Cole #2
Armstrong had stopped her. My rage was a dark, twisted thing.
“Cole.”
I jerked my head up at Landon. With his dark gaze, he warned me to get a grip on it. I nodded, then focused back on Lili. “He can’t stop you. You can leave now.”
She blinked.
“Tomorrow, I’ll get your car and things, and make sure you leave Las Vegas safely.”
“You’ve done so much for me.”
What she didn’t know was that I’d do so much more to see her safe.
Landon patted her knee. “You’re doing fine. Pulse is a little fast, but that’s to be expected. Nothing in your face is broken and I’m not seeing much swelling. You shouldn’t get much bruising.”
“Thanks, Landon.” She smiled.
I stared at her face. She was so damn pretty and when she smiled, she lit up.
“You’re very welcome, Lili.” He rose. “It was nice to meet you.” He glanced at me again. “I hope wherever you end up next, you’re happy.”
“Me, too.”
“I’ll let myself out.”
When the front closed, Lili pulled my jacket around her shoulders again. “He seems like he’s used to checking in on people at all hours of the night.”
“He is. He runs a free clinic in the city. Keeps him busy.”
She cocked her head. “He hasn’t always been a doctor, has he?”
“No.”
“And you haven’t always been a fighter.”
If she really knew what we’d been, what we’d done, she’d run out of here screaming. “No.” That was all I could give up. “I meant what I said, Lili. You’re safe now, and you can do whatever you want.”
“I’ve always wanted to see the beach. That was always my daydream, about leaving Dad, driving to a beach and finding somewhere I belonged.”
My fingers hurt from squeezing them so hard. “Then that’s what you’ll do.”
“Thank you.” Her brown eyes gleamed, then suddenly, she flew out of the couch and into my arms.
I caught her, the scent of vanilla engulfing me. She hugged me hard.
“No one has done anything for me like you have. You fought for me, saved me, and now you’re helping me. I can never repay you.”
I slowly closed my arms around her. I wasn’t much of a hugger. She was the perfect armful. “Did I say anything about payback? I don’t want anything.”
She made a sound and the scent of vanilla worked its way into my senses. Then my brain started noting her full breasts pressed to my chest, her slim arms around me, the sleek skin of her face pressed to my neck. My cock throbbed.
Fuck.
I pushed her back a little, but she held on, practically sitting in my lap.
“I am grateful, Cole. You didn’t have to step in.” She frowned and bit her bottom lip. “Will this get you into trouble? Goodyear…he isn’t a man to cross.”
Just that man’s name set me on edge. “I’m not worried about Goodyear.”
She nodded, her gaze roaming over my face. Strangely, it didn’t linger on the scar on my cheek. No, Lili’s gaze fell to my lips.
My hand clenched on her hip. She was pressed against me, the scent of her wrapping around me, the feel of her the ultimate temptation.
She dragged in a breath, and I watched her round breasts push against the low neckline of that dress. At that moment, it felt like the temperature in the room had risen twenty degrees.
Rising quickly, I set her on her feet and stepped away. I didn’t want to see it, but I clocked the disappointment that filled her face. Damn, she showed everything she felt.
She was far too much temptation. I’d never been ruled by my cock, but something about Lili set me off.
“I’m going to call up to the casino and get you a room.”
She blinked. “What?”
“A room. At the Avernus. You can rest, get some sleep. In the morning, I’ll get your car and gear delivered here. I’ll need your address.”
“Oh, okay.” She twisted her hands together.
“You can shower, order room service. The food at the Avernus is good.”
“I don’t have anything to sleep in.”
I could help with that. I strode down the short hall to my bedroom. Not bothering to turn on the lights, I strode into my walk-in closet and opened a drawer. While Bastian and Rafe were in a competition for who had the most designer suits, my clothes barely took up a third of the closet.
I’d give her a T-shirt to sleep in. My hand hesitated. Turning my head, I glanced at the shirt I’d only worn for an hour earlier today and tossed over the chair in the corner.
I didn’t know what made me do it. Just the thought of her sleeping in my shirt, with my scent on it, short circuited my brain. I slammed the drawer closed and grabbed my earlier tee.
She was waiting for me in the living room. She took the shirt and smiled. “Thanks.”
After I’d made a call to sort a room for her, I escorted her up the winding path and into the casino.
Bastian had designed the Avernus to be pure class.
Everything was done in black and shades of bronze.
The walls were black and dotted with carved bronze metal artwork, the plush carpet was black with an elegant bronze pattern.
He’d named the place the Avernus, after a volcanic crater and lake in Italy that was rumored to be an entrance to the Roman underworld.
He’d kept up the underworld theme for naming most things in the casino.
The former assassin had a dark sense of humor.
I avoided the main casino floor, although I could hear the annoying dings of the slot machines and the rat-rat-rat of the roulette wheel.
One of the uniformed front desk employees met us at the elevators.
Even at this late hour, his bronze shirt and black trousers were crisp and his blond hair well-styled. Bastian only hired the best staff.
“Hi, Cole.”
“Oscar.”
The young man held out a keycard, flicking a curious, and appreciative glance, at Lili. I barely stopped my scowl.
“Room 712. Have a good night.”
We silently rode the elevator to the seventh floor. After a short walk down the hallway, I stopped at her door, and swiped the card.
Lili looked into the plush, elegant room, her lips parting. “Wow.”
It was spacious, with bronze and cream carpeting, and bronze accents around the room. The bed was high and covered in pillows.
“Order something to eat.”
She smiled. “It’s after midnight.”
“I don’t care.”
“Okay,” she murmured.
She fiddled with my T-shirt in her hands. “Will I see you tomorrow?”
It was best if I didn’t. I’d ask Alessio to get her things, and I’d give him some cash to give her. Enough so she could get away and get herself set up somewhere. “Probably not.”
More disappointment crossed her features, before she managed a shaky smile. “Well, thank you again, Cole. I mean it.”
“Goodbye, Lili.”
She swallowed and gave me a tiny nod. “Goodbye, Cole.”
She closed the door, and I stood there, staring at it for several minutes before I forced myself to walk away.