Page 70 of Lethal Pursuit

The boy dragged himself into the house, and Jackson quietly shut the front door behind him before facing her. Her stomach was a hot ball of nerves. She was wracking her brain for something to say to fill the awkward void, convinced she’d made a huge mistake in showing up unannounced, when he suddenly reached for her.

A funny sound came out of her throat. Maya launched herself into his embrace, wrapping her arms around those broad shoulders and burying her face in his chest, breathing in his scent. Soap, citrus and wintergreen. Jackson hugged her tight, holding her close with a ragged sound that came from his gut. She hitched in a breath and squeezed her eyes shut, praying she wouldn’t cry. A shudder ripped through her. After weeks of lonely isolation spent aching for him, she was finally in his arms. The feel and smell of him wrapped around her, familiar and comforting.

“Did you drive all the way here from California?” He sounded stunned.

She nodded, her cheek rubbing over his chest. “I left three days ago. Wanted to surprise you.”

“You did.God, I missed you, baby,” he said roughly against the side of her neck, holding her so tight.

She bobbed her head, fighting for composure. “Missed you too. But I was such a mess. I couldn’t come to you until I was sure it was real.” She didn’t know how to make him understand.

“If what was real?” She could hear the frown in his voice.

“This.Us.” How could she explain it to him? “My therapist forced me to take a hard look at what you and I had been through. For the longest time I wondered if what I felt for you was real, or if it was just because of how intense things were out there. I had to be sure it was you I wanted, not just the sense of security you gave me because of the captivity. And then I had to figure out if I wasn’t imagining that you wanted me too. Otherwise it wouldn’t be healthy.”

He released a hard sigh. “God, of course I want you. You seriously doubted that, for even a second? Christ.” He squeezed her tighter, his arms so strong and protective she almost melted. “I wish you’d said something sooner. I hate that you went through all of this alone.”

She shook her head. “It was better this way. I didn’t want youseeing me like that.” She’d been a shadow of her former self. A frightened, insecure woman afraid that Khalid had broken something inside her. A woman afraid to sleep without a light on, jumping at every strange noise, questioning everything about her life. “I’m not the same person I was before all this. But I think I’m better for it. A lot of that is because of you, by the way. Hearing your voice every night helped me a lot.” It was so much easier saying all this with her face pressed into the solid curve of his shoulder. Didn’t mean she wasn’t still shaking inside though.

His arms tightened fiercely. “I would’ve been there for you if you’d let me. Dammit, I would’vebeenthere.”

She hugged him back. “I know you would have. But I wasn’t ready.” She never wanted to be a burden to him.

With a sigh, he released her and cupped her face between his hands, forcing her gaze up to his. His eyes were misty. “You know this is real now, though. Right?”

Gazing up into those warm, dark eyes, she nodded. She loved him. She’d never been surer of anything in her life. A sudden lump filled her throat, and it was growing by the second. She swallowed hard. “So, how are you? Really.” Her eyes dropped to his belly where the T-shirt hid his scars.

“All healed up, just missed you like hell.” His gaze traveled over the length of her body with concern and interest. Then he frowned. “You look thinner.”

“I lost some weight when I came home, but I’m gaining it back. I’ve been working out again too, so that’s helped me put some muscle back on.” The mundane conversation was killing her.Say what you need to say.She exhaled and gave a shaky laugh. “I changed my mind about coming here a dozen times. I almost turned around in Tucson.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.” He was still holding her face, as though he couldn’t bear to stop touching her.

She gathered her courage. She didn’t want to have this conversation out on the front porch where anyone might overhear it, but too bad. “I wanted to come see you before, but I couldn’t until I was strong again.”

He tilted his head to study her. “I don’t like it, but I guess I canunderstand. Sort of.”

The lump was all but choking her now. “I missed you every day.” It came out a rough whisper.

“Ah, baby, I know. C’mere.” He tipped her face up to his. After searching her eyes for a moment, Jackson lowered his head and kissed her. A tiny sound escaped her, half gasp, half whimper. She threaded her hands into his silky soft hair and drank him in, reveling in every single sensation. He tasted like sweet tea and smelled of warm, clean man. And she’d missed him every single minute they’d been apart.

He kissed her deep and hard, one arm wrapped around her back and the other holding her head still. When his tongue slid into her mouth, she was ready to climb him like a tree just to get closer, frantic to feel more of him. Before the kiss could get completely out of hand, he pressed his mouth to hers one last time, firmly, like a stamp of ownership, and eased back. His eyes smoldered with the promise of more to come later. “Come on inside with me.”

Maya hesitated. His eldest sister was in there, and her children. This was their home. She didn’t feel right barging back into Jackson’s life and meeting his family yet. It was too much pressure for everyone. “I don’t—”

“No way, baby. You found the guts to drive that bike all the way from California to see me, you can see the rest of it through. Come inside.” He took her hand and tugged her toward the door.

Since he wasn’t taking no for an answer, she followed grudgingly into the foyer and up a short staircase to the main living area. In the bright cozy kitchen, the boy who’d been on Jackson’s shoulders was seated at the granite island and a striking woman with long, dark hair and bronze-toned skin stood at the stove. She could easily see the family resemblance between her and Jackson.

The woman stopped stirring something on the stove that smelled like spicy heaven and blinked at them. “This is my sister, Angela,” Jackson said. “Ang, this is Maya.”

Angela set down her spatula and smiled at her. She didn’t hold out her hand as Maya expected. No, she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her in close for a hug instead. “Hi. It’s so great to finally meet you. Jackson’s told us all so much about you.”

Maya awkwardly returned the embrace. “Hi. Thanks. Great to meet you too.”

Angela pulled back, still smiling, eyes a little misty. “Are you hungry? We’re just about to eat. My husband’s flight got delayed so we’re eating without him.”

She glanced at Jackson. “I...”

---