Page 46 of Evening Shadows

Before he could nudge her in that direction, she opened her mouth and welcomed him in. Their tongues immediately touched, and that longing in him grew and he couldn’t fight the arousal that tightened his BDU pants.

While his need drove him, he fed off her strength, her desire, and her passion. The intensity of their want skyrocketed between them.

Shifting his head, he took more of her and their lips meshed so tightly they could’ve been one, and he wouldn’t change it for the world.

Their tongues tangling set him afire. One kiss might not be enough. One kiss wouldn’t be enough. But it had to be for tonight.

His lips loved hers long, tenderly, before regrettably, he lifted them and chuckled when she moaned.

Pulling her close, regardless of the pulsing shot of pain from his injuries, he wrapped his free arm around her. After placing a light peck on her forehead, he whispered, “Sleep.”

As she snuggled against him, Ken tried to calm his out-of-control hormones. He didn’t know what tomorrow brought, but with Sam at his side, they’d survive it, together.

18

“Roadrunner.”

The male voice in her ear roused Sam from sleep, ever so slowly. Nodding off for the night in Ken’s arms had been the most wonderful feeling in the world. A miracle considering their situation. She’d always relied upon herself and trained enough she’d never feared anything. Lying as they were, though, warmth flowed through her at the safety and strength, which far exceeded any she held for herself.

Her life held serious regrets, the most important being that she’d considered facilitating the death of this man. The fact that she hadn’t acted didn’t make it right.

She needed a round with a punching bag to clear her head. She had no need to find out Ken’s version of the truth the day Lance died. He’d given it to her so long ago. She never should’ve doubted him. The strong connection between them or from her heart—although it was involved—but from knowing Ken… watching him in action… witnessing his morals… being tugged toward him were there. She mentally shook her head. The last one wasn’t mind but body.

The thing that turned her inside out was that Bev had lied to her. Her new question became: Did Bev know the information was false—Sam’s belief—and feed it to Sam, or had something assured Bev of its authenticity? Either way, she’d been betrayed and had considered making a mistake that would’ve burned in her soul for eternity.

It saddened her that it’d taken such dire circumstances for her to realize the truth. And, the emotions she’d been blocking. Her feelings for Ken. Pity settled in her stomach. She and Ken may not have a chance after all this. It didn’t help that their captivity and questioning made no sense; she also worried he might not be able to take much more.

He didn’t fool her that he felt okay enough to escape. They could if she had to drag him. The thought of him being tortured a second time strengthened her resolve to help figure this out. No, they wouldn’t give up Jesse, but if they could buy time—

“Good morning, beautiful,” he said in a raspy morning voice as if he’d greeted her each morning for a lifetime.

“Morning,” she mumbled. He looked a mess. With smudged face paint that had made it to his shirtsleeve, to the bruising and small swelling on his face. At least his eye hadn’t closed up. She called that a plus.

Before she could worry about how to overcome her morning breath, she stiffened. “Roadrunner.”

Ken’s muscles tensed. “Shit.” He released a heavy breath. “As much as I’d like to remain lying here with you, go ahead and get up. We’re due for company.”

Before she left his arms, he dropped a quick kiss on her lips. Her heart sang with that contact. She’d experienced something similar with Lance, but that memory had mostly faded. With Ken, her body hummed with only a touch.

“I wish they could say who,” she stated as she scrambled off the bed. “I mean, I know they can’t say in case communications are compromised, but still I wish.” At least they knew a new visitor had arrived. That could mean something to them or not.

“You slept with your earpiece in?”

She shot him an incredulous look. “Of course.”

“Sam,” he said as he stiffly maneuvered to a sitting position on the cot. “What if they’d grabbed you from sleep?”

“It could’ve just as easily dropped from the ponytail holder in my hair.”

As he ran a hand down his weary face, Sam worried for him. For them. What did this new visitor mean? Granted it could just be a neighbor stopping in for a visit. The sinking feeling in her gut told her this person or persons related to their imprisonment.

Turning away, she mulled things over in her mind. Alejandro wanted Jesse and Ken. If their assumptions were correct, then Bev ratted them out, and the man knew to expect them. But why just the two? That answer came easily to her. The two men Bev wanted to die. Bev. But why would Bev have her own son kidnapped?

Either Alejandro—out of some misplaced loyalty—was taking on Bev’s desperate revenge or…. She didn’t want to think about it, but everything made sense.

She whirled around. “I think—” She gulped and hoped to get the message past the enormous lump in her throat. “I think it might be Bev who’s behind this and maybe her returning. She could’ve gone home, but something tells me that’s not the case.”

How could her best friend do this? While she had no room to talk since she’d once considered the same scenario, she hadn’t actually gone through with it. She also hadn’t had someone kidnapped and put the whole HIS team at risk. Nor had she imprisoned her best friend.

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