"Why don't we go back to camp and find something a little more substantial?” Con suggested when she started the truck up.
She considered it. She really was empty after her morning barfing session and she hadn't felt up to trying to put anything in her stomach afterwards. “Town's closer."
"The camp would be better."
She couldn't quite decipher the undercurrents in his voice, but she didn't particularly want to go into town to eat. The locals had never seemed particularly friendly and they'd seemed almost hostile the last trip. Of course, she'd been with the biker gang and that might account for it. Then again, Con was with her now.
And he wasn't wearing shoes.
"Ok."
Con relaxed noticeably. She couldn't help but wonder why. It had occurred to her that he might be more interested in sex than food, especially after that very warm kiss earlier, but there was far stronger vibes that he just didn't want to go into town. She couldn't say that she blamed him considering the reception he got when he went.
Four of the bikes were missing when they returned.
Danika's mind instantly leapt to the fact that she and Con would be alone.
Oh she was a slut! Still half dead with a hangover and starving besides and her mind had immediately leapt to sex!
Con got out and followed her into her cabin without waiting for an invitation. Sprawling on the couch, he watched her through narrowed eyes for a time while she worked in the kitchenette and finally stretched out full length, closing his eyes. “This won't take long. I don't really have much besides canned stuff."
"Good,” he said without opening his eyes. “I'm starving."
"Starving man,” she noted out loud and went back to searching for something to put with the soup she was heating. Pulling out a pack of cheese, she grabbed the loaf of bread and made grilled cheese sandwiches to go with the tomato soup, making three for him.
He devoured all three, downed the biggest portion of the soup, and looked around hopefully for more.
"Still hungry?” she asked a little doubtfully, wondering where he put it when he hardly seemed to be carrying an inch of fat anywhere on him. Then again, he probably had a sky high metabolism with all that muscle.
"That'll hold me ... for now."
He followed her when she collected the dishes and headed to the sink with them, slipping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him when she tried to fill the sink with dishwater. “Leave it,” he murmured against her hair.
"It won't take but a minute."
Instead of arguing, he released her, strode across the cabin and sprawled across her bed. She glanced at him, saw that he'd gathered her pillow beneath his head, and focused on washing the dishes, feeling almost equal parts irritation, amusement, and arousal.
He was certainly taking a lot for granted! Then again, it wasn't as if she hadn't been intimate with him before and very likely, even if they hadn't all been sitting over in their cabin discussing the gritty details, it wasn't likely that any of them were unaware that she'd been bed hopping.
She debated whether to join him or not when she'd finished, but it was a short debate. He looked up at her when she moved to the side of the bed, reached up to grab her wrist and dragged her down on the mattress with him. He surprised her. Instead of taking instant advantage, he situated her to his liking—with her back to him—and coiled around her. “Nap time."
She smiled faintly despite her disappointment, but the truth was she was more than a little sleepy herself. “Long night?"
"Rough night."
It felt strange to lie in her bed snuggled next to him, arousing, and yet comforting in a way. It wasn't terribly comfortable. His arm and leg, which he'd thrown over her, were as heavy as lead, but after shifting a few times to get more comfortable, she dozed off.
He had his head propped in his hand and was studying her face when she woke. She opened one bleary eye to peer at him and closed it again. “Was I snoring?"
He chuckled. “Like a grizzly. Woke me up."
She punched at him weakly. “Was not."
He captured her fist, nibbling at her knuckles with just the edge of his lips. “Alright. You weren't snoring—just a little drooling."
"I know that was sexy,” she said dryly, rolling over and putting her back to him.
He nuzzled her ear. “Come on. We've got at least three more possibilities to check before dark."
She twisted around to look at him in surprise. “You're going with me?"
"I'm not letting you go alone,” he said, his face abruptly completely void of teasing.
She studied his expression. “Slave driver,” she murmured. “I had just enough sleep to want more."
He grimaced. “Get out of the bed, woman, before I loose my resolve."
Grunting inelegantly, she complied. “What resolve?"
His gaze flickered over her. “I think you know the answer to that."
The promise in his eyes warmed her to dew point, making it clear what he had on his mind even if not for the hard ridge she'd felt butting against her ass. She just wasn't certain what his resolution entailed. Not having sex with her again?
