Page 72 of Love on the Run

Jake laughed. “Almost as soon as I saw you, honey. Tried not to, but you’re hard to ignore.”

“Especially when you wouldn’t let me leave.”

“Thought you’d be safer if you stayed.”

“And you wanted my story.” She looked at him, arching her eyebrow.

He nodded. “You made me curious. I had to figure you out. And the more I found out,” he added, reaching out to touch her cheek, “the more I cared about you. Not your story.”

Callie bit her lip. “I’ve still got to tell my story, though.”

“Yeah, I’ve got to get you to LA,” Jake said, stifling a strange pull in his chest. “But first things first. Bruiser’s waiting. I’ll find a car, and we’ll head home tonight. We’ll deal with tomorrow’s problems tomorrow.”

He took a step toward the stairs, but Callie had taken hold of his hand, stopping him from moving further. “What is it, honey?”

“Nothing,” Callie smiled. “I just didn’t want to let you go.”

“You don’t have to.” He smiled back, and gripped her hand in his. “Come on.”

* * * *

They drove through the silence of the Montana night, soon leaving the city lights behind and pressing into the darkness of the mountains. Bruiser, content with his work for the day, lay sprawled across the back seat of the car in a deep sleep. Jake drove carefully, eyes on the road, even though he wanted nothing more than to look at the woman next to him. But Callie, true to her word, kept a firm grip on his hand. Jake felt the ease with which she took his hand in her own, and decided it was like coming home.

“There’s a storm coming,” Callie said, noticing the flicker of lightning in the sky behind them.

“It’ll probably just roll past,” Jake said. “Lot of flash and thunder, but nothing else.”

“I hope it rains,” Callie said, squeezing his hand. “I love real thunderstorms.”

“If it does, I hope it waits till I can get my windows fixed,” Jake laughed. “It’s a bit drafty in my place at the moment.”

“Oh, God.” Callie remembered that morning as if it were a dream. “I’m so sorry. Your place is a mess, isn’t it?”

“It’s fixable. It’s only stuff.” Jake glanced over at her. “I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt.”

* * * *

The house was a mess. When they reached it, Callie couldn’t believe the damage the men had done in their search for her. A few windows had been broken, and a lot of the furniture had been destroyed just for kicks.

“What are you going to do about all this?” Callie asked Jake as they walked through the rooms.

“For the moment, I’m going to ignore it.” Jake reached out to her and pulled her close to him. “This can’t wait.” He kissed her lightly, then smiled a little. “I’m afraid they ripped the loft to shreds. You mind staying with me tonight?”

“Am I still in custody?” Callie asked with a slight pout.

“I have no idea.” Jake shrugged.

Callie leaned forward and kissed him again, making him forget whatever else he was going to say. “I guess you’re right.”

“That’s nice,” he breathed, tasting her lips. “What was I right about?”

“I should stay with you tonight.” She grinned, pulling him toward the bedroom.

Jake took advantage of Callie’s eagerness, kissing her deeply until her breathing became uncertain and her eyes darkened. It didn’t take long for him to lower her onto the bed. But when she reached to tug off her shirt, he recalled himself, suddenly clear-headed. “Wait.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked, hoping she hadn’t hurt him somehow.

“Nothing.” He pulled back so he could see her clearly. Touching her lips with one finger, he confessed his thought. “I love you, Callie, and that means I want to treat you right,” he said slowly. “I don’t want to take any chances with you. Everything’s been happening really fast. Let’s just…”

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