Resisting Her (23 page)

The week passed without another note or any
sign that Dillon had been back, but Cole’s sense of panic hadn’t
subsided. Not at all. He still hadn’t said anything to Savannah,
but was more vigilant than ever — escorting her to her car, calling
to check on her at work, insisting on taking Cuddles outside
himself. He was beginning to suspect that she knew something was
up, but it was almost as if she didn’t want to know what — refusing
to ask any questions, and instead let him be the overprotective
alpha male he needed to be.

Searching the database at the Bureau hadn’t
turned up much, and he’d debated with himself all week about
getting the police involved, and maybe even his boss Norm. If he
did, he knew he’d have a lot of explaining to do about why a cult
escapee was living in his home. He also knew that there was little
the police could do with a vague handwritten note and only a gut
feeling about who wrote it.

So instead he was extra diligent and watchful
and kept Savannah close — the best he could do under the
circumstances.

But Friday night when he got home from work
and found another note — this time left at his front door — his
passive-aggressive mode of dealing with this was over. The bastard
had somehow breached the building security and delivered the note
directly to his door. What if Savannah had been home? What if she’d
let him in? And the messy text scrawled along the paper sent his
heart racing into a murderous rage.

You took my heart. Now I’ll take hers.

He called Savannah and found she was on her
way home from work. He placed his handgun in the back of his jeans,
locked the door behind him and went to wait for her in the parking
lot. She smiled when she saw him and jogged from her car over to
his side. But her smile fell when she took in the tense set of his
shoulders and the frown tugging at his mouth. “Cole?”

He dropped a kiss to her mouth and pulled her
close. “Come on, let’s get inside.”

She allowed herself to be towed along beside
him in jerking steps as he glanced at their surroundings.

Once inside, he pointed to the note on the
island. “Do you recognize that handwriting?”

Her concerned gaze met his and she crossed
the room carefully, as if there was a live tiger in the kitchen
rather than a scrap of paper. She reached for the paper, and Cole
grabbed her wrist. “No fingerprints,” he warned.

She nodded and leaned over the counter to
read it. Her hand flew to her mouth. “Where did you get this?”

“It was stuffed into the crack of the front
door.”

All the color drained from her face and
Cole’s hands on her waist were the only thing keeping her on her
feet.

“Do you know who it might be from?” He
probed, wanting her honest assessment on the matter without his
suspicions coloring her view.

“It’s from Dillon.” Her voice was certain and
sure. “He used to always say that I’d captured his heart. And it
looks like his handwriting too.” She turned into his chest, burying
her face.

Cole’s arms circled around her back, holding
her close. “We’re going to get out of here for the weekend. Go stay
somewhere else while I figure this out. I don’t like that he knows
where we are.”

Savannah nodded. “Okay.”

He gave her a quick kiss. “Go pack a bag. Be
quick.”

“What about Cuddles?”

Shit
. Damn dog. He considered dropping
the thing off at Marissa’s, but if by some chance Dillon was
tracking their movements, he didn’t want his sister involved.
“We’ll see if Levi and Deb can take her for the weekend.”

He threw some clothes into a duffle bag,
added his gun and an extra clip, then met Savannah in the kitchen
where she was pouring dry dog food into a plastic bag. He threw
their bags over his shoulder and they ventured down the hall
towards Levi’s unit with a carefree puppy jogging beside them.

When Deb answered the door, Cuddles charged
past them. “Sorry about that. Cuddles!” Savannah called after the
naughty animal.

“Oh, that’s okay. What’s up?” Deb eyed the
bags slung over Cole’s shoulder.

He placed an arm around Savannah’s waist and
tugged her closer. “We’re going away for the weekend. Would you
mind watching the dog for a couple of days?”

Deb’s mouth curved in a grin. “I knew there
was something between you two. Sure. Why not?”

Savannah handed Deb the bag of food, Cuddles’
favorite toy, and supplied her with instructions as well as the
dog’s likes and dislikes. A few minutes later, they were pulling
away in his SUV, Cole watching the rearview mirror constantly until
he was sure they weren’t being followed. Savannah reached over and
found his hand. His death grip on the steering wheel let up just
slightly. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“For what?”

