When she didn't reply, Joe said, “Tamara sends her love.”
Luna concentrated on spitting and rinsing. She couldn't remember any other man standing around, idly rubbing her neck while she brushed her teeth, but then, she'd never met a man like Joe.
When she'd finished, she walked around him. His hand fell to his side. “I'm packed already. I hadn't gotten that much out of my car. Tell me what you want me to do.”
Joe nodded. His expression was searching, determined, but also teasing. “All right. Take off your clothes and get into my bed.”
She jerked around to face him.
One side of his mouth curled, as if he'd only wanted a reaction from her, something other than her obvious disgruntlement. “Oh, you mean to get ready to leave?” He flicked the end of her nose. “Sure thing.”
Together they retrieved his suitcases. While Luna packed away several pairs of jeans and T-shirts and shorts, Joe dressed. She noticed that he seemed a lot more limber now, so maybe he was feeling better. His normal masculine grace was missing, but he finished clothing himself without too much groaning and cursing.
Watching him, Luna asked, “Should you take another pain pill?”
“Hell no. I want to stay alert.” He deftly buckled on a thick, black leather belt. “I'm not convinced our buddy won't return.”
“You don't have to say that with so much relish, you know.”
He glanced up at her, then picked up the balisong knife on his nightstand and slid it into his front pocket. “Believe me, nothingâother than you naked and willingâwould give me more satisfaction at the moment than getting hold of Bruno.”
She almost hit him. “Damn it, Joe, stop with the sexual barbs, okay?”
He turned away, opened the nightstand drawer, and pulled out a box of condoms. He tossed them atop his piled clothes in the suitcase. “I want you to know I want you. That was our deal, remember? I go along, you put up with my attempts at seduction.”
“Seduction? I half expect you to club me over the head and drag me off by the hair any minute.”
“Would that work?”
Her teeth clicked together. “No. And why me, anyway? According to you, you had two willing, adoring women here when I arrived. Why not make it easy on yourself?”
He slanted a cautious look her way and closed the suitcase. “Is this one of those tricky female questions where I hang myself no matter what I say?”
“Probably.” She crossed her arms and stood in front of him, waiting. When he remained silent, she said, “It's just because I've said no, isn't it? You're not used to rejection. I'm a challenge.”
His teeth flashed at her. “Your faith in my ability is awesome.”
“Just repeating what you've told me, again and again.”
“Well, I wouldn't lie, now, would I? But maybe I've exaggerated.” He looked at her mouth, then didn't look away. “There have been other women turn me down, you know.”
“Someone said no to Joe Winston, stud extraordinaire?” Luna laughed, but the way Joe watched her so intently felt like a caress. “Really? How incredible.”
“It's usually not a big deal.” He reached up and touched her cheek, mixing the impact of his hot look with the tenderness of a lover's touch. “When one woman says no, another says yes. Sex is just sex. But I haven't wanted any other woman since meeting you.”
That threw her completely off balance. Why, it had been three months, and for a man like Joe that had to be a lifetime. “I'm expected to believe . . .”
“Believe what you want, babe.” He bent and kissed her forehead, lingering for a heartbeat until her eyes closed and her lips parted. “But it won't make any difference. One way or another I'm going to get your panties off you, and then we'll both have a helluva time. I promise.”
He walked away, leaving Luna befuddled and too warm and suddenly . . . curious. What would it be like toâ
No.
She couldn't start thinking that way. This trip was meant to gain her two children, not a man. Definitely not Joe. If she dallied with him, she'd end up with a world of hurt; she had no doubts about that.
For whatever unfortunate reasons might exist, Joe had already impacted her more than any other man she knew. Despite her outward appearance of flightiness, Luna prided herself on remaining grounded in reality, and her current reality was the responsibility of two emotionally needy children. Even if she wanted to risk her own heart, she couldn't let the kids become attached to him because she knew Joe wasn't ready to settle down. The most she could hope for was that he'd get along with the kids, befriend them, help her get things settled, then move on without too many hurt feelings.
