already got the room."
He regarded her with caution. "That's not why we got the room for an extra day."
"Brad...I know." She searched his face. "I'm not ready to leave yet."
Though simple words, the complex implication of what she said hung between them as tangibly as another person in the bed. "I still think we should head out now."
"But we're not."
Brad let out a breath. "No, we're not." He laid back and opened his arms to her. "Come here."
"Thank you." Allison snuggled against him and made a contented noise in her throat. Just as he was about to drift back to sleep, she asked, "Are you the one who killed my father?"
His eyelids jolted open, but before he could answer, she said, "Never mind. It doesn't matter."
Allison was asleep only moments later. Sleep took considerably longer to come for him after that.
Brad was alone in bed the next time he opened his eyes. Two weeks ago, he might have thought she'd skipped out on him, especially given the last question she'd asked. Today, he knew Allison wasn't going anywhere without him.
That in and of itself posed a problem of unknown magnitude.
Brad pushed that thought from his mind. They would be forced to deal with that issue as soon as they crossed the border. For the time being, getting something to eat could be their biggest problem.
Following the sound of running water, Brad knocked on the bathroom door and immediately opened it precisely an inch. Anything more than that would only be inviting the trouble he would spend the day trying to avoid. "Allison, I'm going to go get us something to eat. What do you want?"
"You."
"Excuse me?" He poked his head around the door in case he hadn't heard her correctly over the roar of the water and stared at the shower curtain. "I didn't hear that."
Allison pulled back the curtain and tossed him a wicked smile. "You heard me, Brad. Get in here and wash my back." At the unspoken question in his eyes when he locked on her gaze, she added, "I know what I'm doing."
"Okay." Brad nodded and then joined her in the shower before she could change her mind.
* * *
Allison shut off the hair dryer and joined Brad in bed as he hung up the phone. "It's done." He kissed the top of her head as she snuggled against him. "They know we've been delayed an extra day."
Her back involuntarily stiffened. "You talked to Adam?"
Jealousy flashed through his hot gaze. "I've run everything through Eli since after that first night we..."
Reality washed over her with an avalanche of emotion. "Brad, does Adam...uh, have you..."
"Have I told him how we've been passing the time?" He reached out and stroked her cheek. "That would be a negative. My relationship with Barrows is strained enough without... that ." He abruptly removed his hand. "You know we have to stop this, Allison."
"I know." She moved her lips to his, not in the usual brutal kiss, but soft. "Just...not yet. Okay?"
Brad's hands framed her face. "Okay." He laid her back on the bed, his eyes never leaving hers. "Tell me what you want."
"I want you, Brad. Make love to me."
His lips met hers in a sweet caress that tugged at Allison's heartstrings until his tongue finally swirled against hers to stoke the embers of her desire for him. They stayed locked in the kiss for what felt like eternity yet was still far too short. Desperately, she tried to convince herself that it was still just about feeding her addiction with him, but she couldn't even complete the thought. It simply wasn't true.
Just the thought that this may well be their last time together...
She shoved that thought to the side when he broke the kiss and trailed his lips down her jaw to the hollow of her throat where he lightly grazed her flesh with his teeth. Her fingers played through his shaggy dark hair, tightening when his mouth moved lower still and a skilled tongue flicked across one taut nipple, eliciting a sharp cry from her. "Ohhhh...Brad."
His lips curved into a smile against her skin for an instant before
He regarded her with caution. "That's not why we got the room for an extra day."
"Brad...I know." She searched his face. "I'm not ready to leave yet."
Though simple words, the complex implication of what she said hung between them as tangibly as another person in the bed. "I still think we should head out now."
"But we're not."
Brad let out a breath. "No, we're not." He laid back and opened his arms to her. "Come here."
"Thank you." Allison snuggled against him and made a contented noise in her throat. Just as he was about to drift back to sleep, she asked, "Are you the one who killed my father?"
His eyelids jolted open, but before he could answer, she said, "Never mind. It doesn't matter."
Allison was asleep only moments later. Sleep took considerably longer to come for him after that.
Brad was alone in bed the next time he opened his eyes. Two weeks ago, he might have thought she'd skipped out on him, especially given the last question she'd asked. Today, he knew Allison wasn't going anywhere without him.
That in and of itself posed a problem of unknown magnitude.
Brad pushed that thought from his mind. They would be forced to deal with that issue as soon as they crossed the border. For the time being, getting something to eat could be their biggest problem.
Following the sound of running water, Brad knocked on the bathroom door and immediately opened it precisely an inch. Anything more than that would only be inviting the trouble he would spend the day trying to avoid. "Allison, I'm going to go get us something to eat. What do you want?"
"You."
"Excuse me?" He poked his head around the door in case he hadn't heard her correctly over the roar of the water and stared at the shower curtain. "I didn't hear that."
Allison pulled back the curtain and tossed him a wicked smile. "You heard me, Brad. Get in here and wash my back." At the unspoken question in his eyes when he locked on her gaze, she added, "I know what I'm doing."
"Okay." Brad nodded and then joined her in the shower before she could change her mind.
* * *
Allison shut off the hair dryer and joined Brad in bed as he hung up the phone. "It's done." He kissed the top of her head as she snuggled against him. "They know we've been delayed an extra day."
Her back involuntarily stiffened. "You talked to Adam?"
Jealousy flashed through his hot gaze. "I've run everything through Eli since after that first night we..."
Reality washed over her with an avalanche of emotion. "Brad, does Adam...uh, have you..."
"Have I told him how we've been passing the time?" He reached out and stroked her cheek. "That would be a negative. My relationship with Barrows is strained enough without... that ." He abruptly removed his hand. "You know we have to stop this, Allison."
"I know." She moved her lips to his, not in the usual brutal kiss, but soft. "Just...not yet. Okay?"
Brad's hands framed her face. "Okay." He laid her back on the bed, his eyes never leaving hers. "Tell me what you want."
"I want you, Brad. Make love to me."
His lips met hers in a sweet caress that tugged at Allison's heartstrings until his tongue finally swirled against hers to stoke the embers of her desire for him. They stayed locked in the kiss for what felt like eternity yet was still far too short. Desperately, she tried to convince herself that it was still just about feeding her addiction with him, but she couldn't even complete the thought. It simply wasn't true.
Just the thought that this may well be their last time together...
She shoved that thought to the side when he broke the kiss and trailed his lips down her jaw to the hollow of her throat where he lightly grazed her flesh with his teeth. Her fingers played through his shaggy dark hair, tightening when his mouth moved lower still and a skilled tongue flicked across one taut nipple, eliciting a sharp cry from her. "Ohhhh...Brad."
His lips curved into a smile against her skin for an instant before
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