Chapter Ten
T he thought of sleeping next to Jeter made her heart skip a beat. She wasn’t a virgin, but she was far from a ho. At twenty-two, she’d slept with two men. The first one had been during her senior year of high school. The memory was foggy at best. Her friends had said it would hurt and made all these stories about their first times seem amazing. After she’d done the deed, Tori figured they were full of shit, or her guy was a shitty lay. Or maybe it was a combo of both. She’d waited until escaping to Chicago, meeting someone she liked and thought she’d try again. Nope, he sucked too. Both times. Her friends had raved about toys and exploring her own body. Tori figured she wasn’t cut out for the whole male female relation thing.
“Do you need to let the front desk know we’re coming down, so they get my Bronco?” she asked, needing to divert her mind from thoughts of sex.
“No, it should still be sitting out front, like I instructed them when we arrived. You ready?” He held his hand out for her.
Tori looked at his palm and exhaled. She placed her hand in his, shivering at the strength and security that surrounded her in that simple gesture.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. Lead the way, Cowboy.” She swung their hands back and forth, trying to lighten the mood.
He lifted their clasped hands up to his lips. Pressing a chaste kiss against her fingers. “Mmm, I like you calling me pet names, farfallina. I’ll even buy a cowboy hat and wear it for you if you’d like.”
His eyes sparkled when he was happy. She found herself grinning up at him. “I’ll hold you to that. Might need you to practice a southern twang, too. Authentic cowboys always have a drawl when they speak.”
She opened the door with her free hand since he held the end of his suitcase handle in his other hand until they exited the room. Once the door opened, he released her, moving outside first. His shoulders blocked her view as he looked to the right and then the left before he allowed her to exit the room. “It’s clear,” he murmured, placing his hand on her lower back.
Yeah, she knew the drill. That was a lesson drilled into her at a young age. Look both ways before crossing the street and always look for danger everywhere you go. It was a necessity in the world. Life and death situations happened in the blink of an eye. What kept you safe was looking at the details, spotting the slightest change. She’d gotten sloppy in the last four years. If she could go back in time, she could probably find a sign that would’ve told her there was danger lurking in the alley.
Her eyes followed Jeter as they walked toward the elevator. The man made every move with precise execution, as if he mapped out each step in his mind beforehand.
Like he’d done at the door to the room, he checked the elevator for danger, then motioned her inside. Tori knew it was second nature to him, but her silly heart found his actions endearing. Those same qualities years ago got on her nerves. Yet those were her family, not men she wanted with every fiber of her being.
“Farfallina, you keep looking at me like that and we will stop the elevator somewhere between the sixtieth floor and the ground,” he growled.
She sucked in a breath. There was no sense in denying she wanted him. “That would be scandalous.”
He released the suitcase. Pressing her against the glass wall. “Trust me when I say I give zero fucks about scandal, baby. I’d have your pants off and my dick in you in seconds if you said the word.”
The evidence of his hardness brushed against her stomach. She thought of pushing the stop button and demanding he make good on his promise. A ding signaled their arrival on the ground floor, keeping her from doing anything stupid.
Jeter gave her a swift, hard kiss. “Hold that thought, farfallina.”
He reached for his bag and then ushered them out into the lobby. Although they exited together, Jeter was careful to keep her slightly behind him. She marveled at how easily he moved through the crowd. His head swiveled back and forth as if he scanned each person they’d passed. Tori didn’t doubt the man memorized things about each of them, discarding those he felt were nonthreatening.
If he gave a lover that much attention, she was positive they never walked away wondering what all the fuss was about.
“Good evening, sir. Are you checking out?”
Jeter stopped outside the glass doors, eyeing the man who spoke. “No, we’re going for an evening photoshoot. See you soon,” he said, smiling at the valet.
The shiny, black, hardshell suitcase didn’t stand out as anything major, definitely didn’t scream money like a designer logo would.
She held her head high. Jeter made up stories on the fly, while she found it hard to spit out the truth. She froze mid-step. “Jeter, where’s my Bronco?” she whispered.
