“It’s not late.” She actually had no idea what time it was. She tried to turn and look out the window, but she noticed for the first time that the curtains were shut and not a sliver of light snuck in.
“You’re going to fall over if you don’t take at least a short break,” he said as he rubbed his hand up and down her back.
“I thought you had a million questions.” Not that she wanted to hear one of them right now. It was so much easier to close her eyes and not think at all.
“More than that, but they can all wait until you’re awake.”
Sleeping here was a terrible idea. She should call Lauren and take a few minutes to get her thoughts together and get up. Sit in the chair. “If I rest, where are you going to be?”
“In the room, watching you . . .” His words rambled to a stop before beginning again. “Unless that sounds creepy.”
She smiled but didn’t bother to open her eyes. “It does.”
“Then I’ll be working.”
For a few more seconds she just sat there, boneless as her body melted into his. She felt some shifting and expected him to stretch out or move her. He stood with her in his arms. Didn’t make a sound or hesitate, just one steady whoosh and they were up.
She grabbed on to his shoulders to keep from falling down. “What are you—”
“Taking you to bed.” He took one step then stopped. “In a non-naked way.”
“That’s a shame.”
He froze. “Don’t.”
She could feel the tension in his arms and hands. He might be playing the role of the chivalrous hero but the naughty part of him hadn’t completely disappeared. Which was good because she planned on testing those skills later, preferably when she didn’t feel like curling into a ball and sleeping for a month.
He carried her over to the bed and set her down on the edge. His hands slipped behind his neck and loosened her hold. But instead of standing up again, he put his palms on the mattress on either side of her hips. The move brought his face close to hers.
“Go ahead and lie back.” His eyes traveled over her face and down to her mouth.
Some of her sleepiness vanished. “Can your work wait?”
His eyebrow lifted. “What exactly are you asking?”
Not that, though the idea of bringing him down on the bed with her did keep running through her mind. He’d wake her up. He’d make her feel safe and cherished, if only for an hour. If only she could make that last.
She glanced at the closed curtains again and thought about the men stomping through her apartment and the whirlwind of the last twenty-four hours. No, he was right. She needed rest, not sex, right now. But she doubted she’d be able to drift off, unless she could get through to him. “You’re going to make me say it.”
“Apparently.” He didn’t pull back. “Go ahead.”
“Can you just get on the bed with me for a few minutes?” She waved her hand between them and accidentally smacked him in the nose. “No sex or anything. And, really, I doubt I’ll sleep.”
He didn’t fight her or debate. “Fine.”
That was a good thing because she was about two seconds away from breaking into full-fledged babbling. She balled her hands into fists on her lap to keep from reaching out to him or fidgeting. “That’s a yes?”
“Kayla?”
“Yes?”
He lifted a hand and brushed her hair away from her face. “Are you stalling for a reason?”
Because she wanted to curl into him. Up until that minute she’d forgotten about her hair and the fact her uniform was tugged to one side. He made her forget everything. “You confuse me.”
He shot her one of those sexy smiles. “I know the feeling.”
“Do you want to change or—”
“Kayla, lie down.” When she didn’t immediately do it, he helped her by kicking off his shoes and stretching out on the mattress. Instead of holding out a hand or asking her to join him, he reached up and brought her down with him.
For a second, she kept her muscles stiff and locked. Didn’t lean back or accept his comfort. But the longer they lay there with only a few inches separating them, the more his body called to hers. She gave in to the dip in the mattress and rolled back into him. Her back touched his front from chest to thighs and his legs curled behind hers.
“I’d never take you for the spooning type.” She made the joke to cut the silence.
“Close your eyes.” His arm slipped around her and his hand spanned her waist. “You need to sleep for a few minutes.”
“I’m afraid to.” She looked over her shoulder at him. “Do you get that?”
“You scare the hell out of me but that might be a different thing.”
If he meant it as a joke he didn’t laugh. Didn’t smile.
He pushed up a little and leaned in. This time his kiss was slow and lingering. His mouth brushed over hers. He lured her in and had her wanting more, but he pulled back.
She tried to hold his stare but gave in and snuggled closer. “Well . . .”
“You can trust me.” His words vibrated against her.
“I hope so.” But part of her still doubted it.
Chapter 13
Matthias made it through an hour of no-touching torture until Kayla finally slipped into a deep sleep. Instead of jumping up and getting back to work, he’d sat there on the edge of the bed and listened to her even breathing. Watched her. Put a blanket over her. Generally acted like someone else and he had no idea why.
The eventual expected call from Garrett broke his staring. Matthias had never been so grateful for his phone in his life. He even silently thanked Garrett from inadvertently stopping him from doing something weird like cuddling.
He had to leave Annapolis and get away from her, and soon.
He’d been out of the bed for two hours now. Kayla still slept, so he slipped into Garrett’s room to collect the rest of the intel. His team leader had called about thirty minutes ago and listened to the assignments for tomorrow. Matthias had the four members check in to another hotel and suggested they try to blend in. Since he really didn’t know how, he’d left it to Garrett to explain on the scene.
