Spark (2 page)

Vance lifted an eyebrow. “My woman.” He turned on the
motor.

“Who did you say?” he yelled.

Vance responded in kind. “My woman.” He made sure his
voice carried over the motor to both the men waiting and the woman
in the truck.

The shortest of the trio walked toward him, his
swagger laughable.
Napoleon complex.
Vance just began
hooking up the car. When he stood, he smiled a bit at the blonde
who climbed out of the patrol car behind the trio’s vehicle.

“Hey, Vance,” she called out.

“Deputy,” he said easily.

She approached them, one hand resting easily on the
butt of her sidearm. Not threatening, just broadcasting awareness
and readiness.

“What’s going on here?”

“I was just telling these men I hadn’t any clue whose
car it was I just got the tow call.”

Deputy Vicki Boshay, bless her, never missed a beat.
“I heard the sheriff asked you to tow it.” Her attention migrated
back to the men. “There a reason y’all are around the vehicle? Is
it yours?”

“We’re looking for our friend.” Middle height man
rocked back on his heels as he responded. “Is there anything in the
car?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Vicki said.

Vance continued hooking it up.

“Why not?” the same one asked.

Vance watched with growing interest. Vicki rubbed her
thumb along the corner of her mouth.

“You said a friend. So if, in fact, this is their
car, you can’t have their things. That would be stealing.”

They all shared looks.

Tall man cleared his throat. “What else is around
here?”

“Cottonwood Falls is about ten miles that way. Where
are you men from?” she questioned.

“Baltimore.”

“Really?” She made a point to stare at the California
license plate.

“It’s a rental.”

“So, you flew in?” Vance joined the conversation.

“No, drove. Through Atlanta.”

“So, you don’t know what’s around here but claim to
have arrived from Baltimore via Atlanta?” At their nods, Vicki
continued, “I find that interesting and definitely suspect. See,
most folks who get to Cottonwood Falls from Atlanta approach from
the other side of town and would have already been through it at
this particular juncture.

“What about your girlfriend?” Tall Man asked. “Has
she seen that car around in your town? And possibly the
driver?”

“Let me go ask her.” Vance ran over Vicki’s question
in his mind. She had a point there. They should have come from the
other side of town.

He strode up to the passenger door and opened it.
Kendria watched him from below the brim of the cap he’d loaned her.
She’d shoved all her bouncy hair under it. He longed to knock the
hat off and sink his hands into the curls. She’d also tugged on his
long-sleeved shirt. While upset it hid her tank top, he couldn’t
argue he approved of her wearing his clothing.

“Come on down.” Vance reached up for her hand. Her
panicked gaze had him feeling like a tool. “You’re staying with me,
right here. They wanted to know if my woman had seen the car in
town. You need to step out and look. You’re hidden enough they
won’t recognize you, especially in my hat and shirt.”

“Your woman?” Her words, accentless, dragged over his
skin soft as silk and encased his cock in titanium.

He helped her down, her curves sliding over him.
Blood pounded in his ears, and he took a deep breath for control.
Bad idea. She smelled like a grove of dogwood trees in full
bloom.

“Yes,” he forced the word out. He turned her to face
the car and pointed. “Chin up, kitten. Almost through it. Shake
your head no.”

She complied and turned back to climb in. He stopped
her before she could swing her legs over. “You okay?”

He noticed lingering pain in her eyes before it was
replaced by impishness. She captured her lower lip in her teeth as
her gaze flirted with his mouth. Kendria slid to the seat’s edge,
wrapped her arms around him, as well as hooking her legs about his
waist, and kissed him.

His entire world shifted with that one kiss. Their
tongues dueled as tastes mingled. A groan rippled up from his
throat as he held her tighter, pressing her breasts against him. As
he wanted to without clothing between them.

Her eyes twinkled when she retreated. “Damn,” she
muttered.

“That’s one way to put it.” He cupped the back of her
head and enjoyed another hard kiss that did nothing in the way of
relieving the pressure his jeans were under because of the state of
his cock. Striding back over, he ignored Vicki’s shocked
expression. “She said no, she didn’t recognize it.”

