Viv groaned. “Listen, it was—”

Dusty’s eyes narrowed. “Let’s see, I bet you went to…Vassar.”

“You’re scary. Stop.”

“President of student union? And—”

“Okay, that’s it.” Viv narrowed her eyes. “You Googled me.”

Dusty laughed again, and the clouds in her eyes disappeared. “I did not. Although that’s a good idea.”

“I can’t believe you were ever shy.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re so good at reading people…well, me at least.”

“You think so?” Dusty said quietly.

“You were embarrassingly correct just now.”

“I was guessing, because of what you do and how you carry yourself. You’re confident, intelligent, and…beautiful.”

“Now you’re really embarrassing me.” Viv realized they were still almost holding hands and the dining car was filling up. She didn’t care what anyone thought about her, but they were in a work situation. Reluctantly she broke the contact and drew her fingers away. “If those were guesses, what are you thinking about me now?”

“I’m wondering how I got so lucky to be having dinner with you.”

“I was thinking something similar. Because I can’t imagine how you’ve managed to stay single so long.”

“I don’t bump into beautiful, intelligent, confident women very often. At least, not ones who have ever had any interest in talking to me.”

“Then you must bump into a lot of foolish women.”

“What about you?” Dusty asked. “Is there someone?”

“If there were, I wouldn’t be having dinner with you right now,” Viv said. “Oh, I might be having dinner, but not quite like this.”

“Like this?”

“Like personal, not business. Like I could sit here for the rest of the night with you because I want to find out everything about you.”

“I don’t think it would take that long.”

“Oh, I think it would take a lot longer.”

“I wish…” Dusty looked away, then directly into Viv’s eyes. “I wish we weren’t on this train right now. Because I’d really like to be alone with you.”

Viv’s heart thudded. “Would you? Why?”

“So I could keep holding your hand while we talked.”

“Well,” Viv said, as breathless as she’d been the first time she’d been alone with a girl and realized they were about to become more than just friends. She suddenly very, very much wanted to hold Dusty Nash’s hand. “Why don’t we have the steward bring us some sandwiches, and we can get Atlas and have a picnic somewhere.”

“You want to get Atlas?” Dusty’s startled expression morphed into something dark and intense and so compelling Viv leaned closer until their thighs touched beneath the white linen cloth.

“I don’t want him to be alone and wondering where you are,” Viv said softly. Her leg trembled. She trembled everywhere. “Do you mind?”

“No. I don’t mind at all.” Dusty’s long golden lashes flickered as her lids dropped lazily and her gaze skated over Viv’s face. “My room should be free now. It’ll be a little crowded, but cozy.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Dusty pushed back her chair. “I’ll tell the steward to rush the sandwiches.”

Chapter Fifteen

On the Rails

Blair grabbed the safety handle above the berth with one hand and the back of Cam’s head with the other, steadying her shaking legs. She twisted the thick dark locks between her fingers, pulling her lower lip between her teeth while trying valiantly to hold back a moan. Another stroke of Cam’s tongue broke her will.

“God,” she groaned, “stop. I think I hear someone—”

“There’s no one,” Cam murmured, rubbing her cheek over the soft valley between Blair’s thigh and her lower abdomen. “And even if there was, the train noise is louder than you are.”

Blair tossed her head back as Cam’s mouth closed over her again. “I think…you’re wrong there.”

She thought she heard Cam chuckle, but her mind was melting. A blazing sunburst wiped out thought, replacing awareness with glorious sensation. She didn’t remember falling, and maybe she didn’t, but the next thing she knew she was lying on the bunk with Cam beside her, leaning on an elbow and watching her with a self-satisfied grin.

“Proud of yourself?” Blair gasped.

“Supremely,” Cam said, her voice low and husky.

Blair hooked a finger in the waistband of Cam’s pants and tugged. “Why are you still wearing these?”

“I was overcome.”

Blair laughed. “Well, overcome some more and get undressed. I want skin.”

Cam kissed her and hurried to sit up. “Anything you say.”

Blair blinked some of the haze from her brain to watch Cam undress. Seeing her get naked was a pleasure that never got old, and one that somehow managed to stir the fires where she would’ve sworn she was completely reduced to ash. When Cam stripped off her shirt, Blair’s brain crashed back online. “What the hell?”

Cam frowned. “What?”

Blair jumped up and flicked on the small light over the tiny dresser sandwiched between the two miniature closets. “Turn this way.”

