Tempting the Tiger (12 page)

He grunted as he lifted her off him and held her waist as she got her feet under her. She took a deep breath and stepped back from him, not meeting his eyes as she went about righting her pants and bra. She leaned against a tree as she pulled her boot back on after doing her best to dust the dirt and leaves off her sock. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, and almost sighed with regret as he tugged his jeans up and tucked his spent cock away. She’d just had him and wanted him again. Crazy!

“You okay?” he asked.

She wondered if he realized how often he asked her that. Maybe he asked everyone that? Probably, she wasn’t anyone special. But he was the only one who’d ever bothered to ask, and it made her feel special.

“I’m fine, Reno. I promise you didn’t give me anything I didn’t want.”

He nodded as if her words had eased something inside him. He grabbed their shirts then let his gaze move over her chest. “Almost feels sacrilege to give this back to you, but we won’t get much farther if you keep tempting me.”

She laughed. “Tempting you, huh?”

He gave her the shirt and let out a weary sigh as she pulled it over her head. She found him just watching her, still holding his own shirt once she had it on. His eyes took her in from head to toe before he pulled his shirt over his head.

“You touch me. I’m tempted. You look at me. I’m tempted. Hell, you just breathe, and I’m tempted.”

She smiled. She knew just how he felt. He took her hand and led her back to the Jeep. She could feel the tension in him as they reached the vehicle. It made her wonder if he was as loath to reach their destination as she was, and why? He beeped the locks open and placed his thumb on the handle until she heard another beep. Then he held the door open for her, but she couldn’t get inside. She bit her lip and turned to face him. As much as she wanted him, she didn’t want to be the reason he died or the reason he lost everything just as she had.

“Let me go,” she begged softly. “I’m only going to hurt you.”

He shook his head.

“I don’t want to watch you die.”

His eyes flared, and too late, she realized she’d said more with those words than she intended.

“Is that what you’ve done? Watched people die?”

She didn’t answer, and he didn’t seem to expect her to. He moved into her and dropped a soft kiss on her lips.

“I can’t let you go. I think you hold more answers than even you know.”

“I hold nothing, Reno, except danger. People die if they stay around me too long.”

“I’ll take that chance.”

“I don’t want you to.”

“You don’t have a choice.”

She wanted to scream with fury. How could she want him with a desperation that stunned her, then want to run from him the next moment? He would destroy her. Or even worse, she would destroy him. And that might just be the one thing that killed her.

“In,” he urged and held the door until she gave in and climbed into the Jeep. He shut the door with a click and walked around the hood.

He was silent as he climbed in, started it up and eased them back the way they’d come. It wasn’t until they were on the highway once more that he finally spoke up.

“We’ll stop for gas and something quick to eat at the next exit if that’s okay? Maybe we can find a place to pick you up a few things.” He cleared his throat as if uncomfortable. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you time to get anything you might have had with you.”

She shrugged. Her stuff would be fine where she’d left it, and if it wasn’t, no big loss. She didn’t have anything personal. Not anymore. She’d had a picture of her mother at one time. Stuffed in her bag when she freed Clara and ran. Clara. She thought of the girl often, wondering how she was, if she’d made it. Once, she thought she’d seen her, but it had turned out to be her own wishful thinking.

“Amia?”

“Sounds good,” she muttered. It didn’t matter. The next chance she had she was going to try and run again. She couldn’t let him take her to his home. She had to get away while there was still time. She could feel her time running out. With every kiss, every touch, it felt as if he was binding her to him. It made no sense. She had to leave. Soon. Or she feared she never would.

Reno was pissed and couldn’t explain it other than he could almost feel Amia plotting in the passenger seat. The little vixen was up to something. If she thought he was going to let her get away from him, she had another thing coming, and it wouldn’t be his dick. Not at first, anyway. It’d be the palm of his hand cracking on her ass. And damn, that shouldn’t have his cock shooting up ready to sing the hallelujah chorus. He was a sick bastard, one who was already planning to stop at a motel later just so he could have her again.

