When he didn’t finish, the tiniest frown creased her perfect forehead. “Feel what?”
“Just…feel,” he replied. “Everything.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Pretty much the best damn thing in so long that I can’t even describe it.”
A smile tipped up her full lips, and it danced in her eyes, too. The warmth running through Noah intensified even more. It consumed him. Had he really just met Elle this morning? Were they together because something bad happened, and had he started his day, not knowing she existed? The idea was baffling.
It was all too much, too soon. Noah knew that in every logical part of his being. Yet there it was anyway. He couldn’t fight it. He didn’t want to. So he didn’t. He let it carry him away instead. He shifted just enough that he could reach her lips with his own. Hungrily, he pressed his mouth to hers. It was more than a physical want. He poured emotion into the kiss. Gave her as much as he could give her, doing his best to share his feelings with his touch. She reciprocated with an equal fervor. Her hands roved over his face, then combed through his hair, then slid across his shoulders and pulled him close. She fit him so perfectly that he wondered how he’d been passing his days without her. When his cell phone buzzed with an incoming call, the intrusion was a most unwelcome one. But as he pulled his mouth away from hers, he realized that while the phone might’ve broken the moment, there was no way it broke the spell she’d cast on him.
* * *
It took Elle several, long moments to catch her breath. Far longer than it took Noah to growl an irritation-tinged greeting to Spud. Longer than it took the big blond man to retrieve his boxers from the edge of bed and slide them on. And longer than it took for him to dive into conversation, too.
She watched him move through the room, picking up his various pieces of discarded clothing as he talked. She liked the sureness of his step and the ease he clearly felt with his body. She more than liked the way his attention kept flicking her way every few seconds—unconsciously, she was sure—and how he smiled as though he couldn’t help it. She smiled back, too. Only half of her brain was listening to his murmurs of “uh-huh” and “good.” The other half was focused on realizing that she wasn’t sure she even wanted to catch her breath. Because she was enjoying the burgeoning sense of rightness building inside her. A lot.
Elle pulled the sheet up to her and studied Noah a little more. He’d finished buttoning his jeans, and he’d moved to the kitchenette, where he was pulling open a drawer. As he dragged out a pen and paper, he cast yet another smile in Elle’s direction. What was it about the curve of his lips that made her warm so thoroughly? She knew it wasn’t just the residual effects of the best kiss of her life, or even the afterglow of sleeping with him. It also wasn’t the perfection of his body, though the ripple of his forearm as he scratched something onto the paper was captivating all on its own. And it wasn’t even his eagerness to help or the promise that he would help her get Katie back. No. The breathlessness—and the fact that it was so pleasant—had a different source. An emotional one. For whatever reason, this almost stranger had captured a small piece of Elle’s heart. And that piece pulsed for him. Ached for him. It made her see a fast, hard trajectory that led right into deep, meaningful territory. Because if she felt this thread between them now, what would it be like in a day? Or in a week?
The thought should scare you, a voice in her head cautioned.
Except it didn’t. It just made her tingle with anticipation of what was to come. She was almost giddy with it. Or maybe more than almost.
What about Katie? the voice added.
But just to add to the strangeness of it all, the question didn’t bring any unease to Elle’s mind. She still desperately wanted to retrieve her—more than she wanted anything, of course. Now, though, there was something extra to go along with that need. She wanted to introduce her to Noah. That on its own should’ve been startling. It should’ve made her stop and take a step back to assess just how quickly things were moving. It was one thing to let herself become lost in a moment. Even the sex—the incredible, toe-curling, heart-pounding, passion-filled sex—could be excused. It was a whole other thing to be thinking about her favorite little person sharing an ice cream sundae with a man like Noah. But she couldn’t shake the feeling.
