AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He stood at the table, fiddling with something she couldn’t see. But when he turned, she saw the source of the coffee smellandthe humming.
She issued a throaty noise. “What time is it?”
“0400. I thought you’d want to get an early start.”
“It’s not even light outside.”
“We have a lot more hours to drive, remember.”
She slung an arm over her eyes. “How many hours of sleep did you get?”
“Five or so. A full night’s rest.”
She scoffed. “Of course you’re happy running on five hours of sleep.”
“I’ve had sleep deprivation. That’s how you get into the SEALs.” He wasn’t just happy. The man wasperky.
He crossed the room, a foam cup in hand. “Wakey wakey.”
“You’re not going to leave me alone until I am sitting upright, are you?”
Wordlessly, he held out the coffee.
She pushed into a sitting position and extended a hand for the cup.
He contemplated her. “Ohhh, you definitely look like you need more sleep.”
She glared at him. “Why does it always come down to looks?”
Brown eyes glittered with amusement. “It’s an expression, princess.”
She took the coffee and brought it to her lips. Just as she suspected, it tasted as weak as it smelled. “What did you brew? Brown water?”
“Not my fault the motel has cheap…well, everything. I just knew you’d be grumpy, and I was right. We’vegotto get some caffeine in you, stat.”
“Stat? That’s a medical thing.”
“If it comes in an IV, even better. You’rereallygrumpy.” He threw her a smile that made her want to hurl the cup at him, but he was right—sheneededthat caffeine, even if it was diluted to a few grounds per ounce of water.
As she sipped, she watched him putter around the room. He shoved what appeared to be a shaving kit into his duffel and zipped it shut. That brought her attention to his jaw.
His freshly shaved, square jaw.
She sniffed the air and, sure enough, detected a hint of sandalwood from his shaving cream or maybe aftershave.
After she polished off the coffee, he was there to take the cup. When she reluctantly swung her legs over the side of the bed, her socked feet sank into—
“Agh!”
Moist carpet.
He looked her over. “Bedbug get you?”
“No! The carpet’s soaked!”
“Told ya that roof’s leaking. You’ll feel better after a nice hot shower.” He grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around to face the bathroom.
When he gave her a pat on the ass to nudge her in that direction, she froze. With a deadly glare over her shoulder, she growled, “Don’t ever do that again.”
