Heart of Danger (14 page)

No, he didn’t need to tell him that at all. Micah already could figure that out on his own. “Then we prepare for war.”

“We prepare for war. Oh and Micah, get her out of that house and take her back to your place. It’s not safe for her there right now.”

“Got it,” he said before disconnecting the call.

“He’s here isn’t he?” Her voice snapped his attention to the hallway where she stood leaning against the wall. He didn’t know she was there, but there was no reason to hide the truth from her. She had every right to know.

“He’s here with some of his men. The feds lost him, but I think you and I both know he’s on his way to Austin. He’s on his way here. So I need you to pack whatever you need because we’re going to go stay at my place.”

“Okay.”

He was thankful she hadn’t put up a fight on the change of location. She really wasn’t safe at her home any longer. Dallas wasn’t that far away and given the fact that the feds lost the man long before they thought they had lost him, Micah was sure Diego was much closer than any of them thought. “Be quick about it,” he added because the sooner they got out of there, the better their chances that he wouldn’t show up in time to follow them to the new location. How much about her did he know? That’s what he needed to know right now.

He walked back to her room. “What did you tell him about yourself?”

“Not much. He asked my name and I gave him first name only. He asked about what I did and I told him I was a receptionist for a small company, but I didn’t tell him anything else. He seemed more interested in talking about himself than me so it worked. Why?”

“I just wanted to make sure he didn’t know where you worked. That gives us a little more advantage here.” His not knowing the particulars meant he was less likely to have intelligence on who helped with her rescue and just how skilled they were.

“You’ll like sleeping in my bed,” he told her. “It’s very, very comfortable.”

“Ooh, I get to sleep with you?”

“The guest bedroom is downstairs and I won’t have you down there by yourself. You’re going to sleep upstairs with me and my guns.”

She laughed so hard she fell on the bed. “You and those guns,” she shrieked. “I think you’re having an affair with your guns.”

“Those guns helped save my butt on more than one occasion. My Ak-47 is pretty damn cool too,” he wiggled his eyebrows. “Now, pack faster.”

“Stop making me laugh hysterically and I will.” She shooed him away with her hand and he took the hint. He could make her laugh once he got her back to his place, but for now it was vital that she finished packing so they could get moving.

Natalia packed as completely as she could with the limited time. She made sure she had enough underwear, and top clothes, shoes, and all of her lotions and oils along with deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrush, plus the floss. She couldn’t imagine what she might be forgetting. She took one last look around and deciding she was fairly sure she had everything; she locked up her home and went with Micah to his.

He was such a gentleman, carrying her bags upstairs, making sure she had everything she needed to be comfortable. She just had one question. How was he planning to hold on to that gentleman like behavior once he saw what she slept in? They would be sleeping in the same bed so he was bound to see what she wore underneath her satin housecoat—panties only, and usually cute little lace bikini cut ones, and sometimes boy-short ones. She didn’t actually physically have any nightgowns that she slept in. Even in the winter if it were cold outside she would just crank up the heat in her place and sleep comfortably under her feather down comforter.

So, after her hot shower and nightly routine she joined him in the bedroom. He was already lounging in sweatpants and a t-shirt. She smiled at him so sweetly and innocently. “I’m going to go to bed. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. It’s getting late; you’re tired. You should get some rest.”

“I agree,” she exhaled slowly as she untied the bow in the belt holding her housecoat closed. She slipped the satin fabric off her shoulders and folded it neatly to sit on the nearby chair.

“Natalia! Where are your clothes?”

“This is what I sleep in,” her voice was so sheepish with those words. “Do you mind?”

He grumbled something under his breath before getting up and grabbing a t-shirt from the drawer and tossing it toward her.

“What’s this for?”

“Put that on or I’m going to wake up in the middle of the night and have a hard time not ripping those panties from your body and taking you.” He growled his words. She smiled just thinking about his predicament. Should she help him stick to his decision to wait to make love to her, or should she be a little naughty all on her own?

Deciding she should help him she pulled the basic blue t-shirt over her head and then secured it on her body. It was far too big for her, but she would gather it would do for the night. “I can’t promise I’ll wear this every night. I like to be comfortable too you know.”

“I can crank up the air if that will help,” his voice was still low and completely strained from trying to fight off his arousal.

“Ooh, cool air brushing against naked flesh puts me to sleep in a heartbeat.”

“Don’t say naked,” he groaned.

She shrugged. “Good night,” she crawled into bed, pulled the sheets over her body and turned her back to him. She drifted off to sleep rather easily, although she couldn’t say the same for him.

