In the meantime, the investigation was moving forward with little success. Detective Larson had spoken to them several times, asking questions or giving them information, including the news Damon Bridger had a solid alibi for the night of the abduction and the days that followed.
According to the police, he had spent that Friday night at a friend’s house, a stockbroker named Anson Burke, drinking beer and watching an ice hockey game on ESPN. Damon had worked that weekend in his office, where he’d had several meetings with employees. The alibi had been verified by the employees as well as by his father.
The night Lisa had escaped, Damon had been at another friend’s house, a part-time real estate salesman, part-time computer guy named Isaac “Izzy” Watkins. According to Izzy, he and Damon had played video games till the early hours of the morning.
Josh held on to the hope Bridger wasn’t involved in the abduction. Which made him think of Tory. He glanced over to where she perched on the edge of the mattress, her eyes closed, half asleep.
“Tory, honey, you need to get in bed and get some rest. You can’t do anyone any good if you make yourself sick.”
Her big green eyes fluttered open. “I know.”
“You need me to help you get undressed?” Just saying it made him start to get hard, made him feel like a letch for even thinking about sex. Truth was he hadn’t stopped wanting Tory since the night he’d taken her on the porch.
“I can do it,” she said, and Josh gave an inward sigh of relief.
Leaving her to change into the long, white cotton nightgown she had brought with her, he went into his own room, stripped, and hit the shower. When he finished, he turned the water from hot to cold, hoping it would help cool the lust in his blood.
Back in his room, he dragged on his jeans and went next door to check on Tory. She was lying in bed, the covers pulled up.
“You okay?”
She released a tired sigh. “I guess. I keep thinking about Lisa, how terrible it must be for her, not being able to remember what happened. But Lisa’s really strong. That gives me hope she’ll be okay.”
Josh sat down on the edge of the bed. “You’re strong, too, honey. You’ll get through this. With any luck, so will your friend.”
“The police don’t think Damon did it.”
“So far there’s no proof he had anything to do with it. There are lots of crazies out there. Could have been any one of them.”
“I wish I could convince myself. In my head, I just keep seeing the look on his face when he was hitting me, kicking me. It was like he turned into some kind of monster. I can’t get the notion out of my head that he’s the guy responsible.”
He thought of what Bridger had done to her and his hand unconsciously fisted. He forced himself to relax.
“You can’t keep thinking about it, Tory. You need to leave it to the police.” Josh leaned over and kissed her forehead. “Get some sleep, okay?”
“I know you have to get back to Texas. I can’t expect you to stay here much longer.”
She was right. He couldn’t stay away from the ranch forever. “Let’s not worry about that now.” He stood up from the bed and started for the door.
“Why did you get two rooms?” Tory asked softly.
Josh turned, his gaze sweeping over her, taking in the fiery curls tousled around her face, the lips that tasted as good as the strawberries they reminded him of. Her eyes were sleepy but there was something else in them now.
“I wasn’t sure exactly where we stood. I thought I would leave it up to you.”
And he needed his own space. There was always the chance he’d have one of his occasional nightmares. He’d had a bad dream last night just before dawn, reliving a bloody battle to the death. He’d awoken covered in perspiration, his heart pounding like a hammer. He didn’t want to burden Tori with that.
On the other hand, having sex with her was an entirely different matter.
“So . . . does that mean if I asked you to stay, you’d be okay with it?”
His whole body tightened. “Baby, you have no idea how okay I’d be. But if I stayed, I wouldn’t want to sleep, and you really need to rest.”
“I won’t get any rest if I can’t fall asleep. I have a feeling you could help me with that.”
Hot need surged through him. His blood thickened, began to pulse through his veins, pool low in his groin. He wasn’t an idiot. The lady was issuing an invitation he wanted to accept more than he wanted to see his next sunrise.
He pulled a foil-wrapped condom out of his wallet and tossed it on the nightstand. Buzzing down his zipper, he stepped out of his jeans, turned to see Tory pulling her nightgown off over her head, letting him admire her luscious little body.
Josh took the gown and tossed it away, then slid naked into bed beside her. Her eyes found his. A slender finger ran over the muscles across his chest, trailed down over his abs, and he went harder than he was already.
“It seems like it’s always me making the first move,” she said. “I don’t know why that is. I was never this way before.”
He nipped her lush bottom lip. “I’ve never waited this long for an invitation before.” He kissed her, sinking into her soft, sweet fullness, feeling a wash of heat that burned through every muscle and sinew in his body.
He cupped a pale round breast, massaged gently. “From now on, I’m not waiting.”
Bending, he took the hardened peak into his mouth and suckled greedily. He’d warned her. Tory had had her chance to back away. Now that he’d had a taste of her, she was a fire in his blood. He wanted her and he meant to have his fill.
Hot, deep, lusty kisses followed, pushing the limits of his control. Determined to make it good for her, he forced himself to slow down, to coax instead of ravage, to stroke and tease until he had her squirming beneath him.
He was painfully hard, hanging on by a thread. “I want you,” he said. “I need you, baby.”
Her fingers dug into his shoulders. “Please, Josh.”
Kneeing her legs apart, he settled betweem them, then eased himself inside. Hot blood pulsed through him. When Tory arched up, taking him deeper, a low growl slipped from his throat.
Clamping down hard on his control, he tried to go slow, but his body wanted none of it. He tried not to hurt her, tried not to be greedy and take her too hard, but Tory wouldn’t let him back away.
She was an equal partner in this, and when he turned over on the mattress, taking her with him, lifted her on top of him and gave up control, she proved it.
She rode him until she reached her peak, her soft cries, and the sweet contractions of her body urging him to take what he’d wanted since the day she had driven her old blue Chevy up in front of his barn.
Holding on by a thread, Josh rolled her beneath him and surged deep, took her hard, took her and took her, driving her up all over again, and this time when she came, he joined her, spinning out the pleasure, the rapture, letting the need slide away.
They lay quiet for a time, lazily spiraling down. It felt good just having her beside him. With a last, soft kiss, he eased out of bed, took care of the condom and returned, drew her close and tucked her against his side.
Drowsiness settled over him. He should get up, sleep in his own room just in case, but she felt so good snuggled against him, he let himself drift for a while. He wasn’t sure how long what they had would last, but he planned to enjoy it until it ended.
One thing he knew, as long as Tory was with him, she was under his protection. She and her little girl.
It was a job Josh took seriously.
If Damon Bridger knew what was good for him, he would stay the hell away.
Chapter Seventeen
Another day passed. Lisa’s condition was upgraded to stable. Her parents were at the hospital with her, other friends, and family.
Lisa was in good hands, and Tory missed her little girl. Ivy was restless for her mother, and Josh had a ranch to run. It was time to go home.
“You’re going to be okay,” Tory said to Lisa as she sat in the chair next to the hospital bed, holding on to her best friend’s hand.