A Perfect Storm
Page 120
“I hate it when Chris is right.” Jackson jammed his hands, palms out, into his back pockets. “He’s never going to let us live it down.”
Spencer rolled his shoulders. He still wanted to take Joel apart, but more than that, he wanted to show Arizona how important she was to him.
“What are we going to do?” Jackson asked.
We? “I want her back,” Spencer said, distracted with his thoughts.
“Oh, really?”
That got him focused real quick. “I’m getting her back,” he amended, challenging Jackson with a look. “And I’m keeping her.” God, he made her sound like a pet. He manned up, stared at Jackson, and said, “I love her.”
“Is that supposed to be news to me?”
Nonplussed, Spencer shrugged. Hell, it was sort of news to him. “I’m just saying.”
“Yeah, so why tell me?”
“Hell if I know,” he muttered and rubbed his face again. “The best we can hope for is to know where she’s at and what she’s doing. If we try to shut her down—”
“She’ll just move on to another cluster-fuck.” Jackson went to look out the window at the boring parking lot. “Alone.”
Spencer couldn’t bear that thought. “At least if she’s working with you—and I don’t mean computer work—I can partner with her. That’s what she wants anyway.” Partners, in more ways than one—though Arizona might not know that yet.
Jackson lifted a brow. “She said that?”
“Yes.” Back when he’d been too arrogant to listen. Back when he thought he’d somehow help her along…and out of his life. “We can keep tabs on her. We’ll know who’s involved.”
Nodding, Jackson said low, “She won’t fall off the radar again.”
Knowing he had no choice, Spencer drew in a deep breath. “It’s the only solution, because I don’t think Arizona is capable of taking a passive role.”
“She can’t, any more than I can,” Jackson said, and then he added, “Any more than any of us can.”
“That’s about it.”
“Hell…I guess she’s in.”
His quick agreement surprised Spencer. “You don’t need to discuss it with Dare and Trace?”
Jackson turned to laugh at him. “No. They’ve just been waiting for us to get resigned to it. They figured it the same way you did—keep her close, work with her…”
“Accept her and love her.” Spencer smiled. “I intend to do just that.”
The doctor came out to greet them, and he was smiling but frazzled. Yup, Arizona could do that to you.
She was an exciting, unpredictable, sexy and precious woman.
And whether she knew it yet or not, she was his.
* * *
SHE HAD HER JEANS back on but unfastened, when Spencer came around the curtain. She wrinkled her nose at him. “Stupid bandages on my hands. I told the doc I didn’t need to be all trussed up, but he wouldn’t listen.”
Without a word Spencer brushed her hands away and fastened her jeans for her. After brushing the backs of his fingers over her belly, he smoothed down her T-shirt. “You’ll be healed up in time for Jackson’s wedding.”
“Yeah, sure. Told you it’s just superficial.” She rolled a shoulder in dismissal of the little cuts. “No biggie.”
Framing her face in his hands, Spencer bent to kiss her.
Gently.
Sparingly.
Mega nice. But the second he lifted his mouth, she asked, “So what’s going on? What have I missed?” She expected him to protest, and she had her arguments all lined up.
This was her rodeo, so she had a right to know the deets. She’d missed enough already, playing the patient.
Instead, he said, “Jackson is waiting to talk with you, but I wanted to go first. He’s been downright neurotic, waiting to know that you’re okay.”
“Pffft.” Somehow she couldn’t imagine badass Jackson worrying. “Of course I’m fine.”
“Dare and Trace are doing what they do best.”
“Excelling?” she asked with a grin.
He nodded. “Taking charge. Making certain that Joel doesn’t slip through the legal cracks to wreak anymore havoc. They already freed the women from his house, and they’re reuniting Quinto with his sister.”
“Ahhh…man, I wish I could see that.”
“I hear tell Quinto is doing much better, now that he knows his sister is okay. He’s in better shape than you, for sure.” He bent his knees to look her in the eye. “How do you feel?”
He was being reserved and so incredibly cautious. “No worries. I’ll survive.”
Far too somber, his hand smoothed over her head, cupped her cheek again. “You are a survivor, aren’t you?” He brushed her skin with his thumb. “But how do you feel? Head hurting still?”
“It’s bearable.” Man, she felt so tongue-tied. She had no clue where this was going, if anywhere. Sounding like an uncertain sap, she asked, “You hung around to drive me home?”
“If by home, you mean my house, yes. You will come with me, won’t you?”
He still held her face, still stared into her eyes, so serious and so attentive. “I, uh—”
“The doctor said someone will need to watch over you for a while, in case you get dizzy or start throwing up.” He kissed her again. “You need someone to care for you, Arizona, so you don’t overdo it. Let me be the man who does that.”
