No Reason to Run (16 page)

“Ok.” Agreeing ended
up easier than she thought. Olivia wanted the chance to explore whatever it was
between them. Knowing this tough man wanted the same thing reassured her as
nothing else could have. Chloe also seemed to gravitate toward Shane and his
men. A first but a positive sign as far as Olivia was concerned.

Striker opened the
sliding doors and stuck his head out. “Sheriff Hill is here.”

Shane straightened and
Olivia pulled from his embrace. “Why is the sheriff back?”

Shane reached for
her but Olivia stepped back. She wanted to know without him whitewashing the
facts. “Striker confirmed the source of bombing at the bus station. Robert
Haynes and Edward Baldwin paid a man named Joseph A. Baker.”

“I don’t know them.
What does any of that have to do with me?”

She didn’t like the
expression on his face and didn’t like how Striker ducked back in the house
leaving them alone.

Shane heaved a sigh
and looked at the crushed cigarette butt with longing. “O’Donnell paid them.”

“Brian paid them to
do what?” He didn’t answer merely watched her face with those scary eyes like
ice. “No.” She wouldn’t accept what he was telling her. “You said it was
terrorist, Shane or a suicide gone wrong. Not Brian.”

This time he managed
to catch her hands in his. “Olivia, we’ll catch them. Put a stop to this.
Believe me.”

Olivia wasn’t sure
how much more she could take. “What do I tell the sheriff?”

“Everything.”

A familiar request
from the man who stood with her in this battle with a powerful Senator.

***

Sheriff Hill’s
pleasant greeting relaxed her tense nerves. Olivia liked his demeanor better
than Officer Hamilton from their brief interaction prior. She returned his
smile and took a seat across from him on the sofa. Shane stood against the wall
not five feet from them. The two exchanged basic pleasantries and then the
sheriff focused his attention on her.

“I’m sorry to have
to bother you again with questions.”

Olivia hoped her
smile wasn’t as shaky as it felt. “I understand.”

He pulled out a
booklet from his back jean pocket. Tee shirt and jeans seemed to be his
standard dress though the gleaming badge at his waist intimidated all on its
own. “I’ll try to make this as painless as possible. Do you know Joseph A.
Baker?”

Olivia shook her
head and glanced at Shane. That was the name he’d mentioned to her earlier.
“No, I’ve never met anyone by that name.”

“Robert Haynes or
Edward Baldwin?”

Again she shook her
head in the negative and pressed her hands between her legs. “Look Sheriff, I’m
sure Shane explained some of my story but I don’t know those gentlemen.” She
grimaced at the term and continued. “All of this stems from my ex-husband
wanting me to keep quiet about…some things.”

The sheriff tapped
his pen on the pad. “Am I gonna want to know who your ex is?”

Considering he could
have found out as easy as Shane, Olivia hesitated.

“No,” Shane cut her
off.

“Okay,” the sheriff
sighed and stared. “This is a big deal as I’m sure you realize Ms. Anderson.”

“I know. I’m sorry
for all the trouble this has caused.”

Hill rolled his eyes
but his expression remained calm. “I got so much law enforcement up my ass and
crawling over my town that you are the least of the indigestion I’m feeling.”

Surprised by his good
humor, Olivia laughed.

“Is there anything
you can give me to pass on? I understand you have your own things going on but
if there’s more that I need to know tell me now.”

Her eyes went from
the Sheriff to Shane and back again. “I don’t know. I’m meeting my ex-husband
tomorrow and Shane thinks this will all be cleared up soon.”

“Okay,” Sheriff Hill
repeated and stood. He spoke to Shane directly. “I trust you won’t leave a mess
for me to sort.”

“No mess.” Shane
confirmed though Olivia wasn’t sure what sort of mess they spoke of.

“I’ll stall and give
a couple of glib answers. Right now, her name isn’t mentioned specifically in
any of the conversations. I plan to keep it that way if you promise you’ll have
this wrapped up sooner rather than later.” The sheriff exchanged a quizzical
look with Shane.

