Page 67 of Colton in the Wild
He blinked. “A…bathtub?”
“Not that that big shower of yours isn’t nice,” she said, remembering a certain close encounter that had ended with them both on the tiled floor, wet, slippery and breathless. “But sometimes I like to have a long soak after a rough day.”
He was smiling now. “I think we can arrange that,” he said. “Under one condition.”
She arched a brow at him. “You’re putting conditions on my one request?”
“Yeah. That tub needs to be big enough for two.”
Hetty laughed, letting the delight she was feeling spill over. “Oh, yes, it must be.”
Luscious images rolled through her mind. What she was thinking must have showed in her face because his expression changed. He wasn’t smiling now. He was looking at her as if she were that sunrise over the mountains he loved to watch.
As if he were…awestruck.
She couldn’t even find words for how that made her feel. And when he moved toward her, her pulse kicked up, her body went taut, waiting, anticipating, longing for the kiss she knew was coming. She would have thought that by now her physical response might have ebbed a little—they’d certainly been indulging enough—but she was beginning to realize that with Spence it never would.
His lips were just starting to brush hers when a firm knock on the door blew up the mood. She heard Spence swear under his breath, and for some reason—maybe the undercurrent of happiness she was carrying around these days—it made her laugh.
“Could have been worse,” she said teasingly. “It could have come ten minutes later and you’d have had to get dressed to go answer.”
She’d never heard anyone growl and laugh at the same time, but Spence managed it. Then, clearly reluctantly, he got up and headed for the door.
“Your timing sucks, cuz,” he said.
She couldn’t see from where she was on the couch, but there was no mistaking the voice that answered, laughing. “Sorry, but I’m not used to having to think about that yet.”
She was on her feet, much more easily now although the cane was still close by, before Eli Colton got in the door. He spotted her and crossed the room quickly. He gave her a quick hug.
“It’s good to see you back on your feet again. You look great.”
“I’m feeling much better.”
“And she’ll feel perfect when she gets back in the air,” Spence said, coming to stand beside her and slip his arm around her.
“The plane’s repaired?” Eli asked.
“Ready to go.” Spence tightened his arm around Hetty for a moment. “And a good thing, I think she’s ready to take off even without a plane.”
She laughed at him, but couldn’t deny what he’d said. How could she when she was so wound up it really did feel like she would spin out of control if she didn’t get back in the air soon?
“Good job taking out the shooter,” Eli said, nodding at Spence.
“It had to be done.”
And that, Hetty realized, was the distillation of the man she loved in a simple five words.It had to be done.And therefore Spence would do it. She knew deep down that that would apply to anything, that she would always be able to count on him to do what had to be done.
“Would you like some coffee?” she asked, still not quite used to playing hostess here in this house, even though she felt so at home. Because it was home, with Spence here.
“No, thanks,” Eli said. “I just stopped by to let you know we got an ID on the woman you found.”
Hetty tensed, and Spence immediately held her tighter again.
“Who is she?”
For some reason she liked that he’d used the present tense. It felt like he thought that poor woman was still here, still important. Which was how she’d felt from the moment she’d found her.
“We got a DNA match on an old missing person report. Her name’s Phoebe Smith. Her family is over in Cordova, near Orca Inlet. Fishermen, mostly.”
