Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Brock kept his hand under her elbow as they descended the path toward his rental car, which was parked in the driveway.
Dani had insisted twice already that she was fine, but walking past the dead body, even though he’d covered it with a sheet, had turned her complexion powdery white.
Her muscles trembled beneath his hold, but she kept her back ramrod straight.
He opened the black Ford Focus’s passenger door, waited until she got situated, then placed her bag in the back along with the food he’d asked the manager to stock before Dani arrived.
He got into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and backed out. He’d have to do something about the body—that was definitely out of the scope of the property manager’s duties. He couldn’t call the cops, not yet. Leaving it there seemed sacrilegious, but they didn’t have many options.
“I don’t understand how he found me,” Dani said, several minutes after they’d hit the road. The moon cast its glow over the asphalt, illuminating their way between the streetlamps.
He’d booked them a hotel in the city using Dani’s encrypted phone.
He let his fingers slide down the smooth leather steering wheel and watched her out of the corner of his eye.
Her knee shifted side to side as she looked out the window, fixated on the lake’s inky waves.
His fingers flexed with the need to touch her leg. He tightened his grip on the wheel.
“Followed maybe?” The desire crunching his dick in his pants prevented him from speaking full sentences.
He shouldn’t have been aroused while holding her at Leland’s.
Jesus, she’d been through hell, and the last thing he needed to do was make things uncomfortable.
He’d get through the next few days—even if he had to jerk off every hour to stay sane.
“I don’t see how. I was so careful.” She shook her head. “If he had, why wait so long to come inside? I arrived in the afternoon.” She gestured at the glowing clock on the dash. “It’s after three.”
“Maybe he was waiting to see if you called someone. Remember, they want to take down everyone involved, not just a secondary player.” Headlights shone in his rearview mirror, bringing his attention to a vehicle behind them.
Was someone following them? Man, he was exhausted.
Between the long day of traveling and then walking in on someone trying to murder Dani, he was done with the day.
He stretched his neck. He’d kill another motherfucker if he had to.
“I suppose you’re right.” She turned her face toward him, and he stole a glance at her turned-up nose, pinched lids, and puckered mouth. “Does Interpol normally strangle their suspects?”
“You got me there.”
“Unless he’s involved. I mean, think about it. If Interpol were after a bioterrorist, wouldn’t they have a whole team of people to arrest me? They’d want to secure evidence, right?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
She harrumphed. “This is so bizarre.” She dragged her fingers over the battered skin on her throat, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss every inch of bruising flesh on her body.
He followed the GPS’s turn-by-turn directions and tipped his gaze to the rearview mirror for the hundredth time.
The vehicle tailing them turned, and he let his shoulders relax.
Fifteen minutes later they rolled up to the hotel and got out.
He collected their bags and rested his hand on the small of Dani’s back, directing her to the lobby.
She lifted her chin and stepped away, letting his fingers fall.
“Keep your head down,” he said, as they stood in line.
He had to be careful. His body acted on muscle memory and his brain became utterly complacent when she was around. It was as if his body fell into step with hers, sensing every movement, every need, and absorbed her energy and partial smiles like a sponge did water.
But he couldn’t fall into old habits no matter how badly he ached to be close to her. His knuckles brushed hers as they approached the front desk, and it took all his willpower not to fold her delicate fingers into his.
He handed over his credit card, declined the bellboy who offered to take them to their room, and made his way to the elevator.
Dani stayed close to his side, her chin dipped and her gaze on the floral-patterned carpet beneath their feet.
The elevator dinged on their floor and he followed her to their room, pulled out their key, and swung open the door.
“Wait here a sec.” He backed her into the bathroom then did a quick search of the room.
Her head poked around the corner. “Do you really think someone got here before we did?”
He returned and placed her bag in her hand. “Not taking any chances after what I walked into at Leland’s.”
He rested his elbow on the doorframe above her head. “Mind if I take a shower? I’m still wearing all the germs from the plane.”
Her gaze floated over his chest and landed on his face. A pink tint spread across her cheekbones and her lips rolled in and out, in and out. Damn did he want to taste her wet flesh.