Brow creased, Cam obeyed, pulling her shirt the rest of the way off. “Let’s get back in—”

“Hush.” Blair gently brushed her fingers over a bruise roughly the shape and size of Texas on Cam’s side. “Cam, look at this. Don’t tell me you can’t feel that.”

Cam glanced down. “Huh. Must’ve gotten that when Brock and I got tangled up this morning. I didn’t feel it.”

“Take a deep breath. Does it hurt?”

“Hey.” Cam grasped Blair’s shoulders, pulling Blair’s attention to her face. “It’s nothing. It’s a bruise. I’m fine.”

“Take off your pants. I want to see your leg.”

“Blair, we can do all that later.”

Blair poked a finger at Cam’s chest. “No. We’ll do it now. If you’re hurt, I want you to see Wes.”

Cam laughed. “I’m not going to have the first doctor take a look at me because I’ve got a little black-and-blue mark.”

“You will if I say you will.”

“Actually, you’re right, so promise you won’t overreact.”

“Overreact?” Blair took a slow breath. “Am I the sort of person that overreacts? Next you’re going to say I’m a hysterical female.”

Cam shook her head, unbuttoned her pants, and slid them off. Below her briefs, the bandage on her injured calf was tinged with red. Thankfully, it wasn’t soaked, and the rest of her leg looked fine.

“It’s really all right?” Blair said quietly.

“I swear to you, I would tell you if it wasn’t.” Cam slid her arm around Blair’s waist and led her back to the bunk. “Can we lie down? It’s a little chilly in here, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“I had other things taking up my attention.”

Cam grinned. “Oh yes, I remember that now.”

Cam pulled back the covers and when Blair slid in, she got in beside her and covered them both. She settled Blair into the crook of her arm with Blair’s head against her shoulder and stroked her hair. “I know it’s been a bad week. I’m sorry I put you through that whole business out in Idaho. This morning was another unhappy surprise. But it’s done now, and your father’s okay and I’m okay and you’re okay. We’re likely to get some verbal sticks and stones tossed at us this week, if not something more. But that will be okay because we’ll handle it. You and me, together.”

“I don’t know why I’m so edgy.” Blair kissed Cam’s throat and settled her cheek back against Cam’s chest. “I just get the feeling it’s not over. I don’t mean the bigots on the rope line—I mean with my dad. We don’t know who else was part of Jennifer’s plan, but for anyone to get that close to my father, they’re likely someone we know. That makes me so angry, and it makes me afraid. I hate that feeling.”

Cam just nodded. Now was not the time for reassurance, and she couldn’t give any when Blair was right. All she could do was listen.

“Do you know anything more yet?” Blair leaned back to search Cam’s face.

“A little.” And then, because Blair deserved the truth, she added, “But not enough. I’ve got some pieces but I can’t quite get them lined up to fit together yet. I know Jennifer is related to this group out in Idaho, but we can’t track any of them back far enough to know who else might be a part of this. The woman who took Skylar and me prisoner is almost certainly related to Jennifer—I’m guessing part of the larger plan.”

“And she’s loose somewhere,” Blair said, her tone hollow.

“We’ve got a task force looking for her—people I trust.” Cam wished she didn’t have to tell her how little she knew and how little she could do. She wished she didn’t have to tell her the worst of it. “I killed the militia commander. I don’t think our Jane Doe is going to forget that.”

“You think she’ll come after you?” Blair asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

“I don’t know.” Cam rubbed Blair’s back. “She’s hundreds of miles away, and I’m not an easy target to get to, so I think the odds are against it. But I can’t know for sure.”

“You’ll be careful,” Blair said sharply.

Cam cupped her jaw and kissed her. “I swear.”

Blair slipped above her and settled a thigh between Cam’s legs. “When this train trip is done, we’re going away somewhere, just the two of us.”

“On my honor,” Cam murmured.

“Yes.” Blair kissed her, ending the soft slide of her mouth with a tiny tug of her teeth. Cam arched beneath her and groaned.

“Don’t move.” Blair kissed her way down Cam’s torso.

Cam let her fingers trail over the tight muscles in Blair’s shoulders as Blair moved lower. Her hips rose of their own accord.

“I said don’t move,” Blair whispered in the semi-dark.

“Not my doing.” Cam gasped. “It’s all you, baby.”

“Just remember that,” Blair murmured as she took Cam slowly into her mouth.

*

“Are you sure you’re all right with this?” Dusty asked as she keyed in the code to the door of the K9 kennel car. “We could eat first, and—”