be poor again and would never depend on anyone else. He could retire today if he wanted. But what the hell would he do with his life?
Her words, her offer, registered with him. “You’d help me pay for a P.I. to find my father?”
The look in her eyes floored him. Soft and trusting. “Sure,” she said quietly.
Troy sat up, wrapped his hand around her nape and pulled her close so that his mouth was a fraction away from hers. “That’s a pretty serious offer,” he said against her lips.
“Those are the only kinds of offers I make,” she breathed. Her gorgeous blue eyes slayed him with emotion.
He pulled back, studying her, blown away at the support she was giving him. At the trust she showed him. He should absolutely tell her right this second, but right that second she got tired of waiting for him to make a move, closed the gap between them and pressed her mouth to his.
That’s all it took. The contact of her mouth against his, the soft sigh that she breathed past his lips. He was lost. Lost in the smooth skin under his fingertips, lost in the wondrous way she pushed him down to the mattress and straddled him with incredible legs.
The whole idea still fascinated him. The fact that he’d always led the way when it came to sex, yet with Julie things were different. He purposely didn’t want to rush her or make her feel used, which in turn led her to do the initiating.
It was fucking sexy as hell.
Instead of telling her the truth, he let her take him under, take him to the most incredible sensations, where nothing mattered except her response, the softness of her kiss and the way she gave so unconditionally.
He knew one thing for certain. He was falling hard for Julie Fraser. Harder than he’d ever dreamed possible. And because he had now, because he didn’t want to screw up now with the truth, he did the only thing he could do. He rolled her over and loved her until she came.
* * *
Desert landscape had faded away many hours ago and sun glared through the tall green pine trees in the state of Colorado. Allen glanced over at a peaceful Carrie Ann. She looked like an angel curled in the passenger seat of her car. But he knew better. He’d been horribly uncomfortable when he’d tried to sleep in the same spot. The chair reclined, but not enough to accommodate his legs, and he’d barely dozed as she’d taken the first eight-hour shift behind the wheel.
The sun had risen hours ago and Allen welcomed the new day with a smile. They were almost a thousand miles closer to Julie than they’d been yesterday. At this rate, they’d get to the East Coast in record time. Despite the fatigue, Allen liked this idea. He liked that he was on his way to his destiny. He’d be the perfect birthday present for Julie.
He couldn’t wait to see her face when she found out he’d been the one to send those flower arrangements. Maybe he’d even find a florist shop when they hit town and he’d splurge and buy her a similar arrangement for her birthday. Perfect.
Allen yawned. He’d been driving since early morning and needed to take a piss. Then maybe Carrie Ann could take over for a while. He wouldn’t have any problem falling asleep at this point. He was wiped out.
He pulled onto the ramp leading to a rest stop, and Carrie Ann stirred as if she knew instinctually that he’d gone slightly off course.
She lifted her head and looked around. “What are you doing?” Her sharp tone implied he was the biggest idiot in the car and his grin vanished. She checked her watch. “You still have another two hours to go before it’s my turn.”
Allen found her less and less attractive as they spent more time together. He’d had plenty of time to try to figure out what Julie saw in Carrie Ann as a friend, but hadn’t yet come up with a reason. She complained regularly and bossed everyone around constantly. A real treat to be around if a person wanted to be miserable.
“Unless you want me to pee on your upholstery, we have to stop.”
She rolled her eyes in that way his father used to when the man thought he was dealing with a moron. Allen had been the recipient of that look more times than he could count his senior