He wrapped his arm around her waist, urging her toward the right. “Follow me, love. I found the perfect place with the best lighting to capture the images we need for the magazine,” he said loud enough his voice carried around them.
Tori pulled out her cell phone, tapped on her screen, and sighed. “Found it.”
Jeter continued to guide them away from the front of the hotel. They both let out a breath at the sight of her vehicle parked next to a couple of luxury cars.
“Hold up. I’m going to have that guy get your vehicle and bring it around for us.” Jeter turned them back around. His stride, longer than hers, had her stumbling to keep up.
“Hey, slow down before you make me fall on my face.”
He stopped and turned, freezing mid-step and coming inches from her face. “Shit, my bad. Listen, when we get back to him, I’m going to tell him we forgot we had the Bronco parked and ask him to get it for us. I don’t like the feeling of getting into it without a little insurance that all is good.”
JETER DIDN’T LIKE SCARING her, but their lives were more important than sparing her. If someone was out there, ready to pop off another shot, they’d have a clear view. Or, in a worst-case scenario, they put a bomb on her rig. Then he’d rather it blow up on someone else. If the weasel who’d spoken to him when they exited was in the know, then he’d either deny his request, remove the device before bringing the Bronco around, or end up blown to smithereens as he drove.
“Hey, sorry to bother you again. I realized we had our vehicle valet parked. Can you get it for us?” Jeter gave him his room number and the make of the vehicle. With no hesitation, the young man nodded, then moved to the podium where they kept keys and such. Seconds later, he walked away.
They moved back, Jeter finding a space for them to be less out in the open.
“Have you talked to your brother lately?”
He looked at her, watching the puffs of cloud form from her breathing fill the air. It was fucking cold, and he had her out traipsing through the night. “He texted to let me know they didn’t have any answers yet. We need to get you inside before you freeze your tits off.”
The thought of her breasts being cold made him look down. Sure as shit, he could make out the outline of her hardened little nipples pressing against the thin top she wore.
Lights from an incoming vehicle’s headlights washed over them as pulled into the circular entrance. The familiar Bronco’s familiar rumble heralded it’s arrival before it came into view. He stopped Tori from opening the passenger door, placing a hand on her arm. “Hold up,” he whispered.
The valet came around, grinning. “This is a sweet ride, sir. I see lots of expensive cars, but that is the first Bronco I’ve driven since they came out.” He pulled the back open, offering to place the suitcase inside.
Jeter waved him off, putting the luggage in himself. He gave the guy a twenty, then eyed him as he opened the passenger door for Tori. She climbed in, smiling down at him. Jeter shut the back hatch and walked around to the driver’s door.
“Buckle up, gorgeous.” He snapped his seatbelt in place, keeping an eye on those around him, then eased the car into gear. The breath whooshed out of him once they were clear of the hotel. He hit start on the map that would lead him to the clubhouse. Fifteen minutes away from his location. The distance wasn’t far, which didn’t give him long to find a store to pick up any necessities Tori might need.
Although Enzo knew he was bringing Tori with him, and his ole’ lady Sophie would more than likely have shit Tori could borrow, he wanted her to have things of her own.
Jeter pressed the buttons on her dash to get the heater to the hottest setting on her side. He pushed the heated seat button next. “We’ll get you a coat as soon as we can,” he promised.
She shook her head. Her hands rubbed together. “I have several at my place, Jeter. I don’t need to buy another one. It’s not like I’m going to be running around town.”
He wanted to tell her they’d do whatever was needed, and he’d make damn sure she was comfortable while they did it. She lifted her hands to the air vents and let out a little moan, making him lose his focus.
The sign for an all-night store that carried just about everything from over-the-counter meds, clothing, and gifts came up on his right, showing it was on the next exit. He held his tongue, figuring he could buy her what he felt she needed, along with what she wanted. Two birds with one stone.