She stared at him as he clicked the pen, then he said something else to Spud, and she wondered if she was going crazy. And when he lifted his gaze and gave her a nod, her heart definitely jumped in a way that wasn’t quite sane. Did he feel the same? She thought he did. She hoped he did. He’d literally said he felt everything, hadn’t he? In a good way. But as his conversation finally seemed to be winding down, Elle’s mood dampened. Because she realized that as much as he’d shared with her, she hadn’t quite reciprocated. And if Noah didn’t know everything, then it didn’t matter much how he felt now. It only mattered how he felt after. The thought made Elle’s hands sweat and her heart drop. And then a worse idea occurred to her.
Maybe this is common for him. Maybe sex is just sex to him.
She drew in a small breath. He didn’t seem like the one-night stand type, and Elle didn’t really believe that he just went around spilling his family history with people, either. But then again, he also hadn’t seemed like the kind of man who had so much money that he didn’t know what to do with it. There was a reason people said looks could be deceiving. And this right here was it. She exhaled and tried to erect a bit of a wall between herself and her emotions. She needed to be prepared for something other than a happily-ever-after with a man she barely knew. But the moment he tapped the phone off and stepped toward her with the notepad in his hand, she felt the wall waver. And it was clear that Noah could read the change on her face, too. His own expression went from pleased to concerned.
“What is it?” he asked right away.
“It’s—” She cut herself off and shook her head. If she told him now, it wouldn’t make a difference to what had already happened. But it might change their current course. And it wasn’t exactly a five-minute conversation, either. She met his eyes. “I’m just worried about Katie. What did Spud say?”
Noah’s eyebrows pressed sharply together, and his mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. Elle braced for an argument or an insistent question. He didn’t formulate either one. He just ran his free hand over his head, then held out the notepad again.
“Good news,” was all he said, his tone neutral. “This is the address attached to those numbers we gave to Spud. He did a little research for us, too. Even drove by to check it out.”
Hope rushed in, and Elle’s mind immediately shifted gears. “What did he find out?”
“It’s an apartment building. The units in the building were all rentals up until last year, when the landlord served them a mass eviction notice. The place has been completely vacant for a month now, and it’s slotted for demolition next week. Take a guess at which company bought the property and kicked everyone out.”
She didn’t even have to think about it. “Iris International.”
“Bang on,” he replied.
“We’re going, right? I mean…we have to.” Elle stood quickly, her hope morphing into determination and eagerness to get moving. “Were there a lot of guards? Could he tell if Trey himself was there? And did he see a way we could get in stealthily, or…” She trailed off as she realized Noah was watching her with a strained look of amusement. “What?”
“I’m not sure how you define stealth,” he said, his eyes moving up and down her body. “But in my opinion, it usually requires clothes.”
Elle’s gaze dropped down, and she couldn’t stop a blush. She was still utterly naked. Which might not have been so bad, considering that Noah had just spent at least an hour thoroughly exploring that nakedness. But the fact that she’d taken a few steps toward the door without even thinking about it was downright embarrassing.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Noah added teasingly. “It’s not that I mind.”
She did her best to shoot him a dirty look, failed miserably, then sighed and yanked the sheet off the bed in a belated attempt to maintain some dignity. “Could you just shut up and help me find my bra?”
His mouth widened into a grin, and instead of immediately assisting in the search for her strewn-about clothes, he stepped forward and swept her in for a firm but quick kiss. And when he pulled back, his expression was serious once more.
“You know that if there’s something you want to talk to me about…something you’re worried about…you can say whatever you want to me,” he told her.
She stared up at him, wishing she believed it as sincerely as he’d said it. Questions formed in her head. What does this mean to you? What do I mean to you? But as quick as they came, Elle pushed them away. No matter what he said, they weren’t things one ought to be wondering after knowing someone for this short a time. And if he answered in a way that she didn’t like…she wasn’t sure she’d handle it well.
She nodded, but she didn’t offer anything up. Instead, she freed herself from his arms and moved through the room, grabbing her clothes from the spots where they’d been dropped or tossed. But after just a moment or two of silence, Noah spoke up again.
