Eight
As soon as my words register, Lorna sets herself into motion. And dear God it’s causing me even more of a problem behind the zipper of my jeans. With no thought of modesty whatsoever, she drops her towel and pulls the clothing I brought for her out of the bag. The sight of her as she pulls on the jeans sans underwear causes another low growl to leave me. She makes no comment about it, so either she didn’t hear me because she’s focused on her task or she’s ignoring it for the same reason.
My eyes slam shut at that, and I take a few calming breaths. I need her dressed and ready to move as soon as possible so I can get her to safety. I can’t do that properly if my dick keeps taking over my brain. When I feel somewhat in control of my raging hormones, I open my eyes and put the rest of the clothing I brought for her in my duffle bag as she slips on some shoes.
“Okay,” she nods. “I’m ready.”
“Let’s go.”
We reach for each other’s hand at the same time. But I pull her behind me when I open the door so I can survey the area. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, I pull her along behind me at a light jog until we reach a spare truck from the local FBI office. Once I open the passenger door, she hops in. Then I rush around to the driver’s side to join her, tossing my duffle in the back seat in the process.
“Where are we going?”
Her voice betrays her. As confident as she is, this situation still has her rattled. I’d be worried if it didn’t. But I don’t answer her right away. I’m too busy scanning the area for any sign of Diamond or his associates. Of course, as soon as we hit the highway, she pushes.
“Ashley,” she almost growls. “Tell me where we’re going.”
My smirk happens on its own before I glance over at her. She’s crossed her arms over her chest, effectively drawing my attention to her sinfully sexy tits before I turn back to the road.
“I’ve got a small apartment on the outskirts of the city.”
“What?” she snaps. “What kind of protective custody is your personal apartment going to be?”
“Temporary.”
“Why?”
Her persistence is understandable, but part of me worries that she’d be better off the less she knew. But my non-response is not sitting well with her.
“Well?”
“Are you always like this?” I ask her. “Determined to get the answers you want.”
“Yes.”
“Fine,” I say with a sigh. “We’ll only be at my apartment long enough for me to arm myself and for you to grab some sleep.”
“I was only four hours into a twelve-hour shift,” she counters. “I’ll be fine for a while.”
Not what I wanted to hear knowing she’ll be in my personal space in a bit, but I ignore my still semi-hard dick and press forward.
“I also need time to find out who I can trust so I can truly put you somewhere safe.”
“For how long?”
This time, her question is asked quietly. Almost as if she’s afraid of the answer.
“Until we can neutralize the threat.”
It’s a bullshit answer. And she knows it.
“If Diamond is the kingpin and he ordered the hit, won’t his entire organization keep going until they’ve succeeded?”
“Not if we can take out Diamond.”
“Was that your original intention?”
“It was,” I say as I glance at her.
Her brow is furrowed, but the flicker of fear I can see in her eyes is fucking killing me. Taking out Diamond is priority one for the Bureau. And if I can make sure it happens, I should get the promotion I’ve been after. But if something happens to Lorna in the process, it won’t be worth it to me. Not in the slightest.
Why?
Because for whatever reason fate put her on this path with me tonight, I know I won’t rest until she’s safe and I make her mine. Even if she resists, I’m going to pursue her until I’ve exhausted all avenues to her heart.
“Ashley!” she shouts.
I grimace when I realize that I was lost in my head just now while she was obviously attempting to talk to me. After I clear my throat, I respond.
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t think zoning out like that is going to fare well for keeping either of us safe,” she sasses.
“Neither will asking questions when I need action.”
“Touché,” she sighs. “But anyway, you said taking out Diamond was your original intention.”
“Yes,” I say slowly. “I did.”
“What’s changed?”
“You.”
Her quiet intake of breath doesn’t escape me. Its effect is a double-edge sword, though, twisting my heart and my libido.
“I didn’t ask for this,” she whispers. “I was just doing my job.”
“I know,” I nod as I reach for her hand. “And I need you to let me do mine. So I can keep you safe and get you back to your normal life as quickly as possible.”
Her eyes are locked on me as she lets my words settle in. Then she asks something unexpected.
“And what about you? Who’s going to keep you safe?”
Her words touch me. Deeply. And I give her an honest answer that will hopefully enlighten her on how much I want to see this through so I can give her exactly what she said she wanted earlier.
“You are my priority, Lorna,” I say gently. “You have to be in order for us to see this through. And in order for that to happen, I promise I’m going to do everything possible to ensure my safety, too.”