The Rogue Hunter (29 page)

Sam stared at him wide-eyed for the longest time and then suddenly threw herself at him. Her mouth was on his, her hands on his shoulders, her chest pressed tight against him. Realizing that she had to be sitting on the gearshift, and that it must be uncomfortable, Mortimer promptly pulled her across it and arranged them both so that he was facing front and she straddled his lap in the driver's seat.

The honk of the horn was what told him her butt was pressed against it. Mortimer immediately grasped her hips and pulled her tight against him to bring an end to the strident sound. Finding he liked it, he pulled her tighter still as he kissed her back, letting his tongue slip out to wrestle with hers as he rubbed her against himself.

Mortimer had completely lost his mind, of course. Clearly, he hadn't yet learned his lesson about picking his spot or moment. It was bright daylight out and they were in an SUV on the side of the road. He'd obviously learned nothing from the leeches, the bear, and Cathy Latimer, he realized moments later when a knock on the window brought them both to a breathless halt and made them turn to peer out the window.

Sam's response when they saw Belmont leering at them was to roll off his lap and back into her seat with a moan of humiliation. Mortimer understood completely. Really, getting caught by Sergeant Belmont was the living end.

"I thought it was you two," the man said dryly as Mortimer hit the button to roll down the window. "This here's a public road, and up here we don't take kindly to public displays of affection." He sneered the word. "You two go find a room if you want to carry on like that."

Mortimer scowled at the man, knowing he was enjoying himself.

Belmont merely grinned at his silent fury and then said smugly, "I take it Cathy made it home all right? Seems she was just off visiting friends like I thought and all this fuss was for nothing."

Mortimer was winding up to take control of the man's mind and make him piss himself or something else equally humiliating when Sam said sweetly, "Yes. Isn't it good that you listened to me and did your job and went to talk to the neighbors so we could find that out? Such a shame you didn't think to do it earlier on your own as one would expect so that all this needless worry could have been avoided."

A small smile of admiration curved Mortimer's lips.

Belmont was less appreciative. Flushing furiously, he straightened away from the vehicle and snapped, "Get out of here before I fine you both for indecent exposure."

"Nothing was exposed, Officer. We were just kissing," Sam said in hard tones. "And while that's illegal in Malaysia, it isn't in Canada. I learned that in law school."

Belmont started back to his waiting patrol car, snarling, "Just get on out of here."

Sam released a little puff of air and glared after the man until Mortimer reached out and took her hand. When she turned a startled glance his way, he smiled. "This round goes to Ms. Willan."

She smiled faintly at his teasing and then shook her head. "I think the universe is trying to tell us something. We just aren't meant to—"

Mortimer silenced her by quickly placing a finger over her lips. "That's speculation, Ms. Willan. We only deal with the facts here."

"Oh?" she asked wryly. "And what are the facts telling
you
?"

"The facts are that we were put into cottages next door to each other. So maybe that's where we're supposed to be together." He smiled gently and suggested, "Let's get back home. Hmm?"

"Home," Sam said as he shifted into drive and steered the SUV back onto the road. "Our cottage is like a second home to me, but Decker's cottage isn't your home."

"It's more a home to me than any of the hotels I usually stay in," he said dryly.

Sam was silent as she digested that and then said, "I suppose you spend a lot of time on the road with the band."

Mortimer frowned, not comfortable with lying, but unable to tell the truth. Instead he said carefully, "I spend a lot of time on the road."

"I'll bet you have a lot of groupies."

Mortimer glanced at her sharply, but she didn't look angry or jealous, just curious. Clearing his throat, he said, "I wouldn't bother with groupies. In fact, I haven't been with a woman in a long time."

"Really?" She didn't hide her surprise.

"Really," he assured her.

"I'd think groupies were part of the attraction of being in a band for a guy."

"I'm not your average guy," he said dryly.

"I'm beginning to see that," Sam admitted.

Mortimer smiled and reached for her hand. It felt right in his. Like that was where it belonged. It just reaffirmed what he'd already decided. It seemed whoever made it so immortals couldn't read certain people didn't make mistakes when they assigned life mates after all. They'd picked the perfect woman for him.

