He’d put himself between me and the door.
Dex Tolliver had turned the whole ugly motel bed into a security system and somehow made that inconveniently attractive.
I stared at the shape of him beside me: dark hair on motel-white pillow, hard jaw, black T-shirt pulled tight across his chest, one forearm bent over the coverlet. The old crucifix restedagainst his shirt. In the dim light, the worn silver body of Christ looked dull and heavy against the black cotton.
Gratitude would’ve been smarter.
My pulse kept catching every time I remembered his voice saying he trusted himself.
Men said a lot of things right before they proved themselves wrong.
“Dex,” I whispered.
His breathing changed.
I lifted my restrained hands under the sheet. The chain slipped cold against my stomach.
“If you’re awake,” I said, “take these off.”
He didn’t answer right away.
Then his voice came through the dark, low and rough. “That doesn’t sound like a sleep request.”
“I’m not sleeping.”
“I noticed.”
“Then take them off.”
Dex turned his head on the pillow. The sign light caught the line of his jaw and the shine of his open eyes. He’d been awake the whole time. I’d been lying beside a man built out of suspicion and bad timing, and I’d still hoped exhaustion might be stronger than his job.
“You got a reason?” he asked.
“They’re uncomfortable.”
“That’s true.”
“They’re ugly.”
“That’s also true.”
“And you’re not going to sleep while I’m wearing them.”
His gaze dropped to my hands beneath the sheet, then came back to my face. “You think I’m staying awake because I feel guilty?”
“I think you’re staying awake because you’re a decent man in a terrible situation, and that’s probably exhausting.”
The corner of his mouth moved. “You always use compliments like bait?”
“Only on men blocking the door.”
“I’m not moving.”
“I didn’t ask you to move.”
“No.” His voice dropped another inch. “You asked me to take the restraints off.”
I turned onto my side, facing him, and the chain dragged softly over the sheet. The motion pulled my tank strap lower on my shoulder. I didn’t fix it.
