Page 36 of Jake

“Are you sure you want me imagining all of you in the shower together?” She bit the inside of her lip as she tried to keep from laughing at how she anticipated he would react.

“You better not be thinking about anyone but me in the shower.” He almost hissed in her ear, his arm tightening around her middle.

She couldn’t help herself. She loved teasing him. “Not even you and—” She held out, not saying the last one on purpose to get a reaction from him. She didn’t have to wait long.

He growled in her ear, a low rumble that sent sparks spiraling through her previously stated body, and heat pooling low in her belly. “Watch it…” he warned.

“Me.” She couldn’t hold it back any longer and erupted into a fit of giggles, breaking loose from his hold and wiggling around to face him. “I wanted to see your face so bad on that one. But I couldn’t help it.”

“Thinking about you and me is acceptable. How big is the shower on this thing? Maybe we could try it out?”

“The shower’s not too bad in here, though it would probably be a tight fit with the two of us. That’s not what I’d be concerned about though.”

“What would you be concerned about?” Aaron asked as he tilted his head forward until his forehead touched hers.

“Hot water. The tank on this is like two or three gallons top and you have to turn it on in advance. Did we light the pilot light on that when we set up?” Now that she thought about it, she knew they hadn’t. She’d made sure the refrigerator was up and running, but she’d forgotten what Matt had said about the water heater. Had he said it had a pilot light or that it didn’t? She couldn’t recall. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t need hot water tonight. And if I do, I’ll go inside.”

To tell the truth, she hadn’t paid much attention. Maybe she’d have to call him and ask. But not tonight. No, she didn’t plan on moving more than she had to, at least for a while.

“Totally worth the wait,” she murmured as her eyes drifted closed.

27

Jake’seyessnappedopen,and he was instantly alert. He wasn’t sure what had woken him, but something had changed. He stared up into the darkness, waiting. Would whatever had woken him happen again so he could figure it out or would he be left wondering?

He didn’t have to think about where he was, both the comfort of the bed beneath him and the warm, soft body curled into his side had told him the instant he’d awoken that he was still in Heather’s bed.

Beside him, she flinched and whimpered. Now he knew what had woken him. Something in her dream was disturbing her. He didn’t know if she was re-living a memory or simply having a bad dream, either way he didn’t like it. He hated anything disturbing her sleep this way.

Trying not to disturb her too much he rolled toward her, so his body curled around hers, hoping she’d take his presence in the comforting, protective way he intended it, then snuggled her close.

When she whimpered again, he loosened his hold around her middle, then smoothed her hair away from her face with a gentle hand before carefully stroking her cheek.

“It’s okay, Lynnie,” he murmured softly. He wasn’t trying to wake her, but hoped the words would penetrate her subconscious and sooth her. “I’m here. I’ll keep you safe.”

He continued to pet her for a couple of minutes, until she stilled, then quieted. He lay there several minutes longer, wondering what she’d been dreaming of and how he could keep her safe before drifting back to sleep himself.

Jakeshiftedinthesaddle, rolling his shoulders, and rocking his head from side to side to stretch his muscles and keep them from getting too stiff.

“How are you doing?” he asked Heather through the headset in their helmets.

“I’m good. This isn’t too bad. Your bike is way more comfortable than Matt’s.”

He flexed his hands on the handlebars, not sure if the surge of anger was from her being on the back of another man’s bike, or comparing the two bikes. Even if the other man was her cousin, or that his bike was coming out on top. Neither should make his gut churn the way it did, but he couldn’t help it. He liked the feeling of having her on the back of his bike as much as he’d loved being in her bed last night. He didn’t even mind the ribbing the guys had given him, both yesterday, and this morning before they’d hit the road. While he might never say it out loud, he knew he deserved it because of the things he’d said to them.

Now, with her against his back, he didn’t care what they said to him, as long as they didn’t say it to Heather or make her feel bad. He’d take all the shit they wanted to give him but at the same time, he’d do his damnedest to protect her from any of it. “We’ll be stopping soon.”

“Again? Already?”

They’d only been on the bike for about ten minutes, this time. But they’d spent three hours on it so far, plus the stops they’d made at Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument. They still had a good two hours home. But the next stop was for food.

“I heard your stomach rumbling as we wandered around the visitor’s center at Crazy Horse. If the café hadn’t been closed, I would have gotten you something to eat there.”

“No, I’m glad you didn’t. I’d rather have waited.”

A few minutes later they pulled into town, at Jake’s signal, Talon moved to the front of the group and led them to the main drag through town where he turned west. He’d already talked to the prospect about letting him find them parking, since he’d grown up not far from here and knew the town best. They hadn’t gone far when they encountered a row of several empty parking spaces. Talon maneuvered his bike to block traffic, not that there was anyone coming at the moment, and signaled to Jake for people to park here.

Jake backed his bike into the space closest to where Talon sat astride his bike, leaving space for the prospect to get in, then killed the engine. Heather climbed off, then he dismounted, stepping over to where Talon watched and nodding to him once everyone had backed into line, then he kept an eye on traffic while Talon parked his own bike.

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