Fuck. He’d dug this hole himself, hadn’t he? What could he do but agree with her that not having sex was for the best? After all, it was his idea in the first place.
Willing his erection to disappear, he stood up and reached for her hands in as nonsexual a way as he could.
“How about we eat something and turn in for the night? It’s been one hell of a long day, and things always look better in the morning.”
“I just wish we knew what to do next,” she said as they made their way back to their tent.
“Do people always tell you everything the first time you interview them?” he asked her, trying like hell to refocus on finding April rather than how much he wanted the woman beside him.
Looking thoughtful, she said, “No. Not usually. Sometimes I have to pull the information out of them.” She shot him a sidelong glance. “Do you think that’s going to happen here?”
“My gut tells me that something will turn up tomorrow.”
“I hope you’re right.”
He made them another quick meal of lumpy chicken and rice stew, and as they ate in silence, then got ready for bed, Sam had to ask himself if his emphatic insistence on not giving their relationship another shot had actually been on target.
Had he put too much emphasis on who they were ten years ago and not enough on who they are now?
Because wasn’t the real question less about whether he’d be screwed if she left him again one day than it was about whether she’d truly want to be with him now? Would she be willing to give up her fancy name brands and champagne lunches for a simple man in turnouts and a work shirt?
“You take the tent,” he told her. “I’m used to sleeping outside.”
Clearly too tired to argue, she climbed into the tent and zipped it shut. But Sam lay awake in his sleeping bag, staring up at the stars, one final question haunting him as the moon rose higher in the sky.
Was he willing to risk everything for the woman he’d never stopped loving?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
APRIL WOKE up with a start, her neck cracking as she lifted her head off her chest too quickly. Her shoulders ached and her legs and arms had gone numb beneath her bindings. Her mouth felt like it’d been stuffed with cotton, and she ran her tongue around the inside of her mouth trying to find any hidden pools of moisture, but it was a total waste of effort.
To make matters worse, she needed to pee. Bad enough that her bladder was going to burst if she didn’t get to a bathroom soon. Her head was throbbing and she felt dizzy, too. Definitely not the best day she’d ever had.
Hoping someone was close enough to hear, she grunted loudly.
After what seemed like an eternity, a fat guy with beady little eyes opened the door. “Shut up or I’ll make you shut up.”
His sour-milk breath made her recoil in disgust and she wondered where the guy who’d kidnapped her had gone. Still desperately needing a bathroom, she continued grunting and pleading with her eyes until he opened the door wider and ripped the duct tape from her mouth.
Tears sprang to her eyes. She couldn’t believe how much that hurt!
“What the f**k is your problem?”
“I have to pee,” she ground out in a hoarse voice. “And I’m dying of thirst. You don’t want me to die of dehydration, do you?”
“Jesus, I’ll get you some water and let you pee. Just shut up.”
He pulled out a sharp pocket knife. “But no funny business or I’ll have to use my knife to cut more than just the tape.”
“I swear, I won’t try anything.”
And she wouldn’t. Not yet, anyway, even though she definitely felt like her chances of escaping this guy were better than with her original captor.
A few seconds later, she was free, but when she tried to stand up, her numb legs were useless and she totally blew it, landing on her hands and knees on the floor.
The guy laughed and picked her up, getting in some major squeezing action on her boobs. April could feel the sharp prickling pains moving all through her arms and hands and fingers, toes and feet and calves as her blood started circulating again.
She bit her lip to keep from giving away her discomfort and balled her hands into fists to keep from clawing at the guy’s touch, just clearheaded enough to realize that she should use the bathroom before she tried to escape again.
Looking around as he carried her, she realized they were in a big barn. There were no animals in it, only a smattering of hay on the packed dirt floor. Along one wall, dozens of boxes were stacked, almost up to the roof.
What was this place?
In the far corner, he kicked open a rickety door and plopped her down. Putting her hands on the wall, April’s feet held her upright this time.
She peered into a dark, empty room. “Where’s the bathroom?”
He pointed to a yellow bucket. “Right there.”
Fine, she’d gone in grosser places. “Can I at least have a moment of privacy?”
He crossed his beefy arms across his chest. “No, I wanna watch.”
She shrugged as she undid the top button on her jeans. “Okay, but I might have to do more than pee.”
His face turned green. “Hurry the f**k up,” he said, then kicked the door shut on her.
Squatting over the bucket, April quickly took care of business, then stood up and looked around the room for an escape route. Way up high, there was a small window. The glass was already shattered, which she supposed would help if she tried to break through it.
The question was, how would she get up to it?
Scanning the walls for something she could use as foot- and handholds, she heard a sound that reminded her of a hose turning on. Taking the chance to poke her head out through the door, she saw her overweight guard standing with his back to her, peeing like he’d been holding it as long as she had.
Adrenaline raced through her and she made the quick decision to bolt across the straw and out the main door. Several empty supersized beer cans lay on the ground, which explained why he was still emptying his bladder.
The sun was just starting to rise, and as she sprinted past several beaten-up trailers, it occurred to her that she’d been passed out since the previous afternoon.
Suddenly, she heard a loud roar. Oh shit, her guard must have finally realized she was gone.
Ridiculously thankful that Dianna had forced her to be on the track team in high school, April continued to run until she was surrounded by forest on all sides. She was tempted to follow a narrow deer trail, but she knew that would only make it easier for the guy to find her.