Chapter 18 Krista
KRISTA
The door clicked shut and I slumped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Why did I always fall for men who were unavailable? I didn’t even know him that well. I shouldn’t even be thinking about this stuff.
And yet, it was all I could think about. Most men ordered me around and pretended I was too stupid to think for myself. Yet, when I argued with him over the pants, which was entirely stupid, he actually relented and gave me the jeans.
I was just messing with him, but when he chose to embarrass himself and hand over his dignity, I was impressed. No one ever did stuff like that for me.
I was Krista, the sassy cowgirl who always got her way. That’s what people saw. They never saw me as someone with a brain who could actually do something with her life other than clean the cottages or do the basics on the ranch.
My brothers knew I was capable of so much more, yet when we had the ranch, they always wanted to give me the safe jobs. The girly jobs. That was how I ended up cleaning the cottages.
If they knew anything about me, they would realize I had ideas, that I could run a better vacation destination than any of them. But to them, it was all about buildings, and that was something women didn’t do.
If only they realized that I designed my house all on my own. They thought someone else did it. I worked with the architect to create a masterpiece, and in the end, he got all the praise.
I was nothing and never would be in my family’s eyes. Just a dumb brunette with big boobs and a sassy smile.
Flopping back on the bed, I stared up at the ceiling and wished something could go differently in my life. This little adventure I was on gave me a spark of hope that I could have a different life.
That is, until the man I was falling for looked at me as purely sex on a stick. And the truth was, as much as I wanted to screw him and enjoy him while I could, that was sending off all the wrong vibes. That’s all he would see me as because that’s the way I presented myself.
Easy and willing to spread my legs.
Women couldn’t have it both ways. They couldn’t enjoy sex with a man without sending off all the wrong signals. If I slept with him too soon, I was easy. If I waited, all I wanted was a relationship. There was no in between.
“Do you need the shower?” Rob asked, disturbing my thoughts.
I sat up and sighed. “Yeah, I should probably take one.”
“The clothes will be up here soon. I’m guessing we’ll wander around the casino. See if anything triggers some memories.”
I nodded, getting to my feet, but I never made it to the bathroom. Rob slid his hand around my waist, gripping my hip. I inhaled his clean scent, wondering what it would be like to smell that every morning.
“You okay?” he asked, taking me by surprise.
“Of course.” I gave a fake smile because that’s all I had left in me.
He studied me for a minute, like he could actually see through my stony exterior I’d erected. “You sure?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? I mean, we’re on the run. I have no memory of anything that happened between us, and we’re—”
I stopped myself just as I was about to mention that we were married. That might give away too much of the reason I was feeling a little depressed.
“We’re what?”
“In each other’s way,” I said, hoping that would do the trick. “I mean, neither of us can move on with life as long as these guys are after us. Kind of puts a crimp in my plans,” I grinned.
“Right. Gotta get back to the ranch.”
I thought I detected a hint of anger in his words, but his easy smile made me second-guess everything.
“Well, I should get cleaned up.”
I slipped past him and quickly showered, doing my best not to think of his sexy body, the way his smile sent shivers down my spine, or how much I desperately wanted him to ask me just one personal question that would hint he was interested in something other than my vagina.
By the time I was done, I was worked up into a state of anger that would only make things worse for everyone.
Wrapping a towel around myself, I dried my hair with the styling cream and brush that were on the counter for me.
I wasn’t foolish enough to think that Rob got it for me.
Maybe it was complimentary or something.
With no idea how fancy this thing was going to be, I pulled my hair back in a low twist that only half held my hair up, then draped it over my shoulder. I thought it looked pretty, but then again, I might be completely overstyled for whatever we were about to do.
My anger had subsided just a little as I yanked the door open, and I was surprised to find a dress hanging on the back of it, and it was most definitely not something I would ever wear.
Ranchers didn’t tend to wear sparkles or high-slits in their dresses. Nor something that was so low cut.
“Derek picked it out.”
And that put an even bigger damper on the happiness I felt when I looked at it. Nope, he didn’t see this dress and think of me. Another man picked it out and had it hung up for me. God, I really needed to stop this fantasy where Rob was actually falling for me, and we might make this work.