Spencer rolled his shoulders. He still wanted to take Joel apart, but more than that, he wanted to show Arizona how important she was to him.
“What are we going to do?” Jackson asked.
We? “I want her back,” Spencer said, distracted with his thoughts.
“Oh, really?”
That got him focused real quick. “I’m getting her back,” he amended, challenging Jackson with a look. “And I’m keeping her.” God, he made her sound like a pet. He manned up, stared at Jackson, and said, “I love her.”
“Is that supposed to be news to me?”
Nonplussed, Spencer shrugged. Hell, it was sort of news to him. “I’m just saying.”
“Yeah, so why tell me?”
“Hell if I know,” he muttered and rubbed his face again. “The best we can hope for is to know where she’s at and what she’s doing. If we try to shut her down—”
“She’ll just move on to another cluster-fuck.” Jackson went to look out the window at the boring parking lot. “Alone.”
Spencer couldn’t bear that thought. “At least if she’s working with you—and I don’t mean computer work—I can partner with her. That’s what she wants anyway.” Partners, in more ways than one—though Arizona might not know that yet.
Jackson lifted a brow. “She said that?”
“Yes.” Back when he’d been too arrogant to listen. Back when he thought he’d somehow help her along…and out of his life. “We can keep tabs on her. We’ll know who’s involved.”
Nodding, Jackson said low, “She won’t fall off the radar again.”
Knowing he had no choice, Spencer drew in a deep breath. “It’s the only solution, because I don’t think Arizona is capable of taking a passive role.”
“She can’t, any more than I can,” Jackson said, and then he added, “Any more than any of us can.”
“That’s about it.”
“Hell…I guess she’s in.”
His quick agreement surprised Spencer. “You don’t need to discuss it with Dare and Trace?”
Jackson turned to laugh at him. “No. They’ve just been waiting for us to get resigned to it. They figured it the same way you did—keep her close, work with her…”
“Accept her and love her.” Spencer smiled. “I intend to do just that.”
The doctor came out to greet them, and he was smiling but frazzled. Yup, Arizona could do that to you.
She was an exciting, unpredictable, sexy and precious woman.
And whether she knew it yet or not, she was his.
* * *
SHE HAD HER JEANS back on but unfastened, when Spencer came around the curtain. She wrinkled her nose at him. “Stupid bandages on my hands. I told the doc I didn’t need to be all trussed up, but he wouldn’t listen.”
Without a word Spencer brushed her hands away and fastened her jeans for her. After brushing the backs of his fingers over her belly, he smoothed down her T-shirt. “You’ll be healed up in time for Jackson’s wedding.”
“Yeah, sure. Told you it’s just superficial.” She rolled a shoulder in dismissal of the little cuts. “No biggie.”
Framing her face in his hands, Spencer bent to kiss her.
Gently.
Sparingly.
Mega nice. But the second he lifted his mouth, she asked, “So what’s going on? What have I missed?” She expected him to protest, and she had her arguments all lined up.
This was her rodeo, so she had a right to know the deets. She’d missed enough already, playing the patient.
Instead, he said, “Jackson is waiting to talk with you, but I wanted to go first. He’s been downright neurotic, waiting to know that you’re okay.”
“Pffft.” Somehow she couldn’t imagine badass Jackson worrying. “Of course I’m fine.”
“Dare and Trace are doing what they do best.”
“Excelling?” she asked with a grin.
He nodded. “Taking charge. Making certain that Joel doesn’t slip through the legal cracks to wreak anymore havoc. They already freed the women from his house, and they’re reuniting Quinto with his sister.”
“Ahhh…man, I wish I could see that.”
“I hear tell Quinto is doing much better, now that he knows his sister is okay. He’s in better shape than you, for sure.” He bent his knees to look her in the eye. “How do you feel?”
He was being reserved and so incredibly cautious. “No worries. I’ll survive.”
Far too somber, his hand smoothed over her head, cupped her cheek again. “You are a survivor, aren’t you?” He brushed her skin with his thumb. “But how do you feel? Head hurting still?”
“It’s bearable.” Man, she felt so tongue-tied. She had no clue where this was going, if anywhere. Sounding like an uncertain sap, she asked, “You hung around to drive me home?”
“If by home, you mean my house, yes. You will come with me, won’t you?”
He still held her face, still stared into her eyes, so serious and so attentive. “I, uh—”
“The doctor said someone will need to watch over you for a while, in case you get dizzy or start throwing up.” He kissed her again. “You need someone to care for you, Arizona, so you don’t overdo it. Let me be the man who does that.”