He hadn’t been lying when he’d stated how badly he wanted her. She was an insatiable desire. Every taste only made him hunger for more. And what had been up with his dick last time? It’d felt as if he’d swelled bigger while he was inside her. Just before he came. What the fuck was happening?

He grunted as he pulled the Jeep off at the next exit and headed to a gas station. He halted her as she reached for the door handle almost before he had the damn thing in park.

“I’ll get the door for you.”

“I can get my own fucking door.”

“I said I’ll get the door.” He was in her face, his teeth bared as if daring her to defy him.

Damn if she didn’t look as if she was going to for a minute, and the animal in him jumped to attention.

“Fine,” she muttered instead.

He kept his eyes glued to her as he strode around to open her door with a jerk. He didn’t back up as she stepped out, moving in instead and trapping her between him and the Jeep.

“Back off,” she demanded, but he just lifted a brow at her.

“You have ten minutes, Amia, before I come in and tear the store apart looking for you. And trust me, you don’t want to push me right now. No,” he said when she opened her mouth to interrupt. “You will go in, do what you need to do, grab whatever you want and meet me at the cash register. No questions. Do you understand?”

She glared at him, and his cock twitched happily in his jeans. Fucking bastard, that’s what he was.

“Amia.” Her name was a threat, and they both knew it.

“Fine. Now back the fuck off.”

She stormed away as soon as he moved, her ass bouncing with every step, reminding him of how good it had felt when he was pounding into her from behind. He shook those thoughts away and got busy filling the tank and using his card to pay at the pump. He beeped the Jeep locked and headed toward the convenience store where Amia had gone. Her eyes met his as he stepped inside, and if looks could kill, he’d be experiencing a very horrible death he was sure.

He lifted a brow at the junk food in her hands.

“I said we’d grab something to eat.”

“I don’t want a greasy burger. That shit will kill you.”

He almost laughed as he took in the sweets in her hands. A burger would kill her, but the sugar overload was fine?

“Do you have anything other than candy and chips there?”

She just glared at him, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to the cold section. He did a quick scan and picked out a couple of subs he thought might be fresh, or at least as fresh as they were going to get in a gas station. He saw the soda in her hand and shook his head, grabbing a couple of bottles of water to add before moving toward the checkout.

“Will that be all?” The woman behind the counter all but purred the words to him.

He almost staggered under the gagging smell that hit him. Did the woman not bathe? He looked closer. Her shirt was just shy of indecent, dipping so low he could almost see the color of her areola, but it appeared clean. Hair and face perfectly done.

“Twenty-two seventy-five.” Her voice grated on his nerves, and he had no idea why.

He could feel anger radiating from Amia, anger and hurt. He reached out and tugged her into his side as he pulled out his wallet and paid for their haul.

“Anything else I can do for you?”

Amia growled beside him, and it was all he could do to hold her to him. She was practically vibrating. He wanted to laugh at her display of jealousy, and that’s when it hit him. Lust. He was smelling the other woman’s lust, and it left him sick and twitchy. This wasn’t the sweet smell of Amia’s desire for him. This was nauseating.

“Let’s go, baby,” he said to Amia and, ignoring the woman’s question, turned toward the door.

Amia was still seething in silence beside him when he started the Jeep.

“I saw a sign for a Wal-Mart up the road. You want to stop there and grab a few things?” He’d ditched the clothes he’d been wearing when the Blanes had captured him, not wanting the taint of them around him. It’d been easy to toss them on the fire pit and burn them while at the cabin. Though he’d offered Amia one of his shirts, she’d steadfastly refused, putting her clothes back on after their shower.

“No.” It was a soft whisper and not what he’d come to expect from Amia.

He drove there anyway. She had to want some fresh clothes. Toothbrush. The myriad of stuff women always seemed to carry with them. Amia didn’t even have a purse. She was silent when he pulled into the lot of the store, but she didn’t make a move to get out when he shut the engine off again. She stepped out when he opened her door and walked beside him all the way inside. Her easy compliance had him feeling edgy, as if shit was about to go bad fast. What was she up to?

