His mouth devoured hers, leaving her nearly as breathless as the orgasm.
She sighed and relaxed in his arms. At peace.
Zack hugged Olivia, holding her tight, close. He didn’t want to let her go.
Something more than sex had happened between them. How much did this woman mean to him? Much, much more than he’d thought before they fell into bed together.
Her breathing grew even, unlabored, and he realized she’d fallen asleep.
He stared at her in the faint light. In sleep, she looked vulnerable-not a word he normally associated with Olivia.
His heart fluttered just a bit, but enough that he questioned his own feelings.
Love. It was not a word he normally associated with women.
But he definitely associated it with this woman.
CHAPTER 28
The sky turned an incredible shade of dark blue moments before a hint of light outlined the mountains behind the North Fork Lodge.
Chris Driscoll took a minute to watch the sunrise from his hiding place in the trees on the northwest side of the property. A year after Bruce killed their mother, before Chris had learned he’d stabbed her to death, they’d moved to a trailer on the outskirts of Grand Junction, Colorado. The trailer was filthy and had a distinct moldy smell, but the mountains outside framed their hovel, the air so crisp and clean and cold that Chris and Angel had spent as much time outside as Bruce allowed.
Often, while Bruce slept off a drinking binge, Chris would take Angel to the far end of the trailer park and they’d watch the sunrise.
A sunrise much like this one.
Angel, I’m so sorry. I loved you more than anything, more than myself.
A brief flicker of light turned Chris’s attention from the sunrise to the porch of the lodge. The two deputies had met up and were sharing a smoke.
He glanced at his watch. They appeared to be doing thirty-minute rotations. He waited as they smoked. Five minutes later one deputy went south, to check out the road and the far meadow. The other went around back to check the rear perimeter and outbuildings.
Good. They were on schedule. He’d wait for one more rotation, verify their route, and then get into position.
Olivia rolled over and into something very warm and hard.
Zack Travis.
She smiled. Last night had been incredible. That was an understatement. She’d never had an orgasm like that, had never been so wanton or turned on in her life.
Sex had never been important to her. Now it was at the top of her list. If it was always like last night.
She watched Zack sleep, his day’s growth of beard making him look more like a pirate than a cop. He slept with only the sheet, though the room was chilled. He had his own internal thermostat. She felt the heat coming off his body.
A smile touched her lips. She was happy. The thought startled her.
Silently, she slid out of bed and found her nightgown on the floor. She slipped it over her head and barefoot, left the room in search of the Krause sisters so she could retrieve her clothes.
Dawn had already crested the mountain. A glance at her watch told her it was after seven. The search for Driscoll had already started. The sheriff would be arriving at seven thirty to pick up her and Zack.
The scent of rich coffee drew her into the kitchen, located in the rear of the lodge. The North Fork Lodge was more like an oversized house than a commercial hotel. She liked it and wondered if, when this was all over, she and Zack could come back for a long, leisurely weekend.
The idea warmed her.
One of the Krause sisters was busy at the counter when Olivia walked in. The helicopter pilot-Josh?-sat at the large round oak table with a cup of coffee and a huge blueberry muffin.
“Sit down,” Ms. Krause said, waving her toward the table.
“Um, I was wondering if my clothes were done? The sheriff will be here soon and I want to be ready.”
“Oh, of course. Follow me. They’re in the laundry room. There’s a bathroom you can change in as well.”
Olivia followed Ms. Krause down a short hall. Her clothes were neatly folded on a table across from an industrial-sized washer-and-dryer unit, her shoes, scrubbed clean, on top.
“The pants were torn, and my sewing skills are lacking, but the seam should hold until you get to a tailor in town.”
“Thank you so much for going to the trouble.”
“It was no trouble at all. Really. I just thank God that poor little girl is all right.” She glanced out the window and frowned. “That poor deputy.”
Olivia followed Ms. Krause’s gaze out the window. She’d met Deputy Will Jeffries last night when he’d arrived to guard the Lodge. Olivia didn’t think Driscoll was stupid enough to show up where there were people, but Quinn and Zack had insisted.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. Jeffries was on the far side of the property, near the barn. He appeared to be just fine and walking the perimeter, as instructed.
“He’s been patrolling the grounds all night. I’ll fix him a thermos of coffee and take it out to him.”
“Um, excuse me, Ms. Krause?”
A tall, elderly man stood a the threshold of the laundry room.
Ms. Krause slapped the side of her head with her hand. “Oh, Mr. Crenshaw, I’m so sorry I forgot you and Mrs. Crenshaw had an early flight. With everything going on…” she waved her hand. “I’ll get your breakfast as soon as I take care of the deputy out there.”
“I’d be happy to take Deputy Jeffries the thermos, Ms. Krause,” Olivia said. “I’ll just get dressed and meet you in the kitchen.”
“You’re a sweetheart, dear. Thank you.”
Ms. Krause ushered her guest down the hall. Olivia used the bathroom to change, then folded the borrowed nightgown and left it on the table in the laundry room. She finger-combed her hair as she walked back to the kitchen.
With a broad smile, Ms. Krause handed her a thermos and said, “I’ll have breakfast for you and your people in just a few minutes, dear.”
“That’s not necessary,” Olivia said, though the smells of sizzling bacon and oranges made her stomach growl. Food had been her lowest priority since she’d arrived in Seattle.
“Nonsense. It’ll be ready. Beth already went upstairs to inform your partner and that nice-looking married couple. Oh, and I saw the deputy go into the barn a minute ago.”
“Thank you, Ms. Krause.” Olivia wasn’t about to argue with food. She needed it. She took the thermos and stepped out onto the porch.
Zack rolled over to pull Olivia to him, but his arm felt only a warm spot on the sheets. He opened his eyes and frowned. “Liv?”
He got up and pulled on his boxers, then his jeans. Olivia wasn’t in the room, but he figured she’d gone down to get her clothes or meet with her friend Miranda.
He heard knocking across the hall. He opened the door and saw Quinn outside his room. Quinn looked at him for a moment, his face unreadable.
“What’s going on?” Zack asked, shutting Olivia’s door behind him and crossing the hall to his room.
Quinn followed him inside. “I just spoke with the sheriff.”
“Is he here?”
“He’s fifteen minutes out. The search team found Driscoll’s trail and they think he’s on his way here.”
“To the lodge?”
“Yes. He alerted his deputies who are outside, and another team is on its way up to secure the house. I wanted to brief you, then head down and talk to the Krauses and guests.”
“Why would he come here?” Zack went into the bathroom, where he’d rinsed out his T-shirt the night before. It hung stiffly over the shower bar, but he pulled it on, rolling his shoulders to stretch it.
“If I were him? To steal a vehicle. He might assume the police will be tracking him, not securing property in the area. This is the closest occupied residence to where he crashed the truck.”