Now Matthias watched as Garrett moved around his room, putting his Kayla-related files in a pile. Matthias was pretty sure Garrett was drawing the whole oral report out. So far he’d talked about the fibers and other items the team collected. Also confirmed the footprint Matthias had spotted on the piece of abandoned paper on the floor as male size eleven. He’d used the bathroom, gotten water and checked his messages.
Matthias was ten seconds from strangling him.
Garrett must have sensed it because he finally put his water bottle down. “No fingerprints.”
“Damn.” Matthias knew the news was coming but he still hated hearing it.
Just as he feared. This break-in, the threats, came from someone with some skills. Matthias still didn’t know how the attacker had entered, but he’d damn sure figure it out before he let Kayla anywhere near her apartment again.
Kayla . . . just thinking her name brought back a rush of memories. The softness of her skin. The kissing. She was impressive on that score. And she seemed to want him as much as he wanted her, which was going to be a problem. He needed one of them to exhibit some common sense and pull away.
He loved her enthusiasm and that she knew what she wanted, and that the “what” was him, but the baggage stacked between them would not be easy to unload. Matthias hated to admit it but maybe Garrett had been right to suggest he try the honesty tactic first.
Too late now.
“I mean, no fingerprints at all.” Garrett took off his jacket and tie before leaning against the chest of drawers with one ankle crossed over the other. “The place was wiped clean.”
“All that destruction and nothing?” Well, that just pissed Matthias off.
“Whoever did this was pretty serious, which makes me wonder why it was made to look messy and erratic.”
Matthias had the same issue. “A c
over.”
Professionals thrived on anonymity. They got in and covered their tracks. That was the point. But the attack on Kayla’s place was meant to terrify. Someone wanted her uncertain and on the run, and Matthias couldn’t think of what a stalker could get out of that.
Garrett balanced his palms on either side of his hips. “The other option is the person came in looking for something. The question is what.”
“Only Kayla can tell us that.” Though Matthias doubted she would without a fight.
“Speaking of which . . .”
Matthias jumped on the topic before Garrett took the conversation to an annoying place. “She’s sleeping. The adrenaline caught up with her.”
“It sucks when that happens.”
“Right.” Matthias paced the area between the end of the bed and the chair by the window. The energy pinging around inside him demanded release. The walking didn’t help but neither did standing still.
“So, you guys come to any conclusions?”
He didn’t like Garrett’s tone. Not one bit. “About what? What the hell are you saying?”
“Does she know you came here to find her?”
The door separating Matthias and Garrett’s rooms pushed open and Kayla stood there wide-eyed and giving off a furious I’m-going-to-bang-your-heads-together vibe. “She does now.”
“Well, shit.”
Matthias didn’t think Garrett’s reaction was nearly strong enough. “Motherfucker.”
“Looks like I woke up just in time.” She walked over to them, all rested and ready to fight.
Matthias took in her shorts and those long legs. Her tiny T-shirt and the way it showed off a slim inch of skin at the bottom. She’d changed and washed up. He didn’t know how he’d missed the sound of water running or her moving around over there. Mostly, he cursed his inability to shut a damn door.
“I should go,” Garrett mumbled as he stood up straight and took a step toward the door to the hallway.
She pointed at him. “Do not move.”
“Right.” He leaned against the chest of drawers again. “Yes, ma’am.”
Matthias was not in the mood for another verbal battle, but it looked as if he didn’t have much of a choice. “I thought you were sleeping.”
“Unfortunately for you, I’m wide awake now.”
“Clearly.”
“Don’t stall.” She stood right in front of him, apparently unconcerned that he was taller and stronger.
He’d never hurt her, but she couldn’t really know that except on some instinctual level. Which was what made her refusal to back down so compelling. She’d made it clear she would not be intimidated. Never mind that he’d defused rising military coups and once dangled a dictator out a window to get him to talk. She demanded he listen, and damned if he didn’t obey.
So fucking hot.
“Stalling is not really my thing.” He heard the edge to his voice. It had nothing to do with anger and everything to do with the ponytail and bare feet and how stupidly cute she looked.
Apparently he was into the whole fresh-faced thing now. That was news to him.
“Neither is the truth,” she spit back.
No, she was not backing down. Little could she know how that accusation tore through him. How he took pride in just telling it like it is. He didn’t like her version of him at all. “I haven’t lied to you.”
“Come on.”
“Not overtly.” He wanted that distinction to matter.
She sighed at him. One of those you-are-an-idiot sighs. “I’m going to throw a chair at you.”
Garrett cleared his throat. “I’m happy I stayed.”
“You’re sharing the blame here, so don’t look pleased with yourself.” She pinned Garrett with a glare before returning to her original target. “Talk. Now, Matthias.”
“I’m exactly who I said I was.”
She made a dramatic scene of rolling her eyes. “Spare me.”
Damn if he didn’t find that sexy, too. He also knew that if he didn’t cough up some reality, he’d never get the information he needed for her.
The next few minutes were going to suck. He decided to buckle in and take it. “I came here looking for you.”
“Why?”
