“I’ll check the house when we get back,” Ian said.
“Check it for what?”
“Bugs.”
She glanced up at him. “Bugs?”
A little grin flashed over his mouth but disappeared before she could appreciate it. “The listening kind, not the crawly kind.”
Her mouth dropped open—first to reject the idea, then to question, and finally, “Oh shit” popped out.
She scoured her mind for everything she’d said and done over the past few months. Repeated, “Oh, shit” and dropped her head into her hands, covering her face.
He squeezed her shoulders. “Try not to worry. What’s done is done. How you move forward knowing, that’s in your court now.”
She felt the walls closing in on her again. The way they always did whenever Hank took aggressive action against her—like filing for sole custody of their son.
She couldn’t do this anymore. She couldn’t stand the stress. The fear. She wanted out. “Do you know how I could get one of those false passports?”
His gaze jumped to hers. “What?”
“Okay, maybe not a passport. Maybe a birth certificate? Something that I could use to create a new identity?”
“That’s…drastic.”
“Believe me, I’ve tried everything else.” A little bubble of panic inflated in her gut. “And he’s filed for custody of Jamison.”
“What?” Ian’s caustic laugh filled the cab. “That’s a fucking joke.”
“Judges in this county won’t think so.”
“Let’s take this one step at a time. You’ve got a good start with those passports you grabbed. And I know you’re stealthy about recording interactions with him and his deputies. Now I know you’ve got pictures. We need to sit down and put everything you have together.”
She snuggled closer and lifted her lips to his jaw. Having his arm holding her close, his warmth surrounding her, made her feel positively giddy, despite the bullshit Hank continued to pull. And, God, he smelled so good, all clean and citrusy fresh. The stubble on his jaw felt foreign but exciting against her lips. She kissed him again. Moved lower, kissed him again. Lower, kissing his neck.
A deep growl sounded in his throat, and he held her tighter. “Baby…”
Warmth tingled through her chest. After so long without any male attention, the endearment felt good on her heart. And his hard body felt amazing against hers.
She kissed him just below his ear, then took the lobe between her lips and sucked.
Another sound rolled through his throat. “Savannah.”
His voice was rough with desire and warning, and her body flared to fiery life. She felt safe and wanted, allowing her to take a chance.
She slid her hand across his belly and around his side. Bent one knee and laid it over his thigh. Pressed her face against his neck and opened her mouth over his skin, tasting with her tongue.
“Jesus Christ,” he rasped. “I can’t think when you do that.”
“Mmm,” she hummed against his skin. “You taste good.”
It had been so damn long since she’d been this close to a man. Since she’d even wanted to be close to a man. She was aching by the time he pulled the truck into the alley behind their duplex.
He parked behind his unit, shut down the engine, then twisted toward her. He tightened his arm around her and cupped her face with his other hand.
Instead of kissing her the way she wanted and expected, he just stared at her, scanning her face, his gaze lingering on her mouth. “I’m going to check the house.”
He combed her hair off her face and kissed her, just a firm press of his lips. But that wasn’t enough for Savannah. She desperately needed an escape. She slid her tongue along his lower lip. Ian responded immediately, meeting her tongue and groaning into her mouth.