War leaned in close to her. The light was still off, so she couldn’t see him, but she could feel him all around her. His breath blew over her cheek as he whispered, “Tell the nice man that you’re fine.”
“I don’t feel fine,” she whispered right back. “How about I tell him that? How about I tell him that some psycho broke into my motel room?”
A low, amused chuckle slipped from War. “Do it. Then he can call the cops. I’m sure you’d love that.”
No, she’d hate it. He knew that, damn him. War had just called her bluff. “I’m fine!” Rose called back to the would-be rescuer on the other side of the door. “Thanks for checking. Sorry to be so loud!”
Another rap pounded against the door. “You screamed.” A pause. “You alone in there?”
He obviously thought she was being threatened, and he was determined to help. Nice to know there were some good people in the world. But if this good person didn’t leave soon, she was going to have serious trouble on her hands.
“My boyfriend is here,” she shouted back. A shout because War was close, and she thought yelling in his ear might just get the man to back up. He didn’t, so she added, just as loudly, “We got a little carried away! Sorry!” Keep going, would-be hero. Nothing to see here.
Rose thought she heard a grunt then the guy groused, “Keep that shit down. People are sleeping.” A few moments later, Rose heard a door slam. The door on the right. Great. He was staying in the room that connected to hers.
“You can back away now,” Rose informed War crisply.
“If I back away, you might try to run.”
That had been precisely her plan.
“So, first, how about you give me the keys—the key to the room and the keys to the Jeep—then we’ll talk about backing away.”
She turned her right hand over.
He swiped the keys. “Thank you.”
Fuck you. She bit back the retort.
“Were you going for my eyes, Rose? Such a dirty move.”
“You’re the one who taught me that move.” When he’d been adamant that she learn how to defend herself. Only she’d never thought that she’d have to defend herself from him. Another thing she’d been wrong about.
“I taught you lots of dirty things.” His voice had taken on a rougher, more sensual edge.
Even in the dark, her eyes narrowed. He wanted to be cocky? Wanted to go there? “I am pretty sure I taught you a thing or twenty, too, stud.”
A rumble of laughter broke from him. His body pressed closer to her.
Alarm skittered through her. “Get off me.”
“I’m not on you. I’m near you. I’m in front of you. Definitely not on you.”
She wanted to scream, but if she did that, her helpful neighbor would probably rush back over. Then she’d have to deal with that whole bit of business again. “War…”
“Rose…”
“Turn on the lights. Let’s talk about this like civilized people.”
“But you know I’ve never been particularly civilized. I think that was one of your issues with me.”
Her breath caught. “Sometimes, I liked it.” Particularly in bed. Out of bed… “It was only when you became too much of an ass that I had issues.”
His hand lifted. She felt it rise, felt the shift in the air, and then heard the click as he flipped on the lights. Her eyes closed and opened quickly, twice, three times, as she adjusted to the flood of illumination.
He was right in front of her. Just as tall, dark, and dangerously handsome as always. His skin was golden from all the time he spent in the sun. His hair was dark and thick, shoving back from his forehead. His face was planes and angles—sexy and strong. Hard jaw. Lickable lips. And eyes so very deep. His eyes could be a warm, sensual brown, or they could flash with ice-cold darkness, all depending on his mood. Right then, his eyes were…
She swallowed. “What are you going to do to me?”
“Take that sweet ass to jail.” He tucked her keys in his back pocket. Then his hands rose and pressed to the door behind her, caging her between his body and the wood. “You’re in trouble, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me that.” Her heart was pounding too fast again. Actually, her heart had been racing ever since she’d found him waiting in her room. Just how had he found her in that motel, anyway? Rose had tried to be so careful. She’d kept her phone off as much as possible because she feared being tracked. “Don’t use words that you don’t mean. I’m not dear to you so don’t use an endearment.”
“Fair enough.” He gave her a half smile. The same smile that had once made her heart jump.
Of course, her crazy heart still jumped.
“I have something else I was hoping to use on you, anyway.” His gaze swept over her face. “How are you still this beautiful?” His voice had turned into a rasp. All sensual and rough. “You know, I think I almost missed you.”
She had missed him. She’d cried over the jerk. Had to bury her sorrows in her favorite cookie dough ice cream. Then she’d made herself move the hell on. If he didn’t trust her, if he didn’t want to fight for what they had, if he didn’t have faith in them…the man didn’t deserve her or her pain.
“Almost,” War continued as he finally dropped his hands and took a step away from her. “Right up until the moment when you shoved me into a pile of garbage. Not a cool move, sweet—Rose.”
Her chin notched up. “If you’re expecting an apology, you have the wrong woman.” He didn’t get it. She was fighting for her life. If she had to fight dirty, so be it. “You don’t understand what is happening here. And I don’t even understand why you are here!”
“Oh, that’s simple. I’m here…because I’m hunting you.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. She’d feared that would be the case.
“I was hired to hunt you. To find you. To turn you over to the cops.”
Frantic, Rose shook her head. “No, no, please, War, give me a chance to explain!” Talk about a nightmare situation. “It’s not what you think! I’m not—”
“If you’re expecting me to believe your lies, you have the wrong man.”
Ice covered her heart. She’d never lied to him.
His hand reached behind his back.
Rose tensed.
“Remember when I said I had something else I planned to use on you?”
Fear flooded through her. “War, don’t.”
War lifted the handcuffs he’d just pulled out. “Guess what? I think these are going to fit you perfectly.”
Chapter Two
He’d never seen fear on Rose’s face before. He’d seen lots of other things. Happiness. Pleasure. Pain. But not fear.
War hadn’t liked it when he saw the pain. The pain had been there on the last night that they’d been together, the night she’d left him. And right now, he sure as hell wasn’t liking the fear he could see, either.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. Rose should know better than that. “I’m just going to haul you to jail.”