And that meant she had to keep things platonic, despite what Joe wanted, and despite what, deep down, she wanted.
“Luna knows all and sees all,” she whispered, mocking herself, “and Luna sees a lot of heartache headed her way.” Shaking her head and shoring up her determination, Luna lugged the overstuffed suitcase off the bed and began dragging it into the living room.
By six
A.M.
they were ready to go.
Chapter Five
J
oe stood beside Luna while Zane slammed the tailgate shut on the truck and again checked the hitch where they'd chained Luna's small Contour. They would have already been on their way if Luna hadn't insisted on taking her car, too. She claimed she wanted her own transportation, not to be dependent on Joe. Since Joe felt the same, Zane had stopped and rented an appropriate hitch, and they were now towing Luna's car behind his Dodge Ram.
Their plans hadn't made Zane happy, but then, Zane had arrived grumbling and hadn't stopped yet. His brown hair was disheveled, his eyes tired, proof that Joe had gotten him out of a cozy bed and taken him away from his even cozier wife. Zane had always been an insatiable hound dog, but since marrying Tamara, he'd only gotten worse, much to Joe's amusement.
To further annoy his cousin, Joe said, “Damn, Zane. You're more fretful than an old woman, I swear. Tamara has you whipped, doesn't she?”
Both Zane and Luna scowled at Joe, almost making him laugh out loud. At the moment, he seemed to be the only one in a good mood. But then, he was heading off for an adventure with Luna. From his perspective, things were looking up.
“Well, shoot me for caring,” Zane grouched. “I still don't understand why the hell you didn't tell anyone you'd been beat to a pulp.”
“What would you have done, cousin? Come up and played nursemaid? Served me soup in bed? Held a cold compress to my head? Checked me for fever?”
Zane pokered up in indignation. “I could have put you out of your misery.”
That made Joe chuckle. “Thanks but no thanks. I'm fine, getting finer by the minute actually.” He blew a kiss to Luna, who appeared to search for a rock, presumably to hit him with. Damn, but she was adorable in a snit, and she'd been in a snit since he'd told her they were leaving.
Before that, though, when he'd lost his senses and nearly taken her against the wall, she'd been so hot he could have made love to her for hours without a single notice given to his aches and pains. The feel of her satiny bottom was burned into his brain. And the way her inner muscles had clamped onto his finger when he'd pressed into her . . . Damn. He couldn't wait to feel that hot, hungry hold on his cock.
“Earth to Joe.”
With a start, Joe returned his attention to Zane. His voice was rougher, warmer, when he said, “If I bugged you every time some son of a bitch got in a lucky punch, you'd never see the end of me.”
Zane shook his head in disgust. “You're whatâalmost forty now?”
“Bite your tongue! I'm thirty-six.” And he was feeling every cursed year. Why, in his twenties he would have already bounced back from a similar beating. Now, however, it took all his concentration to stand up straight.
“You're old enough to stop playing the tough guy and settle down before someone gets lucky enough to kill you.”
“If I settled down, I'd be bored to tears in a week. No thanks, Zane. I like what I do.” But he wouldn't mind taking an extended break with Luna.
The late June sun dawned bright, breaking the lingering shadows of the hot night, forcing Zane to shield his eyes. “Think about it while you're on this trip.” He glanced over at Luna, who busied herself by slipping on her dark sunglasses. “You might find marital bliss agrees with you.”
Joe grinned and put an arm around Zane while they headed to the passenger's side of the truck. The hold looked friendly, when in truth Joe needed his cousin's support. He leaned heavily on Zane, making him scowl. “Why is it,” Joe asked, “that every guy who ties the knot wants to see that same noose wrapped around other male throats?”
“Wisdom?”
“This is funny coming from a man who shared my sentiments not that long ago.”
Zane shrugged. “Till I met the right woman. Just wait. When you meet the right one, you'll feel the same.”
