She pulled the cookies out of the oven and inhaled their rich scent. Clay trotted in from his run.
“The place smells fantastic. Can I have one?”
He reached out to pick up a hot chocolate chip cookie when she slapped his hand. “Not yet. They need to cool.”
He removed the pancake turner from her fingers and placed it on the counter then pulled her close. “When we get back home, I think someone needs her fanny spanked.”
She laughed and pushed him away. He was sweaty and smelly. He’d been threatening to tie her up and slap her butt, but every time he showed her Kurt and Drake’s playroom, Clay decided she wasn’t ready. “You, mister, need a shower.”
After he kissed her cheek, he jogged down the hall. Just as she dumped the dishes in the sink, Clay’s cell rang. From the distinctive tone, it was Dirk. She answered it.
“Hey. I miss you.”
“Sweetheart, hearing your voice makes me whole.” He sounded in good spirits.
“What’s up?”
“Are you ready to come home?”
She grabbed the counter to steady herself. “More than you can know.” That sounded like she hadn’t enjoyed Clay’s company. “That didn’t come out right. At first, it was great—”
He chuckled. “I get it. You want your freedom.”
“Yeah.”
“We caught Hood’s two right hand men and six of his henchmen.”
Her body sagged against the island. “That’s wonderful.” Only without Hood in custody, she’d never really be safe. “Any sign of Hood?”
“Not yet, but we’ll get him.”
They must have prevented the men from swallowing those poison pills. “Clay’s in the shower. What should I tell him?”
“To bring you home so we can celebrate in style.”
Not only was the news fantastic, but having both of the men to herself stirred something inside her. “We’ll see you soon.”
“I hope Clay didn’t wear you out.”
Heat raced up her face. “Di-irk.”
“Just stating a fact.”
“I’ll see you shortly.” Even after she disconnected, her smile didn’t diminish.
After she washed, dried, and put the pots and pans away faster than she’d ever cleaned before, she stuffed the cookies in a baggie. As she rushed down the hallway to pack her bag, Clay stepped out of his room. All he had on were jeans.
No one deserved to look that good.
“Dirk called,” she said as she watched him run a towel over his head.
His hand stilled. “What did he want?”
She told him the good news. He dropped the towel and opened his arms. She raced to him. The kiss spoke of a future, and his hands convinced her she never wanted to leave him. Although there’d been some challenges these last few days, she’d seen the real Clay Demmers and she loved him.
“Sugar, as much as I’d like to make love with you for hours, I think Dirk would like to see you.”
She wanted that, too. “I missed him.”
“I’m glad.”
She kissed him then scooted out of his arms. Being ever hopeful, she’d kept her clothes neatly stacked ready to go. In less than five minutes, she was ready. “Let me get the cookies.”
Dirk had a sweet tooth, and she’d enjoy feeding him one cookie after another.
Clay returned dressed with his gear a minute later. “Say goodbye to Orangeburg.”
She glanced around once more, and together they headed back to Gulfside.
Clay called Dirk on the drive home, put the call on speaker, and asked for more details. In the raid, three other girls had been recovered. They were spending a few days recuperating at the general’s home before returning home.
“Have Sam and Brandon found out anything about Cheryl?” she asked Dirk.
“They’re getting close, sweetheart. Don’t worry. They’ll find her.”
That wasn’t much of an answer, but she appreciated they were devoting every day to the search. She thanked God each night she’d been rescued by two such wonderful men.
During the last part of the drive, she brought up the subject of her freedom. “Do you think I could get a job and be relatively safe?”
“I believe with the human trafficking part basically shut down, you’ll be good.”
“You think I’ll be safe from Hood?”
He glanced over at her. “We’ll see. If you don’t go out at night or walk down dark alleys by yourself, you should be okay.”
#
When they pulled in front of his house, Dirk raced outside and picked her up. He spun her around. “Let’s get you inside. I have plans for you.”
She leaned close. “You just want me naked.”