Page 5 of Fall Favor
When she’s out of the way, I address them. “Who are you?”
The skinnier one with the straw-like beard spits on the ground before moving to the left with a slight hitch in his gait. He reminds me of a scarecrow. The big guy hasn’t taken his eyes off Leah. He hasn’t moved, but his posture is tense, as if he’s waiting for the other guy to make a move.
“Don’t see how that’s any of your business, unless you’re theboyfriend?” Scarecrow demands.
“It’s my business. I’m her man.”
A soft gasp reaches me.Yeah, Mama, you heard me right, but that will have to wait while I focus on diffusing whatever these two have planned.
“Uh-huh. How come we ain’t seen you around until now? Woman like that could get up to all sorts of trouble out here alone. We’re just being neighborly, lookin’ out for her and shit.”
“Appreciate it, but I’m here now, so you can move along.”
“What do you think, Tom? You feel like movin’ along?”
The big bastard finally pulls his gaze from Leah to sneer at me. Things are about to get dicey. The swell toward violence is almost tangible. Kind of like drawing a rank bull and knowing you’ve got a fifty-fifty chance of lasting eight seconds and only a twenty percent chance of getting out of the arena unscathed.
Thing is… I don’t back down, not from the challenge of riding two-thousand-pound bulls and especially not from a couple of jackasses who are up to no good. I do wish I had thought to send Leah to the truck, where she could lock the doors or drive away before this shit slides sideways, though.
Just as it feels like the bubble we’re balanced on is about to burst, the tension is curtailed by the sound of an approaching vehicle as Aaron pulls up in the wrecker. “Problem?” Aaron asks as he sizes up the situation.
“No problem,” I answer. “Tom and his friend Clint were just leaving.”
Surprise flashes across Clint’s face.Yeah, she shared your names, asshole.
“Guess we won’t be stayin’ for supper,Mama.” He uses the nickname I gave her as they take their time moseying through the campsite. “We’ll be back to enjoy dessert another time.”
I follow them until they pass the trucks, Aaron and I watching as they amble down the road and out of sight.
“What was that?” Aaron asks. “Do I need to call the sheriff?
When we turn around, Leah is calmly stepping out of the camper with a plastic tub in her hands, and I feel my blood start to boil. Ignoring him, I march right up into her space. “You can’t stay here,” I growl.
The look she tosses me tells me she thinks I’m being ridiculous. If she argues, I’m gonna lose my shit, and I don’t know… paddle her ass? Throw her over my shoulder and kidnap her myself? My hands are shaking, and not from that confrontation. Hell, I love a good brawl, but because of what could have happened to her… and no one would have known.
I wouldn’t have known.
“I know, but…”
My heart hammers like it’s trying to beat out of my chest. I could have lost her before we even started. “No buts, Mama. Do you realize what could have happened?” I demand. Shoving my hands into my hair, I stomp around the campfire, shooting a scowl at Aaron’s knowing gaze. “What if I hadn’t shown upwhen I did? Do you want to be molested, or worse? God, woman! Where is your—”
Suddenly, Leah is standing right in front of me. “Shush.” She presses her finger into the middle of my lips, holding my gaze with an intense scowl. “Number one, I appreciate your help, but you better stop yelling at me.”
“B—”
“You didn’t let me finish speaking. What I started to say before I was so rudely interrupted is I am more than happy to get the hell out of here,BUTnumber two… I have obligations in Wintervale until the end of the year, so I can’t just up and leave. Besides, there is nowhere else I can park my camper. All the other campgrounds within a hundred-mile radius are closed,ANDthe rental situation here in Wintervale is a nightmare. I’ve been searching for weeks. The closest thing I’ve found is in Missoula, and frankly, it’s a dump.”
I open my mouth to apologize, but she shushes me… again, this time keeping her finger mashed against my lips as if that will keep me from arguing.
“I’m talking now,” she adds sassily. “Yes, I’ve checked. Twice. Even if I could find somewhere else to park this thing, I still have no backup lights or camera until I get the fudging replacement fuses we ordered, and I refuse to leave thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment and supplies for those goons to trash or steal! Oh, and thirdly—revisit number one. Do not yell at me, understand?”
Aaron snickers. He would think this is funny; his lady trains dogs and tromps through the wilderness and natural disasters for crying out loud.
My lips tip up in the beginnings of a grin against her warm little finger. The ridiculousness of her shushing me and then chewing me out hits home. You know that saying, ‘if you lick it, it’s yours’? Well, I want this woman to be mine. So I do what any man would do in this situation. Not only do I lick her finger, but I wrap my lips around the tip and then suck it into my mouth, holding her captive while swirling my tongue over the soft surface.
The startled little moan she makes as her mouth falls open causes my heart to race for a different reason than fear. Suddenly, my jeans are fitting a whole lot tighter than they were a few minutes ago.
Yup, she’s definitely gonna be mine.