“Elle?” he prodded. “Did you hear what I just said?”
“I did. And I’ll find a way to pay you back,” she promised as she wriggled into her underwear.
“What?”
“All thirteen thousand, two hundred and fifty dollars.”
He smiled like he thought she was kidding. “It’s actually thirteen thousand, five hundred and seventy-eight dollars now. Factoring in this overpriced room and all.”
“That much, then.” She spoke over her shoulder as she quickly fastened her bra. “It might take years to get the amount together, but I’ll do it.”
His forehead creased as he seemed to clue in that she was being serious. “That’s not exactly what I meant when I said you could talk to me.”
“I don’t want there to be anything hanging between us.”
“There isn’t,” he said.
She slid into her shorts, then popped her borrowed T-shirt over her head and met his eyes. “For now.”
“What are you saying, Elle?”
“Just that money like that creates a string.”
“A string?” Noah repeated, his frown deepening so much that it looked almost painful.
She fought to keep her voice even. “Nothing. I owe you. A lot more than money, really. And if something were to happen… I don’t want you to feel any obligation.”
“I’m not following your logic. If I were expecting you to pay me back, wouldn’t that make you obligated rather than me?”
“No. Well, yes. Technically. But I don’t mean my financial obligation. I mean if you felt like I owed you something, you wouldn’t be able to walk away.”
He stood still, his hazel eyes sharp and fixed on her face. “I’m not going to ask why you think I’d walk away. But I am going to ask if you’re trying to deflect me from whatever’s really bothering you.”
A denial formed automatically. But it didn’t quite make it out.
“Are we ready to go?” she asked instead, reaching for her shoes.
Noah’s arm shot out, stopping her just as her fingertips brushed the straps. “Elle.”
She swallowed and forced herself to look right at him. “Yes?”
“I have no intention of taking off the second we get your kid back.”
“Things can change really quickly, Noah.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
Her mind went to his sister’s abduction, and her heart squeezed. “I know that you know.”
He let go of her elbow. “I’m also well aware of how crazy it would sound if I offered some kind of commitment speech after less than a day together, so I won’t do it. All I’m asking is that you don’t write me off so easily. Please.”
Elle started to nod. But before she could bob her head more than once, or even get a word out, a bang on the door—too hard to belong to hotel staff—stilled both her movements and her voice.
CHAPTER 13
Automatically, Noah’s brain shifted into action mode. He didn’t waste time wondering how Trey’s men had discovered their location. He knew better than most what skilled tracking could lead to. So he simply stowed the emotions he’d been struggling to express, readied his weapon and positioned himself between Elle and the potential intruder, then listened. The ominous smash against the reinforced metal door didn’t ring out a second time. Noah counted to ten. Then fifteen. After thirty seconds of continued silence, he hazarded the smallest movement—just turning his head to whisper over his shoulder.
“I’m going to check the door,” he said.
“What for?” Elle whispered back. “You know already it’s not room service. We need to find a way out.”
He wished he didn’t have to tell her the truth, but he took a breath and did it anyway, his voice still low. “There is no other way out. Not unless we want to try to break through the industrial-strength window and jump down ten stories. And since that’s probably not a very viable option, we need to see what we’re up against.”
“And then what?” she replied. “We try to fight off a half-dozen skilled gunmen who have no qualms killing for money?”
He didn’t answer her question directly. If he had, he would’ve had to remind her that Trey didn’t want her dead; he wanted her brought in. Because the reminder would’ve prodded her to point out that the morally bankrupt businessman wouldn’t have any issue ending Noah’s own life. He settled for a noncommittal response instead.
“If we get separated in the scuffle, I want you to book it out of here as fast as you can,” he told her.
Her eyes widened. “You think I’m just going to leave you?”