Joe considered them all right in one way or another. Not that he'd say so now with Luna surreptitiously listening in. She didn't respond to Zane's comments, but Joe saw the color rise in her face. Anger or embarrassment? Didn't matter to him. Either way, he found her adorable.
Over the roof of his truck, he said, “You sure you're okay driving the whole way?”
Joe couldn't see her eyes through her sunglasses, but he could hear the bite in her tone. “Would you ask me that if I were a guy?”
“Uh . . . no. But, Luna, you're not a guy.”
“Just shut up, Joe.” She opened her door and climbed up into the truck, sliding in behind the wheel. Joe laughed. Definitely anger.
To Zane, he said, “She's pretty damn entertaining, isn't she?”
“In rare moments.” The engine kicked over with a rumble, giving Zane an opportunity to speak confidentially. “Bluster aside, you sure you're up to this?”
“Baby-sitting a couple of kids? Yeah, sure.”
“It's not that easy, you know. From what I understand, you're walking into a passel of trouble with half the town in an uproar.”
“No shit?” Had Luna misled him? Did it matter? Hearing that the situation might be worse than he'd been told only made Joe more determined to be there for her, to protect her and help her. To maybe see a little action.
“If I'd known you were at war with this Bruno Caldwell guy,” Zane admitted, “I wouldn't have recommended you to Luna.”
“Then I'm glad you didn't know . . .” Joe stiffened, and his words trailed off with the familiar prickling of his senses. Muscles drawing tight in preparation of a threat, he scanned the area and immediately focused on a car parked across the street. Behind the wheel sat a large man. His blond hair was nearly hidden beneath a low cap, and sunglasses masked his face. He wasn't looking at them now, but a hard stare was a tangible thing, and Joe had already felt it.
They were being watched.
Keeping the car and driver in sight and shushing Zane at the same time, Joe tried to decide how to proceed, but already the man began readjusting something in the seat beside him. He glanced up at Joe and put the car in gear.
“Goddammit . . .” Joe started toward the street in a trot, but he'd barely stepped off the curb before the car sped away, kicking up gravel and dust. Well-trained, Joe made note of the car model and memorized the license plate as the car went down the street.
Zane trotted up behind him. “What the hell's going on?”
“I need a pen and paper.” Joe turned away and almost ran into Luna. He caught her upper arms to steady her, then said, “
AM
768U.”
“What?”
“Remember that.” He pushed past her and went to the truck to retrieve his cell phone. “Get a pen and paper for me, honey.” He dialed, and got an answer on the second ring. “Hey, it's Joe. Yeah, run some plates for me, okay?”
Joe was aware of Zane and Luna standing by him, silent and watchful. He knew they were oblivious to the connections he'd made throughout his career of various jobs, but they were about to witness the advantages of knowing people.
“Ready?” Joe accepted the pen and slip of paper that Luna handed to him. As he spoke, he wrote the number down. “Gold Sebring convertible. Ohio plates. Amy-Mary-768-Unicorn. Yeah, you can call me back on my cell phone.” He recited his number, then hung up.
Luna clutched at his arm. “Joe? What is it?”
Joe tucked the paper into his pocket. “We were being watched.”
“You're sure?” She looked around with new awareness and irritation.
Joe wanted to curse himself. Alarming her had never been his intent, but at the same time, he knew he'd do whatever was necessary to keep her safe, and it wouldn't hurt for her to be on guard. “No, but I don't believe in coincidence.”
“Was it that damn Bruno Caldwell again?”
She looked ready to do bodily harm on his behalf. Joe shook his head. “I couldn't see the guy well, but he appeared younger, with longish dark blond hair almost touching his shoulders. Bruno is mostly bald and very dark.”
She twisted her mouth in thought. Joe wondered if she even knew she still held on to him. “Should we call the police?”
Slipping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her protectively close to his body, Joe asked, “And tell them what? That some bastard was watching us from across the street? There's no law against that.” He urged Luna back to the truck and behind the wheel. The sooner they got out of town, the better. “No, I'd rather do this my way.”
