A Perfect Storm
Page 108

“Tired?” Spencer asked after parking his truck.
“Relaxed.” She smiled at him. “I feel almost as boneless as I do when you have sex with me.”
That left him mute with arousal.
Not Arizona. “Do you mind if I leave my gifts in your truck for now?”
So she was tired. “I could carry them in.”
She shook her head. “That’s okay.” Holding her sandals in her hand, she opened her door and got out. “It’s late. We can get them tomorrow.”
“All right.” And though his suspicions grew, he couldn’t put his finger on the reason why.
As they went up the walkway, she glanced at Marla’s place several times, and when Marla peeked out the window, Arizona lifted her hand in a wave.
Not a “gotcha” wave but more like a genuine greeting.
Marla dropped the curtain without reciprocating, and that made Arizona sigh. “She’s so hung up on you.”
“I don’t think so, but if she is, she’ll get over it.” Marla was not a woman to pine long for a man, and she wouldn’t waste her time on a lost cause.
Spencer was lost. So damn lost that he didn’t know if he was coming or going anymore—all because of Arizona.
He didn’t understand her. Nothing new in that, though. He could spend every day with her for the rest of his life, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever completely know her.
Finding that a disturbing thought, he unlocked the front door and stepped inside. He flipped on a light.
Dropping her shoes by the door, Arizona took one of his hands in both of hers and started backing toward the bedroom. “So, Spence. Are you going to keep me in suspense?”
He knew exactly what she meant, but she’d gone so long without asking, he decided to tease her. “About what?”
“Don’t make me force it out of you.” Once in his bedroom, she stepped up close and went on tiptoe to twine her arms around his neck. “Not when there are other things I’d rather be doing to your big gorgeous bod.”
So up front and honest in her desire; he’d accomplished that much, anyway. He liked it. He liked her.
Probably too much.
Was Dare right? Should he look at things from a different perspective?
Arizona bit his bottom lip. “Spill the beans, already. Are you joining up with the guys or not?”
He clasped her waist. “I told Trace I’d think about it, and I will.”
“Oh, come on.” She leaned in and took another soft bite, this time on his chest. “You know if you’re in or not.”
“And you care…why?” He liked her in this playful mood. But hell, he liked her when she was prickly and when she was obstinate, and when she blustered with bravado, too. “Because of the money?”
“Pffft. Get real.”
But he was half serious. On a bounty hunter’s pay, he lived a frugal lifestyle, not at all as posh as the others. Their homes were like vacation destinations. Dare had more than one boat, each probably costing twice what Spencer had paid for his truck when it was new. Jackson made enough that he wanted to give Arizona a house for her birthday.
They could all retire now and be set for life.
But Spencer knew they wouldn’t. In fact, they wanted to expand their enterprise—with him.
“You don’t like the idea of financial security?”
“Sure, I guess.” Grumbling, she left him to sit on the side of the bed. “But apparently, if Jackson gets his way, I’ll already be a homeowner and stuff. What else would I need?”
She wanted so little from life. Did it truly not matter to her at all? Hands on his hips, Spencer dropped his head. “I don’t know.”
“About their offer?” She studied him. “About what you’re going to do?”
“There’s a lot to consider.”
“I know.” She smoothed a hand over the blankets to keep from looking at him. “Like whether or not you want to be stuck that close to me, right?”
Ah, hell. What could he say to that? It definitely factored in—but as an incentive. A dangerous incentive.
At his hesitation, she went on, saying, “I mean, Jackson is all into claiming me as a little sis, and the other guys…they’ve sort of accepted me.”
“They’ve totally accepted you.” Spencer needed her to understand that and to believe it.
“Yeah.” She looked up at him. More sun colored her nose now, as well as her shoulders. “And the women…I think I scare them a little, and they pity me, but they’re nice enough.”
Spencer sat beside her. The bed dipped, and her hip pressed into his. “You’re wrong. They’re in awe of you, they told me so. They admire you, same as I do. And yes, they’re sorry for what happened to you, but they know it hasn’t slowed you down. If anything, it’s made you stronger.”
“Yeah, right.” She folded her hands between her knees and swung her bare feet. “So strong, I’m afraid of a lake.”
God, she’d become so precious to him, in such a short time. Spencer brought her chin around. “So strong that, afraid or not, you got in the water.”
“Only because you were there with me.”
That soft admission leveled him. He whispered back, “You’re so strong that it scares the hell out of me.”
“Why?”
Because he had to, he kissed her. Short and sweet and nowhere near satisfying. “I know there’s no reining you in, much as I’d like to.”