She looked at him with disbelief. He was getting rid of her, now that everything was over, and that safe cocoon that had embraced her began to dissolve. “How the hell should I know?” she said, her voice harsh. “I have no house, no clothes, nothing. Drop me at a hotel somewhere.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Then where the hell are you planning on taking me? I won’t go back to that goddamn house on Magazine Street.”
“Not there.”
Oddly enough the traffic was thinning a bit, the highway going from four lanes to three, and she suddenly realized they were driving away from the city, not toward it. “What are you doing?” she said in a calmer voice.
“Taking care of you. You’re hurting,
and you need someone to look after you. That’s what I’m doing.” His voice was matter-of-fact, and for a moment she was cold and silent. She was hurting, and he was looking after her. His words broke the dam inside her, and suddenly she began to weep, loud, noisy sobs.
She had no idea how long she cried—at some point he pulled off the road and parked, hauled her to him and held her as she wept, stroking her back in a soothing gesture. Eventually her sobs slowed, turned into shuddering hiccups, and then into shaky breaths, and he moved his hand up to push her hair away from her wet face.
He’d pulled her over onto his lap, and she’d never felt so safe, so protected in her life. She looked at his impassive face, and she was so tired. All she wanted to do was stay in his arms forever, but she knew that was impossible. “Why are you doing this?” she said in a small voice.
“Doing what?”
“Holding me. Acting like you care about me when I know you think I’m nothing but a pain in the ass.” She felt completely vulnerable, with nothing to hold on to, and she wanted to hold on to him.
To her shock he actually smiled. “You are a pain in the ass. You’re also being deliberately obtuse but I’ll give you that. You’ve had a hard day.”
“You think? So fucking indulge me. What am I being obtuse about?”
He didn’t even hesitate. “I’m in love with you. I’m not even sure I believe love exists, but if it does I’m in it with you, and I’ve given up fighting. You may as well give up too. Love doesn’t seem to respond to common sense and conventional wisdom.”
She looked at him for a long moment. “I gave up long ago,” she said simply, half afraid to admit it.
“Gave up what?” he said warily, as if he wasn’t sure he could believe her words.
“Gave up fighting it.” She gave him a tremulous smile. “Let’s face it—you’re hot. And you save my life, over and over again, you utterly destroy me when we make love, and . . . and I trust you. You’re a good man, whether you believe it or not, and I love you.”
His smile widened as he shook his head. “This isn’t Romeo and Juliet.”
“I don’t want it to be. They died. We’re going to live.”
He kissed her then, sliding his hand behind her neck to bring her mouth to his, and she let herself sink into it, into him, so there was nothing but his mouth, his body hard beneath hers, his rock-solid arms holding her, and when he used his tongue she felt the wet hot lick of desire wash through her, as life filled her veins once more.
She pushed back from him, breaking the kiss. “You don’t have to love me, you know,” she said, suddenly guilty. “I’m not always this pathetic.”
“You’re not pathetic at all. And yes, I have to love you. I’ve given up fighting it. Now why don’t you curl up and get some sleep while I get back on the highway. The Louisiana State Police are broad-minded, but it’s still daylight and I don’t think they’d overlook roadside sex. Don’t worry—I’ll wake you when we find a bed.”
Another knot of hope and desire turned inside her. “But what about your work?”
“Remy can take care of the Committee—I’m long overdue for a vacation, and my partner Bishop can get his ass back from his honeymoon. We’re going to drive until we feel like stopping, and then drive some more.”
“And when we stop?”
“We’ll fuck like rabbits. Does that suit you?”
“Yes,” she said, slipping back into the passenger seat with a shaky sigh. “And I promise not to cry anymore.”
“You can cry all you want. It’s hard to lose a family.”
“Not when you’ve found your real one,” she said.
He kissed her again, short and hard. “Remember that.”