“Another day or so.”
Shane’s agreement accompanied a hardy hand shake.

Olivia came to her
feet as well. “Sheriff, do you know if the families were notified. The worker
who died?”

He smiled gently and
Olivia wondered if this town bred men with devastating good looks. If not for
Shane her interest would definitely be stirred by the sheriff. “Yes, ma’am.
It’s all taken care of. That’s kind of you to think of them when it appears you
have a full plate as well.”

Olivia blushed and
tucked her hands under her arm pits. This town absolutely gave a woman strong
motivation to re-enter the romantic arena. “Thank you for telling me.”

He nodded and some
hidden signal from Shane encouraged the sheriff to move toward the door. Olivia
followed a few paces behind. When the front door closed, Shane turned. His grey
eyes iced over and chilled her heart.

“You might not want
to flirt with my friends in front of me.”

Olivia’s mouth
dropped open. Was he serious? “I wasn’t flirting with Sheriff Hill.”

Shane frowned. “You
don’t think he’s attractive?”

Her heart stuttered
and she paused to gather her thoughts. “I didn’t say that but I didn’t flirt.”
Had she? No, she hadn’t. A smile did not constitute flirting. What was his
problem? He wanted to be jealous when she had all of the other nonsense going
on in her life? Anger rapidly took the place of her earlier feelings of
comfort. “I’m going to take Chloe upstairs and spend some time with her. I’ll
leave you to your friends.”

She planned a dramatic
exit. Had in fact taken a step toward the kitchen when Shane’s hand planted on
her arm. Her wince had him releasing her immediately. “Olivia?”

She massaged her
arm. “Not your fault. Brian must have bruised me worse than I thought.”

Wrong thing to say.
The look on his face conveyed total self-disgust. He came close angling his
body to block her path. “I’m sorry. I’d never hurt you.”

She believed him one
hundred percent. “I know. I never thought that for a moment Shane.”

His shoulders
loosened and she realized it concerned him. “Look, my past is just that. I
don’t think all men are tarred with the same brush as my dad.” Olivia speared
her hands through her hair to collect what she wanted to say. “Yes, I sometimes
jump or flinch but it’s not
you
. Do you understand?”

Shane nodded and
this time when he reached for her, his hands were liquid soft, careful of her
tender skin. He tugged forcing her feet forward and curled his arms around her
waist. His hands slid down and cupped her butt lifting her to her toes.

Olivia planted her
hands on his shoulders for balance. When his head lowered she was prepared. His
lips brushed back and forth over hers. She angled her head back encouraging
him. It was all the sign he needed to deepen the kiss.

Using his mouth
alone, Shane seduced her. As his tongue stroked hers she pressed closer, her
fingers digging into his shoulders. Fingers caressed and molded to the
roundness of her rear then he moved her against him. The moment she sensed her
arousal increasing to the point of no return, Olivia moaned and broke away.

Shane released her
instantly but she was pleased to note the high color in his cheeks and the
lowered lids over his eyes.

“Forgiven for your
irrational jealousy. I’m gonna take Chloe up for a break.”

“Right,” he licked his
lips and Olivia wanted to return to his arms but she firmed her resolve. His
knowing look seared her insides.

“Ok,” she said again
and put her hands in her pocket to resist touching him.

“Striker says you
got papers. I can have someone take a look and get them back to you.”

Olivia wanted to
smack herself. “Yes. Brian said it’s some sort of non-disclosure. I believe him
but to sign anything without reading over it makes no sense.”

They both headed for
the kitchen, Shane’s hand a reassuring presence on her lower back.

At the door, Chloe’s
giggles surprised Olivia. Vik touched her daughter’s ear and flicked his
fingers. In his hand he flashed a quarter. Chloe clapped and added it to the
pile of loose change in front of her. “Hooray, Unca Vik.”