He glanced at Garrett, who nodded. Matthias took that as a sign to keep going; he’d figure out how to live with the fallout later. “Three coeds are dead.”
An unblinking stare was her only response. Seconds ticked by in the quiet room as she stood there. The limited traffic noise from the street had all but disappeared. Matthias couldn’t hear voices or much other than the sound of his own breathing.
“I know. I was there.” When she finally spoke, her voice was soft. Almost a whisper. “Who hired you?”
“I’m looking into this on my own.” Which actually was the truth. Sort of. Mary Patterson—his mother, a term he’d never get used to—had asked him to get involved. He told her that he would look into it, but on his terms.
Kayla continued to stare. “Like a Good Samaritan thing?”
That response signaled danger, but he forged ahead anyway. “Sure.”
“Try again.” Her mouth flattened and some of the light left her eyes. “Just know that you are about to break the bullshit meter right now.”
“The what?”
She looked at Garrett. “Is he kidding?”
“Probably not.” Garrett shrugged. “He’s a bit challenged when it comes to human interaction.”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here.” That just pissed Matthias off, and he had enough to be pissed off about right now without adding new things.
“It’s not fun, is it?” She snapped out the question.
“What else do you want me to say?” He’d come here for one reason—to collect information and get answers. Then he met her, talked to her, fucking kissed her and his world tipped sideways. No one had ever affected him this way, and he sure as hell didn’t like the racing-out-of-control sensation she brought out in him.
“The truth.” She shook her head. “Is that so hard for you?”
That’s it. “Fine. Nick’s mother asked me to—”
“Whoa.” Kayla held out a hand and took a giant step back. “That woman?”
His defenses immediately rose. He hadn’t known Mary very long and sure didn’t trust her, because her story slid all over the place. Hell, she’d dumped him as soon as she gave birth to him. But she still did give birth to him. “What does that mean?”
“She’s been investigating me for years.”
“You’re sure?” Garrett asked.
“She’s followed me, called places when I finally did find work and then told lies so I’d get fired.” She answered Garrett then switched her gaze to Matthias. “I know her and the type who believes her. No thank you.”
“Are you ready to listen?”
“I’m done.” She took a piece of paper out of her pocket and dropped it on the floor. “There’s your list of names, though I doubt you really need it since Mary doesn’t care about the truth.”
He scooped it up before she could grab it and rip it up. In her mood that seemed like a distinct possibility. “Okay, let’s—”
“Save it.” Kayla turned and headed for the adjoining door. “I’m leaving.”
“Do not move.” His voice boomed through the room.
“Uh, Matthias.” Garrett winced. “This might not be the best strategy.”
Forget that shit. “Kayla understands me just fine.” Matthias closed the gap between him and Kayla. “Don’t you?”
She lifted her chin and matched him glare-for-glare. “I think you should listen to your friend’s warning.”
He took another step and was almost on top of her now. “Nick’s mother didn’t hire me. She told me about Nick and her concerns about his killer never being found, and I said I’d look into it.”
“Concerns?” Kayla made his comment sound like a joke.
“Why are you repeating random words?”
“She’s hunted me down. Made my life a complete disaster.” Kayla put a hand on his chest and pushed. “That’s your benefactor.”
She didn’t actually have the strength to move him, but he got the message. She didn’t want him in her space and even through the haze of frustration clouding his vision, he could respect that.
He never lost control but the combination of conflicting intel and possibly failing a brother he hadn’t known he had, plus all his messed-up worries for Kayla, had him hovering right on the verge. Once he realized that, he took a deep breath and stepped back.
“She’s not paying me,” he said.
“I don’t care about the financial arrangements. I care that I build a life, or start to, and she comes in and wrecks it.”
Jesus, that all sounded real. He’d known Mary for months and there was something . . . something about her story and the way she talked about Nick that hadn’t sat right with him. He’d ignored those doubts when he went to Wren. The need to “fix” a problem had overwhelmed the warning signs. He owed Nick that much.
Matthias wasn’t sure what to think, but he needed to know one thing. “You believe she broke into your apartment?”
“There’s a good chance of it.” Her shoulders stiffened. “Did you tell her you found me? Give her my address?”
“Of course not.” Garrett did a double take. “Wait, did you?”
Well, fuck. The idea he got played pissed Matthias off. “She knows I made contact. That’s all.”
Kayla groaned. “I knew I couldn’t trust you.”
“She didn’t do this.” Mary had called nine times yesterday. He fed her enough information to get her to calm down. Now he regretted his haste. Getting her off his back may have sicced her on Kayla, though Matthias still doubted it. “Whoever broke in was a pro, or at least highly trained. He or she infiltrated, didn’t leave any evidence and didn’t draw attention. All of that takes skills and patience.”
“You mean the kind of skills and patience you have?”
No fucking way were they back to this again. “I didn’t do it and you know it, so stop with that argument.”
There was no way she could kiss him like that and still believe he was out to get her. And the fact he couldn’t hold it together long enough not to touch her should tell her something about him. It pissed him off that she could think he’d hold her in bed one minute and set her up the next.
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