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Scarlett rolled over and exhaled, causing him to scramble with the phone and hold it behind his back. He needed to remove the evidence that he’d invaded her privacy and do it quick before she happened to wake up.
If she had an iPhone like he did, there would be no way he could mark the message as unread. But thankfully, she had an Android phone and the app that Felix had messaged her from permitted Elijah to do just that.
With a quick swipe to the left, he removed the evidence and then quietly placed the phone on the table once more. In a couple hours he’d head out and get them both some coffee before they got on the road. After their kiss and his confession, he wasn’t sure how everything would progress.
He’d steeled himself for her to tell him she wasn’t interested. But at this point, he was beginning to feel pretty good about the idea of seeing her as more than just a coworker or a friend.
There was only one roadblock that he could see in his way.
Annabel.
She wouldn’t be thrilled at all over this development, and that meant he needed to have a serious talk with Scarlett over what they needed to tell his sister. Could they live with keeping this secret? Or would they have to plead their case before her like the judge, jury, and executioner she was?
* * *
Elijah juggledthe two cups of coffee in his hands as he attempted to unlock the door to their motel room. Scarlett had been asleep when he left, and he figured she’d still be out by the time he got back so he didn’t bother leaving a note or anything.
Wrong decision.
He entered the room to find her sitting up in bed, a scowl on her face, arms wrapped around knees that had been brought to her chest. Her eyes darted to him and that was when he saw that they were red-rimmed.
“Have you been crying?”
Apparently, that was also the wrong thing to say in this moment.
Her scowl deepened. “I’d ask where you went, but it’s clear now. Why didn’t you tell me where you were going?” The accusation in her voice had him nervous to move across the room and approach.
“You were asleep. I didn’t want to wake you up…” He set the cups down on a nearby console table. “I’m sorry. Are you upset with me for getting coffee?”
She blushed with fury. “Of course not!” Scarlett wouldn’t look at him then. Instead, she shifted her scowl to the bed. “That would make me sound a little crazy.”
“Well, you sure seem like it.”
In a flurry of blankets, she was off the bed and grabbing her things. “Well, I’m not.”
He watched with veiled interest as she pulled on her boots and did everything she could not to look at him directly. It was almost humorous how things were shaping up at this very moment. Elijah crossed his arms and stayed by the door until her hustling slowed, then stopped.
Scarlett glanced at him, the redness in her cheeks fading. “I’m not mad.”
“Yes, you are. And you can admit it if you want. I’m not going to be offended. I just don’t knowwhyyou’re mad.”
She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and nibbled on it. “You’re going to think I’m being dumb.”
“Maybe.”
That got a sharp look—one he probably actually deserved. Her hands dropped listlessly to her sides and she backed into the bed until she fell to a seated position. “You want to know the first thing I thought of when I woke up and you weren’t here?”
He hadn’t expected this argument to go so smoothly. He’d been prepared to wrestle the information out of her if he had to.
Scarlett continued without prompting. “When I woke up and you weren’t here, and your truck was gone… the first thing that came to my mind was that you’d abandoned me.”
Elijah’s brows shot up. “I’m not a monster, Scarlett. I would never do something like that.”
“Yeah?” she muttered bitterly. “Not even to make a point? You kissed me last night and then…” The blush returned. “We didn’t talk about it. And then you were just… gone.”
He took a step toward her, suddenly making sense of what she was trying to say. She’d thought he’d abandoned her because of what he’d said about how she treated his sister.
Scarlett held up a hand. “You know what? I’m madder at myself than anything else. I realized this was what you’ve been talking about. I’ve never been the one tostay.” She peeked at him this time, looking far more vulnerable than he’d ever seen her before. “It’s just not been something I really thought about.” Her voice got real quiet and she sucked in a sharp breath which caused him to look at her a little closer. Was she crying? That wasn’t like her at all.