Unca Vik
?
Olivia paused but Shane walked around her and tapped Striker’s shoulders.

“Now what did I tell
you Miss Chloe?” Vik wagged a finger and tapped Chloe’s nose.

Her mouth pursed in
thought before she smiled brightly. “Hooyah.”

The words caused
Shane to break off his conversation with Striker. Olivia watched him face Vik
with a frown. “Seriously, Vik?”

The Russian had the
grace to look sheepish and pushed the money toward Chloe. “Take it little one
and put it in your pockets.”

Chloe scrambled to
follow his instructions with no fuss. Olivia eyed Vik and wondered if she could
take him home with her as a back up baby sitter.

“Olivia I’ll have
Striker fax the papers to a friend. When is he expecting a response from you?”

She gathered the
forms from her purse on the table and passed them over. “He said tomorrow he’d
fly back to pick them up.”

Vik snorted and
pushed away from the counter. “He’s got a lot of nerves or he’s confident none
of this will affect him.”

Olivia just wanted
it to all go away. “I don’t care. The sooner he leaves me alone. The sooner I
can get back to my life.”

She faced her
daughter who looked happy and well content. Chloe no longer looked upset about
their absence from home. “Let’s get you settled for a nap.” Expecting a
protest, Olivia masked her amazement when Chloe slid from her chair and came
over without a fuss.

Chloe’s chubby hand
waved enthusiastically to them as Olivia led her from the room. Who were these
men to wrangle her kid this easy?

Chapter 26

The knock
interrupted his late night work out. Unable to sleep earlier, Shane had dropped
to the floor and banged out one hundred push ups. He’d since moved to an
intense set of crunches and sweat dripped from his forehead. Another tentative
knock ruined his concentration at one hundred twenty.

Shane checked the
clock on his nightstand. Ten-Thirty. Combined with the fact that Striker or Vik
would have used hard pounds, Shane had an idea of who his visitor was. Dressed
in loose gym shorts, he considered dragging on his sweats then killed the idea.
He opened his bedroom door and Olivia jerked as if surprised. She wore a tee
and what appeared to be a pair of skin tight sweats.

He stepped back
leaving the choice in her hands this time. To his relief, she came in and
closed the door behind her. “Shane.”

He didn’t let her
speak another word. Just crammed her against the wall and ground his mouth on
her sweet full lips. Olivia’s body softened and her arms braced along his bare
and very sweaty chest. The thought had him pulling back. “I need to shower.”

Olivia’s breath came
in light pants. “Shower?”

Her eyes were glazed
and swelled his ego. “Yeah, princess. A shower.”

Those beautiful
blues dropped to his shoeless feet. They caressed his calves barely pausing on
the multitude of scars on his leg beneath the hem of his shorts. The leisurely
stroll stalled on the visible proof of his desire.

He dropped his hands
from her shoulders taking in her outfit. He’d never seen sweats that molded to
a woman’s ass like these. The front cupped her center and left even less to the
imagination.

“Yoga pants,” she
spoke up, interrupting his slow eye fuck.

Shane decided then
and there to invest stock in this particular article of clothing. He reached
for her again then caught sight of his sweaty arms and hands.

“Shower,” he reminded
both of them and hurried to his master bath for fear he’d toss out his good
intentions and take her right there on the door.

Shane ditched his
shorts on the tiled floor and made haste in the shower. A quick adjustment and
hot water poured on his taxed muscles. Knowing Olivia waited for him, Shane
hurried through his bathing ritual.

He didn’t tense when
the glass door eased on the track. Shane tipped his face directly beneath the
spray as Olivia took his lack of response for acceptance and climbed in behind
him. Her hands trailed across his shoulders, down his back and right over his
ass. Fuckity fuck.

Another step and she
pressed right up on him, those searching hands gliding around to the front of
his hips and zeroing in on her target.

