pillow. The only indication heâd even shared the queen-size bed with her was the indentation his head had made for the last four or five hours. She hadnât so much as quibbled about sleeping in the same bed with him. Strangely enough, once sheâd showered and crawled between the cool sheets beside him, sheâdfallen sound asleep. Something she hadnât done in years.
Three years, to be exact.
She frowned and tugged his pillow closer, wrapping her arms around it and burying her face in the still-warm softness. Had he been so firmly imprinted on her that even now, after all these months, sheâd found an odd sense of comfort in just being near him? Could something as simple as breathing in his rich, masculine scent be enough to offer her a sense of security, just by knowing he was close? Or did the unusual stirring of emotions stem from something else much more basic, such as a need to survive and the knowledge that on some level, Jared would move heaven and earth to make sure she lived through this ugly mess?
She didnât know the answer. Worse, she wasnât sure she wanted to know.
Perhaps she was still in shock, she mused. Under the circumstances, itâd be understandable, and would explain why sheâd fallen so easily into finding comfort where she had no business seeking any.
With a sigh of self-disgust she shoved the pillow away and sat up, propping the pillows against the headboard behind her. Such ridiculous notions, she scoffed silently, and reached for the remote control. They were making the best of a bad situation until they could find a way out of the horror. And that was about as ridiculous as sheâd allow herself to feel.
Period. End of story.
When Jared had started to feel the effects of being behind the wheel for over eight hours without a wink of sleep in the past twenty-four, sheâd suggested theyfind a place to stop and rest for a few hours. She couldâve taken over the driving, but sheâd felt as exhausted as heâd looked. Jared rarely complained about anything, but when heâd said his eyes had started to feel grainy, that he was hungry and in need of sleep, sheâd insisted. Theyâd both been completely wiped out, and finding a comforting bed in another low-priced motel made the most sense. Survival, plain and simple.
Period. End of story.
By four in the morning, theyâd finally left the city, after pulling into the drive-through of an all-night fast-food restaurant. A double cheeseburger, fries and a cold drink later, they used her credit cards to create what they hoped would become a paper-trail decoy to buy them time. After stopping in Richmond for gas, then heading another thirty minutes south to Petersburg so she could register for a motel room they didnât use, theyâd turned west, taking the state highways to Roanoke, Virginia. Considering she had no idea how long theyâd be on the run, Peyton had convinced Jared that an unscheduled stop at one of those open-all-night discount chain stores was a necessity. Using cash, sheâd purchased a few clothing essentials, along with some personal care items and a bag to carry everything. They were back on the road for another three hours before finding a place not too far off the interstate where they could catch some sleep before continuing to the seaside cottage on the Maine coast.
She pressed the button on the remote now and the television came to life. After cruising the channels and finding nothing more interesting than college football, she settled on a cable news station and half listenedto a report of a typhoon encroaching upon a country on the other side of the world.
The bathroom door opened and steam billowed into the room. She stared as Jared emerged, wearing nothing but a towel tied around his hips and another draped over his shoulder as he dried his hair. He reminded her of a Roman warrior whoâd just visited a bathhouse after a long, dusty
Three years, to be exact.
She frowned and tugged his pillow closer, wrapping her arms around it and burying her face in the still-warm softness. Had he been so firmly imprinted on her that even now, after all these months, sheâd found an odd sense of comfort in just being near him? Could something as simple as breathing in his rich, masculine scent be enough to offer her a sense of security, just by knowing he was close? Or did the unusual stirring of emotions stem from something else much more basic, such as a need to survive and the knowledge that on some level, Jared would move heaven and earth to make sure she lived through this ugly mess?
She didnât know the answer. Worse, she wasnât sure she wanted to know.
Perhaps she was still in shock, she mused. Under the circumstances, itâd be understandable, and would explain why sheâd fallen so easily into finding comfort where she had no business seeking any.
With a sigh of self-disgust she shoved the pillow away and sat up, propping the pillows against the headboard behind her. Such ridiculous notions, she scoffed silently, and reached for the remote control. They were making the best of a bad situation until they could find a way out of the horror. And that was about as ridiculous as sheâd allow herself to feel.
Period. End of story.
When Jared had started to feel the effects of being behind the wheel for over eight hours without a wink of sleep in the past twenty-four, sheâd suggested theyfind a place to stop and rest for a few hours. She couldâve taken over the driving, but sheâd felt as exhausted as heâd looked. Jared rarely complained about anything, but when heâd said his eyes had started to feel grainy, that he was hungry and in need of sleep, sheâd insisted. Theyâd both been completely wiped out, and finding a comforting bed in another low-priced motel made the most sense. Survival, plain and simple.
Period. End of story.
By four in the morning, theyâd finally left the city, after pulling into the drive-through of an all-night fast-food restaurant. A double cheeseburger, fries and a cold drink later, they used her credit cards to create what they hoped would become a paper-trail decoy to buy them time. After stopping in Richmond for gas, then heading another thirty minutes south to Petersburg so she could register for a motel room they didnât use, theyâd turned west, taking the state highways to Roanoke, Virginia. Considering she had no idea how long theyâd be on the run, Peyton had convinced Jared that an unscheduled stop at one of those open-all-night discount chain stores was a necessity. Using cash, sheâd purchased a few clothing essentials, along with some personal care items and a bag to carry everything. They were back on the road for another three hours before finding a place not too far off the interstate where they could catch some sleep before continuing to the seaside cottage on the Maine coast.
She pressed the button on the remote now and the television came to life. After cruising the channels and finding nothing more interesting than college football, she settled on a cable news station and half listenedto a report of a typhoon encroaching upon a country on the other side of the world.
The bathroom door opened and steam billowed into the room. She stared as Jared emerged, wearing nothing but a towel tied around his hips and another draped over his shoulder as he dried his hair. He reminded her of a Roman warrior whoâd just visited a bathhouse after a long, dusty
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