“It’s pretty.” I fingered the material, marveling at how shiny it was. I’d never worn anything like this in my life. Not even to my high school prom.
“Yeah, well, you’re lucky. All I got was a suit. No sparkles for me,” he grinned.
He unzipped the bag and spread the sides to reveal a crisp suit that would look absolutely amazing on him. Charcoal with a grey vest, it was perfect for making him look like he came from money, which I was guessing was the point.
“And wingtip shoes,” I mused, staring at the shoebox opened on the floor. “You’ll look very snappy.”
“That is the point,” he muttered. “Never liked wearing suits. I much prefer my combat gear.”
“Well, dresses like this aren’t exactly my thing, though it is nice to dress up every once in a while.”
“You don’t do that much?”
I snorted in amusement. “And go where? We don’t exactly have any place fancy enough to wear something like this.”
“Maybe a wedding?”
Yes, someone else’s wedding because my day would never come.
I didn’t see him walk up behind me, but I felt his heat pressed against my back as I continued to admire the dress. His fingers swiped at the hair brushing my shoulder, and then his lips were against my neck.
Heat swarmed in my belly as I closed my eyes and relished the feel of him so close to me.
“You’ll look beautiful. In that or anything else.”
My eyes fluttered open as his hand slid around my belly and tugged me flush against him. For just a moment, I imagined he was my husband, and we were getting ready for a night out.
“Thank you.”
“It’s the truth.” He pressed a soft kiss to my cheek, and then his heat was gone. “You should get dressed. We need to get downstairs.”
“Right,” I said, sucking in a breath.
Derek thought of everything, and as I got dressed in the tiniest lingerie, I wished Rob had picked it out. But I shoved those thoughts aside and stepped into the dress.
“Can you zip me up?” I asked, turning just as he was buttoning his shirt.
I sucked in a breath at how handsome he looked. Muscles bunched under his shirt as he stalked toward me. Those pants molded to his thighs, revealing way more than he probably intended.
But it looked good on him.
I turned and pulled my hair over my shoulder, shivering when his warm fingers brushed against my skin. Ever so slowly, he tugged the zipper up, then slid his hands over my shoulders, lingering just a second longer than needed.
“Gorgeous,” he murmured.
I swallowed hard, glancing over my shoulder. “Thank you.”
Clearing his throat, he walked away. “I have something for you.”
Surprised, I turned and watched with excitement as he pulled out a velvet box big enough to hold a necklace. No man had ever gotten me jewelry before. I’d never dated anyone long enough for it to be a thing.
Well, aside from one man, and he turned out to be a total loser.
“It should match the dress pretty well,” he said, his voice gruff as he opened the lid.
I wanted to cry the moment I saw the emerald shining at the center of the beautiful diamonds surrounding it.
“It’s—”
“We need you to look the part,” he said, turning away almost immediately.
My heart plummeted into my stomach at his coarse words. This was a job. Nothing more. He needed to find out who was after us so he could go back to his life.
I sucked back the disappointment and took the necklace out, struggling to put it around my neck. When the clasp wouldn’t connect, he sighed and walked back over, hooking it for me.
But his fingers lingered, brushing against the nape of my neck. Heat flushed my body as our eyes connected in the mirror, but it was gone in a flash, and I was left staring at the beautiful piece of jewelry draped around my neck.
“It’s just a job,” I reminded myself as he walked out of the room. Thinking anything else would only get me hurt.
I stepped off the elevator with my arm draped through Rob’s. I really tried to pretend that it was nothing more than a night of fun, but the throbbing between my legs every time I looked at him suggested that my body wasn’t completely on board with the plan.
“Anything that looks familiar or feels familiar,” he murmured. “Let me know immediately.”
I took a deep breath and stepped forward in my sky-high heels that matched my dress. I was unused to wearing anything like this. Hell, my shoes of choice were cowboy boots, and those only had a low heel.
I wobbled as we walked forward, and Rob caught me more than once when I would have fallen over and made a fool of myself.
He, on the other hand, seemed to fit in perfectly in his expensive suit and shoes. You’d think he wore it every day for work. Then again, he wasn’t in heels, so I gave myself bonus points for that.
Bells rang in the distance and chips flooded the tables, each of the noises drawing my attention a little more than the last time, sending my brain into overload. Faint images of a dealer sitting across from me flooded my mind, but gave away nothing useful.
