Protector(70)

Caitlin didn’t appear to like that notion very much. She seemed to slump in her chair, and some of the hopeful light went out of her eyes. Alex was about to reach out to her, maybe to lay a comforting hand on her arm, but the waitress showed up right then with their food, so that was the end of that idea.

They ate quietly after that, Caitlin apparently preoccupied with her own thoughts, while Alex worked at the problem in his own mind, attempting to see if there was some angle he hadn’t thought of, something else the clan members back in Tucson could do to track down where that stolen Challenger had been taken. Other than blanketing every street lamp and stop sign with “stolen car” signs, or maybe taking out a bunch of Craigslist ads, he couldn’t think of anything. And even that wouldn’t really work. All it would probably do was alert Matías and his boys that the de la Pazes were closing in on them.

As he and Caitlin were winding down to eating the last of their sandwiches, she finished chewing and asked, “How far is it from here to Pasadena?”

He paused to think about the route, then replied, “Couple hundred miles, I think. So…around three hours left to go.”

A nod, and she ate the rest of her pulled pork before lifting her napkin to her mouth and dabbing at it, then wiping off her hands. Actually, for as messy as that sandwich looked, she’d done a pretty good job of not getting it all over herself.

He finished his sandwich as well. Since they’d paid for the food when they ordered, all he had to do was dig in his wallet and get out a five for the tip. After he laid it on the table, he asked, “Ready?”

For a second, Caitlin hesitated. Then she said, “Yes, I’m ready.”

Unfortunately, she didn’t sound very sure of herself.





14





Spending this much time with Alex — being in the car with him for hour after hour — was turning out to be more difficult than Caitlin had expected. She seemed to be acutely conscious of everything he did, even if it was something as mundane as asking her if she wanted him to turn on the heater as the night deepened and the drive across the desert became increasingly chilly. The sound of his voice, the way his strong fingers wrapped around the steering wheel…everything. She even fancied she could detect the faintest hint of whatever aftershave he used, something very light, sort of citrusy. Clean-smelling.

Are you trying to drive yourself crazy? she thought with some irritation, shifting in her seat for what felt like the hundredth time. It wasn’t the Pathfinder’s fault; the car seats were extremely comfortable. No, it was only her, reacting to Alex in a way she knew was just wrong. Wrong. Bad enough that they’d kissed, when they should have been focusing all their energies on locating Danica and Roslyn and bringing them home. But that kiss seemed to have kindled a fire in Caitlin, and she had no idea how to put it out.

He’d been quiet, although whether that was because he was trying to focus on the unfamiliar roads, or because he’d sensed that she really didn’t want to talk, she didn’t know for sure. And was it actually that she didn’t want to talk, or was just worried she’d say exactly the wrong thing?

At least it wasn’t dead quiet in the SUV; as they were leaving Blythe, he asked if she minded if he turned on the radio. She’d said that was fine, and since he chose a station that played the rock and alternative music she liked, it helped to fill the silence without being too intrusive. The problem was that even the music couldn’t distract her from the man sitting just a foot or so away from her.

And what was she supposed to do when they got to Pasadena? She’d already agreed to share a hotel room, so there was no backing out of that arrangement.

You shouldn’t have asked for separate beds, she told herself, and that thought had to be the craziest thing that had crossed her mind yet. She’d barely known the guy for two days. And now she was okay with sleeping with him? That was just…no. Never mind that she’d never slept with anyone. Her big dark secret. She’d come close a few times, but always something in her held back, told her it wasn’t the right time. Her boyfriends hadn’t been too thrilled with her, that was for sure. In fact, the guy she’d been dating at Northern Pines — a civilian — called her a “cock tease” right before he dumped her. But she hadn’t been teasing him. She’d thought she wanted to, had told herself that the whole situation was ridiculous and that it was time to lose that unwanted virginity. She wasn’t some prima holding out for her consort, after all. At twenty-one, she thought she was way overdue.

And yet…she still couldn’t make herself take that final step. Until now. Well, she hadn’t taken any steps, beyond that one kiss she and Alex had shared, and yet she wanted to. The intensity of that desire shook her. She’d never experienced anything like it before. For some people, it might have been enough to throw aside any remaining reticence they might have possessed. But could she do it? Could she take that final step?