He just needed a minute to catch his breath and find his happy face.
Dan appeared none the worse for wear. He shuffle-stepped her backward, sparing a hand to close and lock the door while she clung to him.
With the shirt riding up he got a great view of Dan’s hands clapped over the curves of her bare ass cheeks. The man murmured to her, soft and low, over and over, “I know. I know. I know …”
“You made it,” Finn said. Lame as it was, it was the best he could do without actually lying.
For some reason, he didn’t want to lie.
Dan nodded. Nothing needed to be said. And Finn didn’t need to see the understanding in the man’s face. Anger would have been easier to take.
Simpler.
He flicked the safety on his gun, pointed it elsewhere.
“Lose something, baby?” A piece of black fabric hung from one of Daniel’s fingers, dangling against the back of Al’s thigh. Dan raised the black fabric high above her head, and she set her chin on his chest, peered skyward. “Finders keepers.”
Finn had to squint and take a step closer to make them out in the fading light. But yes, they had a winner. Daniel had found Al’s panties.
Finn’s sense of humor, however, had long gone. “You risked your life to hang underwear off the mailbox? This is what you couldn’t wait till I was awake to do? Fucksake, Al.”
“Actual y, it was the shrub beside the mailbox, discreetly positioned unless you knew what you were after,” Dan explained, dangling the item higher when Al took the bait and made a grab for them. “I knew what I was after.”
“This was the agreed upon sign?” Finn asked in a brutal y tight voice. No point hiding his ire now. These two were all loved up and he was on the outer, the audience, not required. No one was interested in his mood or his issues.
“Not exactly, needing a sign hadn’t occurred to us. We weren’t planning on getting separated. I guess that was short-sighted.” Daniel planted a kiss on her forehead, ignoring her grasping arm. “Mmm, you smell of soap, al shiny and fresh. Me, on the other hand …”
The big guy slowly eased his shirt up. “Shit. That hurts.”
“There’s water for washing,” she said. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Bumped into something. Gonna have some beautiful bruises tomorrow.”
“How bad, Dan?” Ali gave up on the attempt at grabbing and held out her hand with all due decorum. “My underwear, please. I’m done with flashing for the day.”
“That’s a damn shame.” Daniel brushed his nose against hers, Eskimo style, and handed over the plain cotton panties. “Not too bad.
I’l get cleaned up.”
Al was glowing with good feeling, panties in hand and fingers fidgeting. “Finn, thank you for putting up with me. For everything.
Again.”
She was so happy. Alight with love. And he wished, just for a second, that he was the one on the receiving end. He gave himself a moment to wonder what it would be like to not sleep alone. Because if he had been just a couple of days earlier, then he could have been the one she threw herself at.
A few fucking hours earlier was all it would have taken and it would have been him. There it was. He was dismissed. Job done.
Time to take it on the cheek and roll with the punches. “We’re friends, Al. It’s all good.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
She was scarily happy.
Blissfully happy and scared shitless all at once. Of course, the rabbit had issues with making such a gargantuan leap of faith. Bad luck.
It was too late for any rabbit-type retreat.
“Talk to me,” Daniel demanded from beside her. They lay on a nest she had concocted for their comfort out of old blankets and towels.
Finn had bedded down on the far side of the room, behind the car and out of view.
While Daniel washed up, Finn had made a smal production out of plugging into a tiny MP3 player, affording them as much privacy as possible.
“What about? You’ve only been gone a few hours.” She stared back at him, bewildered, full of joy, amazed he had returned to her.
She hadn’t lost him. Maybe there was a God of some description on high.
“Talk,” he demanded again. “I want to hear your voice.”
“Okay, okay.” He was wonderful. Her stomach wouldn’t quit somersaulting. The light from one lone candle flickered and fluttered over the planes and angles of his face. Those blue eyes fixed on her. Waiting. “Ah, well …”
“Come here, babe.” Daniel’s impatient hands grabbed her. No. He grabbed at her one lone item of clothing. Soon enough he’d ridded her of the t-shirt and she lay bare, body and soul. He had total access without even trying.
She had no idea how it had happened. Before she could worry about exposure, he was there, covering her, distracting her. He was a master at distraction. Her breasts fil ed his hands, thumbs stroking the tight peaks of her nipples, sending warmth flooding through her.
The way he touched her lit her up from inside. “I love these. So, you got away okay? Everything was alright?”