She awoke, startled, a few times that night. She felt as if she was fighting the massive shirt covering her body and eventually she gave up. Wearing that shirt imprisoned her much like Diego Valdez had imprisoned her. She wouldn’t do it. She couldn’t do it. She furiously pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it to the end of the bed before reclining once more.

“I guess you tried,” Micah chuckled. “Now sleep. You are keeping me awake.”

She didn’t have anything she could come back with to make him pay for his remark. She was keeping him awake with all of her tossing and turning. It was stupid really. It was just a shirt, but the dreams, the memories in her head made her feel as if she were being caged and held down. She erroneously believed the way to free herself was to remove the offensive fabric. Removing the fabric hadn’t stopped the memories from invading her dream.

She tossed and turned and then she felt her hand hit something hard and a loud masculine yelp pulled her out of her dream. “Don’t touch me!” She bottled straight up, breathless with fear.

“It’s just me, Natalia. It’s just me.” He reached to the bedside table and turned on the light.

“Why are you rubbing your shoulder?”

“You hit me,” he cut her a look that told her he wasn’t pleased with that action at all.

“Sorry.”

“Were you dreaming about him again?”

She nodded affirmatively. “Will you hold me again, Micah? I just feel…connected to good and not evil when you hold me.”

“Come here,” he patted the bed right beside him and she eased her body over until she was right beside him.

“Thank you. I know this might not be comfortable for you. I promise tomorrow I shall try to sleep better.”

“It’s too comfortable for me,” he slipped his fingers through her hair before bringing his hand down to cradle her bare shoulder. “Sleep now,” he whispered.

She settled more comfortably against him and allowed herself to retreat into slumber, knowing no harm could come to her tonight, not when Micah held her so tight in his arms. She would be safe with him. That thought alone brought her comfort—enough comfort to rest quietly for the night.

Micah groaned. The woman was going to break his reserve if she kept doing what she was doing.

“Hmm,” she mumbled as she settled on him more.

“Just having your hand there is arousing enough, but if you keep squeezing the way you’re squeezing I’m going to strip your panties off of you and take you right now…and I won’t be gentle.”

“What?” She opened her eyes, waking up a little groggy still, but enough to open her eyes and take note of where her hand was. “Oh my goodness! I’m so sorry.” She swiftly retracted her hand from his penis. If he hadn’t gone to sleep in sweatpants she would have been feeling something other than the fabric; she would have been feeling his flesh because he was commando under those sweats.

“I am so sorry,” she was blushing, which was rather cute he decided.

“Don’t worry about it. I liked it…a little too much,” he admitted.

“You don’t have to wear kid gloves with me, Micah. I have wanted you since the first day I met you. You shook my hand and the first thought in my mind was that I wondered what those strong, masculine, calloused hands would feel like on my naked body. So you see if we do this it won’t be because I’m emotionally distraught or anything like that.”

“Good to know,” he leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on her lips before pulling himself from the bed. “I look forward to showing you what these hands will feel like on your naked body.” He winked before he strolled into the adjoined bathroom.

He brushed his teeth, and then came back into the room. She was sitting up in the bed, resting her back against the wooden headboard and covering her breasts with the bed sheets. She looked good. She looked inviting. And he wanted to take her. Good Lord did he want to take her. “I’m going to hit the gym. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

“Don’t you want breakfast first?”

“I have a protein drink waiting for me. I’ll eat a solid meal after I workout.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’ll just get ready for the day ahead. What am I supposed to do here anyway?”

“Rest; recover; relax. All of the above,” he stated. “I can’t risk taking you out anywhere, not with Diego being nearby. He’s most definitely already in Austin and I won’t risk taking you to the office.”

“But this is Round Rock so maybe we could go walking somewhere?”

“No.” He wasn’t going to compromise on this. “You can’t possibly have cabin fever already.”

She shrugged. “I like staying busy. I’ll just…” she shrugged as if she didn’t know what she would be able to find to do. “Do you have any books here, that don’t involve military or political storylines?”

He chuckled. “I have some Jung down in the library. I have the classics in there too. I’m sure you can find something to keep you busy. If not, just tell me what you like and I’ll have Alex pick something up and bring it over.”

She nodded affirmatively. “I’m sure I can find something. I like the classics too.” She waved to him and as he was leaving she called to him so he turned to see what she needed. “I don’t suppose you have any suspense romance books do you?”

“Hell no!”

“Not even erotic romance?”