“He’s on his way back to the van. Where are you?”
“Pulling out of the lot now,” Storm answers. “Let me know when he steps outside.”
Travis types a few things and I see the screen change from one security camera before he flicks back to another one. “You’re good. He can’t decide what fucking snack to get.”
“Priorities, man.” Chance laughs.
“Pulling onto the interstate now,” Blaze calls and Travis flicks through a few cameras again before nodding to himself.
“He’s paying now. I’ll keep an eye on him for a bit.”
They hang up but Travis remains focused on the screen and I climb out of bed before walking over to him and leaning on his shoulders as the man walks out of the gas station and sees his empty van.
“Is he going to call the cops?” I ask, wondering if they made it look like a kidnapping and Travis shakes his head.
“Naw. She left him a note that tells him not to come looking for her.”
I purse my lips as he stands outside his vehicle, raking his hands through his hair. “But the kids… wouldn’t that make y’all accessories to kidnapping the kids?”
“They aren’t his kids. He married Anne eighteen months ago and immediately started beating her so she never let him adopt them. She said she had to get out before he turned on her kids.”
“What happened to their real dad?”
He shrugs. “He’s dead but I don’t know what happened to him.”
“That’s so sad.”
“Yeah,” he answers with a nod. “But you can go back to whatever you were doing over there. I’ll just be another few minutes with this.”
I hold my hands up in surrender and back away from him. “Kicking me out, huh?”
“Never.” His gaze flicks to mine and the sincerity shining in his eyes almost knocks me off my feet. I wouldn’t say that we’ve both been clingy lately but we have definitely been leaning on each other to get through all of the shit going on around us and honestly, I don’t know what I would do without him. Somehow, he keeps me sane despite the chaos and I think I do the same for him. Or, at least, I hope I do. “What are you working on over there?”
“I’m looking for a job,” I say as I crawl back into bed with a sigh and scoop up my newspaper, scanning the help wanted section again. There are quite a few jobs listed but none of them have really caught my eye yet. Although, I suppose it would help if I had any idea what I wanted to do but for so long, I’ve been just surviving instead of living so I don’t even know where to start. Hell, I don’t even know what I like.
“I don’t like it.”
I glance up at him. “You don’t like what?”
“The idea of you getting a job right now. Until we catch Warren, I don’t really want you leaving the clubhouse alone,” he says, his gaze flicking between me and the computer screen with the same concern on his face. Sighing, I shake my head and set the newspaper in my lap.
“Are you really trying to tell me I can’t work?”
He nods. “For now.”
“You know,” I muse, cocking my head to the side as I flash him a look of defiance. “I don’t think you get a say.”
“Sure I do,” he shoots back, standing up and stalking across the room to me before planting his fists on the bed and leaning in for a kiss. When I won’t give him one, he growls and grabs the paper, tossing it to the floor behind him. Before I can object, he grabs my leg and pulls me down to my back on the bed as he looms over me with a grin. “You’re so fucking cute when you’re mad.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Don’t give me that shit. I’m getting a job and you can’t stop me.”
“Whatever you want to believe, Princess,” he answers before sealing his lips over mine and I sigh. My biggest weakness is my need for him and it doesn’t matter how mad I am when he kisses me because I can’t resist him. Pulling back, he flashes me a triumphant grin. “Hey, what do you say we get out of here?”
“And go where?”
He shrugs, leaning down and stealing another kiss. “Anywhere. I’m fucking tired of being cooped up in this place.”
“Wasn’t it you who just said I shouldn’t leave the clubhouse until Warren is found?” I ask, arching a brow but he is unfazed, shooting me a cocky grin.
“I said you shouldn’t leave alone and you’re not. You’ll have me there to protect you.” That damn grin on his face only gets wider as he stares down at me with fire in his eyes and there is no way in hell I’m backing down from this challenge. Pasting a coy little smile on my face, I drag my fingertips down his arm as I sink my teeth into my bottom lip and meet his gaze again.
“Wow, baby,” I breathe, arching my back so my tits press up against his chest. “That really turns me on.”
His gaze searches mine, hungry and ready to pounce, and as he leans down to kiss me again, I press my hand against his face and shove it away from me.
“Not.”
“Oh, you’re gonna pay for that one, Princess,” he growls as my belly does a little flip as I wiggle out of his arms and slip off of the bed, evading his grasp. We square up on opposite sides of the room, Travis ready to close the distance between us and me ready to bolt in the other direction to get away from him, and he flashes me a predatory smile as he takes a small step forward. My belly flips and I fight back peals of giggles as I watch him stalk toward me. He springs into action and I shriek as I try to get away from him before he hooks his arm around my waist before I can get away and pulls me into his body. Breathing heavily, his eyes meet mine for just a moment before we slam together, kissing like we’re drowning in our desire and we stumble backward until we run into the wall.
“Travis,” I breathe when he moves down my neck, pressing hot, needy kisses against my skin and he growls, moving back up to nip at my ear.
“I had a whole plan, you know,” he whispers as his hand slips under my t-shirt and he cups my breast, giving it a squeeze.
“What was it?”
He shakes his head, moving back to my lips before pulling back enough to meet my eyes. “I had a whole little… thing planned for us.”
“Like a date?” I ask, my heart skipping a beat and butterflies flapping around in my belly as I search his gaze. He looks away and nods, a look of nerves flicking across his face.
“I wanted to do something normal with you. Something that didn’t involve shit like stalkers in nightclubs and severed heads showing up at weddings.”
I can’t wipe the grin off of my face as I lean in and press a kiss to his lips. “Okay. Do I need to go change or will this work for what you have planned?”
“You look amazing, Rowan,” he replies, his gaze dropping down my body and I laugh. I’m just wearing jeans and a t-shirt but with the way he looks at me, it feels like it could be a ball gown. Meeting my eyes again, his teeth sink into his bottom lip. “You really want to go?”
I nod, my smile so wide it feels like it’s going to crack my face. “I do. Now, how do we sneak out of here?”
“You go downstairs like you’re going to your room and then sneak out of the back door. I’ll storm out of the front like I’m pissed about something and we’ll meet at the Impala.”