9. Dayton
9
DAYTON
A nother day, another shit town we’re pulling into.
Instead of traveling southwest toward California, I continued our journey south down the 95. While I was sure I could trust my colleagues at the Hunters’ Guild, you never could be too safe. Not with someone like Elle in my charge.
“Can we upgrade motels for the next couple nights?”
“Nope, gotta stay at places that take cash. We’re close to you possibly getting out of this mess. We can’t mess it up now.”
I looked over at her sitting in the passenger seat. This entire thing seemed so surreal to me. But even more surreal than the situation was how attracted I was to her. It was as if something in me snapped this morning. When I woke up and discovered her gone, I’d gone into a panic. The overwhelming relief I’d felt and the anger that followed once I discovered she was okay was very unlike me.
I’d lost control.
For a man who prided himself for always having a sound mind and maintaining control at all costs, this feeling was foreign—yet enticing.
It didn’t help that physically, she was perfection in every way. Her obsession with food and underlying insecurities about how she looked just made her human. When I’d first seen her mugshot and realized she’d been my new case, I’d expected someone much different than the girl in the other seat who was humming along to the song on the radio.
How I was going to be able to restrain myself I was unsure. If she initiated something, I’d be a goner for sure. It took everything I had in me this morning to put a halt to our having sex.
She reached across the seats to place her hand on my inner thigh, inches from my dick. Well, this could be a problem.
“Elle…”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to get a place with a hot tub? Especially a private hot tub. We could strip down naked and indulge.”
“Not many places are going to have private hot tubs.”
“Never know. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
There she goes, chewing at her lower lip again. The damn woman was going to be my undoing. Her naked in a hot tub was the last thing I needed.
“I can’t get distracted. I can’t protect you or figure this out if I’m distracted, Elle.”
Her hand inched a little higher.
Gathering up the little resolve I had left in me, I grabbed her hand and placed it on her lap. “That can’t happen.”
By the little smirk on her lips, I knew this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
Luckily, the motel I had in mind came into view.
Pulling off the highway, I drove up to the registration office and hopped out. Wagging a finger at her, I gave her a stern look. “Don’t move.”
Her only reply was a salute.
My god, she was going to be the death of me.
ELLE
Bored. I was bored. And horny.
Hours of driving with nothing to occupy my mind other than thoughts of him had been rough.
Since our close encounter this morning the only thing I seemed to be able to think about was the feel of his perfectly sculpted body on top of mine. I bet he’d be amazing in bed. The men in Hollywood were so arrogant. They had this attitude that any woman should be grateful just to be with them. They were so full of themselves that they didn’t even try.
But Dayton.
He’d try. I could just sense that about him. He wouldn’t fuck me fast, get off and then roll over and go to sleep. No. He’d pleasure me until I came—over and over. It wouldn’t be until I was completely satisfied that he’d take what he needed.
At least that’s how I envisioned it to go down as I attempted to occupy my time for the endless hours we seemed to be driving that day.
In truth, by the time we’d finally arrived at our destination, the motel that would be our home for the next two to three nights, my panties were moist and my body was tense and ready for relief. If he wasn’t willing to give it to me, then I’d have to do it myself.
Maybe while he watched…
I bit down on my lower lip as I tried to settle myself while waiting on him to come back to the vehicle with our room key.
DAYTON
“You want the good news or the bad news first?” I asked as I got back into the car with the room key in hand and shifted it into gear.
Her expression brightened as she sat up fully in the seat. “Good news.”
“You are in luck. Not only do they have that ancient pool in the front that we can use. Open for use 24/7. But they also had a two-person jacuzzi suite. The honeymoon suite.” I announced, not sure if this was a good idea or not. This wasn’t a romantic getaway or vacation. However, all things considered, I couldn’t deny her one request.
“Then what’s the bad news?”
“There’s no health food option places around here so you’ll have to settle for fast food for the next few days.”
She didn’t even hesitate to answer as a wide grin spread across her face. “I can swim off the calories.”
“That’s the spirit.” Driving across the parking lot to the other end of the two-story motel, I parked in front and turned to her. Placing a hand on her arm, I stopped her from getting out momentarily. “I only have one rule.”
Her smile faltered. “Okay.”
“You do not leave the room without me. No excuses. No exceptions. Not even to go to the pool or to go to the damned ice machine. If I catch you leaving the room without me again, the cuffs go back on for good. Are we clear?” I kept my gaze locked on hers. She needed to know I wasn’t fucking around with this rule. “I hope I don’t need to explain to you why this is so important.”
She nodded. “I know. And I’m fine with that stipulation.”
“Good.” I guessed I had a fifty-fifty shot of her adhering to the rules, but I was fully prepared to follow through with my threat.
Getting out of the SUV, I gathered our stuff before opening the door with Elle following behind me.
Pushing the door open, I groaned to myself as my gaze swept the interior. “You’ve gotta be shitting me.”
Laughing, she entered the room and did a complete 360-degree spin, her eyes drinking in the entire interior. “Now this is what I’m talking about. This is epic.”
“You’ve got a twisted idea of epic,” I grumbled.
“What?” Planting her hands on her hips, she looked at me amused. “What’s wrong with it?”
“This room looks like it’s been the set for every porno filmed in the 70’s.”
The bed was a large king-sized, heart-shaped bed, but not to be outdone by the heart-shaped, red jacuzzi tub in the corner of the room. It looked well-maintained, all things considered. I guess I could consider that a plus.
“This is really something.” She walked over to the bed, lifted her arms and did a trust fall back onto the bed. With a squeal, she sank so far into it that it seemed to engulf her before she reappeared, the entire bed jiggling. “Holy shit! It’s a waterbed!”
Closing the door. I sighed.
“Have you ever slept in a waterbed, Dayton?” She asked sitting up on the edge of the sideshow of a bed.
“Nope. Never have and never wanted to.”
“Me neither. I was missing out.” She fell back into it again. “I wonder if the sheets are silk or satin. You know, like in the pornos.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me.” As much as I wanted to remain gruff, seeing her enjoying herself helped lift my spirits as well. “I’ve got a number of calls to make before we can call it a day.”
“Message received Boss. Zip it, lock it, put it in my pocket.” She made a little zipping motion with her fingers across her lips.
She was annoying as fuck. The exact opposite of women I’d gravitate to. She was reckless and impulsive. She was everything that I wasn’t. And it was captivating me. As much as I wanted to deny my attraction to her, it was becoming impossible for me to deny.
Maybe I just needed to get to work and distract myself.
Running a hand through my hair, I refrained from rolling my eyes as I took a seat at the glass table for two and began making the necessary calls.