Page 23 of Salvation/Mamba

“It would be nice instead of all this deflecting.”

“It’s a little embarrassing.” He pulled the sheepish face that worked sometimes. “All this woods and quiet kinda freaks me out.”

“What?” She was about to call bullshit.

“You know I’m a city boy and it’s so fuckin’ dark up here.”

“You’re telling me the outlaw biker, cage fighter, who mixes it up once sometimes twice a week with the meanest, toughest bastards around is afraid of the dark.”

“Like I said fuckin’ embarrassing, but true.”

She pulled in her lips and he wasn’t quite sure how this was going to go.

“I was sitting out on the deck having a beer last night and the darkness and quiet messed with me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep and I didn’t wanna wake you, so I stayed down here.”

“Fully dressed with your gun.”

“Messed up, I know. Now, if we’re done discussing my phobias, would you please let me start cooking, cause I’m fuckin’ starving.” He turned up the flame on the frying pan and let the bacon work its magic.

She eased her pregnant body onto the stool at the kitchen island. Her fisheye turned into a side-eye—like I know you’re lying but I can’t prove it. The bacon picked that exact moment to sizzle.

“That does smell good. I didn’t realize I was so hungry.”

Gotta love fuckin’ bacon.

9

For the rest of the day Mamba hovered over her. It was making her nuts. She suggested hiking some of the easier trails but he worried in case she tripped or fell. Then she suggested they go out for lunch, but he didn’t want to do that either. Finally, she coaxed him into the hot tub situated on the deck, but not before he instructed her not to make the water too hot because it wasn’t good for the baby.

She arched her back and let the jets pummel her lower back. “That feels so good.” She leaned her head against the edge of the spa tub and relaxed.

Mamba on the other hand looked like he was ready to jump out of his skin. After his odd behavior this morning and now this she knew something was bothering him, but she also knew the man had a stubborn streak a mile wide. If he didn’t want to tell her something he wouldn’t and the more she pressed the less she would learn. Code of the outlaw or some such shit.

Mamba eased next to her, but his expression was nowhere near as relaxed as hers.

“I thought the idea of coming up here was to relax and you seem more tense than usual.”

“Got a lot on my mind.”

“It’s beautiful up here.” She tilted her head to admire the sun shining through the pines. If Mamba didn’t want to share, asking more questions would just make him more secretive.

“Yeah, sure.”

“So peaceful.”

“Right.”

“I thought when we got back to Vegas, I’d run buck naked down the Strip.”

“Okay.”

“Really?” She elbowed him. “You’d be okay with me running naked down the Strip.”

“Huh, what the fuck?”

“You haven’t heard a word I said.”

“Sorry.” He scrubbed his hand over his face.

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