They were the only vehicle in front of the store when he parked. “Come on, farfallina. Let’s get you some things and get the hell out of here. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired.”
A yawn from Tori met his words instead of an agreement. He pushed open his door, moving around the front of her vehicle. He placed her key in his pocket before taking her hand in his. She didn’t hesitate to slip her fingers between his.
The swoosh of the door alerted the cashier to their arrival. The elderly woman raised her head. She looked them over with a scowl. Jeter grabbed a cart and motioned for Tori to walk with him.
“Do you need any makeup or bathroom supplies?” he asked, taking them down the first aisle.
She did a little squeal as she picked out girl shit. “I will pay you back every penny.”
He didn’t bother to agree or disagree. They went down the next, grabbing more things she’d need before they reached the aisle with pajamas. While he would prefer her to sleep naked, she would feel better wearing clothes. Until she was used to him. He grinned at his last thought. Keeping the contemplations to himself, he helped her choose a couple of different sets, and then they found a few leggings and graphic T-shirts. What they didn’t find were panties that fit her. Knowing she’d be going commando under her pants was going to keep his dick hard in the coming days.
“Holy crap. I think I went a little overboard.” Tori stopped the cart with one hand on the side. The other she had on her mouth. Her eyes were wide as they jumped from the stuff in the basket to him.
“Calm down, Tori. You and I both know this is nothing in the drop of shit you need. Let’s get it bagged up and get the hell out of here. I swear, that lady up front is eyeing us like we’re gonna steal a bag of chips or something.” He looked over Tori’s shoulder, making eye contact with the old woman.
“Why would we steal anything?” She whipped her head around, gasping at something she saw.
“No clue, babe. Some people are just assholes.”
He reached for Tori’s hand, wanting her to move up near him as they walked to the registers. Her warm breath feathered over his neck as she leaned into him. “If she only knew how dumb she looked.”
“I’m sure it’s because she ain’t had a good dicking in probably forever. That would make anyone sour,” he said.
“Hmm,” she said.
Jeter wanted to ask Tori when the last time she’d gotten laid and when the last time she’d come so hard she couldn’t remember her own name but held his tongue. Anger flared at thoughts of her with another man, or men.
“If you don’t stop scowling, she’s liable to think you haven’t gotten a good dicking,” Tori joked, laughing when he mock growled at her.
Her words and laughter made him smile by the time they reached the checkout. The cashier didn’t look happy to see all the items they placed up on her counter.
“Do you have a loyalty rewards account with us?” she asked, while scanning the first item.
“No,” Jeter barked. They would not leave a digital trail for anyone to follow.
The woman eyed him and Tori but continued to scan and place items into bags without another word. Jeter watched her, making sure she didn’t double charge them. As she got to the clothing, her eyebrows rose.
“Her suitcase got lost. We’re buying things to get her through until the airline finds it. Hopefully, it’ll get here tomorrow, but just in case—” He trailed off, letting her fill in the blanks.
The moment he said Tori lost her luggage, sympathy replaced the stern look. “Oh, no. You poor thing. It’s always us women who get the shaft. If you need anything else that we didn’t have, there’s a Walmart a few miles down the road.”
Jeter almost rolled his eyes. Instead, he waited for her to finish as Tori nodded and did a few murmured agreements. As the total came up, he slid his wallet out and gave her enough cash to cover the cost. Again, her brows rose like she’d expected him to use a credit card.
After she raised the hundreds to the light, marked it with her marker, she deemed they were legit. Jeter grabbed their bags and pushed the cart back into the line he’d grabbed it from earlier. Tori stayed by his side, waving at the cashier as they left.
“She dislikes men,” Tori said.
He settled her stuff in the back next to his suitcase, opened up the case he’d gotten her, and placed her bags inside it to make it easier to take inside the clubhouse once they got there.
“Yeah, she certainly seemed to have disdain toward me, but she didn’t appear to care for you either at first. I think she’s mad at the world in general.”
Tori settled into her seat, buckled in, and waited for him to do the same.