“Guess we’ll keep looking than,” Middle Man
spoke.

Vicki popped in a piece of gum. “Drive safe now.”

Together, they watched them pile in their Jaguar and
head toward Cottonwood Falls.

“So, who is she, Vance?” Vicki headed for his truck.
She opened the door and looked up at Kendria.

“Kendria,” he said. “Deputy Boshay.”

“Who are those men?” Vicki put the question to
her.

“Very unpleasant ones.”

“Are those the ones you’re running from?” he
questioned, slipping up close to her and placing a hand on her
thigh. The toned muscles below his hand twitched then settled.

“In a manner of speaking. They work for the one who
is.”

Vicki frowned. “Did you go to the cops in
California?”

“No. He owns them. I left.”

Kendria fidgeted until he covered her hand with his.
Protective instincts were alive and well in him. Something about
her got to him on a deeper level than any woman previously had.

“You’ll be safe here. Vicki, I have to get the car
back and see what’s wrong with it.”

“Right. Call me if they return.” She stepped back.
“I’ll alert the sheriff and Tim.” In a lower tone, for his ears
only, she said, “I hope you know what you’re doing, Vance.”

He hoped so, as well.

Back in the truck, he stared at Kendria for a moment.
When her shapely eyebrows went up, he reached out for the lapels on
his shirt and yanked her to him. His mouth ate her groan. When her
body rested against him, soft and subtle, he slowly set her back
from him.

“I much prefer the look of desire on your face to the
fear I saw earlier. You’re safe now,” he promised. He dragged his
fingers along her jaw. “From them. I make no promises about
me.”

Her pupils dilated, and her nostrils flared. She
didn’t move away, just held his gaze. “Good.”

He forced himself to remain where he was and not
claim her on the most intimate of ways. Yes, he got it—this was
purely lust, something between them on a molecular level. Then
again, there was something else there, as well.

“Why are you running away and from where? I know
they’re not from Baltimore and am inclined to believe Vicki when
she said California.”

“I told you,” she said as he shifted into gear.

He grunted. “You gave the skeleton version. There’s
more to it. You have almost nothing if there’s a bag at all in your
car. And, it’s one that has seen better days. It’s a rental; I know
that much.” She lifted her chin defiantly. He gave her a smile. “No
harm intended, Kendria. I was merely observing.”

“Is there a hotel in town?”

“Yes. Want me to drop you off?” He made the offer,
despite not wanting to let her go.

“Please. I think I could use a nap.”

The image of her naked in the sheets had him choking
the wheel until his knuckles turned white beneath their tan.

“Sure thing.” His voice was so graveled even he had a
hard time recognizing it. “I’ll know
exactly
where to find
you.”

Chapter Two

Kendria stood beneath the pulsing spray of the shower
and allowed herself to cry. Her frustration had crested and flowed
over like lava from a spewing volcano.

Why can’t he leave me alone?
Even as she
asked, she knew the answer. Joe wasn’t a man who would be letting
things go. He hated to lose.

“Not that I was ever his to begin with.” Didn’t
matter. Joe had his own crazy world of thoughts. She turned her
back and stepped into the water streams once more. A sound reached
her, and it had her shaking her head. “I’m getting jumpy.”

Wrapped in the large towel, she left the bathroom,
and walked out to sit on the bed. Once there, she reached for her
purse. A twinge in her arm reminded her of her injury and the fact
she’d yet to attend to it. “Damn it.”

She flipped through her wallet and checked out her
money situation.

“Thank God for being frugal.

She left it sitting there and padded to her small
suitcase. Two outfits. “This ain’t going to cut it.”

Dressing in jeans, t-shirt, and her tennis shoes
without socks this time, she went to the door and opened it. Her
heart kicked up at the sight of the jacked up truck she’d first
seen moments before she’d gotten her first look at Vance. Casting
her gaze around, she searched for him among those in the parking
lot.

“Looking for me?”

She gasped and barely bit back squeal. He leaned
against the wall, a piece of grass in his mouth.

“Come to deliver bad news?” He lifted a dark eyebrow.
“About the car,” she amended.

