Waking the Beast(3)

Instead, she lay in his grip and watched as he blinked his eyes open. The dark brown orbs widened as he took her in, and she knew by the dip in his smile when he’d placed her.

“Uh, Abby? What are you doing here?”

Yeah, guys like Utah didn’t do girls like Abby and wasn’t that a shame. She bet she’d be awesome in bed if she had a lover like Utah.

“Abby?”

She shook her less than moral thoughts from her mind and focused on what she should—figuring out where they were and how the hell to get out.

“Utah,” she whispered his name softly. “We need to stay quiet. I don’t want the men to come back.”

He shifted his gaze around. “There are other people here?” He eased her off him and that glorious erection and sat up. He rocked a bit, and she put her shoulder against his side as if she could hold him up by will alone if he started to fall over.

“Whoa. What the fuck? How much did I have to drink?” He held his head as he slowly looked around. “And where the fuck are we?”

“I don’t know.”

He glanced at her, and she felt his eyes taking her measure. For a brief moment, she wished he saw her as more than the nerdy girl who hung out at the bar surrounded by her papers as she munched on nachos and coke. Hell, she didn’t even drink. But she knew all too well what he was seeing. Abby Lane with her unruly mop of curls and faded blue eyes hidden behind the glasses she couldn’t see without. His gaze dropped to her hoodie and baggy jeans, but she dressed for comfort, not to impress. At least, that’s what she told herself.

“Please tell me I didn’t hurt you, Abby.” His eyes pleaded with her, reflecting the hope in his voice.

“You didn’t touch me,” she assured him and swore the relief in his eyes didn’t hurt her pride at all.#p#分页标题#e#

He slowly stood up, seemingly not the slightest bit awkward to find himself in only his underwear and sporting some serious wood. Or at least he hadn’t been uncomfortable until he caught her gawking at it.

Jesus, please don’t let her be drooling!

“Ummm, Abby.”

Her gaze slid back up to his, as he leaned down offering her his hand to stand up.

“I need your help here. I’m afraid I’m a little fuzzy. What happened last night? Why are we in a cell?”

She sighed and prayed he didn’t see the guilt in her eyes. She was afraid this was all her fault.

“I’m not sure. I woke up a little before you did. I heard two men talking about giving us some type of drug to knock us out.”

“What the fuck? I’m sorry, Abby. I know I’ve pissed people off. I didn’t think any of them would do anything like this. Was I giving you a ride home or something? Is that how you got dragged into this?”

She shook her head. “The last I remember I was already home.”

Utah stretched and flexed, rotating his shoulders and neck as he worked out any kinks from waking on the hard floor. She couldn’t help admiring the muscles he sported under the creamy café au lait shade of his skin. Had he achieved it from tanning or was it natural? She wanted to think it was natural, that if she tugged those short black boxer briefs off, he’d be just as tan there.

She watched him pace the cell like a caged beast and fell right back into the surge of guilt she was struggling to repress. He thought he was the one who’d pulled her into this. She was sure this was all her fault. Especially when Southy and Whiney had made the lion comment.

Her gaze flickered to his tattoo. She did have a fondness for lions, despite her history. Her hand automatically rubbed her side.

“Hello?” Utah’s voice yelled out, echoing around them as Abby’s eyes darted about in panic.

“Oh, God. Don’t do that! Don’t bring them back. I’ve got a really bad feeling about this.”

He glanced over at her. She wasn’t sure what he saw, but he reached her side in two steps and wrapped her tight against his chest once more.

“Damn, Abby. You’re shaking like a leaf. There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. I promise.”

“You have to listen to me,” she began, but her words died off as she heard the distinct sound of the two men from earlier returning. And someone was with them.

“I thought you got the girl too.”

Two things went through her head at the sound of that voice. Utah’s much bigger body must be shielding her from their view, and she knew that voice.

Oh, God. This was all her fault. She should have never kept digging, searching for answers she had no right to want. She’d brought this on Utah, and no matter which way things turned out, he might never forgive her for it.