“Okay. Go on. What else? And why do you want me to know all this?”
He looked at her helplessly. “I’m not sure. It just seemed right. You’re counting on me in this crazy situation and it seems like you ought to know who I really am.”
Her forehead crinkled, then she tossed her head back in a laugh. “You really should have told me all this before you whisked me off in the Desperado while I was asleep. Or maybe when you were sleeping on deck to make sure no one surprised us. Or possibly when you got us away from the man with the rifle. You know, when you were proving you were someone I could count on.”
She was making good points, he supposed, but totally missing the overall picture. “That’s the thing. Just because I’ve been protecting you and Raul doesn’t mean shit.”
“Are you planning to walk away?”
“Of course not. I’m planning to do whatever you need until that kid is safe. Jesus, Lulu, you’re not getting it.”
“Then spell it out for me. Like I’m a child with the absurd name of Lulu.”
“I like the name Lulu.” He stretched back on the bed, propping himself on his elbows. He caught her gaze sliding down his chest. His cock stirred under the towel. Not his intention going into the conversation, but not much he could do about it. Besides, he’d done his part. He’d warned her about himself. If she didn’t mind going another round with a divorced fuckup, he wouldn’t say no. “I’m a fuckup, not a hero,” he said. “I just want that crystal clear.”
“Couldn’t you be some of both? And many other things? Isn’t everyone? Why does it have to be black and white? Is that a man thing? Can’t admit weakness or flaws?”
He didn’t answer, since maybe she had a point, a good one, but maybe he didn’t want to talk about being a man right now. He was a man, a man with an erection that was rearing its eager head again.
“I’ve said my piece. I’m ready to get back to boning if you’re still up for it.”
He tugged the comforter down her body to reveal her breasts. She didn’t resist, nor did she protest when he skimmed a thumb along the tender undercurve of one breast.
She burst into laughter. “You’re even more blunt than my mother.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Grinning, he pulled her closer so he could close his mouth around her nipple. She shut her eyes and hummed in contentment as he probed the swelling flesh. “You’re really good with nipples.”
He had to pull his mouth away so he wouldn’t hurt her when he howled in laughter. “Gee, thanks.”
“I mean, other things too,” she said quickly.
“Yeah? Like what?” He decided to get busy with his hands and fingers instead of relying on his mouth. Just in case he had to laugh again. Lulu had a knack for that.
“Oh, you know. All the rest.”
Chuckling, he pulled her on top of him and let her feel the hard thrust of his cock. “Whatever it takes, princess. Whatever it takes.”
And they moved back into a world of sensation and touch and murmurs and moans.
They made love twice more that night, and each time he wondered if it would be the last. Each time felt different, sort of…further. More. Sometimes slower, sometimes more frenzied. Each time took them deeper into a magical journey, destination unknown.
From now on, he wasn’t going to fight it, he decided at some point in the dark of night. No more warnings or caution or doubts. This thing with Lulu had a life of its own and wherever it led him, that was where he wanted to be. With her.
Twenty-Four
By the next morning, Lulu was in a state of physical contentment she’d never experienced before. Every inch of her body was sated and humming with happiness. Her mind and heart too, she realized. Tristan’s “confession,” for lack of a better word, had opened her heart to him even further. The man was so hard on himself, which to her meant one thing only—that he had a strong conscience and sense of duty.
Also, he was straightforward. He didn’t want to deceive her or manipulate her. He wanted her to know the truth, or at least the truth as he saw it.
Her interpretation was different from his. Maybe he’d fucked up, but he wasn’t a fuckup. Maybe he didn’t see himself as a hero, but he’d acted heroically on her and Raul’s behalf. In her eyes, he was a hero, no matter what he said.
Her body certainly thought so, and who was she to doubt her body?
Maya joined them for breakfast and told them the night had been completely peaceful except for a curious moose. Rune, her boyfriend, had kept her company for part of the night, which had allowed her to get a few hours of sleep.
The four of them ate a quick breakfast of shredded wheat and some blueberries from Toni’s refrigerator. Raul seemed oblivious to the way Lulu and Tristan kept sharing hidden touches and the occasional secret kiss. But it would be hard to hide much from Maya.
Amazingly, things between her and Tristan didn’t feel strange or awkward. They felt right. No, not just right. Beyond that. More like life-changing. Whatever she and Tristan had forged together had wound a spell around her heart. And every time she looked at him, she saw the same wonder in his eyes.
Was this real? Could it have a future?
They gathered their things and Maya drove them to the police station in the cruiser. Lulu tried not to think about the reality that their time together might be almost at an end. Even if she left with Raul, they could stay connected in so many ways. Phone, text, social media, Zoom. Maybe she could come back to Lost Harbor after Raul had been reunited with his family. Or maybe the FBI would allow Tristan to come with them.
This wasn’t going to be the end. She knew it. Or at least hoped it.
When they reached the police station, they found the two FBI agents already waiting for them. They both proffered their badges, although since Maya already knew them, it hardly seemed necessary. Special Agent Melbourne was a fit man in his thirties with a sharp-angled face, like a knife in human form. Agent Clement seemed less intimidating, although that might have been because he kept pulling out an oversize handkerchief to blow his nose.
“I want to assure you that you’re not in any trouble,” Melbourne told Lulu right away. “We’ve been in contact with Raul’s grandparents, the Perinos, and they’re very grateful to you. They were one day away from transferring the ransom payment. You saved them a lot of money.”
“You talked to them?” Raul cried.
“We did. Your grandfather will meet us at the airport in Anchorage.”
Tristan frowned. “He got here from Colombia that quickly?”
“The FBI is very efficient,” the agent said, with an edge of pride. “We located them within ten minutes of getting the call from Chief Badger. He boarded the next available flight. He should be landing within the hour.”
“Why did you drive down instead of taking a plane?” Tristan asked.
Lulu glanced at Tristan, wondering why he was asking so many questions. Did he think something was off about the two agents? Maybe he was having a hard time letting go of his protector role. So was she.
Melbourne lifted an eyebrow but answered the question calmly enough. “We had a meeting in Grantview, so we needed a vehicle. It made more sense to drive than fly and rent a car.”