He grabbed a cart and headed to the women’s section. She didn’t say a word as she grabbed another pair of cargo pants and threw them in the cart. Reno took note of the size and grabbed a pair of low-slung jeans and tossed them in. Oh, yeah, he wanted to see those clinging to her hips. She glared, but stayed silent, grabbing a black shirt and tossing it in. Just to see her reaction, he picked up a V-necked T-shirt in a deep green similar to her eyes and tossed it in, as well.

Next stop was the lingerie section. He was fingering lacy confections while she browsed the cotton. Not that he didn’t like what she wore, but there was a black lace set he wanted to see her in. He picked it out and tossed it in.

“I’m not wearing that. Lace is itchy.”

“No problem. You won’t wear it for long,” he promised, and the sweet smell of her lust washed over him. He couldn’t hold back the smile and just for kicks threw in a pale peach set, as well.

She tossed in her cotton items, a package of socks, and they were off again. She grabbed a toothbrush, brush, deodorant and the myriad of other stuff he’d known she wanted. He never said a word as they went through the line and paid. She was ahead of him, swinging the bags, as they made their way to the exit. Her little huff was starting to piss him off. She was already outside when he hit the first set of automatic doors.

He heard the squeal of brakes followed closely by a scream—Amia’s scream.

He hit the second set of doors with a roar that had everyone’s attention shifting to him. Two men had Amia between them, trying to force her into a black van with the back panel slid open. He let loose another roar, and both men stopped shoving her and turned toward him. One released Amia to reach for a gun when Reno moved.

Amia’s foot came up and caught the guy under the chin before he could pull the gun free. Reno felt pride as he watched the man crumple to the ground. The one holding her pulled her back against him, and Reno decided he would die for the bruises he was leaving on her. She struggled against the hold. Reno reached them and wrapped his hand around the guy’s neck, almost yanking him off his feet as rage hit him.

“Take your fucking hands off her.”

The guy gritted his teeth and did the unthinkable. He jerked her around by her hair and tried to throw her into the van. She hit the door hard then fell to the pavement with a sharp cry of pain. Reno saw red. One minute, the guy was dangling from his hands, and the next, he was lifeless on the ground. Fuck! He needed to quit snapping necks.

A woman’s scream pierced the fog of adrenaline, and he scooped Amia up along with the bags she still clutched and sprinted toward the Jeep. He could already hear sirens in the distance, and he didn’t have time to deal with all the red tape. Especially since he’d left a body behind.

He glanced back as he peeled away and saw two men lifting the two who had grabbed Amia inside the van. They wouldn’t be leaving anyone behind. It had to be the Blanes.

“I told you they would find me,” Amia said, confirming his suspicion.

He glanced at her and nearly drove off the road. She had her shirt up and was probing her side where a bruise was already starting to form.

“Jesus! Are you okay?”

“Hit my side against the door when he tried to toss me inside. Looks worse than it feels.”

He doubted that.

“You have to let me go,” she stated.

“So they can grab you? I don’t fucking think so. You’re staying with me where you’re safe.”

“But I’m not safe. You have to realize that now. And I’m just putting you in danger. They found us, here, after you’ve driven how far?”

He grunted and didn’t reply.

“They always find me. Always. You can’t protect me, no matter how much you seem to want to.”

“You’re staying. End of discussion.”

She sighed, and he watched her lean her head against the seat, closing her eyes.

“Tell me something?”

“What?” he asked, feeling a little leery of where she was headed.

“This place you’re taking me to. I’m guessing there are other people there. Friends? Family maybe?”

He nodded. His friends were his family. Always had been. Most of his life, it had just been him and his mother. She’d been struck while crossing the street by a drunk driver when he was overseas on his first tour of the desert. She’d passed away before he’d made it home. He’d gone a little crazy when the letter had finally reached him. Tah and Logan had been the ones to hold him together, to help him grieve and come to terms with her no longer being there for him. He’d been young and selfish and had thought his mom would live forever.

“I’m guessing you care about them a lot,” Amia said.

“Yes,” Reno agreed.