Her captive didnt seem as flirtatious and carefree now that he realized what an error in judgment hed made with her. In fact, the scowl creasing his features as he stared out the passenger window watching her approach clearly reflected his displeasure.
She circled around the back of the Suburban, tossed his bag into the back seat, then slid behind the wheel. A loud click echoed in the vehicle as she took her usual precaution and activated all the door locks from the control panel on the armrest.
So, where were you off to before I showed up? she asked, wanting to gauge his mood and what kind of personality shed be dealing with before she hit the road.
Her prisoners usually fell into one of three categories of behavior during the transport back to jail: belligerent and verbally abusive; brooding and opting for the silent treatment; or attempting to reason with her and trying to validate their innocence.
Dean wasnt happy about the situation, but one look into his clear, striking green eyes and she knew she could rule out the first scenario. There was no malice in his gaze, just a wealth of frustration. His inexperience and first-time felon charge obviously hadnt jaded him. Yet.
I was on my way to a much-needed week-long vacation at a secluded cabin in the mountains.
The gear shed found in his car certainly verified his claim. She appreciated his honesty, though she thought the much needed part stretched credibility. That would have been a good place to hide out, she agreed, snapping on her seat belt. Im sorry to put a crimp in your plans.
He shifted in his seat, managing to turn those wide shoulders her way so he was looking at her straight-on. His presence was potently male and more than shed bargained for, filling the interior of the large cab with an enticing masculine heat and scent she hadnt anticipated having to deal with. The combination aroused her senses and stirred something vital deep in her belly.
Hunger, she told herself, startled by the unexpected fluttering sensation shed experienced. A craving for food, not something totally forbidden to her. Shed skipped lunch and had only munched on a chocolate-covered granola bar shed brought along for the ride, and her stomach was making its needs known.
Thats all it was, she assured herself.
Deans gaze was direct as it connected with hers, his expression businesslike. Look, Ms. Sommers, I think theres been some kind of mistake.
Here we go, she thought. Reality was finally settling in, and he was grasping at any excuse to gain back his freedom. Unfortunately, the argument hed chosen was particularly overused, and a feeble one at that.
Unclipping the set of keys from the waistband of her jeans, she inserted one into the ignition. She actually felt a twinge of sympathy for him. He seemed so green about this entire processor maybe he was dreading the return trip to San Francisco to testify against the leader of an auto theft ring. That would definitely explain the inkling of desperation she detected beneath his more confident facade.
Mr. Colter, this isnt a mistake. Surprised to hear the regret in her own voice, she quickly replaced it with indifference. Your arrest is as real as it gets. I have the paperwork to prove it.
At the sound of the engine turning over, a touch of panic flared to life in his eyes. Dont I have any rights? he demanded. The handcuffs behind him clanked together as his arms and shoulders flexed from their unnatural position. The corded muscles in his biceps bulged, drawing her gaze as they strained against the short sleeves of his knit shirt.
Impressive muscles shed be a fool to underestimateno matter how much they, or the man, fascinated her.
I have to have some kind of rights, he reiterated when she didnt immediately answer him. A phone call to my attorney, at the very least, to sort out this misunderstanding?
She shook her head, which helped to gain her bearings and remove her traitorous gaze from his physique. You forfeited all your rights when you jumped bail. You can call your attorney, or anyone else you want, when youre back in jail.
Exasperation clenched his jaw and radiated off him in waves. I want to see that information you claim to have on me, he said abruptly, just as she reached for the gear shift to put the vehicle in Drive. Is that within my rights?
He sounded so indignant, she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning. She recognized his appeal for the stall tactic it was, but decided to grant him this one small concession which would only take a few minutes out of her time. Besides, in her experience, shed always found that being faced with irrefutable facts had a way of making a person much more accommodating, and much less argumentative.
And there was no refuting the incriminating evidence she had on Dean Colter.
Id be happy to show you the information. Smiling sweetly, she withdrew the pocket folder shed tucked between her seat and the console, then pulled out the file nestled within containing all the pertinent reports, releases and documents she had on him.