He ignored the protest. “Make your way to the back of the hotel, then use the alleys to head east for two blocks. Hang a left at the lights there, go one more block, then turn left again. On the right side of the road, three doors up, you’ll find a little shop called Rosie’s Relics. There’ll probably be a closed sign on the door. Ignore it. Knock twice, tell Rosie I sent you, and she’ll help you get to the apartment building.” He pressed the notepad into her hand. “This is the address.”
“Noah, I can’t—”
“If it’s a choice between staying safe and being captured, then you’ll have to.”
He bent his head, dusted her lips with a kiss, then moved smoothly to the door before she could argue anymore. From his new position, he leaned forward and peered through the peephole. He had a surprisingly clear view. But what he saw made him frown. Instead of the expected armed thug, Noah spied a slick-looking businessman. He stood with his back against the wall on the opposite side of the hall, and his whole appearance was just upper-class enough that he fit in with the hotel’s usual standard of clientele. From the carefully shorn hair to the expensive suit and shoes to the manicured hands flicking over the sleek cell phone in his hands, he gave off a wealth-imbued vibe. He also seemed completely disinterested in anything but the phone under his tapping thumbs.
Mistaken identity? Noah wondered. Wrong room?
His nerves wouldn’t settle, though, and his instincts told him to keep watching. A heartbeat later, he was glad he listened to his gut. A tiny woman—not over five feet tall, and definitely under a hundred pounds—came backward through the door next to the spot where the man stood. She pulled a tray of cleaning supplies along after her, and she jumped back, visibly startled by the businessman’s presence. Even though Noah couldn’t hear their conversation, he got the gist of it.
Mr. Suit-and-Tie was laying on the charm. Full, veneered teeth on display. A hand on the small woman’s elbow. At first, the housekeeper smiled ba
ck. She even looked like she was laughing. Then the well-dressed man gestured to the door that Noah stood behind, and the woman’s smile faltered. She shook her head. The charmer tried again. His teeth flashed even wider, turning more predatory than friendly. The petite woman took a small, seemingly unconscious step back. She shook her head a second time, and then her eyes dipped to the spot where the man’s hand still held her arm. She gave a little tug. When it didn’t dislodge Mr. Suit-and-Tie’s grip, her face came up, and it was easy to see the genuine fear there.
Noah couldn’t stop his protective instincts from jumping to life. Cursing under his breath but still keeping his eye on the peephole, he reached for the door. He wasn’t quite quick enough. Before his fingers could actually close on the metal knob, the man in the hall executed a swift blow to the woman’s head. Her body immediately slumped, and her attacker fixed his gaze on the door.
For an eerie moment, Noah felt like the other man was looking right at him. Mr. Suit-and-Tie dropped his attention to the fallen woman. He bent to one knee and began what looked like a pat-down.
What the hell is he doing?
Almost too late, Noah realized what the other man must be in search of—the master key cards.
He pulled back and spun to face Elle, and even though she couldn’t have any idea what Noah had just witnessed, her face was ashen and consumed with worry.
“What?” she whispered. “What is it?”
He shook his head, then stepped toward her. “No time to explain. I just need you to trust me. Closet or bathroom?”
Her eyes flicked to the still-closed door. “Closet, I guess?”
Moving fast, he grabbed her hand and tugged her to the space in question. He opened the door as quickly as he dared, put his finger to his lips, then pushed her gently inside. The moment the latch clicked—closing Elle in for at least a few moments of added safety—Noah sprinted back to the main door. He flattened his body on the wall beside the hinges, settled his gaze on the door handle, and readied his weapon once more. There was no way to know what the intruder was thinking—whether the man believed the room was empty and was simply there to gather intel, or if he was coming in hot. It didn’t matter. Noah had no intention of asking. A plan had already formed in his mind. It was quick, and lacked any kind of style, but he thought it would work anyway. It also took a page out of the other man’s book, and he liked the karma.
Harlequin Romantic Suspense January 2021 Page 82