“Fuck,” he gasped,
aloud this time, his chin dropping. “I need a sec.” Her hands continued their
loving stroke and Shane thought he’d lose control right there. Up and down she
handled him with a familiarity that usually took many lovers longer than the
little time they’d shared together.

“I think,” she
murmured against his back. “it’s time I test my tax dollars under more severe
conditions.”

Not even a sliver of
space separated them. Firm but soft breasts, slim thighs and the light graze of
her feminine mound aligned with the back of him. Shane felt her everywhere and
absorbed the pleasure of her small hands working his shaft. He strained to
focus on her words. “What are you thinking?” He was open to whatever she wanted
if it ended with the both of them horizontal.

“Hmmm. A slight
wager.” Her thumb pressed and swirled around the head of his erection.

She had to be
joking. He sucked back a groan. “What’s the wager?” He’d play her game then
spin her round and fuck her hard along the shower wall.

“You hold out for
five minutes under strenuous conditions.” She squeezed for emphasis and Shane
hissed. “I let you have your way with me.”

Five minutes equated
to an eternity the night before. He debated the wisdom of agreeing to another
torture session. Instead, his hips rocked into the fist she formed. Her other
hand teased his sac.

“Shane?”

Christ, she killed
him with her strokes alone. Would he be able to handle more? “If I don’t last?”
A wise soldier always heard all the parameters of a mission.”

“If you don’t last,
it means I win and you get to have your way with me.”

His fogged brain
took a minute to process what she said. When her meaning sunk in, he let out a
chuckle. “Win-win. My kind of odds, princess.” He turned in her arms. Face to
face, he added. “The clock started when you joined me.”

“What?” She giggled
and pretended to struggle as Shane lifted her from the shower. The floor soaked
instantly but he didn’t care. Leaving a wet trail behind him, Shane carried
Olivia to his bed.

They landed on the
sheets destroying them. Shane rolled onto his back and propped Olivia astride
his lap. “I have a wager for you.” A blonde brow arched. “Ride me. Make me
come.”

“If I lose?”

Her hips rocked back
and forth. Her rhythm teased him with possibilities. “If you lose, you won’t
get any sleep tonight.”

The pleased grin she
wore answered for her. She leaned forward and her hands landed on his chest.
Shane kept his own light on her skin as he massaged her arms with the mottled
finger prints. He placed a lid on his stirring anger. Brian O’Donnell needed a
lesson in keeping his hands to himself and Shane would be happy to teach it.

“Hey, everything
ok?”

Shane studied the
woman balanced on his lap. Strong and brave, he admired the strength it took to
run with her daughter in the face of her fear. She’d handled him well enough
too. He forced a smile to his lips. “More than ok. Just waiting for you to
lose.”

“Lose?” Her brows
creased and she had the cutest look on her face. Shane bit his cheek unwilling
to laugh in the face of her peak. “I plan to win, mister.”

He thrust up. “Oh,
yeah? You seem like a lot of talk.” Shane slid his hands to her hips and
squeezed lightly. “Are you chickening out?” He rubbed his erection against her
wet center.

Olivia gasped, her
lids fluttering but her eyes snapped open. A determined light entered the blue
orbs. “We’ll see who clucks like a chicken. Where are those condoms?”

Shane bit off a
smile and stretched under his pillow where he’d stashed a handful of the silver
packets. She took one and tore it with her teeth then growled. He couldn’t help
it. Shane laughed, the sound cut short as she eased the protection down his
shaft. He lifted her easily and held her aloft. “Put me in.” His eyes gleamed
in challenge. “I dare you.”

Her hands danced
down his torso causing the muscles to retract. She grinned confidently and
Shane wanted to laugh once more. She rubbed him once, twice and then placed him
at her core. He lowered her and closed his eyes from the smooth hot glide of
entering her.

“First point goes to
me,” she declared.

What?
Shane
opened his eyes and her own danced with mischief. “First point?”

