Deceived (20 page)

With Eli distracted, Sarah stood to go after Luke, but as she passed by his chair, Jim caught her hand in his gnarled fingers. “He's a good man, Sarah,” he told her. “Don't let him tell you otherwise.”

She gave him a quick nod, then hurried out of the room, finally finding Luke standing in front of the kitchen window, staring out into the darkness.

“You okay?” she asked softly, glad when he draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close.

After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. “Yeah. Just makes me uncomfortable when Jim says things like that. I made the man's life hell for years—ungrateful, rebellious little shit that I was. I think maybe his stroke affected his memory.”

Sarah wrapped her arms around his waist and peered up at him. “I don't. A father doesn't give up on his son just because he makes mistakes. And Jim obviously thinks of himself as your father. He loves you. So do Mel and Davis. They want you to be happy.”

He kept his gaze trained on the window, but Sarah could see his frown deepening. “I've never told them the truth about what I did after I left Special Forces—or about the Alliance. If they knew all the shit I've done . . . they might change their minds about me.”

At this, Sarah reached up and cupped his jaw and turned his face toward her, forcing him to look at her. “I didn't,” she said. “And they've loved you longer.” When his brows twitched together at her choice of words, she said in a rush, “I mean, they'd understand that you were doing what you thought was right, that you were trying to protect the innocent. They'd understand that you are part of something larger than yourself and are trying to make a difference in the world.”

He studied her in silence for a long moment, making Sarah wonder if maybe she'd said too much. Or if maybe he was wondering if she'd been implying that she loved him when she was talking about his family. Awesome. A guy who'd already made it clear that commitment was a big, fat, never-gonna-happen, and here she was throwing the L word around. She wouldn't have been surprised if he'd suddenly turned and bolted and never looked back. God, the last thing she wanted him to think was that she was the kind of woman who was planning a wedding after one unforgettable night.

But then his lips swept over hers in a tender kiss, and then another and another until her arms slipped around his neck and the kiss deepened. At some point, he lifted her up onto the countertop and stepped into the V of her thighs. When he finally drew back, he pressed another kiss to her nose, making her grin, before resting his forehead against hers.

“I think we should head home,” he murmured, his voice thick with promise.

Sarah gave him a slow smile, relieved that her unfortunate choice of words hadn't sent him racing in the opposite direction. “It's still early.”

He groaned. “All right. We'll stay a little longer, but then I'm taking you home and making love to you until we're both too exhausted to move.”

Sarah's breath caught in her chest at his words. He'd told her he'd never been with anyone more than once, that he couldn't risk getting attached to anyone. She blinked up at him, not daring to ask what it meant that he was willing to break what had seemed like a hard and fast rule. “Are you sure?”

He held her gaze for a long moment before finally nodding. “Yeah. I'm thinking we'll stay another hour—two max. Agreed?”

The way the heat spread through her at the mere thought of being in Luke's arms again, there was really only one way to answer. “Agreed.”

Luke was so distracted by his thoughts of getting Sarah naked that it was hard as hell to concentrate on anything else the rest of the night. So when he agreed to meet Mel in town the next morning to interview the first few ranch manager applicants, he hadn't really been paying attention to what she'd said about where or when. Luckily, Sarah had been listening and had no qualms about kicking his ass out of her bed in time for him to get up and moving.

Well, she'd woken him up on time, anyway. But getting him out of her bed took a little longer—especially when she'd rolled over onto her back and stretched her arms over her head in an effort to shake off the last vestiges of sleep and he'd taken it as an invitation for a little morning lovin'—starting off with some attention to those perfect breasts.

But as he stood there in the bathroom, staring into the mirror as the steam from his shower filled the room, it was taking all his willpower not to go back to her room and see if she would be up to another round.

He pulled a hand down his face, trying to shake off his insatiable desire for her. It would all have to end soon. Either they'd catch the bastard who was behind Eli's attempted kidnapping or they'd wait him out until all the Alliance's assets were safely moved and Eli's information was of no use to anyone. And then Sarah and Eli would be relocated somewhere permanent where they could get back to living their normal lives. Without him.

For some reason, the thought of not knowing how they were doing, if they were safe made him antsy, angry. Who would protect them if someone else came after them for some other reason? Or maybe just because of who Sarah's father was?

And who would be there for Eli as he got older? Luke knew what it was like to grow up without a father, to never have a man in his life to depend on, to be there for him. By the time Jim had come into Luke's life, the damage had already been done. But Luke had been too damned stubborn to accept the love and guidance of a stepfather who would've taken a bullet for him or his mother without hesitation.

The idea of Eli having to go through the same thing pissed him off. And the idea that there might eventually be someone else who
would
fill that role for the kid pissed him off even more.

