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The furnishings were colorful in their ruggedness, the leather sofa and chair huge and soft. The stone fireplace went all the way to the A-line roof, the thick stone in shades of charcoal and light gray. And there were beautiful pieces of art on the walls. I was no art critic, but they seemed original or at least very expensive.
And there were books, hundreds of them in the most gorgeous bookcases I’d ever seen. Hold on. He’d likely broken into someone’s cabin to take us to safety. That had to be it. Did that make me feel any better or worse? For all I knew, he could be an escaped convict. It was best to keep to myself, hoping that he would ultimately let me go. The tightness in my throat swept into suffocation when a drink magically appeared over my shoulder. I let out a yelp, which started Sam howling.
“Jesus F. Christ,” the stranger muttered. “It’s a goddamn whiskey, which I think you need. It’ll warm you up. Just do what I say.”
“How do I know you didn’t spike the drink?”
When he said nothing, I tipped my head, catching his icy stare. But at that very second, a hard slam of current jetted into my system, every nerve ending standing on end, my skin a blaze with the strongest desire I’d ever felt. I was breathless, my throat completely dry, forced to blink several times and I wasn’t entirely certain why.
He wasn’t my type, the rough around the edges, messy-sexy look not my thing. But on him it looked damn good.
Oh, God. I had to be worse off than I originally sensed given the ridiculous, juicy thoughts racing through my mind. This wasn’t the time or the place. Besides, I’d sworn off men completely. I needed time to heal and think, finding a way to have my own life.
“Lady, if I was the kind of man who wanted to hurt a woman, I’d just have left you on that rock, watching how long it took for exhaustion and icy conditions to do you in. Take the damn drink.”
He was bossy as hell, more so than any man I’d ever met, including the asshole I’d been stuck with for years. But I took the drink, hoping the alcohol would help with my nerves. When our fingers touched, I sucked in my breath, fearful he’d heard me.
“How did you know my name?” I tossed another look at him and while he continued to stare at me, I didn’t think he’d caught my wave of lust.
“I told ya. The dude at the motel and I go way back.” He moved around the couch, easing back into the chair. As he reached for his drink, I noticed the tattoos covering his forearms, black ink crawling onto his large fingers. “Although he can be a pain in the ass if you ask me. You shouldn’t have believed his line of crap about an easy hike.”
“It was a beautiful day.”
“Yeah, but he knew a storm was coming.”
“He is creepy.”
“Yeah, he can be.” He chuckled for a few seconds before another hard, cold look crossed his face.
“Motel Hell,” I said absently. When he was silent, I threw a glance into his eyes. He was grinning, which I didn’t think he could do.
“You pegged it right. Then why the hell were you staying there?” Now he was barking at me?
“None of your concern.” Asshole.
He gave me a hard stare then shrugged. “Fine by me.”
A few seconds of additional tension settled in.
“Would you believe me if I told you because it was listed as a historical site?” I asked almost timidly.
He snorted his answer. “The place is a shithole.”
“I know. I just…” I hated admitting anything about me. It was dangerous to do so.
“Then what?”
“It’s none of your business.”
He laughed, taking a noisy swig of his drink. “Whatever.”
I was terrified that while I was here, someone would steal the money I’d hidden cleverly inside the room. Or so I thought. It had to last. Maybe I could get a job. But with what, fake ID? Sure. Other people had done it before. Right?
“What about my camera!” I snapped, almost jerking up. “My things!”
“Your camera is safe. I put it on the kitchen table for ya. Your bag’s beside it. But there ain’t no pictures worth your life.”
He had no idea just how wrong he was. The pictures on that camera could possibly save my life, even though using them would leave a trail for the monster to follow. I’d weigh the risks later but not now. I just needed peace for a little while.