He grinned. “Yep. You’re stuck here.”

She sent him a playful scowl, loving how he could
make her forget anything but him. “Really?”

“At least until I’m done with you.”

Words that held a much deeper but not-so-subtle
meaning. She propped herself against the doorframe, grateful it was
her uninjured arm. “Sounds menacing.” He made her smile and relax.
Feel safe. And desirable. All experiences she wanted more of.

“Are you scared?”

“Not even remotely.” And, those words had never been
truer. With him, she hadn’t the slightest bit of fear. She leaned
in closer, allowing his rich scent to fill her nostrils. “Are
you?”

He raked his gaze over her, sending more moisture to
her needy pussy. The grin that kicked up his lips didn’t help.

“Hell, no. Anticipatory.”

She concurred. “So, what’s wrong with my car?”

“Nothing much. I’ll have it up and running in a few
days.”

“So, you’re just telling me—”

“You’re stuck. Come on.”

She exited her room, purse in hand. “I could use some
clothing. I don’t have enough to be here for a few days.”

He stepped up close to her, lips brushing her ear. “I
have a shirt you’d look perfect in. Maybe even two.”

His warm breath gave her shivers. Her nipples drew
tight, and she nearly tripped over her feet. He snaked an arm
around her middle, bringing her back against him. More specifically
his hard cock.

“A shirt or two? No pants? Boxers?” She cast a
teasing glance at him over her shoulder. “Are you a boxers or
briefs man? Possibly commando?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. I’m fine with you
wearing nothing but my shirts. No panties at all.”

“Presumptutious.”

“Confident.” He walked beside her. “Do you eat
pizza?”

“Of course, who doesn’t eat pizza?”

He shrugged. “Just asking first. Good, I have some in
the truck.”

Sure enough, a large box sat on the passenger seat.
She lifted it and climbed up, favoring her arm as best she could
without giving anything away. The seat beneath her was warm.

“Where are we going?”

“Garage. I have some more work to finish up. I just
stopped to grab some food.” He hurried around and got the engine
started.

“Never eaten in a garage before.” She readjusted her
grip on the box. “Don’t know if I’ve ever been in one.”

“What about having your car fixed?”

“Mostly I was driven around. Or used one of Joe’s
cars. They were always maintained.”

“Joe.” He frowned. “Tell me you’re not married.”

She expelled a sharp breath. “God, no. That’s why I
was…am running. He thinks I’m his. I disagree.”

He slowed for a corner. “If he’s sending men, he must
not listen to ‘no’ well.”

“That’s putting it mildly. He hears what he wants to
and doesn’t handle the word ‘no’ very well. Okay, not well at
all.”

“Is he abusive?”

She fiddled with the box. “Not yet. At least not to
me. Again,
yet
. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. I
saw him use one his own men as a punching bag for daring to
disagree with him. I liked—
liked
—him well enough. I have no
desire to marry him. I can’t image what he’d be like as a husband.
He went after a coworker for giving me a hug. Dale is happily
married, and even if he wasn’t, Joe had no right.”

Vance pulled into his shop and parked the truck. She
watched him climb out and move around the hood of the vehicle. The
man had swagger. No way to deny that.

He opened her door and beckoned to her with one
outstretched hand. She placed her palm in his, allowing him to
assist her down before he swiped the box from her.

She walked beside him to a door where she waited for
him unlock it. The interior had a light on in the corner, and she
lingered by the entrance as he shut off the alarm.

“Come on, kitten.” He dragged a chair out from the
desk and patted it.

She approached. “That’s the second time you’ve called
me that. Kitten?”

He flashed a perfect grin. “Timid at times and hiding
what I’m sure are razor sharp claws.”

She took a seat and observed him as he withdrew two
mugs from a cupboard then filled them from the water bottle stand
before setting them in front of her.

“Thank you, and I’m not sure about the claws.”

His grin set free another flock of birds in her
belly. “Don’t wait on my account; jump on in.”

She flipped the lid back and groaned at the explosion
of aroma that poured free, over her senses like a free fall ride at
an amusement park. She reached for a piece, whimpering in ecstasy
when the hot cheese met her tongue.