He must have seen something in her expression. When he stood up, he pulled her against his tall frame, nudging her chin up with his thumb. “That look isn't helping."
"What look?"
He shook his head. “No more kisses either."
She gaped at him, feeling her face redden. “I wasn't thinking about kissing,” she lied.
He grinned at her, a knowing gleam in his eyes. “I know what you were thinking about."
She gave him a look. “I'm not the one standing here with a woody,” she said tartly.
He set her away from him with a laugh. “It's a piss hard,” he said striding toward the door. “I've got to check on something. Don't leave without me."
She stared after him, completely disconcerted. “Is it really?” she asked when he'd reached the door.
He chuckled instead of answering. Frowning, Danika went into the bathroom to relieve herself and freshen up. When she left the cabin a few minutes later, Con was standing in the door of his cabin, talking to someone inside.
Curious to see who it was, she glanced at the cabin several times as she moved to her truck, but she couldn't see who was standing inside. It was a shame, she thought, that she couldn't readily identify their bikes. They all rode different makes or models, but she hadn't studied them enough to figure out which belonged to who. She was too busy studying
them
when they were on them.
They managed to check two more possibilities before the sun set but didn't have any more luck than they'd had earlier in the day. The last one looked the most recently occupied, but if it was currently in use by the pack, they'd already left to hunt for the night.
She didn't remember that Con had wanted to go into town for supplies until she'd parked the truck in front of her cabin again. He dismissed it, though, when she suggested they drive into town. “It can wait."
He seemed distracted. After studying him for a moment, waiting to see if he would say anything, Danika finally got out. He got out, following her to the door of her cabin. “I don't want you wandering around alone looking for the pack,” he said finally. “One of us will go with you."
The warmth that had arisen at his apparent concern for her safety took a nose dive when he said ‘one of us’ instead of ‘he’ and irritation quickly replaced her disappointment. “I don't need a baby-sitter."
His lips tightened. “You'll have one just the same."
Her eyes widened in outrage. “I don't know where you got the idea that you could just order me around...."
He made a sound of annoyance. “Gods damn it, Dani! Don't be so damned stubborn!"
"Why am
I
being stubborn?” she demanded indignantly.
He hooked a hand behind her head and dragged her close, silencing her with a ruthless kiss before she could actually get warmed up to her theme. “Because you can't help it, I guess,” he growled with amusement when he released her.
She glared at him, but he'd already turned to leave. “I thought you weren't giving me any kisses,” she said tartly.
He turned on the steps, his gaze hot enough as it raked over her to singe her eyebrows. “Don't push it, baby. I'm a man on the edge."
The edge of
what
, she wondered, staring after him speculatively?
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Fourteen
Dakota was sitting on the steps of the porch when Danika left her cabin the following morning. She checked when she saw him.
His gaze slid over her as he if was gauging her mood. “Ready?"
Danika blinked at him, wondering for a moment if she could possibly have made some kind of arrangement to take him somewhere that she'd forgotten. She realized in the next moment, however, that Con had ‘forbade’ her to go looking for the wolves alone. He hadn't volunteered to spend another boring day with her himself, but apparently he
had
volunteered Dakota's services.
It annoyed her despite the fact that she really didn't want to go alone because she was afraid she
would
find the damned wolves. She was still a little miffed with Dakota anyway, first for dumping her and taking off right after sex, and then for plying her with beer until she was so drunk she hardly walk.
Added to that, she had an uncomfortable suspicion that he knew exactly how she'd rounded out her night after partying with the gang and it occurred to her pretty forcefully that he might be even more pissed off with her than she was with him.
Not that he had any right to be, nor any reason to think she might've done it to spite him—which she certainly hadn't.
It was almost worse that he didn't seem to be angry with her at all.
If he'd cared about her, even a little, wouldn't he be just a tiny bit angry about it?
"I guess that means you were elected for baby-sitting duties today?” she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.
Something glittered in his eyes briefly, a hint that he might not be as indifferent to her nocturnal activities as she'd first thought, but it was gone too quickly for her to be certain.
"Actually,” he drawled, straightening to his full height, “I won the draw."
Danika frowned at him questioningly, wondering if he was joking. “Y'all drew straws?"