Tangled in Divine(Divine Creek Ranch 14)(24)

What in the hell am I supposed to do with that? Chris had only met her that morning. Had he laid eyes on her and fallen in love at first sight? They needed to talk.

The clock on the wall indicated that Julián had been holding her for two hours. He needed to relieve himself but he’d gladly sit there holding her for another two hours if that was what she needed.

In sleep, her features were so peaceful, her full lips a pale pink and the delicate sweep of her cheekbone just begging to be kissed and caressed. The dark shadows remained, though. It would take at least one night’s solid sleep to eradicate them. Her blonde lashes flickered and then he was held captive by her blue gaze.

“Hi, Sleeping Beauty.”

A tiny frown creased her brows and she rubbed at her forehead. “I must be getting sick. I never take naps.” She yawned and tried to sit up, but he pressed on her shoulder, keeping her where she was.

Without another word, he slid his hand around the back of her head, holding her at her nape. He kissed her the way he’d wanted to earlier when he’d come in the door.

Her luscious body radiated heat and she arched her neck, tilting into his kiss with sweet welcome in her lips, her velvety, warm tongue stroking his in leisurely, sensuous greeting. She cupped his cheek with her palm as her thumb caressed his stubbled chin.

A minute or two later, he released her lips with a satisfied sigh, smiling as she looked up at him with dazed eyes and swollen lips. The relaxed, tender moment didn’t last though, as some fleeting emotion flickered in her eyes and she sat up. He’d gone rock hard for her while they’d kissed, and when she shifted, she evidently felt his erection because she blushed and whispered, “Sorry.”

“What for? I’ve wanted to kiss you like that for a long time. Feel better?”

She hesitated for a second. “Not rested, but more like my old self. Less…”

“Less what?”

“Less emotionally flat. Numb.”

He shushed her when she would’ve gotten up and eased back into the rocker recliner, pulling her with him. “The shock must be wearing off. I think taking off like you did made it worse. You had no one but yourself to rely on and you couldn’t deal with what’d happened.”

“I had plenty of time to think.”

“What did you think about?”

She frowned. “Not much. I just looked at the map, picked a destination, and drove until I got there. Places I could never stop before because of scheduling.”

“How much sleep did you get?”

“Not much. When I tried, I wound up tossing and turning, miserable. I finally slept in Big Bend when I pulled over on the shoulder of one of the park roads. I remember thinking I should be worried about doing that but I didn’t feel a thing. The lack of emotion worried me more than whether or not I was safe.”

“What’d you do?”

She shrugged. “Locked up the truck. Secured the trailer and locked myself in the bunk space with my .38. I slept more that night than I had in days and days. I felt a little less…anchorless and decided to point myself in this direction.”

“What’s this I hear about broken linkage and baling wire and changing flat tires?”

Gwen gave him a sideways grin, just a hint of her old twinkle appearing in her eyes. “Don’t ask questions you don’t really want the answers to. I already got the Ricky Ricardo treatment from Angel over it. I’m self-sufficient. You know that. You’re just not used to seeing me be self-sufficient with an ancient vehicle and horse trailer. I also repaired a radiator hose and a windshield wiper while I was on the road.”

He didn’t like hearing any of it but couldn’t argue with her. She was a champion because she did what needed doing without complaint. Her self-sufficiency was part of who she was. He stroked her cheek and she placed her hand on his. That was when he noticed her hand and the condition it was in.

“Look at your hand, love. We need to take care of these.”

She examined her dry, cracked, bloodied hands with resignation. She rubbed the reddened, rough palms and murmured, “Not exactly the hands of a lady, huh? I lost my gloves and the second flat I had to change did a number on them.” She winced as a crack between her knuckles welled with blood and she blew gently on it to soothe it.

“I’ll bet Teresa has everything we need to fix them up. Did you know it’s Christmas Eve?”

She turned her gaze to his and smiled a little. “It is? I didn’t miss it?”

A whole host of emotions wanted to explode inside him at her gentle surprise. She deserved to be curled up in front of her fireplace, enjoying the holiday with friends, relaxing and happy, not pleasantly surprised that she hadn’t missed it altogether in her fugue state.