Zane tightened his mouth. “What the hell does that mean?”
“It means I trust myself and my own capabilities more than anyone else.”
“I don't like this.” Zane crossed his arms over his chest. At six-two, he stood an inch shorter than Joe and was a good forty pounds lighter, but at the moment he managed to look big enough. He nodded to Joe's hand. “You intend to use that on him if you catch him?”
Startled, Joe saw that he had retrieved his balisong knife without even realizing it. He was twitchy enough with the situation to flip it open and shut, open and shut. The blade was long and lethally sharp, and when he held it, it became an extension of his arm. Balisong knives weren't meant for throwing, but when Joe locked it open, he could propel it with deadly accuracy. He was so used to the knife he could open it faster than a switchblade.
When the intruder had come into his apartment earlier, he'd deliberately left the knife behind. His night vision was better than good, but with Luna on the couch, or maybe lurking around, he hadn't wanted to take any chances that she'd get sliced by accident.
Joe flipped the knife shut and tucked it away. “Yeah, I'll use it if I need to.” At that moment, he met Luna's gaze and saw her apprehension. He turned away from her and muttered low to Zane, “Damn it, you're scaring Luna. Quit worrying and just close the place up tight for me, okay?”
“Promise me you'll be careful.”
Curling his lip, Joe said, “Yes, Mother.” Being coddled by his cousin was a most discomfitting happenstance. “By the way, I contacted Alyx. She should be here soon to lend you a hand. She knows what things are mine, and what came with the apartment. Make damn sure she's never left alone, though, okay? You know how she is. If she sees anyone spying on the place, she's liable to go right up to them and demand they turn themselves over to the law.”
Zane grinned despite his bad mood. “She's still fearless, huh?”
“Fearless and flippant and brassy as hell.” Joe didn't like to consider all the ways his sister's personality mirrored his own. He'd been a very bad influence on her. “I swear she'll never marry because she scares all the guys half to death.”
“She's a little like Luna in that respect.”
Lowering his voice even more, Joe said, “Yeah, well, Luna doesn't scare me. I can handle her.”
“Spoken like a man blinded with lust. You know you're going to eventually eat those words, right?” Zane shook his head and laughed. “God, I just hope I'm around to see it.”
“Don't hold your breath, okay?” He gave Zane a light shove to get him back on track. “After you pack up the rest of my stuff, turn the keys over to the landlord and split. I'm paid up a month in advance, but if there's a problem with the lease, just let me know. Alyx can store my things. Got it?”
Luna stuck her head out the window. “Are we leaving sometime today, or do you two biddies plan to gossip all damn day?”
Just that easily, she lightened his mood. “Nag, nag, nag.” Joe startled his cousin by pulling him into a bear hug. His sore ribs protested, but it was worth it for Zane's reaction. He walked away while Zane sputtered behind him. After sliding into the seat next to Luna, Joe buckled his seat belt and gave a weary groan. “Mind if I doze while you drive? I'm a little tuckered out from all the excitement.”
Just as Joe had intended, her anger evaporated. Funny how Luna had always hidden that wide nurturing streak of hers. He liked it. He liked her, and he had no qualms with her rush of concern. With most women, it had felt smothering, but with Luna, it just felt . . . nice.
She began fussing over him. “Do you need a pain pill? I have them in my purse. And here, I thought you might want a pillow, so I brought one with us.” She pushed it behind his head while Joe reclined his seat a little and stretched out his long legs. “Get comfortable and relax. I'll wake you when I stop for gas, okay?”
Zane leaned into the car. “Quit spoiling him, Luna. He's insufferable enough as it is.”
“I know,” she said with gentle sweetness, “but I'd hate to see even a snake suffer.”
Zane laughed while Joe pretended to be insulted, but in truth, he didn't mind her quips. He knew Luna was struggling with things. Smarting off was her way of dealing with the strength of her attraction to him. He wasn't blind. He knew she felt the chemistry almost as much as he did.