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"Okay." Her brows bunched together so tightly she felt it. "But what does it matter if they see us?"
"They may ambush us. My job is to protect you, Everleigh. Not your vehicle."
He ushered her into the building, and she tried not turning back to look at her car. It was honestly the only thing she owned. Besides her clothes. But her car was like her home. Sort of. She didn't sleep in it, but she had a bit of an attachment to it. Likely an unhealthy attachment because it was all she had.
She sucked in a lungful of air. She was thirty years old and all she had to show for her life was a vehicle. She had a lot of money in the bank. There was that at least.
They stepped into the elevator, and she pushed the button to the second floor. She inhaled and exhaled to settle her nerves. She'd never been attacked before. Not that she had been attacked bodily, but it sure felt personal.
She glanced up at Henry. "Do you think they'd come inside here?"
Henry's shoulders rose and fell. "He's never been that bold. Then again, he's never had his back against the wall like this. This will finalize the end of the BRR. Already some of his people have jobs down here and are trying to blend in. Once the treaty is amended and they are forced to pay back property taxes, and the children will have to come down to school, his power is diminished. He's never known any life but the one he's now losing."
The elevator door opened, and she stepped out and moved toward her room. Her fingers shook as she pulled her little metal key from her little handbag. This hotel still used metal keys, it was quaint. Henry reached down and plucked the key from her hand. He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers. "I'll protect you."
She swallowed the lump that sat in her throat. He'd protect her. When had anyone ever said that to her? The answer was never. Never in her life did another human being tell her they’d protect her.
Her lips quivered. "Thank you."
He opened her door, pushed it open and waited for her to walk in. She noticed him glance both ways down the hall to make sure no one was around. Inside, he closed the door, and twisted the locks, then stalked to the window and peered through a crack in the curtains to see what was outside. Or maybe who was outside.
She put her hand over her tummy as she realized, she'd invited Henry to spend the night with her. He probably thought they'd have sex. She hadn't meant it totally, initially. But she kind of did. If they had sex, it would be dangerous to her heart. It would break her heart when she left here. Because...Henry. She'd know him biblically, as they said. He'd know her the same way. It was a dangerous game she was playing. She'd never been a thrill seeker. But he brought something out in her. Something that made her not want to be lonely anymore. She didn't want to be alone. She wanted to feel Henry touch her. To feel him kiss her again. To...feel.
She set her handbag on the desk and sat to unbuckle her sandals. He turned and the look he landed on her took her breath away. His nostrils flared and his eyes blazed a trail to her hand unbuckling her sandal. His eyes then sizzled her skin as they roamed up her leg. It. Was. Exhilarating.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped a couple of times. She stared at his fingers. His hands. His arms. He exuded sensuality. Even his fingers were muscular. Thick, strong fingers that deftly tapped on the phone, which looked impossibly small in his beefy hand.
He pulled the phone to his ear, his eyes, those beautiful dark blue eyes, stared at her. Her eyes locked together with his. Her heartbeat increased and her breathing stuttered.
"This is Henry Delany. I'm located at the Homeland Guest House. Everleigh Hayes, who is a guest here, and I witnessed Craig Howard and a comrade, slash the tires of Everleigh Hayes’s vehicle."
His jaw tightened. His breathing seemed rapid and shallow as if this had happened to him. She swallowed to moisten her throat and stood, taking her sandals with her to the closet in her room. Gently laying her sandals neatly inside, she stared at her business suits and her shoulders slumped.
Moving to the old wooden dresser along the wall across from her closet, she opened the top drawer and stared dismally at her underwear. She'd purposely kept her clothing to a minimum so she didn't have so much to pack.
Pulling a pair of pajamas from the drawer, she turned toward the bathroom, then stopped. What if they had to run out at a moment's notice? Maybe she should put on some workout clothing and tennis shoes. She could run fast in those. Of course they'd hardly be running. Henry's truck was here. The police were coming. There would be all kinds of people here soon. She dug through the drawer once again, then stepped into the bathroom with a gray and fuchsia workout outfit she'd had laundered this morning. It was cute. She liked it, which meant she felt good in it.
A glance at Henry showed him watching her intently. Those eyes. My god, those eyes. They made her stupid. Thoughts left her head. What a silly thing to have happen to a woman in her thirties.
Stepping into the bathroom, she silently closed the door. Resting her back against it, she swallowed again, then practiced even breathing. She was way over her head here. She wasn't even sure he was interested in her. At least for more than a tumble in the sheets or two.
But honestly, that wouldn't be bad, would it? It had been years. She liked him. Lord, he was sexy, and smart, and oh so yummy. Yes, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
21
Henry sat on the foot of the bed. He scraped his hand through his hair then closed his eyes. Rotating his shoulders, he stretched then glanced out the window once more. The faint blue hue down the road told him someone from the sheriff's office was coming. Craig had gotten very bold. But who wouldn't, when their life seemed to be out of control and about to slip away.
He paced in the small space, reminding himself not to think of Everleigh in the bathroom, likely naked, and looking fine. It only made him stupid to think of her that way. He couldn't afford to be stupid right now. Not ever, but certainly not now. Not with Everleigh's life in the balance.
The bathroom door opened and he sucked in a breath when she exited wearing gray spandex workout shorts and a matching top. Her body was enticing. Slender and tall, she had curves in all the right places, and his eyes were glued on those places.
"The sheriff is on his way." His voice was soft. He had to force sound to come out. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "They'll be here in a second."
"Okay. Should I change clothes?"
All too quickly, he said, "No." He shook his head slightly, "I'll go down and see if they'll allow us to come in tomorrow to make a statement."
"Okay." Her hand was pressed against her tummy and he felt sorry for her. This wasn't her line of work.