Now he just had to convince her of that.

Chapter Fifteen

"We're heading into town to pick up more beer and stuff. Want to come with?"

Sam glanced up from the book she'd been pretending to read and smiled at Jo as she dropped beside her on the blanket she'd laid out in the sun. "No thanks. I'm enjoying this book."

Jo snorted. "Sure you are. And here I thought you were watching the cottage next door for a sign of Mortimer."

Sam flushed guiltily, but didn't deny it. She had indeed been watching the cottage next door. She'd hardly seen Mortimer in the three days since they'd returned. Once back, his time had been taken up by his friends. He went out with them as soon as it was dark, didn't return until dawn, and then slept until at least noon, appearing in the early afternoon to spend a little time with her until Bricker and Decker got up. Then he'd apologize, explain he had to work, and disappear with the men again.

Sam supposed they'd rented a place in town to practice their new songs or something before they had to tour. She couldn't be sure, however, because Mortimer was being pretty closemouthed about it. Sam would have given up on him by now but for the fact that he was obviously cutting his sleep short to be with her. He hadn't gotten more than five or six hours a night since returning from Minden.

Unfortunately, none of that time had been spent alone. Alex and Jo were always around, cajoling them into trips here and there or simply hanging out with them, so that all she and Mortimer had managed in the way of intimacy were a few stolen kisses.

"Don't let her tease you," Alex said, dropping onto the blanket on her other side. "It's come to our attention that Mortimer only seems to be able to get away from his friends in the afternoon, so we decided to cut you a break and leave the two of you alone today."

"Really?" Sam asked with pleased surprise.

"Really," Alex drawled. "But I hope we don't regret it. If he breaks your heart I'm going to hog-tie him and roast him over a spit."

"He won't break my heart," Sam said quickly.

"Honey, you're already half in love with that man," Alex said dryly. "The only way he won't break your heart is if this ends with the two of you walking down the aisle."

"I'm not half in love—" Sam began indignantly, but paused, unable to finish the lie. The truth was, she feared she might very well be half in love with Garrett Mortimer. She was certainly in lust with him. Sam also found herself jonesing for his presence when he wasn't around and wishing she could spend every minute with him. She thought about him constantly, even while sleeping. The dreams she'd had since returning to Magnetawan were full of him, and usually very, very hot. Was that love?

"I think Sam's right," Jo said suddenly. "She's not half in love, she's fully there. And she's got it bad."

Sam flushed and gave her younger sister a push. "Stop harassing me and go if you're going."

"Oh, we're going," Alex assured her, getting to her feet even as Jo did. "And we're not coming back until dark. That's usually when our friendly neighborhood vampires head out."

"Vampires?" Sam asked.

"They sleep all day and stay out all night. What else could they be?" Alex teased.

Knowing Alex was just saying that to bug her because of her phobia about bats and such, Sam simply shook her head and said, "Have fun."

"You too," Jo called with a grin as they moved to Alex's Matrix.

Sam watched them go, glanced toward the lifeless cottage next door, and then turned her eyes back to the book in her hand before closing it and setting it down. She was just debating whether to go inside and get herself something to drink when the snap of a branch drew her gaze to the path, and she saw Bricker moving across the yard toward her.

"Hi," he said as he reached the edge of her blanket.

"Hi," she responded, raising a hand to shade her eyes as she peered up at him.

"Decker and I are sneaking off to work on our own,", he announced.

"Sneaking?" she asked.

Bricker nodded. "If we don't sneak out while he's sleeping, Mortimer will insist he has to come with us."

When she arched an eyebrow, he grimaced and explained, "Mortimer has this whole responsibility-issue thing."

"He does, does he?" she asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, and normally that's a good thing, but…" Bricker shrugged. "He's got more important things to do here."

"Does he?" she asked curiously.

"Yes, he does," Bricker assured her. "Much more important, lifelong-type things."

