The Law of Desire by Gwyneth Bolton

silence.”
    Well, damn. It was like a gust of wind when she turned back around to face her window.
    So, no talking for now…
    But she would have to talk to him soon. He swallowed and focused on the drive.
    They would have to stop in Tannersville at the outlet mall. He didn’t stop to get any of his clothes and he certainly wasn’t going to risk picking up her things from the McKnights’ apartment. So they would both need to pick up some items for the duration. She looked like the kind of woman who liked to shop. Maybe that would put her in a better mood. If not, this would be the longest and most painful time he had ever spent with a woman.
     

    She tried to curb her irritation. She really did. But the last thing she felt like doing was trying on clothes and shopping when she still felt like she had a billion bedbugs creepy-crawling on her skin. As much as she loved a sale, she wanted a hot shower! As she looked through the sale racks in the Dress Barn outlet all she wanted to do was wash the bright auburn weave tracks out of her hair because she knew the critters must have been harvesting and hashing in it Pretty much forgetting her alias identity and the hip-hop clothing she’d been wearing, she opted for the business and relaxed casual style she was most comfortable in. The little disguise hadn’t worked anyway. They still found her and the Baby Phat minidress she was wearing was working her last nerve, rising up and what not. She hoped she’d be able to burn the thing later. It was probably infested anyway.
    Once she’d found a few outfits, shoes, a nightgown and some underwear in clearance, she went up to the cash register. It was then she realized that she didn’t have any cash on her but she did have her credit cards and debit card. She had been afraid to use them before because David hinted that the police or the people who had killed her brother might be able to trace her if she used them. But the crooks had found her and she was stuck with a cop, so she might as well use her cards.
    “I got this.” Lawrence stepped up and pulled out his credit card.
    “You don’t have to. I can pay my own way.”
    “You sure? It’s not a problem for me to handle it. In fact I insist.” He gave the cashier his credit card.
    She could have made a big scene but realized it was unnecessary. As controlling and unyielding as he seemed to be, he was trying to keep her safe.
    Once they picked up a few items from a men’s store for him, they ended up in a beauty supply shop. She needed the special shampoo to get rid of the glue that held the weave in her hair. And she couldn’t wait to get rid of it. She also needed a blow dryer and curling iron if she wanted to make her natural curls manageable.
    As he opened the door to the SUV for her to get in, she paused in front of him. He looked so handsome and stoic and purposeful. She pursed her lips and crossed her hands behind her back.
    “Thanks, Lawrence. For everything.”
    He leaned down and placed his forehead on hers. The closeness would have had her gasping for air if she wasn’t forcing herself to remain composed.
    Oh, my goodness…
    “I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise you that.” His lips brushed her forehead and she wished he had kissed her.
    The hot feel of his lips with just that featherlike touch made it feel like she had firecrackers in her socks. She swallowed back her groan and got into the SUV before she was tempted to grab his head and thrust her tongue down his throat.
    They drove the rest of the way in silence. She felt a little bad about not speaking. But she had to resist him in any small way she could. Just because he wanted to talk did not mean she had to talk. He didn’t believe a word that came out of her mouth, anyway. Sure, she would have welcomed the distraction of conversation if it would have taken her mind off how sexy he was, even when he was sitting there brooding. But, unfortunately, his voice did something to her,