The Promise of Love (12 page)

“
Iron Man 2
,” he said, then followed up with, “Three is pretty funny shit, too, though.”

“Both were good,” she agreed. “I liked it when he got all panicky and also when Pepper kicked butt. That was good.”

“Yeah, then she freaked out,” he reminded her.

“But that’s what made it so real, not that it was real, but if I did that, I’d freak out, too.”

He bet she would. She was so small he doubted she’d ever even gotten in a girl fight. She’d sure freaked out on him. “So, why did you do it? Last night?”

Her body stiffened under his arm, but after a few minutes of avoiding his question, she finally sighed heavily.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me,” he urged, biting the side of his cheek at her disgruntled sigh.

“Have you ever done something knowing it wasn’t the thing to do, but unable not to?”

He frowned and thought about that. Before he could answer she went on, “Not last night, I don’t regret that for a moment.” Another sigh, then she said quietly, “I mean, when your instincts warned you not to trust someone, and you blindly go on and do it, pushing aside all your misgivings and just going along with them?”

The way she’d said that made him worry he’d pushed too far. Trusting she was honest, he puzzled out what she had said instead of what his own worries were. He could think of ways his instincts had guided him in combat, and when his orders had gone against them. Too many times he’d had that chill that things were not right, and gone on with a mission. The Sentinels were proof of that. But she meant something else entirely.

“Like bury my head in the sand and go out on some insane mission because my commander ordered it?” he teased.

She snorted and hit him on the stomach.

“What was that for?” he demanded, but knew. “You mean you let someone pressure you into something you didn’t want, and didn’t even admit to yourself you didn’t want it?”

Her pace slowed and she sought out his face as if to check that he was serious.

“Like you knew there wasn’t a reason to trust but you wanted to so you did, even when deep down you didn’t want to? That’s why you slept with me last night?” He threw that out there, knowing that wasn’t it at all. His guess was she was talking about someone else, maybe a whole lot of someones she’d trusted in her life.

“No, that’s where you’re wrong. With you my instincts said to trust and I went along with you with my eyes wide open, not sensing a thing other than”—she waved at him—“you, and how good you are.”

“Good?” He snorted, but deep down he liked that. Liked it a whole lot.

“You know what I mean. I guess I needed to break away from the cycle, you know? I’m not used to doing things for me, but I did with you and it turned out okay.”

He laughed at the doubtful end of her bold statement, as if he might suddenly prove her wrong. “Princess, I’m damn glad you did, have I mentioned that?”

She rolled her eyes again, but he could tell she was happy with his response. He wanted more details, but he settled for what she’d given him so far. It made sense to him in a way it might not to other people. He’d been raised in foster homes, one after another, and each time he’d opened the door and walked in, it was always with the same misgivings mixed with hopefulness that this time he would be cared for right. Each time he’d been wrong, until he’d stopped hoping and started building a wall to keep safe.

“Oh,” she cried and ducked.

He watched her pick up a solitary stone from the edge of a small creek bed. “It looks like a heart!”

He examined the gray and black rock, and sure enough it did.

“Here, you keep it safe, okay?” She laughed and gave him the stone. “You’ll be better at protecting it than me.”

His heart thudded painfully at her words, and that easy he wanted it—her heart. What would that be like? To keep her safe?

“David!” she whispered, pointing up the path.

He spotted a doe, then two more behind at the same moment the deer must have spied them. The three deer bounded away, knocking snow down from the tall pines as they startled.

“Beautiful, huh?” he asked, and pocketed the little stone.

“Yeah, so beautiful. Thank you,” she added when they started walking again.

“For?”

“For taking me hiking.” She glanced at his face. “And maybe for a few other things.”

He grinned and settled her closer to him. She kept pace pretty well, taking her time to position her feet when it proved slippery a few times, but going at a good, solid walk.

“So, let’s talk about you.”

She stumbled and laughed. “Okay, let’s talk about me. What do you want to know?”

“Well, I already know a few things. You like to skate. Let’s see, you like pineapple and you like to look nice.”

“I like to
look nice
?” she repeated. “Who likes to
look messy
?”