Sam was puzzling over that when he said, "So we're sneaking off, but I thought I'd best come let you know so you can tell him when he gets up."

"I see," she murmured, and then tilted her head and asked, "Don't you need him with you to work?"

"Nah." Bricker waved that away. "Decker and I can handle this."

"But he's the lead singer," she pointed out. "How can you practice without him there?"

"Oh yeah," he muttered, and then shrugged. "He knows all his lines. It's just Decker and I who need to practice."

"Oh," Sam said uncertainly.

"Anyway, you're welcome to go inside the cottage and wait for him if you like," he suggested, and when her eyebrows rose, he added, "Decker said so. You could even sneak down to Mortimer's room and wake him with the good news that he has the evening off if you like." He grinned and then added helpfully, "His room is the one farthest from the stairs."

Sam pursed her lips as she considered him, and then shook her head and said. "It's funny."

Bricker paused, his head tilting. "What is?"

"You don't look like I imagined," Sam said, and then teased, "For some reason I always assumed Cupid would be taller."

Bricker laughed, but merely turned and headed back along the path through the trees. Decker came out as he reached the other cottage, and the two men immediately moved to the vehicles in front of the cottage. Much to her surprise, Bricker got in the SUV and Decker in his pickup. While she sat wondering why they were taking both vehicles to get to the same place, the trucks growled to life and started up the driveway.

Sam waited until they had disappeared from view before getting up. Her movements then were slow and almost reluctant as she gathered her book, drink, and blanket and headed into the cottage. She put her things away, brushed her hair, and then briefly toyed with the idea of changing her clothes, or even showering, but then gave her head a shake. She'd showered when she'd gotten up that morning, her clothes were fine, and she was just stalling about going next door because she suddenly found herself feeling nervous.

Shaking her head, Sam made herself turn and march out of the cottage and straight across the yard to Decker's cottage. She automatically stopped at the door, her hand rising to knock, but then caught herself before her knuckles actually rapped wood. Muttering under her breath, she opened the screen door and slid inside. She was standing just inside the door, trying to decide if she had the nerve to go downstairs and wake Mortimer up in his bed, when he suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Sam!" he exclaimed, freezing when he saw her. He crumpled something that looked like a plastic bag with a reddish tinge in his hand, and then continued up the stairs asking, "What are you doing here?"

"Bricker said it would be okay if I came over and waited for you to get up," she said awkwardly as he reached the top of the stairs and slid past her into the kitchen.

"He did, did he?" Mortimer moved to drop the bag she'd glimpsed in the garbage bin, and then turned back to ask. "Where is Bricker?"

"He and Decker left to go to work. He asked me to tell you that too, and that you have the day off."

"They've left?" he asked with amazement. "This early in the day?"

Sam wasn't surprised at the frown that flickered over his face. The other two men usually didn't stir until the sun was out of sight and the waning light of day was all that remained. "Bricker said if they didn't go while you were sleeping, you'd insist on going with them and that you had more important lifelong-type things to do here, so they decided to sneak off."

The frown on Mortimer's face eased and he smiled wryly. "He was right."

"What is it you have to do that's so important?" she asked curiously.

Mortimer's eyes focused on her, his expression becoming solemn, but instead of answering, he asked, "Where are your sisters?"

"They went to town. They said they wouldn't be back until dark," she added, managing not to blush as she recalled what else they'd said.

The rest of the tension remaining in his body slid out of Mortimer at this news. "That was very accommodating of them. Did Decker and Bricker talk to them first?"

"What?" she asked with surprise. "No. At least I don't think so."

"Hmm." Mortimer shrugged the concern away and slid one hand around her waist, drawing her nearer. "You're a nice sight to wake up to."

"Thank you," she whispered as he caught her chin with one finger and lifted her face so that he could press a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"Is there anything you wanted to do today?" he asked softly, trailing kisses along her jawline toward her ear.

"No," Sam breathed as he nibbled at her lobe.

"There's something I'd like to do," he growled, sliding his arms around her and drawing her closer as his mouth moved back to her lips.