Page 18 of Redemption in the Dark (The Righteous 5)
He sorted through the previsions in the cupboards and found a few things that weren’t outdated. Laying them out on the counter, he heard the shower turn on and tried not to picture Maeve naked and wet. That was not going to do anything good for his self-control.
“What am I doing,” he mumbled as he used the can opener to open the beans, peas, and corn cans he’d dug up. There was also a fake freeze-dried bread that tasted like crap, but if you toasted it, it would taste alright. He’d eaten worse overseas. The spice cupboard was practically empty, but there was salt, pepper, garlic powder, and some cayenne. He could work with that.
He didn’t trust the oven, so he searched around for a hot plate burner and found it and the pots in the same cupboard.
He was so focused on the task that he didn’t pay attention to the fact the shower had turned off until the scent of fresh soap wafted over to where he stood, calling to him. Every muscle in his body flexed and clenched tight as her voice found him.
“Wolf, can you help me with this stuff? I can get the salve on, but I’m having trouble wrapping the bandages around myself.”
Lord help him, why had he offered to lend a hand. Setting down the can, he turned and wiped his hand on the dish towel. It was good that he hadn’t been eating or drinking cause he would’ve choked. She was completely naked except for a Rangers dress shirt, but she’d conveniently left it open down the front leaving a tantalizing strip of skin for him to ogle.
He made sure his face remained calm as he walked toward her. “Of course. Do you have the wrap?”
She held out the wrap, and the same desire that he’d seen in her eyes a couple of times was dancing in their depths.
He made a point of looking her up and down.
“Did you not see the pants to go with the top?” A dusting of a blush crept across her face making her look delicious. “I’ll take it that’s a yes you did. Can you please go and put them on? I’m not sure what you think you’re going to accomplish by flirting with me, but it’s not going to keep you out of prison if that’s where I decide you should be going.”
Her eyes darkened as she shot daggers at him. Maeve’s cheeks deepened in color. “Why are you such a jerk?”
He laughed and then smiled. “I’m just being honest. Besides, I could be married or have a girlfriend, for all you know. Does that not bother you?”
A number of emotions crossed her face, but remorse didn’t seem to be one of them.
“Not really. If you were happily with someone, you wouldn’t look at me like I was a piece of cake.” She turned and wandered into the bedroom again while he stood there, impressed and confused by her answer. Had he really been looking at her like she were a piece of cake?
She returned a moment later with a pair of pants on that were rolled up so many times that she looked even smaller than she actually was. She sighed as she stopped in front of him and bunched up the shirt to show off her side.
“Did you put some of this on the cut on your leg?”
“Yeah, and I was able to bandage it with no problem.”
He nodded as he placed the material in position and focused on what he was doing. His fingers couldn’t help but brush her soft skin, and he glared at her side, hoping it would stop the dangerous sexual thoughts running around his head.
“So, are you married or have a girlfriend,” she asked quietly.
His eyes found hers, and his heart sped up, letting him know he was not as dead inside as he thought he was.
“No, I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to have sex with you either.”
“Who said that I wanted to?”
His hands paused, and he stared at her until she looked away. “Fine, I wanted you to.”
Wolf continued what he was doing.
“You’re still a fugitive on the run, and I’m still a U.S. Marshal that was ordered to bring you in. The very fact that I’m bandaging your side instead of calling your location into my superiors is a violation of my oath. To sleep with you would most certainly be a death sentence to my entire carrier, never mind the possible prison time I’d be facing.”
He finished with the bandage and tucked the little tail under one of the other strips to hold it in place.
“Why are you a U.S. Marshal anyway? It doesn’t really suit you,” Maeve said as she let the shirt fall back into place and thankfully did up the buttons. He hated how tempted he was to take her up on the offer to have sex. According to Marcus, he was squeaky and needed a good lube job.
“The job presented itself, and I felt I was a good fit, but we aren’t really supposed to be talking about me. Why don’t you tell me what happened with that detective while I finish making dinner.”
“What are you making?” She came over and sniffed the pot, and a little smile spread across her face. “Smells good.”
“It’s nothing fancy, but I’m hoping we have soup and crisp flatbread to eat by the time it's done.”