“For unleashing this craziness on you…I doubt
you wanted to spend your weekend on the run with me.”

He squeezed her hand, running his thumb
across her knuckles. “This isn’t your fault. I don’t want you to
worry about anything. I’m going to take care of this. I promise.
And I meant what I told Deb. You and I are going to enjoy a
romantic weekend getaway. That is…if you’re game?”

She released a sigh. “You mean, like pretend
all this isn’t weighing on us?”

He shrugged. “Why not? I promise I’ll take
care of this. And you and I are going to relax, one way or
another.”

“Okay.” But the deep crease on her forehead
remained.

Cole turned south on the freeway and exited
twice, looping around to make certain he wasn’t being followed
before settling into the two-hour drive ahead of them. He knew
where he was taking her. It was a lodge on a private lake that he’d
researched several years ago when things with his girlfriend at the
time had gotten serious. They never made it to the lodge, though.
She’d cheated on him the weekend before he planned to take her
there. Cole pushed the thoughts from his mind and laced his fingers
with Savannah’s, doing his best to calm her.

***

She listened to his one-sided phone
conversation as he drove. He had called someone named Norm who she
believed was his boss at the FBI. It felt strange listening to him
discuss her as though she wasn’t seated right next to him, but she
knew he was trying to help. Savannah was most interested to hear
how he explained her presence in his life, but he didn’t reveal
much about their relationship, simply saying that Savannah from the
Jacob Stone investigation was a friend of his and she needed their
help.

Friend?

She was surprised to learn that this wasn’t
the first note Dillon had left. Apparently there had been another
one left on his windshield a couple of weeks ago. Cole instructed
Norm that it was in his desk drawer at work, inside a plastic bag,
and to have it dusted for prints. Cole’s voice was raised and the
vein in his neck throbbed, but after a few tense moments of back
and forth with Norm, Cole seemed pleased.

“Yeah, let’s get this fucker. Okay, thanks
Norm.” Cole ended the call and set his cell into the center console
between them.

Savannah swallowed, keeping her eyes on the
road. “Everything okay?”

He reached over and took her hand. “Yeah. It
will be. Norm says he’ll send someone out to pick up Dillon. The
case hasn’t officially been closed yet, so there’s no problem with
bringing him in for questioning, however loose the connection is
between him and these notes. But at least they can talk to him —
see what he’ll say. Let him know he’s still on our radar.”

“Okay.” She brought her legs up, folding them
under her on the seat, and tried not to worry. Dillon was harmless.
Wasn’t he?

They pulled onto the one-lane private drive
leading back into the woods. The sun was beginning its descent,
lighting the fieldstone and timber two-story lodge in a glow of
pinks, oranges and golds.

“Wow.” Savannah sat up in her seat and smiled
appreciatively. “This is beautiful.”

***

Cole was glad she was the first and only girl
he’d brought here. And from what he remembered, the pictures online
didn’t do this place justice. It had a secluded, rustic feel. It
was perfect.

He led her inside, their bags once again
resting on his shoulder. Fleeing from danger or not, he was raised
in Texas, and that meant manners, opening doors for ladies and
being an all-around gentleman

When he found out that Savannah had never
stayed at a hotel before, he booked them a suite, complete with a
private balcony overlooking the lake. The suite was comprised of a
living room with a sofa and chaise lounge chair facing a
stone-hearthed fireplace, a separate bedroom sporting a king bed
adorned with a fluffy white down comforter, and a large bathroom
with a glass enclosed shower and separate garden tub, but it was
spacious and well-appointed. He watched Savannah explore the rooms,
ending her tour on the balcony. The last rays of sunlight cast off
the deep blue lake. He came up behind her, caging her in against
the iron railing and nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent. She
was so soft, so lovely, she provoked in him not the hardened FBI
agent needing justice, but a man in need of a woman. It was easy to
lose himself in her, and he almost couldn’t believe he’d resisted
her for so long.

