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By Root 807 0

walk away from his responsibilities. He was a former marine, a man with honor and conservative views. A man who believed in family although he didn't have one of his own. But at one time he had. He had been raised by grandparents, and a father he had loved and who had loved him. Years ago when she had been Sandy Carroll, they had talked about having children 1 and raising them in the Tennessee Mountains. But that was then and this was now. She was not the same person and neither was he. Danger lurked in their pasts. If Solomon Cross had even an idea that Sandy Carroll was still alive, he wouldn't hesitate to kill her, Drake, and their child.

After deciding what her response would be, she met his gaze for a long moment, then said, "I thought it would have been obvious when I didn't contact you, Drake. But if you need to hear it directly from me then so be it. I'm not pregnant."

She quickly got up and said, "Here, let me take your jacket. You have enough to carry out."

Drake stared at her for a long moment. Then he nodded as he picked up the overnight bag he had placed by her feet. "Okay, come on. I paid by credit card so I don't have to check out at the desk. I'll feel a lot better when we're on our way to Tennessee."

He looked at her, his mouth tightening; his features suddenly became serious, deadly, and his gaze held her captive. "In Tennessee I'll be on my own turf and if anyone wants you, they'll have to come through me."

Tori swallowed. In other words, he wouldn't make it easy for them. In fact, he intended to make it damn impossible. His words made her feel safe, secure, and she knew at that moment there was no other person she would rather trust with her or her baby's life.

"Are you hungry?"

With a quiet intake of breath Tori glanced over at Drake. The sight of him warmed her skin and she felt more feminine than she had in a long time. She had been very much aware of each and every time his gaze had touched her body. She had known when his eyes had lingered on her breasts or when he had glanced down at her thighs. Following every movement, every nervous shift; he had been watching, aware.

Heat rushed her cheeks when she met his gaze. "I am a little hungry," she decided to admit. They had stopped for breakfast hours ago and now it was lunchtime.

"No problem. You have a taste for anything special?"

"No. Anything will do as long as it's filling," she said.

Filling. Drake recalled how wonderful it had felt filling her that night and he couldn't stop the fierce arousal seeping through him as he remembered how it felt going deep inside; her body. Frustration suddenly stabbed at him. He needed to concentrate on the business at hand and not on the very sexy woman sitting beside him. But then, he had to admit that she was the business at hand.

They had only heard from Hawk once and that was to let them know the truck had been disposed of and the FBI had pulled the records at the rental agency. The Bureau had also informed the California Highway Patrol as well. There were so many unknowns that they could use every pair of eyes and ears.

The inside of the car had gotten quiet. He wanted to hear Tori talk, liking the sound of her voice. "Tell me about yourself, Tori."

She glanced over at him, wondering just what he wanted to know, and specifically just what she could tell him. "There's not a lot to tell about me, Drake."

"I want to hear what there is. All I know is that you're an 1 agent who once served in the marines in Pendleton, California. I also know you're an ace in martial arts and the use of 1 firearms. And although our paths never crossed, we both I were under Hawk's command, which I find interesting."

"What? That we were both under Hawk's command?" she 1 asked, trying to bring a light teasing to their conversation.

Drake didn't return her smile. "No, the fact that our paths never crossed."

Tori nodded. "I don't think anything is really unusual: about that, Drake. You mainly worked alone and in different countries than I did. There really was no reason for our paths to cross."

He met her gaze. "Not