Page 43 of Crimson Love

She hikes a brow, as if she’s daring me to up the ante. If I need to drop to one knee and fake propose to get Andrei, the possessive asshole uncle, off her case, I will.

Blake slowly backs away, like he’s worried he’ll miss the good stuff if he turns his back on us. “Okay, so I really need to go now. By the way, your uncle said he needs a room. Maybe you could check with reservations to see if there are any set aside.”

“There aren’t,” Lennon quips. “I know since I schedule housekeeping. We’re booked solid. Andrei will have to find somewhere else to stay.”

“I need a place to stay until you and I work out our issues.”

“Issues!” Blake echoes. “This just keeps getting better.”

“Good luck finding a room, man. I hear there’s a motel on the edge of town.” I bend at the waist and pick up the smaller bags to hand to Lennon before grabbing the duffle. I claim her hand with my free one. “Let’s go, baby. Time to put your stuff away with mine for good.”

Andrei takes a step forward and grabs Lennon’s arm. “Do not do this. You know better.”

What the fuck is that about? I have a million questions when it comes to this woman, but I don’t care about any of them at this point.

All I want to do is throw myself between her and the world.

CHAPTER TWELVE

EMOTIONAL BLACKMAIL

Lennon

I t’s official. My short-lived freedom is over. Living in the basement of a small-town library and pouring everything I have into a new job to prove myself might not be a dream for some, but it was for me.

I thought enough time had gone by that I was safe. If I only had a passport, I would’ve left the country. There’s no way Andrei would risk crossing the border into Canada. He won’t even get on a commercial plane.

My only hope was hiding in plain sight. There was no way I could work without a phone, and there was really no way I could buy a new prepaid cell every week. Talk about throwing up red flags at work. Devon worked for British intelligence. I had no idea that was the case until after I took the job. After Blake gave me the lowdown on everyone in town, I was too desperate to keep my job to leave.

My only hope was that he was too afraid to step into the U.S. of A. But I guess my desperation is nothing compared to his.

I didn’t escape quietly.

If I left a tsunami in my wake, then Andrei is a tornado who found me and followed me all the way across the country.

Through all this, all I can think about is the way Jett claimed me. I’ll never forget the way his lips felt on mine, the way he held me to his chest, or the way he tasted.

Jett has a way of pressing me for information at times but giving me silence when I need it most. It seems all he has to do is look at me to know what I need.

I’ve never had that before.

No one has ever cared what I need.

We finally escaped the atrium. When the elevator doors shut, Jett never let go of my hand, and I didn’t argue. I might have fallen into a puddle on the floor in gratitude. His hold gave me the strength I needed to put one foot in front of the other. I don’t even care what happens next. Andrei is out of sight for the time being.

Jett’s door beeps when he unlocks it. He opens the door and gives me a nudge. It’s the first time he’s let me go since we saw Andrei. “Let’s get you inside.”

I do as he says and drop my bags to the floor. The tremble in my tone proves what I’ve been feeling ever since Andrei sent me that text. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I never meant to drag you into this.”

He tosses my duffle onto the bed. He’s a mix between pissed and frustrated. I don’t blame him either way. “I’m not worried about me. I want to know what that was and why your creepy-ass uncle seems to think you’re his. We’ll get to the rest of the long list of shit you need to explain, but let’s start with that. You clearly didn’t want him to find you, but he did. The car is making sense now. Not completely, but marginally.”

I shake my head. “I can’t. It’s bad enough that Andrei is here. He’ll have to leave eventually since there are no rooms available. I’ll go back to my office for the night. No one is getting into the back offices without permission. I’ll be fine.”

At the mention of leaving, Jett loses whatever patience he was holding onto. “You’re not leaving this room tonight, and you’re damn sure not doing it by yourself. That guy looked like he wanted to tie you up, throw you in a trunk, and take you against your will.”

The blood drains my face, and my knees go weak. I take a step back and my ass falls to the edge of his big, king-sized bed.

Jett moves in front of me. “Holy shit. Was he really going to do that?”