“Well, some people might,” he teased. “You paint your nails. They’re cute. You also dress nice—”

“I don’t, not really. I wear jeans and dresses but I don’t dress up, dress up, like some fashion model or bling-bling girl.”

He lost her at that, because he wanted to see her in a dress. And ‘bling-bling’ girl? She hadn’t brought a dress, but maybe he could buy her one. He liked the thought of buying her things.

“Why do you think I like pineapple?”

“You wanted a pina colada last night.”

“How did you know that?”

“I watched you,” he said simply. “You tapped the pina colada but went for the rum and Coke.”

“You guys were ordering beer and that makes me feel full, plus run to the bathroom every ten seconds, but I thought a frilly drink was too girly.”

“You are girl, hence, you’re girly.”

She laughed, catching his teasing her on her use of ‘hence’ earlier pretty quickly.

“Right, I am,” she said, but didn’t sound upset by that. “I’m kinda used to being a girl, being born this way and all.”

“Yeah,” he breathed and turned her to brush a kiss to her lips. “And I’m damn glad you were,” he told her. They’d done well. He guessed they’d covered the mountain in just under an hour. “Look, now isn’t that worth the hike?”

He turned her around to face the brilliant scenery and she leaned back into him with a sigh. “It’s really beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he agreed. He wrapped his arms around her, sure she meant the view, but he was talking about the woman in his arms. The mountains were spectacular though. The heavy bold peaks covered in white but still clearly rugged and dangerous. The trees softened the wilderness but out here, it would be easy to become lost in all the white. “You’ve not asked me about— Wait, I’m going to ask something personal, are you drinking anything? Eating?”

She laughed and tipped her head up and to the side to meet his eyes. “Nope, go ahead, what now?”

He cocked an eyebrow at that and instead of asking why she hadn’t asked about Will, took an easy question out of the bucket list he had going. “Why haven’t you asked what my favorite sex position is yet? And if I tell, will you?”

She blushed pinker than he’d ever seen her and dropped her head in her hands. “You are really trying to embarrass me.”

“No,” he lied. “I’m not, just curious, you know, for the future. Let’s keep walking, come on, you can share with me. Promise.”

“I’m not discussing this. Can’t we talk about what you do for work? That sounds exciting. I’m sure that’s rude, but it does. I mean, you’re wearing a gun now!”

He skimmed her face and only found genuine curiosity and a little admiration in her eyes. That shouldn’t have made him feel awkward, but it did.

“I am, but only because I have to, not because I think there’s a threat. The only thing dangerous out here besides some hibernating bear we might wake up is those clouds.”

She glanced at the sky and squinted. “Yeah, that’s going to be a lot of snow. Maybe a blizzard. I heard that the other side of these mountains lost power and is buried under a few feet.”

If he were snowed in with her, he’d not be able to get over the thrill. It could only get better if there were no television and no lights, so all she had was him to keep her entertained.

“Do you play cards?”

“Cards? Like gamble with my money?” she asked, glancing at him.

“Naw, not like that, but five card stud?”

“Monopoly,” she offered then smiled. “But I know how to play twenty-one, isn’t that what it’s called? And oh, that game where you try to make a straight or… That’s five card stud, isn’t it?”

“Yep, it is. Good, maybe we can play cards, you know, if we’re snowed in.”

“What? This is Wyoming, they’re used to snow. They have plows for this stuff.”

“Stuff, huh? Well, I think some of that
stuff
is going to hit soon.” He spotted the unmistakable tread of a snowmobile. “Who rides up here, I wonder?” he muttered, examining the tracks coming out of the woods on their right. They were up pretty far. Whoever was out here was far from town. A rancher, maybe. He’d not noticed any animal tracks, though, so if it was a rancher, what was the cowboy doing up here? Maybe hunters. Or, hell, some kids out joyriding on snowmobiles.

“I have no idea, but they packed it down for us.”

“Yeah, I guess they did,” he said and followed the trail with his eyes up through the denser forest to their left. “You ever snowmobile?”

“Sure, when I was little. My uncle had them.”

“Yeah, they can be fun,” he murmured, his concern over the tracks building instead of diminishing.

