In Love by Design (The Adventures of Anabel Axelrod) (14 page)

I thought about Luke explaining he was waiting for me to arrive home
, but being too far away to help when Dickie nabbed me. Then I recalled Anna’s muffled laughter during our phone call.

“Because…?”

“Because I was abducting you tonight, but then the dickhead beat me to it,” Luke responded, flashing a white grin across the dim cab that caused tingles to race up and down my body.

The sex kitten voice perked up.
‘This is getting interesting!’

I
’m still not quite recovered from my last shattering climax, but my cha-cha has a mind of its own tonight and couldn’t agree more with the sex kitten.

“You were?” I
put my hand high on his thigh and asked in a throaty whisper, “For My Turn?”

Luke glanced down at my
hopeful face and his return stare was heavy-lidded.

“Damn that Dickie!” I
cursed feelingly. A few silent moments passed by while I went AWOL’ing over several porno scenarios that Luke could be planning for My Turn while my hand idly caressed his thigh. Then I had to shake my head to clear the invading images of another type of Flying J. Not the truck stop, but James Byrd on a trapeze.

‘
And damn that Jazy!’
I muttered to the entertainment of the stomping feet, whistling, and catcalling voices in my head.

Luke was glancing at me with that fascinated raised eyebrow look he got and I
said quickly in reassurance, “It’s okay, it wasn’t your fault Dickie foiled your plans.” I stroked his thigh a few seconds more while feeling depressed, since obviously Luke wouldn’t be telling me this if My Turn was still happening. I had an idea and brightened. “Hey, I don’t mind if you want to tell me a little preview of what you had planned once you abducted me.”

My boyfriend
’s face was innocently bland when he put his larger hand over mine on his thigh and squeezed gently.

“I don’t
think so. We’ll take it easy tonight. Don’t worry, Sweetheart, we’ll have your turn soon, but you’re too tired for what I had planned.”

‘
Easy for him to say!’
I thought, eyeing Luke’s profile with disgruntlement.
‘He’s probably had My Turns with chicks all over the world while I’ve sat in Northfield twiddling my vibrator for ten years.’

Out loud, I agreed
bitterly, “Yes, and I’m much too cranky, too. Anyway, I’m also filthy, have no clothes but this ripped up teddy and little skirt, and I have to open the store in the morning.” I snapped my fingers. “Oh, and someone is out to kill me which is all the more reason for me to go home.”

W
e all know men were fascinated with bugs and science stuff. Wouldn’t removing splinters out of my naked, bloody butt with a sharp tool be the definition of paradise for a man like Torquemada? And what do I get out of that deal, but the teasing glimpses of my lost turn and possibly the inside of his house? Then worse yet, he’d probably want to hold me and cuddle me all night to torture me.

Luke reached for my hand, his big thumb caressing my palm as he spoke. “
Anna was much more helpful besides just telling me your schedule. She’s also arranged yours.”

I stiffened
at those fighting words while Luke chuckled. “Clothes aren’t an issue. Anna packed a bag of things she thought you’d need for a couple days with me,” his lips tightened in a mock grimace, “and it’s damn heavy, so I think you’ll be fine. If anything’s missing, I’ll buy it for you.” He paused to think of my other objections. “You don’t have to open the store tomorrow. In fact, Anna has arranged it with Stella that you don’t have to work until Monday.” Glancing over at my astounded face, he squeezed my hand again, but I still saw his little smile. “I know it’s scary that someone is trying to kill you, but that’s more of a reason to stay with me, not less. I have people on it already at DDL, but we can talk more about that after I’ve removed your splinters.” Luke’s enthusiastic relish saying those words confirmed my thoughts about men and their tools. “I want your input to make sure I haven’t missed any angles and we need to decide what we should tell Jack Banner.” He gripped my hand tighter. “Webster may be helpful, but I’m not risking your life and waiting.”

Slightly mollified,
I had to laugh at myself yet again for being shocked at the adroitness of Luke managing my life and my business. I was crazy attracted to a man who has no problem pleasing me in the bedroom with his willingness to dominate me to my heart’s content. I was naïve to think it wouldn’t spill over into our daily life.

I asked,
“You didn’t call Jack already?”

“
No, I decided I didn’t need the police around if it could be helped. Did you call him yet?”

I shud
dered out a fervent, “God, no!”

Luke
smiled. “That’s one problem solved then.”

I
asked a couple of questions about what he knew of the schedule arrangements at Bel’s for over the weekend. Surprisingly, he answered them to my satisfaction, so I resisted the urge to call Stella and grill her. I leaned against my seat and relaxed. Accepting this loss of control was uncomfortably foreign, but I admit it was a little exciting, too.

We
approached the Faribault exit. Luke’s farm was to the west of 35W and Northfield was east.

Not wanting to bring up this subject
tonight, I nevertheless feel boxed in by my second surprise abduction and felt I had no choice.

“
Luke, before we continue to your house, I have a couple of more issues that we need to get squared away. Can we pull over after you exit?”

Luke
’s glance was quizzical, but he kept calmly stroking my hand while he exited. “Wasn’t I clear about my plan to abduct you tonight?” He looked my way again and his voice was cool. “I answered your questions about the bookstore only because there could be an issue Stella or Anna isn’t aware of that could impact your business, but that’s it.” In the revealing light from an oncoming car, Luke’s eyes gleamed and his face was set in uncompromising lines. He turned the truck west. “You are coming to my house, Anabel, and it’s not open to debate, your agreement, or any of your rules.”

‘Whoever said losing
control is exciting should have their boneheaded, sex-starved brain examined.’

