“That actually is easier to move from than this position,” he said, his tone serious but his eyes filledwith amusement.
She put her hands on her hips. “Prove it.”
One of his dark blond eyebrows rose. “You’re certain?”
“Yes.” Her breath caught in her chest.
He moved to his knees. “All right. This is the position you see on television, when the police subdue somebody before arrest, and they have to get it exactly correct.” Then he crossed his ankles, or it looked like he did, and intertwined his fingers at the back of his head.
Wow. Just plain and simply wow. So much hard muscle and so many sharp angles. “What now?”she whispered.
“Don’t be frightened.” He looked like he could stay there all night.
She could watch him sit like that all night. “I’m no—”
Quicker than a heartbeat, he rocked back and shot to his feet, dropping into a fighting stance.
Her chin fell to her chest. “That was incredible.”
He grinned and straightened to his full height. “Aw, shucks.” The Southern accent was dead-on. “Nari sent me home with a bottle of wine and said there were wineglasses somewhere in the kitchen. You game?”
She wanted that wine with him more than anything in the world. “Yes.” It was after midnight, this was crazy, and they were half-dressed. “I’d love aglass of wine.”
“Well, we don’t have school tomorrow.” Winking, he turned that spectacular body toward the kitchen and fetched the wine, searching through the cupboards until he found the glasses. He quickly poured the rich, red liquid into them and returned, handing one over. “Guess we siton the floor?”
She gingerly sat, putting her back to the wall and extending her legs.
He followed suit, right next to her, both of them looking at the damaged door. “I put it in place as best as I could.”
She chuckled and took a sip, letting the taste warm her mouth.“This is good.”
He nodded. “So. You were having a nightmare?”
“I get them sometimes.” There was no reason to lie, considering he’d heard her cry out.
He turned his head to look at her. “I prefer your natural hair and eye color. Much warmer, andthey suit you.”
“Thank you,” she said, suddenly shy. “Are youno longer mad?”
“I am not angry, and even if I were, I’d never harm you.” He swirled the wine in his glass. “But I know that you’ve been hurt before, and you’ve been on the run.”
She sighed. It was fairly obvious, considering the disguise. “Yes.”
He looked back at the door. “I’ve put you in danger because of Fletcher, and you were already in danger, so I’m not going to tell you what to do.” He glanced back at her, his eyes brilliant in the soft light. “Running isn’t a good idea, but if that’s what you need, I can get you safely into the UK with new identifications. I promise that Monty Cameron will never find you.”
Monty? Her hand shook. “You investigated me?”
“Yes,” Jethro said, taking her wineglass before she could spill it. “From what I could discern, he beat you, and you ran once you discovered you were pregnant. You were very smart and changed your name a couple of times. He doesn’t know about Trudy.”
Gemma plucked at a string at the bottom of the sweatshirt. She had to make a decision here. Either she trusted Jethro and his team or she didn’t. She went with her gut. “He does know about Trudy. I think Fletcher took our picture at the restaurant and sent it to him.” She exhaled, trying to rid herself of the panic. “He’s coming for us. Now.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jethro went cold. “Fletcher unearthed your true identity and history?”
She nodded. “He must’ve been the one who sent the picture to Monty. I didn’t see him take the shot, but that was the night he acted like an old man and gave me the postcardat the diner.”
Jethro had already checked out the postcard, which the restaurant had been giving away at the entrance. It didn’t mean anything. He cleared his throat, anger burning harshly through his veins. Now Fletcher was just messing with him. But why? Why bring Gemma into it? “I’m sorry.” He put his wineglass next to hers and reached for her hand. “I’m used to getting things done.”
