Free To Claim Her by Renee Burke Page B

her hands down his back, touching every inch she could reach.  Getting her fill.
    Because when Eddie came back, she wouldn’t do this again.   
     
    Had he gone to bed, Mark might have gotten better rest.  Instead, he woke up grouchy and later than usual.  Sun was pouring through the front windows bringing up his body temperature.  He was a furnace anyway.  He rarely slept in anything and kicked covers within minutes of going to bed.
    His shorts were a concession to being in his father’s living room.   He woke sprawled on the couch.  It was a full-sized couch, but he was a big enough man he should have known better.  His neck was in a kink, and the ringing of the phone dragged him to consciousness. 
                  He snatched the phone up and growled a greeting.  He glanced at the clock.  Nearly ten.  He could hear his father’s cane squeaking across the tile in the bathroom.  He lifted his eyes through the open floor plan to room where he’d spent most of the night.  No stirring there.  Was she still asleep?  The temptation to go up and see was nearly irresistible. 
                  The voice on the line drew his attention back to the phone. 
                  “The car is going to be a couple of days.”
                  “What’d you find?”
                  “It was a simple fix, really.  Looks like the battery cables were loosened.  That’s why it died last night.  While we had it in the stall, I looked it over for anything else suspicious.  Couple of things.”
                  He sat back on the couch.  Someone had jimmied with the battery cables.  It hadn’t broken down on her way from the clinic but after leaving here.  He glanced toward the kitchen window.  The idea that someone had tampered with her car while she was here under his watch sent a flush of anger coursing through him. 
                  “The brakes need some repairs, and there’s a hole in the fuel line.”
                  Mark worked his jaw.  “When you say the brakes need repairs, what are we talking about?”  He wasn’t worried about cost.  If they needed it, they’d get it.  He wanted to know if they were worn from use or if someone had been interrupted cutting a brake line.  He heard movement in the kitchen and turned to see Gretchen move down the stairs to the sink.
                  “Typical wear and tear, if you ask me.  The fuel line, on the other hand, looks like someone took a screwdriver to it.  The location looks like it was deliberate.  Doubtful she caught something underneath that caused it.  I just caught it because I saw the fluid streaming out.  Nice and steady so it would take a while to run empty.”
                  “I see.  Could you keep me updated on that?”
                  “Will do.  Probably need to let her know that someone’s out to get her.  Seems like she might be in need of protection right about now.”
              “I’ve got it covered.”
                 
                  Gretchen overslept.  Sebastian normally had breakfast over an hour ago.  She glanced around the counter and in the sink but no dirty dishes littered the area.  So he was waiting patiently on her.   
                  She pulled pancake mix and bacon from the fridge in lieu of the usual oatmeal or healthy cereal.  She’d fix a bigger brunch meal and then prepare something he could eat when he was ready for a later lunch.
    Mark’s deep voice resonated from the living room.  He finished his call and moved into the kitchen. “Morning.”
    “Same to you.”  She was too tempted to look at him, so she kept her eyes on her hands.  “Hungry?”
    He moved beside her, standing too close before reaching up into the cabinet and pulling a glass down.  She smelled his skin and thought immediately of sex.  She