I counted to ten
, and then twenty while musing over why the love of my life seemed so determined to think I wanted to run from him tonight, just like he did earlier when we were speaking of his two week hiatus. When my brother acted in this overbearing way, it was a sure sign of defensiveness because he felt guilty about something he’d done.

Holding my phone for Luke to see, I let him read my TTYL
text already sent to Anna to verify that I had no intentions of leaving him tonight.

I said, “
Geez, Conquistador, I just wanted some face time. What I needed to ask you actually had nothing to do with me making rules or debating about coming to your house.” I laughed grimly. I may love this guy more than bakery treats, but that didn’t mean he can patronize or insult me with impunity, so I added, “But now it will. What you choose to do decides if I will be your unhappy prisoner or your willing guest.”

Luke abruptly pulled off onto a
frontage road facing a sprawling office building surrounded by an enormous parking lot. The sign said this business was Airtech Park. He circled around to face the main road, put the truck in park, and turned to me.

We stared at each other
. I’d say that colorful aura I was mentioning before now had a few silver thunderbolts mixing it up with the golden lightning.

This time I flipped on the dash light.
“Thank you. I have four subjects, not related, and I’m not sure how many questions.”

Luke nodded curtly. “First subject
?”

“
Umm, did you use a condom?’

“Yes.”

I thought this over. “So, you put it on
before
you got in our truck?”

H
e paused and his lips twitched, but he answered tonelessly. “No, when we were kissing.”

Th
at was a relief to hear, since putting it on before would have been a little bizarre, but I replied, “Oh, that sure of me, huh?”

“That hopeful.”

“Good answer.”

Another c
urt nod. “I try.”

I
reached for his hand again and fiddled with my favorite finger, his middle one. ‘Uh…do you still have it on?”

Luke
’s snort of laughter sounded surprised. “The condom? Hell no! I took it off while you were passed out on me.”

I sighed in relief.
“Good, because still having it on would be taking your insatiable desire for me to the creepy side.”

Luke laced his fingers with mine. “It was tempting, but I managed to stop myself.”

Snorting a little myself, I asked, “You understand that I’m serious about not wanting kids?”

“
Yes, I understand your concerns that you’d suck at being a parent, although I think you’d be an awesome mom.” He paused and then added thoughtfully, “Not that I would trust you to walk and hold our baby at the same time.”

I giggled. “Well, I’ve always thought it’s unfair that only the baby gets to ride around in a stroller when there’s plenty of room for two
--and big, strong men like you to push us.”

S
ensuous lips quirked and he mused, “You’re pushing dwarfism, so I guess that’s not too crazy. Next subject?”

Holding onto
my middle while laughing, I managed to gasp out, “What did you take out of Dickie’s pocket and slip into yours when you frisked him tonight?”

Luke’s hesitation was minute. “A DDL & Associates business card.”

That sobered me quickly. “Really? How did Dickie explain that?”

“He claimed to forget
that he had the card in his wallet,” Luke replied, and my boyfriend’s thumb was back to stroking my palm.

I nodded towards our hands.
“Are you trying to distract me?”

“Is that even remotely possible?” Luke countered
in a hopeful voice.

I smiled.
“So where did he get your card?”

“
We don’t hand out business cards like Halloween candy, but they aren’t that hard to come by. I believe your buddy Webster’s exact words were that ‘it came with his instruction packet when investigating the villainess, Anabel Axelrod’.” At my loud sniff and rolling eyes, Luke smiled. “Webster has a partner on the inside working the computers and feeding him intel on their targets. They’ve got quite the racket going on and are pulling down some good coin.”

A
t twenty-five grand a pop, that seemed like a fair assessment. “Did you believe Dickie?”

Luke
’s lips tightened for a second, but then he reluctantly concluded, “Yeah, I guess I did.”

I nodded. “Okay, let me expand on that. Do you believe that was the only reason Dickie had your business card?”

Now there was a definite glint of approval in Luke’s eyes when he pulled me closer. “That is a very good question. I’m not a big believer in criminals telling the truth, so possibly not. But before you ask, he admitted to no other reason for having my card.” He murmured against my hair, “We’ll definitely keep it in mind.”

I sat back to put a
safe distance between us. He may flatter me that I couldn’t be swayed by his tactics, but my cha-cha was a follower and easily influenced by certain peers.

“Yes, we will.
Did he give up his partner’s name?”

Luke noted my
defensive move with amusement, but only replied, “I didn’t ask for a name, but he said his partner is a mate from his hood growing up.”

“Do you think we did the right thing not turning Dickie into the police?”

“Right thing?” Luke repeated. “No. Smart thing? Yes. Dickie doesn’t know who hired him, but if he’s got any brains, he’ll keep quiet that you weren’t left for dead while he searches for information on who did.”

“So you think I’m safe because my enemy thinks I’m almost dead by now?”

“I didn’t find any cameras in the house and I’ve got someone local watching the property, in case anybody shows up. Otherwise, these next twenty-four hours are probably the safest you’ll be until we catch this guy.” After another brief pause, he added ominously, “Unless they’re local and see you around town.”

I sat in
disquieted silence, absorbing the idea someone local could really hate me enough to kill me. Also, I was admiring that Luke had accomplished all this, and beat Dickie up, in the fifteen minutes I waited in the truck.

“Next subject?” Luke prompted.

Setting aside Dickie’s fixing business for now, I ran my hands through my hair and pushed it back behind my shoulders before meeting Luke’s eyes. “About my tainted groveling gift…”

His shout of laughter
rudely interrupted my next subject’s question and I glared in return. This glare was known to stop smart men cold in their tracks, but Luke just smiled wider and flicked my cheek with his finger.