You could have killed me with that shotgun you were carrying, you know, he said, his tone rough with censure.
What? His abrupt change of topic threw her off-kilter, and she looked up from sorting through the papers to find his expression disapproving, and his full lips thinned into a flattened line. Then it dawned on her what he was referring to. Oh, that wasnt a shotgun. Not a real one, anyway.
He gaped at her. You go around confronting people with a toy gun?
Her stomach clenched, and her hands grew cold and clammy as unexpected memories swamped herof a pistol trembling in her hands, her frantic shouts to the perp shed cornered to drop his gun, and ultimately her inability to follow through with the threat hed posed, to her and her partner. Then two simultaneous gunshotsone the perps, the other Brians.
She winced at the awful recollection, which still remained so sharp and fresh in her mindas if the life-altering incident had happened yesterday instead of two years ago. The revolver holstered at her side felt like a two-ton weight, reminding her of failures, disappointments and the heart-wrenching burden shed have to live with forever.
Yes, she carried a real gun with her, but she wouldnt draw it unless she absolutely had to. Because now she knew if she drew her weapon, shed put herself in the position of having to fire the gun. And she doubted her ability to do so, more than she feared protecting herself with less deadly forces.
She swallowed to ease the tightness closing up her throat. Its a beanbag shotgun, she replied, her voice still tight from those grim memories of the past. At his questioning stare, she explained. It would have brought you to an immediate halt, possibly knocked you on your ass, and no doubt have given you a nasty bruise, but you would have lived.
Im so relieved, he drawled sarcastically.
She shrugged. Youre certainly no good to me dead, she said, adopting a flippant attitude.
A huff of disbelieving laughter escaped him at her sassy reply. Feeling a smile tug the corner of her mouth, she ducked her head and trained her thoughts back to the file. Spreading the folder open on his lap, she allowed him a quiet moment to read the bail bond and authorization form, as well as look over the photographs the bondsman had provided.
His gaze narrowed and a frown formed as he glanced from the unflattering mug shot to the picture on the copy of his drivers license. He examined each one, back and forth, his intense scrutiny causing her own gaze to drift to the photographs to do her own idle comparison.
His gaze narrowed and a frown formed as he glanced from the unflattering mug shot to the picture on the copy of his drivers license. He examined each one, back and forth, his intense scrutiny causing her own gaze to drift to the photographs to do her own idle comparison.
Without a doubt, the men in each picture resembled two different personas. But their coloring and features were so similar it was difficult to refute that they were one and the same. In both photos, Dean was cited as having green eyes, and the man in front of her definitely had thosegorgeous, sexy green eyes shed seen darken with desire earlier, and flash with annoyance moments ago. Both pImages** possessed pitch-black hair, and it was clear to her that the man sitting beside her owned a head of thick hair as dark as a ravens wing.
Somewhere between his booking photo and today, hed gotten a haircut, changing back to his short, neat stylean executive cut with the longer strands on top falling into soft, precision layers that invited a woman to touch and feel.
And she had.
Shed gained intimate knowledge of just how silky and warm those strands werecould still remember the velvet texture and warm feel as those locks had sifted through her fingers when shed touched his head to guide him into the car. Could still recall the shimmering awareness that had taken up residence within her with that brief contact.
The only thing she couldnt find any resemblance to was the cocky, arrogant smirk on the face of the man in the booking photo. Her instincts stirred. Shed yet to see that side of the Dean Colter shed cuffedthe flirtatious, charming guy whod only revealed a few bouts of ire and frustration, and not the aggression she would have expected judging by the conceited expression in the mug shot. If contrasting personality traits gave her a seconds pause, then it was the glaring evidence Dean himself had provided that brought everything back into perspective.
Hed openly declared to being Dean Colter.
Unbelievable, he muttered, looking both stunned and confused when he glanced back up at her.
I take it youve seen enough?
He didnt answer. Instead, he drew a deep breath and slowly exhaled it. The file balanced on his thighs started to slip, and she made a grab for the folder, then returned the information to its spot next to her seat.
Youve got the wrong guy, Jo.
