Page 64 of Searching for Bristol
“What else do we know?” he asked as his brother immediately pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the meeting point.
* * *
Bristol lay in Rocky’s bed, but she wasn’t sleeping. She couldn’t. She was too worried about him and the rest of his SAR team. She was proud of them for not even hesitating to help the police look for whoever it was who’d escaped into the woods, but she was also extremely fearful of what might happen. The fugitive could have a gun, might start shooting at the guys if they got too close.
The thought of losing Rocky, when it felt as if they were finally moving from a roommate situation to something more, was scary. Remembering how she’d felt when Rocky lifted her with ease and gently lay her on her back on the couch made her shiver. She had no idea if he was even conscious of moving her at the time; they hadn’t even stopped kissing while repositioning. Yet he’d still been very careful not to jostle her leg.
The care he took with her, the way he seemed to surround her when she was in his arms, was something she’d dreamed about her entire life. Despite her dad dying and her mom not wanting another long-term relationship, Bristol couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t wanted to find a man she could love and settle down with.
The problem in the past was that she’d never known where to meet men. She stayed in her house creating art most of the time, and finding men on a dating app didn’t appeal. She’d met Mike at the grocery store, of all places. It was a little cliché, but she’d enjoyed his company. She realized quickly that she wasn’t sexually attracted to him, and his frequent requests for more had almost ended their friendship. When he’d invited her to go hiking, she should’ve known better. And of course, as if to prove her right, that trip had gone bad in a huge way.
But she still couldn’t regret it. Because she’d met Rocky in the process, and found Fallport. A place where she felt more at home than anywhere she’d ever lived.
She’d also discovered what true passion felt like for the first time. She thought she’d known everything there was to know about sex and pleasure and want. She’d been so wrong.
The feelings that coursed through her veins tonight with Rocky, on his couch, had been overwhelming. Almost scary. But alsoright. She could still feel his smooth skin against her fingers. From what she’d felt, his chest had the perfect amount of hair. Not too much, not too smooth. She might have been embarrassed at how she’d stuck her hand down the back of his pants, but the erection she’d felt against her leg had reassured her that she wasn’t overstepping her bounds.
Bristol had never been overly impressed with her own body, considering her height. The feel of Rocky’s hand engulfing her breast, the way his fingers had curled around her possessively, had gone a long way toward making her feel sexy as hell.
And his beard? Good Lord. She’d had no idea what a turn-on it could be. The feel of it against her neck and face made her wonder what it would feel like on her inner thighs as he feasted on her. It was a carnal thought, made all the more exciting because it was looking like that was exactly where they were headed.
Then his phone had rung and he’d had to leave. Bristol was proud of him, but it still sucked that he’d had to leave right when things were getting good.
She hadn’t really thought about him having to look for people whodidn’twant to be found. When she thought about a search and rescue team, her own situation was the first that came to mind. Finding people who were lost.
Suddenly more than a little freaked out as her thoughts returned to the potential danger of the search, Bristol rolled over and picked up her cell from the small table next to Rocky’s bed. It was close to midnight, but she didn’t even think before clicking on Lilly’s name.
The phone rang twice before she answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi. It’s Bristol. Did I wake you up?” It was a stupid question. It was the middle of the night. Of course she woke the other woman.
But Lilly immediately reassured her by saying, “No. I’m in bed but I can’t sleep.”
“Me either. I’m scared for them.”
She didn’t have to explain who “them” was. Lilly knew. “Me too.”
“I didn’t hear a lot about who they’re searching for, but Rocky said something about a serial killer,” Bristol said worriedly.
“I don’t know about that, but the guy molested his eight-year-old stepdaughter and has a warrant out for his arrest,” Lilly told her. “I guess he’s got some survival training, if the stuff Simon found in his car is any indication. But Duke and Raiden are gonna meet them there. Duke will catch his scent and hopefully lead them right to the guy. And he doesn’t have any of his stuff with him, so that’ll hinder what he can do in the woods.”
Bristol still didn’t like hearing any of that. “Shit,” she said. “Will Duke really be able to track him?”
“Hopefully,” Lilly said.
“Does it get easier?” she asked softly.
“Worrying about them?” She sighed. “No.”
Bristol sighed as well. She’d had a feeling that’s what Lilly was going to say, but she had to ask anyway.
“But the guys are good at what they do. They’ve got a leg up on other search and rescue teams because of their military experience. There’s no way this guy will be able to surprise them or get the jump on them.”
That made Bristol feel a lot better. “Rocky told me about some of the missions he’d been on when he was a SEAL.”
“He did?”
