Page 49 of Keeping Amanda
“I’m scared for the kids.”
Of course she was. Buck wasn’t surprised in the least that Mandy’s concern was for the children she was leaving behind, and not on the possibility she’d been the target of the kidnapping in the first place.
“We’ll figure this out. And if Blair did have anything to do with what happened, we’ll make sure she pays for what she did,” Buck said as diplomatically as he could.
“This sucks,” Mandy said with a sigh.
“Yeah.”
She looked up at him. “I’m better now. Thank you for getting me back here. I don’t remember much about the ride from theschool. I was too upset. I can go to my room. I’m sure you’d rather not have me hogging half this tiny little mattress.”
“Actually, I like having you here,” Buck said honestly. “And with everything you just said, I’d feel more comfortable having you near…just in case.”
“You think she’d do something now? Right before we leave?”
“No clue. But I don’t want to take any chances. I doubt anyone would be able to get onto the base to get to you, but we don’t know what kind of connections the woman’s made since she’s been here.”
“I’m sure I’d be fine down the hall,” Mandy said quietly.
“Do youwantto leave? Am I crowding you?” Buck asked, suddenly feeling stupid for not realizing that she might not want to be in his bed right now.
“No! I just…I don’t want to be an obligation,” she admitted.
Buck put his hand on her cheek and leaned down until they were almost touching, but not quite. “You aren’t an obligation. Maybe at first, before I knew you, you were anobjective. A mission. But that stopped from almost the moment I looked into your terrified eyes, and you asked about James. Seeing how worried you were for that kid, how unselfish, it changed how I thought about what you did, and what I was doing. Besides, I’ve gotten used to sleeping with you in my arms. I have a feeling it’s going to be hard to get used to sleeping alone again.”
“I don’t want to leave,” she said.
Buck closed the scant distance between them and kissed her. It was a light and easy kiss. Not the one he wanted to give her. But he didn’t want to pressure her in any way. She was feeling vulnerable right now, and he’d be a dick to take advantage of that.
“Sleep, Rebel. We have a long day of travel tomorrow. It’ll be loud, uncomfortable, and you’ll be more than ready to see the backside of me and Obi-Wan by the time we get to Virginia.”
“I highly doubt that,” she said softly.
“Roll back onto your side, so we can both fit on this mattress,” Buck ordered.
She did so immediately, and curling up against her back felt like coming home to Buck.
Rain let out a huff of annoyance and jumped off the bed onto the floor. He walked over to the pile of blankets Buck had left for him and scrunched them with his front paws until he was satisfied they were exactly how he wanted them.
“Nash?” Mandy said after a long moment.
“Yeah?”
“I’mgladBlair fired me. I want to go home. I don’t feel safe here anymore.”
His heart broke for her. “I’ll get you home, Mandy. As soon as I can.”
“Even though the last month has sucked, and I’ve been more scared than I’ve ever been. I’ve been dirty, hungry, I have more bug bites than I can count…I wouldn’t change anything, because that would mean I wouldn’t have met you.”
It was Buck’s turn to feel emotional now.
“Thank you for coming after me,” she went on. “For not leaving me alone out there. For being an honorable man. For watching over me, taking care of me, protecting me. I’m not usually so helpless, I promise.”
“You weren’t helpless, Mandy. You were out of your element. And you could’ve made that time we spent in the jungle a nightmare. Instead, it felt like kind of an adventure. You make a good partner. We make a good team.”
He wasn’t blowing smoke up her ass either. Things had been dicey out there, but she’d done whatever he’d asked of her without hesitation. Allowing him to use his skills to keep them both safe and get them back across the border.
“And I wouldn’t change anything either, because meeting you has changed my life.”