“Anything?”
“Not that would help,” I sighed.
I closed my eyes and tried to pick out the details from behind the dealer. There was a sign for the restrooms, but other than that, there was nothing.
“The decor matches,” Rob said, his brows furrowed. “This is definitely the hotel.”
“Well, of course it is. Our names were registered at the front desk.”
“I mean, this is where it happened.”
Glancing around the room, I spotted a sign for the restroom. Studying it carefully, I was pretty sure it was the same sign. “Over there,” I said, tapping his arm.
“By the Blackjack tables?”
I nodded, walking over with him, trying not to run. I was desperate for answers, to figure out what happened to those days of my life. And yet, as soon as I found out, it would all be over.
Rob pulled out the stool for me, and I gently slid onto it, careful not to pull my dress in any way to reveal something I shouldn’t.
I glanced around as Rob talked to the dealer. I knew nothing about Blackjack, and I wasn’t about to start learning now.
“Krista,” he said, drawing my attention.
“Huh?”
“Anything?”
I shook my head, but just as I did, I saw a man staring at me. His eyes were most definitely focused on me, and he lifted his wrist, whispering something. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and Rob’s hand slipped around my waist.
“We have company.”
I nodded in agreement, unable to take my eyes off the man who was now walking toward us.
“Derek, we’ve got company,” I heard Rob whisper.
“Is he coming?”
“No,” he ground out, his voice turning lethal. “They’re boxed in. Whoever these guys are, they’re not casino security.”
“How can you tell?”
He nodded at one of them as he tossed down a few chips. “They don’t usually walk around prepared for a gunfight.”
I glanced back at the man just as he shifted his suit jacket aside, revealing a gun that he was currently drawing.
“Rob—”
His hand was already on my arm, dragging me off the chair.
“What’s going on?”
“They’re not here to talk,” he said as he dragged me back toward the elevators.
“I thought we needed information,” I hissed.
“We do, but we’re not gonna get it if we’re dead. We’re outnumbered and our backup is nonexistent. We need a new strategy.”
When the elevator doors opened and more men in black suits stepped out, looking just as lethal as the men we were escaping, I started to panic.
“Rob—”
“Derek, we’re trapped. Heading for the exit. Get out now!”
I rushed along in my heels, feeling like my ankles were about to snap, but I didn’t say a word. I could complain when we got to safety.
Rob walked straight up to security, grabbing the man by the arm. “There’s a guy in a suit carrying a gun. He’s talking about shooting up the place.”
The man immediately pulled his radio and asked for help. Meanwhile, Rob kept dragging me to the door, slipping in and out of the crowds. He grabbed a shawl from the back of a chair and tossed it at me.
“Wrap that around yourself.”
I did as he asked, covering up the upper half of my dress.
“There!” a man shouted to our left.
Rob took my hand and started running, pushing through the doors and out into the cool night air.
As soon as we hit the sidewalk, he pulled me even faster, shooting straight out into traffic, crossing the road at breakneck speed.
I nearly fell three times, but was more concerned about the men with guns chasing us than whether or not I killed myself in the process.
We hit the sidewalk on the other side, pushing through the crowds and running to find an open venue to slip into.
A flashing neon sign of a chapel up ahead caught my eye. “There!” I shouted, pointing at the steeple.
With a quick look over our shoulders, it was clear whoever was after us had lost us for the moment. We shoved through the doors, stopping when the bride and groom turned in their pink taffeta and Elvis costumes to stare at us.
The preacher, dressed as a Roman Catholic priest, bowed his head slightly.
“Uh…continue,” Rob said, dragging me to the back of the church.
We wound our way to the back of the church until we found seats that kept us out of the line of sight of any of the doors. Only once we were seated did I really take a look at the altar.
Images came roaring back to me, the memories overwhelming and sending me into overload.
I gasped as pain shot through my head, and I clutched my skull tightly as I waited for the worst of it to pass.
“Are you okay?” Rob asked, his face filled with concern.
I nodded as my head started to clear. “I remember.”
“Thank God,” he sighed. “Anything useful?”
“Yeah,” I croaked out. “I guess now would be the time to tell you that we’re married.”