But what tormented him most was the thought of not seeing Sarah's bright smile every morning, not holding her in his arms all night long. He wasn't a dumb-ass. He realized what was happening to him. He could tell by the way his chest went tight when he thought about eventually having to say good-bye. And he knew the smartest thing to do was close off, not let her get any closer than she already was.

And he had a feeling she was closer than she should've been. He'd been replaying her words from the night before over and over again.
They've loved you longer.
Did that mean she was in love with him? God, how in the hell had he let things go this far? He never should've given in to temptation. He was a Templar, for fuck's sake. Their entire Order had been built on self-discipline. But when it came to Sarah, he couldn't follow his own damned rules.

He braced his hands on the vanity countertop and let his head hang down between his shoulders, the realization of what he needed to do weighing him down. He had to end things, had to bottle his shit up and bury it deep again. He never should've let Sarah get this close and now for her own good he should pull a dick move and tell her that he'd gotten what he wanted and was ready to move on. That it'd all just been part of the act, part of their cover. That he didn't care for her.

He had to lie to her.

A soft knock on the bathroom door brought his head up. He opened it to see Sarah standing there in his shirt, her hair mussed from their lovemaking, a look of concern on her face, and he knew he was completely screwed.

“Are you okay?” she whispered, keeping her voice down so as not to wake Eli, who was still asleep down the hall. “You've been in here for a long time. Have you even taken a shower yet?”

He took her hand and pulled her inside, shutting the door quietly behind her before pulling her into his arms and pressing a kiss to the side of her throat.

“I got distracted thinking about you,” he murmured against her skin when she sighed and leaned against him. “And now that you're here, I'm not sure I can keep my hands to myself.”

“Who said I want you to?” she asked, smoothing her hands lightly over his shoulders and back.

When he slid a hand between them and found her ready for him, he couldn't help a self-satisfied chuckle. “You know, if we get started, it's going to be harder for me to leave,” he warned, even as he caressed her—unsure whether the warning was more for him or for her.

“Well,” she sighed, letting her head fall back on her shoulders, “I can't have you leaving here hard. . . .”

His laughter died on a groan as he sank to his knees, shoving his shirt up over her hips to bare her to him. She grasped his hair as he kissed and suckled, teasing her to her release. And then she was down on her knees with him, kissing him hungrily as she stroked his shaft, bringing him near the brink before he finally grabbed her wrist to stop her.

He sank back on his heels and ran a hand through his hair and cursed, squeezing his eyes shut to keep his shit together. But his eyes popped open when he felt her straddle him. Then she was taking him in her hand and rising up only to ease down slowly, sheathing him completely with a moan.

She felt amazing without any barrier between their bodies. Too amazing. He clenched his jaw. “Sarah,” he ground out as she rose up again until he was just barely inside her, then sank down, drawing a juicy curse from him. “I don't have any condoms in here.”

She increased her pace slightly, grasping the back of his neck. “Look at me, Luke.”

He opened his eyes, meeting and holding her gaze as she continued to move. He didn't dare thrust to meet her for fear he'd come inside her. But with each silky caress, his willpower began to crumble.

“I want to feel you like this,” she told him, breathless.

“I've never been with anyone without protection,” he assured her. “I wouldn't put you at risk.”

She kissed him long and deep as she continued to move. “I know,” she said when the kiss ended. “I trust you.”

Luke returned her kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist, guiding her up and down his shaft as he felt her muscles gripping him, pulsing, her release building. And when she came, he nearly lost it. He'd never experienced anything like this.

And then she arched back, gripping his shoulders as she rode him. The way her pleasure continued to play out over her face was fascinating, breathtaking. He held his own release back as long as he possibly could, his own pleasure secondary to observing hers. But when he finally thrust with a groan, his seed flowing into her, he shuddered, overcome with emotion at the depth of her trust in him.

And as he cradled her tenderly against him, their bodies still joined, their hearts pounding in time with one another, Luke knew peace for the first time in his life.

* * *

Sarah took her time showering, her body still humming with pleasure from making love with Luke. As usual, they'd parted and gone their separate ways before Eli woke up. And no matter how many times she adjusted the temperature of the water, it never seemed to replace the warmth of Luke's arms around her.

When she finally went downstairs, she was surprised to see Luke and Eli watching reruns of
MythBusters
on TV, their feet propped up on the coffee table. “Don't you have to meet Melanie?” she asked Luke, glancing at the clock on the fireplace mantel.

“I called to tell her I was running late and that I was bringing you and Eli with me,” Luke told her. “As long as you're up to another trip to town, that is.”

She gave him a teasing grin. “As long as you promise not to accost any car-shopping tourists based merely on my crappy intel.”

“It's a date then,” he said with a wink, making Sarah wonder exactly what he was up to.

“Eli, you'd better have some breakfast before we go,” Sarah said, heading toward the kitchen.

