Page 71 of Love on the Run

“Yeah, well,” Quinn looked up at the ceiling for a moment, and then actually smiled. “Understandable.He’s got a few hours to deal with it now.”

“That will probably be enough.” Ty said. “How’d you know, anyway? You just met them today.”

Quinn laughed. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist. How are you feeling?”

“I’ve been better,” Ty admitted.

“I’ll bet. Good work, by the way.I’m going to put a commendation in my report. Should mitigate any problems you might run into with your department. I take it you didn’t clear your trip with them first?”

“Nope. It ended up okay, though. Foster’s gone and we’ll have the names of the cops he was paying off. I call that a good day’s work.”

“Agreed.” Quinn stood up again. “I’ve got to start writing that report.You rest up.”

“Thanks, man. For everything.”

“Yup.”Quinn gave a nod as he strolled out of the room.

12

Jake had made it to the stairwell at the end of the hall before Callie caught up with him. She shoved open the door just as it swung shut. “Hey, cowboy. Where are your damn manners now?”

“Thought you didn’t care for them anyway, you being so self-reliant and all.” He hadn’t turned around, but he stopped walking for a moment.

“What’s the matter with you?” Callie demanded, stepping forward to put herself between him and the stairs. “Why are you acting like this?”

“You’re the actor, honey,” he said coolly.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she gasped. “I nearly died today, and the only thing that kept me going was that I knew I had to see you again because I love you, and now you’re…”

Whatever Callie was about to say was cut off abruptly as Jake suddenly folded her up into a tight embrace. She fell into it, finally feeling all the tension rush out of his body as he crushed her to him. He breathed in slowly as he touched her hair, felt her breathing, smelled her skin. “Say that again?” he asked, his voice raw.

“I…I love you,” Callie said, her voice somewhat muffled since he hadn’t slackened his hold. “I didn’t mean to tell you, since you don’t…”

“Don’t what?”

“Think about me that way,” Callie said quietly. “It’s okay. I don’t fit into your life, and I’m trouble no matter where I am, I guess…”

“Callie,I love you.”

“You do?” she asked, pulling away to stare at him.

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak again. Without further words, she lifted her face for a kiss. Jake seized the opportunity like a drowning man seizes a rope. He bent his head and kissed her, trying to show her exactly how crazy he was about her.

Callie felt the emotions surging through the kiss like wildfire. This was a mind-bending, soul-melting kiss, and Callie didn’t try to fight it. This was exactly where she belonged. She forgot what had happened, where they were, what had gotten them there. She forgot the massive complications of her life, and only knew that she was finally in the right place, at the right time, with the right man.

It was a shaky, dazed woman that finally broke the kiss, inhaling deeply. She looked up at Jake and saw him just as shaken. He wasn’t used to showing that much of himself. She wasn’t either, come to think of it.

Jake pulled back to look at her. “Honey, I thought I wasn’t going to see you again.” And now he had seen her again, he didn’t know what he would do without her.

“That’s funny.” Callie smiled, trying to stay calm. “Because one thing I knew for sure. I would see you again.”

“I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“I’m glad you left,” she said abruptly. “If you’d been there, you might have been hurt too.”

“I knew it wasn’t right, leaving you there,” he continued, refusing to be mollified. “I had this feeling, just something in the pit of my stomach. Those bastards tricked me into leaving you there.”

“You were just doing your job.” Callie soothed him. “What were you supposed to do? Not help?” She shook her head. “They might as well ask you to stop breathing.” Then she smiled. “Wait, can we talk about how you love me? I thought you were angry. I screwed up again and let Malcolm get me. But you love me?”

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