Page 174 of No Headlines Please

"And you still haven't answered my question."

She sounded so stubborn that I had to tease her. "There was a question?"

"Yes, actually. And I'd kind of like an answer. How would you know my car was in the same spot?"

"Maybe I don't know."

She hesitated. "But you know something."

"Maybe."

"Are you gonna tell me?"

For some reason, I still couldn't stop smiling. "Maybe," I said again.

"You do realize, I have ways of making you talk."

Even though she was still whispering, something in her tone had shifted. I returned my attention to the door, and my pulse gave another kick. "Do you now?"

She snickered. "Don't make me come over there."

"Make you, huh?"

"I'm serious." But she didn't sound serious. She sounded something else. Maybe flirty. Maybe sexy. Maybe something in the middle.

Whatever it was, I liked it. I went completely still, my attention locking on the bathroom door. "Oh, yeah? Then prove it."

65

Promise or Threat?

Delaney

Prove it. Those whispered words made my breath hitch as I eyed the bathroom door.

I was tucked under the covers, but not remotely sleepy. On the nightstand, the little lamp was turned to its lowest setting – so low, it was barely a nightlight.

And yet, I could still make out the pale yellow walls, the romantic four-poster bed, and the colorful quilt that smelled like sunshine and roses.

The room was lovely and peaceful, but I knew I'd never be able to sleep – not with Maddox sleeping barely twenty feet away.

Except he wasn't sleeping.

Just like me.

I still hadn't replied when he whispered, "Now I can hear you breathing."

Yikes. He probably could, because suddenly, breathing had become a lot more complicated than it used to be.

I sat up in bed. "You think I'm bluffing."

"Maybe." But then he paused. "Or maybe not."

I bit my lip. Suddenly, I was wishing I'd packed something just a little nicer to sleep in. A cute camisole. A clingy tank top. Anything.

Instead, I was wearing an oversized black T-shirt emblazoned with four words. Monsters Need Love, too.

Good Lord.