His voice was quiet, eerily so, causing a distinct shiver to ripple down her spine. No pleading. No begging. Just a statement of fact that discounted everything hed just read. His eyes had turned a shade of green so startling clear and sincere they made her want to believe him.
But she knew better than to be conned, no matter how convincing his act. She wouldnt underestimate the power of his charms and attempts to persuade her. Oh, now thats original. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that line as a cop Id be a very rich girl.
He stared at her for a moment in amazement. Youre a cop?
I was, she said, seeing no reason why she shouldnt answer his question. Between tonights two-hour jaunt and tomorrows long drive, theyd be confined to this vehicle for fifteen hours, and she didnt mind making polite talk as opposed to putting up with brooding silence. I quit the force two years ago.
To pursue a career in bounty hunting?
More astonishment, and the way he was looking at hertaking in her ponytail, her features, then taking quick inventory of the rest of her body before returning to her face. She suppressed the warm glow that followed in the wake of his thorough assessment.
I work for my brother as a P.I. Putting the Suburban in gear, she pulled away from the curb and eased onto the road. I specialize in missing persons and abductions, but I do the occasional bail recovery on the side to make extra money.
He looked back at his house as they drove away and left his sanctuary behind. Bail recovery? He snorted derisively. This is kidnapping, you know.
Kidnapping? She rolled her eyes and flipped on the air-conditioning to low, welcoming the cool rush of air that billowed across her skin. Not according to the information you just read.
Im not that guy! he said through gritted teeth.
Would he never give up? I looked through your wallet in your duffle, she told him. Not only do you say youre Dean Colter, so does your license.
He blew out a frustrated stream of breath. I am Dean Colter, but Im not the guy in that mug shot.
Oh, I believe you, she said drolly as she headed out of the residential area and back to the interstate. But its the judge youre gonna have to convince, not me.
His lip curled sullenly and, unable to do otherwise, he settled back into his seat. Great, he muttered as he stared out the window moodily. Just great.
She made a right-hand turn up the I-5 on-ramp and moved over to the fast lane, leaving Seattle behind. Why dont you just relax and enjoy the trip?
Its kinda hard to relax when these damned handcuffs are stabbing into my back and my arms are falling asleep, he grumbled.
Poor baby. If you flatten your palms against the seat itll relieve some of the pressure.
And if you took off the handcuffs it would relieve some of the pain.
Sorry, she said, not sounding the least bit contrite. But I cant risk my safety for your comfort.
He heaved a gut-deep sigh. So Ive got to be trussed up like this all the way to San Francisco?
Pretty much. She reached for the trip ticket shed tucked into the visor, which mapped her drive back to San Francisco and the places she planned to stop along the way. Giving it a cursory glance while watching the road, she pegged her next destination as Kelso, Washington. Ive been on the road since six this morning. Well be stopping in a few hours to get a hotel for the night, and Ill let you stretch your arms then. Well get something to eat, too.
A free meal. At least I get something out of this trip. The slightest bit of humor had returned to his voice, as if hed resigned himself to the inevitable. And just be warned, I skipped lunch today and Im starved.
The way he said the word starved, with a low, rumbling growl in the back of his throat, brought a whole new meaning to the word.
Apparently, his appetite matched her own.
BEING HAULED to San Francisco by a female bounty hunter wasnt exactly the vacation Dean had envisioned, but as the chasm between Seattle and him widened, he decided he had no choice but to improvise and be adventurous.
Spontaneity. Relaxation. Being impetuous. All nuances of his old life he missed. That had been part of the reason hed decided to take a vacation in the first place, based on the startling realization that he was fast on his way to becoming a workaholic like his father had been. Putting the company before himself was something hed sworn hed never do, yet hed spent the past three years doing exactly that, to the extent that he was teetering on the verge of burnout. Not only did he need the time away from work to think about the fate of Colter Traffic Control and his future, but it had been too long since hed put himself, and his desires, first.
And there was no doubt he desired Jo Sommers. Despite having no idea how hed gotten himself into this mess, this sexy, spirited woman intrigued him. Aroused him. Fascinated him. And it had been a long time since any woman had captured his interest so thoroughly.