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Walking away before he gave in to his caveman urges wasn’t easy, but it was the right thing to do. The look of pure heat in her eyes had nearly done him in. If he’d stayed any longer, he would have swept her into his arms, carried her into the nearest room with a lockable door, and taken care of both of them.
Repeatedly.
As much as he’d wanted to do just that, he needed to prove that he was serious about wanting more too. Making her come at every possible opportunity wasn’t going to do that. However, if she needed a reminder of the explosive chemistry between them, he’d man up in a heartbeat.
He put the windows down and cranked up the air-conditioning, hoping the combination would help alleviate some of his discomfort. It did. Sort of. With each mile he got farther from Sandy’s place, the arousal below his waist lessened, but the desire in his chest didn’t.
He liked her. Really liked her—and not just her body. He liked her wit and her intelligence and her big, compassionate heart.
That was how he knew she was different. He’d been with a lot of women—not something he was particularly proud of, but true nonetheless—and no one had ever made him feel like this. Craving her laughter as much as her screams of pleasure. Wanting to coax a smile as easily as he could a climax.
As he neared the turn-off for the Sanctuary, a vehicle going in the opposite direction appeared out of nowhere, forcing him to swerve onto the shoulder. Only his quick reflexes prevented him from going off the road completely.
Where the hell had it come from? Had he been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he hadn’t seen it until it was right there?
No, he realized. He hadn’t seen it because it hadn’t had its lights on.
Cursing, he yanked the wheel and pressed the pedal, spitting up gravel as he hung a U-ey and went after them. Heff sped down the mountain in pursuit, taking the curves at breakneck speed, pushing the SUV as fast as it could go without rolling over or losing control.
He took his hands off the wheel only long enough to stab the hands-free call button.
Church picked up after a single ring, his one-worded greeting expected and familiar. “Go.”
“Have any perimeter alarms tripped tonight?”
“Yeah, southeast quadrant. Smoke and Mad Dog are out there now, checking it out. How’d you know?”
“Saw a black or dark blue late-model pickup coming out of the lower access road without their lights on. I’m in pursuit now, heading south toward town.”
“Got it. Let me know what you find.”
“Will do.”
Heff disconnected the call and pressed down on the accelerator. Once or twice, he got close enough to see the flash of taillights ahead, but then they disappeared again before he could make out the plate.
He made it all the way back into town without closing the distance between them.
Heff cruised the streets, looking for something, anything, even though he knew it was a long shot. He’d only caught a flash of the vehicle in his headlights, enough to know that it was a dark, late-model pickup splotched with mud and with only the right taillight working.
Unfortunately, that described more than half the rides in Sumneyville.
Without a make, model, or license plate to go on, he was forced to temporarily admit defeat and drove back up to the Sanctuary. Unsurprisingly, the rest of the guys were awake and huddled around a flat screen in the war room.
Church looked up as he entered the room.
Heff shook his head. “Whoever he is, he’s a hell of a driver, and he knows the roads like the back of his hand.”
“Fits with what we’ve already surmised,” Cage said. “Male with local ties and an unidentified bug up his ass.”
“Get anything on camera?”
“Nothing useful. The motion lights went on a split second after he tripped the perimeter alarm.” Cage pressed a button on the keyboard and pointed at the screen.
Heff watched as a man-shaped black smudge threw his arm up against the burst of light, turned tail, and ran.
“I’m thinking maybe we should install some night-vision surveillance a little farther out,” Doc commented, leaning forward on his crutches. “That way, by the time they hit the trips, we’ll already have them on candid camera.”
Church nodded. “Do it.”
“I’ll call our new friends down in Pine Ridge and see what they’ve got first thing in the morning.”
“Grab some shut-eye. I don’t think we’ll be seeing any more excitement tonight.”
“Well, except maybe Smoke.” Doc grinned. “Sam will be so glad to see him in one piece, she’ll—”
Without breaking stride, Smoke reached out and shoved Doc, forcing him into a wall. “I don’t care if you are on crutches. Disrespect Sam again, and you’ll need a wheelchair to get around.”
Doc laughed, regaining his balance and rubbing his chest. “My bad. You know we’re all just jealous, right?”
Smoke grunted, but there was reluctant amusement in his eyes too. He knew he was a lucky bastard.
Heff went back to the trailer he shared with Mad Dog and spent the next several hours staring up at the ceiling. Dare he hope that he could find that kind of happiness?
A dull ache cut through his chest right about the same time an image of Sandy plastered itself front and center in his mind’s eye. It was a nice thought but probably not in the cards. The timing sucked. Yeah, they had incredible chemistry, and she’d agreed to spend time with his sorry ass, but he recognized it for what it was—making the best of her current situation.
He’d seen the wanderlust in her eyes. Felt the subtle vibration of excitement radiating from her when she talked about leaving Sumneyville. If it wasn’t for her POS father, she’d have been long gone.
He turned onto his side and punched his pillow. He knew in his heart that she wasn’t going to be around for long. Her star was on the rise. Things would work out. She’d get her chance, and when she did, he’d smile, wish her luck, and walk away.
The trick was, making the most of the time they had without letting himself care too much.
Unfortunately, he thought, it might already be too late for that.