“Not you, lady; just your motives.”
“Same thing.”
Trask took her hand and pressed her fingers to his lips. “Not at all. But sometimes I think you’d lie to protect those closest to you.”
She shook her head and smiled sadly. “Wrong, senator. Maybe I should have five years ago. Since Dad wouldn’t say what happened, maybe I should have covered for him.” She picked up a crystal paperweight from the desk and ran her fingers over the cut glass. “Maybe then he’d still be alive.”
“And you’d be the criminal for perjuring yourself.”
She frowned at her distorted reflection in the glass. “I guess there are no easy answers,” she said, as she placed the paperweight on the corner of the desk. “You really don’t have to stay, you know.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“It’s ridiculous. Keith’s here.”
“Precisely my point.” He looked up at her and wrapped his hand around her neck, drawing her lips to his. “I’m not taking any chances with your life.”
“What about Neva and Nicholas?”
“A private investigator is with them.”
“And you’ve assigned yourself to me as my personal bodyguard it that it?”
“Um-hm.” He rubbed his lips gently against hers, then murmured, “I’m going to stick to you like glue.”
“I just can’t believe that anyone would want to hurt Nicholas or you.”
He smiled wryly. “Believe it.”
He pulled on her hand and she tumbled into the chair with him. Though he let out a sharp breath as her weight fell against his ribs, he grinned wickedly. “Maybe it would be best if I came to bed with you,” he suggested, his breath touching her hair.
“I don’t think so.”
“Are you worried about what Keith and the rest of the hands will think?”
She shrugged. “A little, I guess.”
“Hypocrite.” He nuzzled her neck and she felt her blood begin to warm.
“There’s nothing hypocritical about it, I’m just trying to use my head. We both need sleep. You can stay in the guest room. It’s only a couple of doors down the hall from mine.”
“I remember,” he said softly, his voice intimate.
Tory had to look away from him to ignore the obvious desire smoldering in his eyes. Who was she kidding? How many times had he stolen into her room in the past? He knew the ranch house like the back of his hand.
“Where does Keith sleep?”
“He, uh, moved into Dad’s room when Dad passed away.”
“And the rest of the hands?”
“Usually go home. Once in a while someone will stay in the bunkhouse, but that’s pretty rare these days.”
“What about tonight or, say, the past week?”
“No one is staying on the ranch except Keith and myself.”
“And Rex?”