“Already ate,” Eli called out. “Luke gave me bagels and coffee.”

Sarah's brows lifted. “
Coffee?
”

“Decaf,” Luke clarified. “I'm not
totally
corrupting the kid.”

“And we've already taken care of the horses,” Eli assured her. When she expressed her surprise, he added, “Well, you took a
long
time to get ready.”

She sent a smile Luke's way. “I was distracted.”

Luke chuckled, and a few moments later as they were trailing behind Eli, Luke pulled Sarah into his arms for a quick kiss. “Next time, what do you say we get distracted together?”

She kissed him back, giving his bottom lip a playful nip. “Deal.”

And distracted seemed to be the word of the day. All she could think of while she and Eli sat in the orange vinyl booth at the diner where Luke and Mel were interviewing ranch hands was the way her body ached for Luke. And the sorrow that filled her whenever she reminded herself that it would soon be ending.

In fact, she was so distracted that she didn't notice the man in a black overcoat slide into the booth across from theirs until she felt the weight of his stare lingering upon her. Her gaze drifted away from Luke, who was sitting at another table with his arms crossed over his chest and his attention focused on the interviewee, and her eyes locked with the stranger's.

When he didn't look away as most people would've, she offered him a tentative smile and turned her attention back to Eli, who was chatting merrily about the tricks he was training Chief to do. But the weight of the man's stare continued to press down upon her, forcing her gaze back to his.

Exasperated, she finally asked, “I'm sorry.... Do I know you?”

The man's grin widened in a slow smile, and then in a blur of motion, he lunged from his table and grasped Eli's arm, pulling the boy out of the booth and into a headlock before Sarah could blink. She was on her feet in an instant, ready to spring, but the man drew a knife and brandished it at her before she could move. The diner went quiet in an instant, but in her peripheral vision, she could see Luke on his feet as well, inching forward, his shoulders hunched, ready to attack.

“All of you, empty your pockets,” the man informed her with a maniacal grin, his eyes vacant. He was clearly blitzed out of his mind.

“Let my son go,” Sarah demanded with a calm she didn't feel. “I'm warning you.”

She had no idea where the hell her bravado was coming from, but she'd tear the son of a bitch apart before she'd let anything happen to Eli.

The guy wasn't impressed, though. He laughed with a crazed titter and slowly began to back toward the kitchen. “I want everyone's money now or the kid dies.”

Sarah's gaze flicked down to Eli's and saw his expression harden. Then, in one fluid motion, he stepped right and slipped out of the headlock just as Luke had taught him. And something primal seemed to awaken in Sarah. A calm settled over her, and something buried deep within her subconscious took over.

She lashed out, grabbing the man's knife hand and rolling into him, bringing her elbow up and smashing his nose. She only vaguely registered Luke vaulting over tables and chairs to get to her as she dropped down and spun, twisting the man's arm up behind him, the sound of bones snapping as she bore down on his elbow. He dropped down onto his knees with a strangled cry, the knife falling from his grip.

But even as quickly as Luke barreled forward, another patron who'd been sitting in the booth behind Sarah and Eli jumped in, shoving the assailant to the ground and pressing his knee into the guy's back.

“You okay?” the patron asked, his gaze sweeping over Sarah and Eli. “This asshole hurt either of you?”

Sarah shook her head, clearing the rush of adrenaline that had gripped her, confused by her actions. “Yeah, yeah. I'm okay.” She straightened and reached for Eli and dragged him into her arms, checking him over. The boy was trembling. But then Luke's arms were going around them, drawing them to him, holding them close. “Sarah, baby? Are you hurt? Eli?”

She shook her head and heard Eli confirm the same. She then looked down at the man who'd come to her assistance. “Thank you.”

The guy grunted. “Don't know that I did much of anything. Looks like you had things pretty much under control.”

The police burst into the diner at that moment, one of them relieving the patron and cuffing the guy on the ground while his fellow officers worked to calm the other patrons in the diner.

At that point, Luke extended a hand to the man still standing nearby. “Thank you for jumping in.”

The guy shrugged. “Like I said, I didn't even have a chance to do much.”

Sarah felt the weight of Luke's curious gaze on her for a moment, but he only said, “Still, I appreciate it.”

The guy shook Luke's hand. “My pleasure. Crazy shit, huh? The guy's obviously on something, probably just drifting through and looking for some quick cash for a fix.”

“Do you live around here?” Luke asked, still holding Sarah and Eli close, his tone cautious.

The man shook his head. “Nah, just passing through myself. Rancher I worked for had to pack it in, so I'm headed to Montana to see if I can find some work there.”

“You should stay here and work for Luke and Mel,” Sarah told him. When she glanced up and saw Luke's face go dark, she immediately realized her mistake. “I . . . I mean—”