It hadn’t felt like they were over three minutes ago. It had felt like they were about to kiss. Like he was about to get his hands on her, get her hands on him, and that they would go supernova. “I—”
“You’re in my rear-view mirror, too. Trust me. Like I said, I have no intention of picking up where we left off.”
He was in her damn rear-view? Screw that. He curled his hands around her hips. Let his fingertips slide up over that silky skin of hers. He had missed touching her so much.
I missed her.
“What are you doing?” Nervous.
He was lowering his head toward her. He was thinking about taking her mouth with his and seeing if they would ignite the way they used to do. He was thinking about all the ways a man could be a fool.
“Don’t kiss me,” she whispered.
“Wasn’t going to,” he murmured right back.
He heard the hitch of her breathing. Saw the flare of her pupils even as she called, “Liar.”
“I was going to wait for you to kiss me.”
She shook her head. “Not happening.”
“Then why are you staring so hard at my mouth?”
Immediately, her gaze whipped up to meet his.
He smiled. “Caught you.”
“You’re the one touching me.”
“Because I like touching you. Like touching you. Holding you. Kissing you. Fucking you.”
She swallowed.
“I don’t think I’m in your rear-view, and I know you could never be yesterday’s news.”
Her tongue swiped over her lower lip.
His dick jerked. Down, boy.
“Then why did you say I was?” A hint of pain slid beneath her careful words.
“Because I’m a jackass.” Truth. “Because men say stupid shit, especially when the woman of a guy’s dreams walks out of his life.”
“That’s—I wasn’t—”
His fingers slid away from her. “If you decide you want to kiss me, you know, just for the hell of it, don’t worry. I’ll be close by.” He cocked his head to the left. “For the next two days, you’ll know exactly where to find me. You say my name, and I’ll be there.”
“I need—”
Yeah, baby. Tell me what you need. I will give it to you.
“—to get dressed. So if you could just go hang out with your asshole friend, that would be great.” She squinted. “Wait, how did he even get inside?”
“Odin has a key.” A situation that would be changing.
“Why?”
“Because…I’ve been letting him crash here since he came to town.” Odin had been having a hard time adjusting to civilian life. The beach had been a balm for War when he’d finished his service, and he’d hoped it would help to soothe his friend.
Except, some people couldn’t be soothed. Not by anything or anyone.
Odin was definitely still a work in progress.
War’s gaze drifted over Rose’s body.
“Like what you see?” she fired at him.
“Fucking love it.”
“War.”
“But then, you already know that.” She was looking at his body, too, and there was no hiding his physical reaction to her. His dick was happily saluting in appreciation. “Get dressed. The last thing I want is for Odin to get hooked on you, too.” Then he did a fast about-face and marched from the room.
He made sure to shut the bedroom door softly behind him.
War found Odin waiting for him. The man waited with his arms folded over his chest, and his legs leaning against the back of the couch.
“Were you drunk?” Odin asked.
“Church sober.”
Odin’s lips twisted. “I mean, I get the appeal. That body of hers will stop traffic, but—”
War strode straight for him. Stopped directly in front of Odin. “Forget what you saw.”
“Excuse me?”
“Get amnesia. Don’t think about her body or how fantastic it was. You don’t need that memory. It’s gone. Got me?”
Odin arched one eyebrow. “I think you have some serious issues where she is concerned. She cheated on you. She—”
“No. She didn’t. Things are a hell of a lot more complex than I realized. She didn’t cheat or lie. I’m an asshole. That’s what you need to know for now.”
A second eyebrow rose to join the first. “I don’t need to know why you haven’t turned her over to the cops? That was your plan, wasn’t it?”
“The plan has been altered.” There was more he wanted to say. Like how he already knew that the cops were searching the motel because he’d sent them there. But he didn’t want Rose to hear that part, not yet. He needed to do some serious trust rebuilding with her before he revealed everything that was at play.
“Altered…because you slept with her?”
“Slept. That’s all I did. No sex, but thanks for being all up in my business, buddy.”
“I don’t want you hurt again,” Odin returned. “She hurt you. I’ve never seen you like that.”
War fired a quick glance over his shoulder. The bedroom door was still closed. Satisfied, he focused on Odin once more. “Rose is in danger. The priority is to keep her safe and find the bastard who tried to kill her last night.”
Shock flashed on Odin’s face. “What?”
“He was strangling her,” War confessed baldly. The memory had rage and fear blasting through him. “If I’d gotten in that motel room a little later, she would be gone.”
All of the antagonism had fled from Odin’s expression and body. “What can I do?”
And there it was. Pure Odin. The guy who would have your back in an instant even if he was pissed as hell at you. A friend straight to the core, through blood and pain and battles. Right now, this was their battle. Protecting Rose. Stopping the bastard after her. “You still have that tech guy who owes you some favors?” Odin had some pretty good tech skills himself, but he had an ex-spy buddy who was top-notch.
A quick nod.
“We’re gonna need him.”
The bedroom door opened. War exhaled and stepped to the side. Rose had dressed in jeans, a loose top, and sandals that showed off her cute feet with her blue toenail polish.
“Are you going to say rude things to me again?” Rose wanted to know as her gaze assessed Odin. “Because I am not in the mood for them.”
Odin shook his head. “No more rude things from me.”
Good. War pointed at Odin. “Play nicely while I get changed, and then we’ll bring you up to speed.”
“I’m always nice. Don’t you remember? You’re the asshole. I’m the charmer.”
Chapter Five
“I’m sorry.”
Rose slanted a suspicious glance at the Thor look-alike. She’d been fiddling around in the kitchen, hunting for coffee, and he’d snuck up on her. For someone so big, he moved very quietly. Much like War. “For what?” she asked him. She’d slept far longer than she’d intended. By her calculations, she’d already lost at least four, maybe five, of her promised forty-eight hours.
“For the things I said. War set me straight. Told me you were innocent.”