The conversation with Norm had gone well, and
he was confident that now that he’d bitten the bullet and involved
the FBI that idiot Dillon would be taken care of. Yet he knew
things were never that simple, and he felt sure he would have to
come clean to Norm on Monday morning. Whatever was going to happen
now was out of his control, so there was no use worrying about it.
He would enjoy his secret getaway with Savannah before they were
both forced to face reality and whatever came next.

They ordered in a simple dinner and ate on
the couch with plates balanced on their knees. Cole had a bottle of
wine delivered too, figuring they’d both need the help relaxing.
Savannah did little more than pick at the food on her plate, and
Cole’s appetite wasn’t much better. He cleared their plates and
discreetly checked his phone in the kitchen. Still nothing from
Norm.

He returned to living room, refilling both
glasses. “Do you want to sit out on the balcony?”

Savannah lifted her eyes to his as if the
sound of his voice interrupted some private thought. “Hm? Oh,
sure.” She accepted his proffered hand and rose to her feet,
dutifully following him to the cushioned bench seat on the balcony.
The old-fashioned sconces provided a soft glow of flickering light,
and the water lapping at the shore of the lake below was the
perfect backdrop. Cole set the glasses on the table and pulled
Savannah down to his lap, needing the distraction full body contact
offered. He wanted to reassure her, to promise everything would be
okay, but he couldn’t. So he held her instead.

She giggled softly, allowing herself to be
maneuvered and folded into his arms. She turned so that she was
facing him and placed her palms against his cheeks.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the first
note?”

He swallowed and removed her hands, holding
them in his lap. “I had it handled. I didn’t want you to worry
unless you needed to. I just wanted to protect you as long as I
could.”

“I would have rather you told me. You can’t
protect me from everything forever.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He pressed a soft kiss
to her lips. “Forgive me?”

She took her time before answering, and Cole
feared the other secret he’d been keeping from her was floating
through her mind. “Forgiven,” she murmured, leaning in for another
kiss. She had grown more confident in initiating their physical
contact, which Cole very much appreciated. His heart rate kicked
up, realizing they were all alone for the night with nothing to do
but enjoy their pretend romantic getaway. He deepened the kiss,
nibbling her bottom lip. His hands found Savannah’s ass and
squeezed, hauling her in closer to his groin. A groan of
frustration bubbled deep in her throat and she clutched at his
biceps. It was as if they both needed to be closer. Now.

He stood, lifting her as he headed inside.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck,
still not breaking their kiss. Not bothering to turn on the bedroom
light, Cole laid Savannah on the bed, leaning over to plant a
tender kiss on her mouth before he stood to admire her, sprawled
out against the bed. Her dark hair was a halo of loose curls on the
pillow, and her arms reluctantly dropped from his neck, as if
unwilling to release him.

“God you’re perfect,” he breathed. Her eyes
remained locked on his, refusing to look away, refusing to break
their unspoken connection. “Do you know how hard it was to resist
you?”

“You hardly noticed me. Do you know how many
times I wandered around your room in just my panties trying to
tempt you?”

“Yes. Forty-seven.”

“What?” she chuckled.

“Kidding. I didn’t keep count. But you’re
wrong about me not noticing. I noticed every damn time.” And so did
his dick. He’d had a perpetual case of blue balls practically since
the day she moved in. “You’re amazing, Savannah. Beautiful, smart,
loving. How could I not notice you?”
And fall for you?

A satisfied little smile tugged at her mouth
and he knew he needed her, needed to show her that she was his. His
hands found his belt and quickly unlatched the buckle before moving
to the button and zipper. Savannah followed his movements, eyes
wide and curious. He yanked his T-shirt over his head and let it
fall to the floor. Savannah squirmed on the bed, still watching
him. When he pushed his jeans and boxers down his hips, she licked
her lips. And when his hand caught and lazily stroked his length,
she exhaled slowly.

“Cole…” Her voice was a broken plea in the
otherwise silent room.