“Well? Left, or keep going on this? Did you bring water?” she asked.

He nodded and turned to show her his pack. She unzipped it, then reached in for the bottles he’d stored away.

He glanced around at her to see she’d found the sandwiches, too. “Do you want one of these?”

“Naw, not yet. You help yourself though.”

“No, I’m good. I ate most of yours,” she offered and waved to the snowmobile tracks. “I vote for the tracks. Easier to walk on, right?”

“All right,” he agreed, taking the water and waiting while she zipped his pack up. She hummed a little under her breath and he recognized the song she’d skated to, one by John Legend. “You have a good ear for music.”

“I do?” she asked, handing him the water. “Why do you say that?”

He took a drink and wiped his mouth. “Well, you can hum a tune, that’s not easy.”

“Oh, that, yeah, I like that song.”

The sound of snowmobiles coming down the track had him moving her aside and up onto a higher trail. His instincts warned that this wasn’t the time or place to meet anyone, especially with her here with him. He helped her behind a tree in case the crazy drivers weren’t watching ahead of them. Most accidents on snowmobiles and four by fours were caused by stupid people. Today wasn’t the day to meet any either. He had plans and they didn’t include dealing strangers.

Seconds later, the noise got loud enough to require headgear. He glanced at Paris to find her covering her ears with her mittens.

The first snowmobile roared by, carrying a man in white and gray camo with an illegal gun slung over his shoulder. David urged Paris down and around the other side of the mound of snow, following and making sure to keep her out of sight. She didn’t ask what he was doing, and when five more men followed the first, he held his breath as the last one called to the others and stopped. The rest kept on, leaving the lone man behind.

Fuck.
From where he was he could clearly see the tracks he and Paris had left behind. He’d been sloppy, damn sloppy. He eased Paris farther down, moving as slowly as he could so that the guy would have no warning if David had to attack. Paris went, not asking questions, but frowning so hard, he tightened his hand on her arm. The man on the idling snowmobile gunned his engine and took off after only a minute more.

David swallowed hard and waited until he couldn’t hear the vehicles, then waited longer. Paris didn’t move and she didn’t speak, which he was grateful for, but when he did glance over at her, she was pale, clearly scared by his behavior or the men, possibly both.

“It’s okay.”

“Are you…?” She swallowed and frowned harder. “Are you sure?”

“I am. Damn sloppy, I got sloppy. But we’re okay. We go down, though, not the way they came. Follow me.”

“Wait one second,” she said firmly and tugged his sleeve. “What do you mean? You got sloppy and now we go this way? What does that mean?” she whispered with some heat.

“Princess, any other time I’d fill you in, but right now—”

“Not moving until you explain.” She sat down and crossed her arms, and her legs.

If he’d been hit upside the head he wouldn’t have been more surprised. He squatted and tipped her stubborn chin up.

“Look, I can see you’re upset. Hell, I think you have every right to be, but now you and I are walking, and when I’m certain you aren’t in any danger I’ll explain. Until then, come on and trust me.”

She rolled her eyes, but stood when he pulled her up. She skimmed his face for something, but he didn’t give her time to find it, instead he ushered her down and to the left of where the men had come through the dense woods. The snow wasn’t as deep because of the heavy trees holding it up but it was harder to hike because of how densely the forest grew. He held up branches for her and thankfully she hiked, not angry as far as he could tell, but nearly bursting with curiosity.

“Those men were armed,” he said quietly. “That means they were patrolling this area. There are reasons people patrol. Most are to keep intruders away. Or to keep whatever they are doing secret.”

She nodded, but didn’t ask whatever she had going on in her head.

“I was up here getting a lay of the land, not thinking to run into that kind of thing or I’d never have brought you,” he said with some heat. “Now I need to get back and instead of…” He paused, about to share his idea for snow sex, but thought better of it. “Having dinner with you, I have to go check in with Will. I might be gone all night, or I might only be an hour or so.”

“David, does this mean you might get hurt?”

Her concerned expression tugged at his heart. “Hurt? No, come on, this is Wyoming.”

“Those men had bigger guns than you.”