She nodded eagerly.
“You groaned. That’s a point for me.”

He snorted and moved
his hips. “We’re keeping score based on sounds, I take it.”

“How else will you
know I won?” Her tone hinted at a lack of intelligence on his part.

Shane could only
chuckle. He hadn’t expected this playful side of her but it excited him. She
continued to amaze him. “Consider that your one and only point.”

He rolled and sent
her to the bottom. Shane ignored her indignant. “Hey.”

“I’m not losing a
sex contest, princess. Not happening.” He’d never hold his head up among men
around the world.

Olivia twisted and
pretended to escape. Shane shifted to his knees and pulled her onto his lap.
The position drove him deep and she squealed. “One to one.”

He bounced her up
and down and leaned back to thrust hard up against her. When she arched over
his arms, he refused to ignore temptation and mouthed the perky buds presented.
Her moan had him grunting. Holding firm to her waist, Shane sent her soaring.

When she started
crying out, he lowered her to her back and continued thrusting. After her third
climax, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He went deeper, his balls slamming
against her until he came with a low growl.

His heart pounded in
his chest but Shane managed to murmur the words. “23 to 2, I win.”

She could only
respond with a hum and Shane drifted to sleep with a smile on his face.

***

At first, Olivia
couldn’t determine what awakened her. The low groan sounded again. She turned
to her side. Shane rested on his back, one arm over his middle, the other flung
up by his head. Leaning over, she started to shake him but his mouth twisted in
a grimace and his hand fisted.

Waking from a
nightmare was never fun but Olivia knew enough to realize waking a man with
Shane’s training defined foolish. She eased to the other side and climbed from
the bed. He muttered something under his breath and shifted. Olivia searched
the floor and grabbed her shirt and yoga pants. She left off her panties.

Once dressed, she
called out. “Shane.”

“No,” he growled and
jerked. The covers dipped leaving him bare and Olivia gasped.

The scarring on his
thigh became more visible. In the shower she’d only glimpsed him from the back,
her attention on the amazing sensations he created in her body. During their
subsequent love making, she hadn’t paid it much attention too consumed with the
pleasure he brought out of her.

Olivia stepped
closer to the bed and balanced a knee on the mattress. Massive scarring and surgery
wounds covered his hip on the left. The marks extended to the ones she’d seen
earlier.

“Shane,” using a
louder voice, she hoped to waken him. Instead, her voice had the opposite
reaction. His body began to struggle fiercely and the language he used made her
cringe. After minutes of watching him suffer and unsure what to do, Olivia was
close to making a rash decision and shaking his shoulder. Just as suddenly, he
settled. Olivia relaxed needing to return to the room with Chloe.

She’d barely reached
the door when he cried out. Olivia turned and Shane shouted. She heard names of
men, more intense language and finally begging. Olivia’s throat closed when she
realized he was begging a friend not to die. Oh, God. She couldn’t take much
more. She ran back to the bed.

“Shane,” she shouted
his name this time, banged on the mattress and tried to jump back. His hand
reached up and gripped her neck then slammed her on the bed, the weight of his
body holding her down.

His eyes sprung open
and the pain in the grey depths had her crying out as her hands reached for
him. He eased the hold on her throat and confusion darkened his gaze. “Olivia?”

“It’s okay,” she
whispered and feathered her fingers through his hair. “You’re okay.” Shane’s
face looked shaken.

He moved to the side
of her and wound his arms around her waist. “Sorry.” His voice gruff with
sleep. “Didn’t expect the nightmare tonight.”

Olivia snuggled into
him knowing he needed the human contact. “Are you okay?”

“Hmm.” He placed his
face between her shoulder and neck, not quite answering.

A fine layer of
sweat dampened her back from his chest. His body heat burned behind her. She
started to speak but his breathing evened out and she sensed him falling to
sleep again. She’d stay a little longer then leave once she was certain his
rest would be peaceful.