Chapter 18 #2
“Down! Now! Dammit, you’re hurt!” Tears stung her eyes. “And I’m about to cry! Shit! This night sucks—and, ah!”
He’d put her down. Instantly. “You will not cry.”
A threat of a kick to the dick had not done the trick, but he listened when she mentioned crying? Good point to know for future reference.
She also found herself immediately pinned between him and a wall. Simone glared up at Ryan. “You do this a lot.”
“Do what? Nearly go insane because of you? Yeah, that does seem to occur, granted. I swear, I never lost control before you came rolling into my life. My sanity was never in question. Never. Not once.”
“Your insanity is your own business. What I meant was you use your body to intimidate me. You do that a lot, and it is not cool!”
“Uh, again, wrong wording. Did you mean I use my body to protect you? Is that what you meant to say? Because I’m surrounding you so that you’ll be safe if any threats appear.
You know, threats like the one we just faced.
I tried to shield you with my body at the Arch.
Only, instead of staying behind me, you moved to the side!
You made yourself a target. Why in the hell would you do that? ”
So he could keep living. Obviously. “You’re not my human shield.” Her gaze zeroed in on his arm. His blood-covered arm. Even though she blinked repeatedly, two tear drops raced down her right cheek. “I don’t like for you to get hurt. And I specifically hate for you to get shot.”
“It’s a graze.” His thumb slid under her chin and tipped her head up. “It is only a graze, and I am fine. I swear it.” His mouth brushed over hers.
The kiss steadied her. It quieted the terrible fear that had been blooming inside of her ever since she’d realized it was his blood and not the other jerk’s.
Ryan eased back.
Her breath whispered out.
“We’re going up to our suite,” he said.
“I really think we should get out of this hotel. Who is going to come after me next, one of the cleaning staff? A cook? The concierge?”
His stare held hers. “I need you to trust me.”
The problem was that she did trust him. When she rarely trusted anyone. “I need you…to let me go.”
“It’s just not going to happen.” Then his mouth brushed against hers again. “Now do I get to carry you up the stairs?”
“No, I can get up the stairs just fine on my own.”
And she did. He went first, determined to keep up his human shield act, and at every new floor they reached, they encountered another guard. Guard, spy—same thing? She realized that his people were stationed at every level of the hotel.
So much for her plan to sneak away via the stairs. If these guards were going to stay in position for the rest of the night, she’d barely get down one flight before being intercepted. Maybe if she couldn’t go down…then she could go up. Escape via the roof?
Simone filed that option away for later. For the moment, she had a bleeding Ryan to handle.
Jamar was waiting when they reached the top floor. He held open the stairwell door for them. “Enjoyed the fresh air, huh? Was it as invigorating as you hoped?” He waved toward Ryan. Specifically, Ryan’s arm. “Got to tell you, you have a little something on you.”
“I want that bastard interrogated. Thoroughly,” Ryan ordered.
“Jezebel is on the case. You know she always gets her answers. Guess the plan to use Simone as bait worked.” An approving nod. “Nice job. You are taking down bad guys left and right.”
Bait.
Is that all she was? A juicy lure to pull out more and more bad guys? No wonder Ryan didn’t want to switch hotels. He was accomplishing his mission there.
Ryan opened the door to their suite. He went in first. She lingered in the hallway and perhaps she shot a sullen glare Jamar’s way. The term bait had truly rubbed her the wrong way.
Ryan closed a hand around her wrist and tugged her inside. When the door shut, the sound seemed incredibly final.
“Oh, look,” she murmured, aware that she was dripping water onto the floor. “We’re back where we started.” Her shoulders hunched in his coat. “I’ll go change, get into something dry, and when I come back, I’ll get you bandaged up.” She tried to walk away from him.
Only Ryan did not let go of her wrist.
He stood before her, all big and strong and dripping, too. His shirt clung to him like a second skin, and the man appeared way too sexy and dangerous.
“You were leaving me,” he accused.
“I’m attempting to leave you now,” she clarified, tugging on her wrist.
But he just tightened his grip. Not hurting her. Physically, he’d never hurt her. But his hold seemed unbreakable.
“I’m talking about at the Arch, Simone. You were going to run away from me. You knew I had to stay with the perp. You were trying to take that opportunity and run. If Harry hadn’t been there, would you have vanished into the night?”
That had been her plan, yes. Now you see me, now you don’t.
“What. The. Hell?” Each word from Ryan was bitten off. “You were leaving me? Is that your MO? You have sex then vanish?”
Her stomach twisted. “Release my wrist. Now.”
He did. “Look, dammit, I’m sorry, I—”
“I’m not your bad luck.”
His dark brows shot up. “What?”
“Frankly, I’m the best thing that ever could have happened to you.
” She squared her shoulders. “But you are too much of a jackass to realize that fact. All too focused on being a super spy and not seeing what is right in front of you.” Anger vibrated in her voice.
Anger shook her body. But so did pain. “And I don’t fuck randomly.
I am very, very particular when it comes to my lovers.
I thought you were someone special.” He’d saved her life. He’d fought for her. He’d…
Dammit, he’d made her care.
“I am no one’s bad luck,” she said once more.
His eyes had widened. “Baby…”
“Don’t you dare ‘baby’ me right now.” She put some needed space between them and hurried for the hallway that led to her room. “You should have let me go.”
“I don’t want you to go.”
There was a ragged edge in his voice that had her pausing. Glancing back.
“I didn’t mean it,” he told her.
Her heart hurt.
“I don’t even remember saying that bit about bad luck. Hell, I was fucking terrified and furious, and I just wanted to destroy the bastard who’d come to kill you.”
“You were terrified?” Mocking laughter as she glanced back at him. “I don’t think so.”
“I do.” And he stalked toward her.