Dani merely stared at her with confusion.
"You don't have a clue where you are, do you?" Sam asked suddenly, and shook her head before adding, "And I don't have the time to explain. I'm already late for work." Sam tapped her fingers impatiently on the marble countertop and then blew out an exasperated breath and started to move past her. "I guess we'll just have to wake Decker. I hate to do it, but it's his own fault. I told him he should wake you up last night, but-" She shrugged.
"It's all right," Dani said quickly. "If you're running late, just tell me where he is and I'll find and ask him myself."
"Oh, thank you," Sam said with relief as she swung back. She immediately headed for a purse that sat perched on the empty counter next to a door at the far end of the room. "He's in his room. Sleeping. They all are. It's daylight and they were up all night searching for your sister."
"Stephanie?" Dani asked with sudden alarm, and when Sam nodded, asked, "Wasn't she at the airport?"
Sam paused with her hand on her purse, her expression troubled, but then she simply said, "I really have to go to work, Dani, and this isn't going to be a fast-and-easy-answer kind of deal. I think Decker should explain to you."
"Where is his room?" she asked abruptly, anxious to learn about her sister.
"The room next after yours," Sam said with obvious relief that she hadn't insisted that Sam explain. She picked up her purse and slipped the strap over her shoulder as she added, "He wanted to be close in case you woke up. Not that it made much difference."
Nodding, Dani turned back the way she'd come.
"Dani?" Sam called, stopping her.
She turned back in question.
"Don't be too mad at Decker. He's a pretty good guy from what I know of him. And finding a life mate can apparently put a person off their stride to say the least." Sam smiled wryly as she said that and then turned and headed out the door behind her.
Dani caught a glimpse of the interior of a garage with three vehicles parked inside and then the door closed. She waited until she heard an engine start, and then turned and headed back up the hall, her temper rising with each step. She was furious that she'd been allowed, or possibly made, to sleep through the events of last night and now didn't know what the heck was going on. Other than the fact that her sister was apparently still missing, she had no idea what had happened. The last thing she recalled was rolling around in the back of the SUV with Decker-a rather poor description of what had taken place, Dani acknowledged. Those few moments of passion had been like nothing she'd ever before experienced. They were burned in her brain, as was the image of the puncture marks on her neck. Even so, they still didn't burn as brightly as her anger by the time she retraced her steps, passed her room, and moved to the next door up.
Dani stopped there and raised her hand to knock, and then paused. She'd had every intention of rapping furiously at the door to wake the man, but mindful of the fact that Sam had said they all were sleeping, she hesitated. Dani had no idea who they all were, but if they all had been up all night searching for her sister, she had no desire to repay them by disturbing their sleep. Decker, however, was another matter. She'd really like to smack him... and decided she would as she reached for the doorknob.
Decker had had trouble getting to sleep and didn't think he'd slept long at all when he was attacked by what he was at first sure must be a wildcat. It was hissing and snarling as it knelt half on him and raked sharp claws over his face.
Snapping his eyes open, he grabbed at the creature, instinctively rolling to wrestle it to the mattress so that he could press his lower body over it to keep it from trying to scratch with its back legs. Decker had dealt with wild felines before.
Only once he'd come down on her body and forced her arms to the floor on either side of her head did he wake enough-and his bleary eyes clear enough-for him to realize it wasn't a cat but a woman.
"Oh. Dani." Decker let his forehead drop to rest briefly on her chest as he regathered himself. He then raised it to offer her an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I was asleep and thought you were-"
"You bit me!" she snapped, interrupting him..
Decker's eyes dropped to her throat to see the proof of his naughtiness the night before and he stared at it, very aware of the feel of her body beneath his as he recalled giving her those puncture wounds... and the hickey, he realized, spotting that as well.
Damn, Decker thought as he peered at the bruising. That was a good one, but he hoped the men didn't see it. They might start calling him Hoover.
"You bit me," Dani repeated, hissing the words in what he suspected was an effort not to be overheard. It explained why he'd thought she was a cat, he supposed, and then stiffened as she began to wiggle beneath him, struggling to be free. Decker slept naked and could feel the cool air on his bare behind where he lay on her with only the sheet caught between them. He could also feel himself hardening as she shifted about, trying to dislodge him.
"You might want to stop that," Decker warned.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she growled, sounding amazingly like a wet, angry cat.
"Actually, I'd rather you kept wiggling about. It's you who I don't think would enjoy the consequences," he said wearily, shifting his hips to press his erection against her and make his point. Satisfied by the way she suddenly stilled, he added solemnly, "I am sorry about biting you. I'm afraid I just got a little overexcited. But to be fair, you did bite me too."
"I did no..." Dani paused mid-denial, her eyes flickering as she apparently remembered sinking her teeth into his shoulder. It had been a good bite too, not some little nip. The woman had left marks. Fortunately, he'd been so excited himself he'd barely felt it.
Decker saw her eyes slip to his shoulder with worry, and knew she was concerned she'd done more damage to his gunshot wound. He wasn't surprised when her eyes widened incredulously.
"It's gone," she breathed with amazement.
He didn't glance down, knowing Dani was talking about the bullet wound. It had been completely healed and gone by the time he'd lain down to sleep this morning. There wasn't even a scar anymore.
"Dear God," she breathed, sounding dismayed, and he thought she was still reacting to his healing abilities when she suddenly screeched, "You're naked!"