“Go ahead. I showered at Leland’s so I can wait until morning. I’m going to crash.” She peered at the bed, which brought her face that much closer to his side. “One bed?”
“It’s a king.”
“Ha. Not a chance.” A smile played at her lips, but her sharply arched brows read back off. Crap. He hadn’t thought to ask for two beds, and if he was honest with himself, he might have been praying she’d snuggle with him tonight.
An alarm screamed in his head. Snuggling was as much of an option as sex, and the fact that his brain had gone there first out of the two alternatives made him want to kick his own teeth in.
“I’ll take the couch.” His throat resisted the words, but he’d do anything to make her comfortable. Even sleep on a hotel couch.
“I can take the couch.”
He shook his head. “Don’t be silly. I remember how you flop around in bed.
You’ll end up on the floor.” He shooed her out of the bathroom and shut the door.
He stripped, turned the water a lot colder than he liked, and stepped under the spray.
He rested his forearm on the wall and let the water run off his shoulders and down the scorching flames of lust on his skin.
He brought his hand to his cock and pictured Dani’s legs locked around his hips, his cock pumping into her wet slit.
After ten embarrassing strokes of his hand, he groaned as his release sprayed out.
Not enough to stamp out his desire. Not even close.
In the bathroom, still damp from her shower, Dani stepped into her pants.
The material clung to her thighs. Sleeping in the same room as Brock had proved torturous, even for her sleep-deprived brain.
She’d lain there for hours listening to his rumbling breath and inhaling his warm, masculine scent in the tight quarters.
Finally, she’d passed out and had woken to a buffet of room service.
Bonus points for Brock.
She tugged on her shirt and combed her hair away from her face.
Her go bag hadn’t been stocked with makeup, so she’d have to rock the dark circles under her eyes until she had time to shop—although shopping wasn’t high on her list of priorities.
Brock had seen her at her worst moments: covered in tears, dirt, bruises, and blood.
He wouldn’t be deterred by a lack of makeup.
She squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head.
What was the matter with her? She and Brock were romantically dead.
Sure, she was still attracted to him. She was female.
But there was nothing between them but a shitload of history, resentment .
. . and sizzling hot looks from those hazel eyes that had haunted her dreams and fantasies since they split up and even more persistently since the kidnapping.
She brushed her teeth, swept her wet hair into a ponytail, and strode out of the bathroom. Brock sat on the bed, her phone in his hand. The bottom of her stomach dropped out.
“What is it?” She didn’t care that he’d checked her phone. It wasn’t as if she had anything personal on the encrypted one.
“A message.” He turned the screen to face her and she accepted the device.
She frowned as she read the text from Sven. “He wants to meet at 9:00 a.m.” She glanced at the clock at the corner of the screen. “That’s in twenty minutes. We should go.” She typed a response to Sven, promising to be there.
Brock stood, and his tall frame towered over her.
She tilted her head back to take in his face.
His brows cut a sharp line, his mouth was tucked in at the corner, and his eyes appeared slate gray in the early morning sunlight streaming through the windows.
He crossed his arms across his chest and she drew her chin up further.
His body language screamed that he was preparing for a disagreement.
“I want you to stay here.” The words came out slow and hard.
She propped her hand on her hip and slid the phone into the back pocket of her jeans. “Uh, no. Sorry, that’s not an option.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s expecting me. If anyone finds out I brought you in on this, they’ll kill me.”
“Someone’s already trying to kill you.”
“Let’s not increase the odds, all right?”
He sighed, uncrossed his arms, and moved directly into her personal space.
He brushed his thumb over her jaw then coasted it down the column of her neck.
Her body hummed and a small gasp slipped past her lips.
The skin crinkled around his eyes and his copper-flecked orbs moved over her face. Hard. Determined. And . . . scared?
“I just want you to be safe. Please, Dani. Stay here. Let me go instead.” The small plea tugged at her heart. Heat stirred in her belly. His voice had an aching quality, and his words were careful and placating.
As if he still cares.