We hold each other for a while. But the outside world, the dangerous situation we find ourselves in that was held at bay while we lived in our own little oasis of pleasure, comes creeping back in.
I have to do certain things to make sure my angel is safe. To make sure that she leaves here tomorrow unharmed and with all the evidence she needs to clear her name.
I press my lips to hers one last time and get up to get dressed. Naomi seems to realize it’s a goodbye kiss and grabs my arm. Her body had just been languid, clearly sated from the pleasure we just shared. But she’s suddenly alert, and her grip is desperate. “Where are you going?”
“I’m sorry, darlin’. I don’t want to leave you, but I have to go out. I’m going to run out of night, and there are things I need to prepare to make sure we can do this.”
"We can prepare together," she insists.
I gently take her hand from my arm and pull it to my lips, pressing a kiss to her palm before releasing it. "No. There are some things I need to do that only I can.”
She’s about to pick up and dust off the arguments she just made about not letting her help. I stop her before she can pick up speed. “You were right. I’m going to need your help tomorrow. But I need to prepare tonight. Alone.”
She stills. “You’re going to let me help?”
I nod. “I’m going to need it.”
“And you’re not running away?” She smiles like she’s joking. But naked save for the sheet wrapped around herself, I feel how vulnerable she is.
I shake my head slightly, a smile of surrender on my lips. “No, darlin’. I’m not running. You’ve captured me again. Heart, soul, and body. But I need to make sure that I've earnedthis." I gesture back and forth between us. "That I've earned you."
Her eyes soften. "That's not how this works. This isn't something you earn. It's something we both choose."
"Maybe." I move toward the door. "But I need to know I've done everything I can to keep you safe." I reach for my jacket. "Get some sleep. I'll be back in a couple of hours."
"Promise?" she asks with half a grin on her pretty face.
“I promise."
My hand is on the doorknob. But I turn and cover the room in two strides, planting my lips on hers once more; our tongues tangle, and our moans harmonize.
When the kiss ends, I say, “Lock the door, darlin’.”
“Don’t take too long.”
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” And I mean it. Because whatever happens tomorrow, whatever comes after, I’ll be with her. I've lived too long in darkness not to recognize the light when I find it.
When I exit the motel, something has shifted. Some of it is good, like what Naomi and I shared.
But in the cool desert night air, away from my angel, I feel something else.
Like there’s a clock ticking. I can’t explain why. So far, I don’t think we’ve been made.
But I feel something coming. Like the pressure changing before a storm.
And I want us to get what we need and get out of here before that storm comes crashing down on us.
Twenty-One
I'm sitting across from Naomi in a worn vinyl booth, watching her stir cream into her coffee. The morning light streams through the diner's dusty windows, casting a golden glow across her face. She was, of course, still awake when I got back from preparing for today. But I ordered her to sleep while I sat in the chair. I told her I wasn’t going to let anyone get the drop on us when we were so close to completing our mission.
Which was true enough. But we were both clearly clamoring for round two. And I didn’t trust myself to lie next to her.
And staying up all night watching her sleep hasn’t helped matters. As I sit across from her, she’s wearing jeans and a simple gray tank top, another from the multipack. She is steak in front of a starving dog.
"More coffee, hon?" Maude appears beside our table, coffeepot in hand, a well-worn but genuine smile in place
"Please," Naomi says, flashing that disarming smile of hers. "It's life-giving this morning."
