mak
ing him look even more evil.
Her stomach tightened as she re
membered
the last time she'd seen Snake...
when he'd murdered Matt Michaels. Her hands started shaking.

"Bogen said you've got extra coolers,"
Snake said, look
ing directly at her. "He needs one."

She backed up until the kitchen counter pressed into her spine, struck anew by the physical prowess of these two men. They were huge. She wouldn't stand a chance against either of them.

For a long moment
Dallas
blocked the doorway. Finally, he stepped aside, allowing Snake to enter. Crossing to where Tess stood,
Dallas
reached over her head and grabbed one of the battered ice chests stacked on top of the refrigerator.

Turning, he tossed the chest at Snake. Remaining in front of Tess,
Dallas
reached around and possessively tugged her up against his back, out of Snake's view. "You got what you came for."

"Yep. I'm looking forward to the cookout,
amigo.
" Snake laughed. "She'll make an interesting main course."

As soon as he was gone, Tess yanked her arm free and stepped away. "What was he talking about?"

"Bogen's having a party tonight. A cookout. We're invited."
Dallas
had known this moment would come sooner or later.

"I'll stay here."

"It's not optional," he said. It was obvious that Snake's visit had upset her.
Dallas
noticed that her hands were trembling. "But you'll be with me every moment."

"Who will be there?"

He caught the edge in her voice. ''The entire camp. They're curious to see you, Tess. I told you before there are several women here at the camp. I've never been with any of them, nor have I ever brough
t a woman here, so you're some what of a novelty."
             

He paused, waiting for her to look at him
before going on.
"I'll be frank. They will assume we've had an intimate relationship. Don't try to correct them. They won't care whether it's a consensual arrangement or not. In fact they'll assume it wasn't. As you know, they'll be crude. Ignore them, and I'll get us out of there as soon as I can."

Once again she saw a flicker-compassion?-behind those silver eyes just before he turned and walked away, leaving her alone in the kitchen. He w
asn't as indifferent to her sit
uation as he'd have her believe.

Perhaps she did have a chance at convincing him to let her skip Bogen's little soiree. She followed him quietly, intent on asking again if she could stay behind.

Dallas
was in the bedroom, rummaging through the boots he stowed in the back of t
he closet. "Damn Snake," he mut
tered. ''I'm sure that bastard had something to do with Michaels's disappearance."

His words surprised Tess. "Matt Michaels?"

Dallas
spun around, irrita
ted that he hadn't heard her ap
proach, shocked by her question. "How did you know that was his first name?"

She felt her face redden. "I ... I ... guessed it. I'll go finish the dishes."
             

Dumbfounded,
Dallas
watched her hurry away. Damn. She knew. He had suspected all along she was hiding something.

He just hadn't thought it pertained to Matt. Jesus, how stupid could he be?

Sitting back on his heels, he forced his temper to cool. He needed to know exactly what she knew about Matt. And how she'd found out. The problem would be convincing her to tell him about it without raising suspicion that might imperil his assignment or endanger her.

A few minutes later he walked out to the kitchen where she stood with her back to him, furiously washing dishes. Moving closer he grabbed a towel and started wiping a plate.

The tension between them stretched, as brittle as spun glass, until finally he spoke. "Tess, I know you don't deserve anything that's happened to you. But I hope you recognize that I've gone out of my way to protect you and will continue to do so. If you know anything about Matt Michaels, you need to tell me."

Tess looked at him squarely. "No. The only thing I need to do is stay alive and get back to my family."

He tossed the towel down. "I knew Matt Michaels from town. He worked on my bike a few times. In fact he did work for several people here. Everyone liked him."

She opened her mouth, then just as quickly closed it and
tried to move past him.

Silver eyes pinned her in place. "Everyone except Snake
,
"
he said.

"I don't know anything," she blurted.

"I think you do, but you just don't want to tell me." He reached out, wrapping a golde
n strand of hair around his fin
ger and tugged it lightly, urging her closer. "Why?"

Tess scowled, resisting, pulling away. "You warned me against letting anyone know my secrets. You said it could put me in even more danger here. So to be perfectly honest, I'm scared. Of Snake. Of Bogen. Of you."

Dallas
eyed the clock, wish
ing they had more time to dis
cuss this. Unfortunately he had a meeting scheduled with Bogen. They were going to call Sanchez. For now he had to leave.

"I've asked you several times to trust me, Tess. Have I betrayed you yet?"

Angry tears glittered in he
r eyes. "You're holding me pris
oner!"

"Funny. I thought I was keeping you safe from the others."

Moving away,
Dallas
started preparing for his meeting, but his mind was still on Tess. She
knew something about. Michaels'
disappearance, of that he was sure. But she didn't believe in him enough to tell him what it was.

Well, tonight
Dallas
was going to change that. He'd lay on the charm as soon as they returned from Bogen's party. Hell, maybe sooner. He wanted Tess' trust, needed it. And tonight he'd do whatever it took to win her confidence.

*     *     *

They rode
Dallas
's motorcycle to the cookout, which was held a couple of miles from the main house, on the shore of a lake. He assured her it wasn't
Lake
Summer
-
-
which didn't make her feel any less uncomfortable.

In the dark it was impossible to see the water, but
Dallas
said it was only a short distance away. "I'll take you for a walk along the shore later," he offered.

Tess shook her head. Her
fear of water had seemed to mag
nify with each passing nightmare of Matt Michaels's lifeless, concrete-weighted body. Bei
ng anywhere near water held lit
tle appeal for her.

Besides, she was still furious with
Dallas
for marking her neck. Just before they had left the cabin, he pulled her into his arms and started kissing her. Tender, maddening kisses, as if she were the most precious thing on earth.

Tess had melted on the spot, powerless against his touch, the feel of his lips nuzzling her throat. Then she'd felt a slight sting, felt his teeth graze and nip. Twice.

One look in the bathroom mirror confirmed her suspicions.

He'd given her two unsightly love bites, right in the middle of her neck. "How dare you!" she accused, embarrassed to have once again lost her reasoning while in his embrace.