She saw how white his face was. She wished she could hug him, but her own body trembled. She gently rocked the stroller as she tried to calm her nerves. “Believe me, I know everything.”
He widened his stance. “What?”
How not to interfere wasn’t a lesson she’d learned. Tears formed in her eyes. She never cried, but she met his gaze and said, “Look, I figured out who you were almost after we met.”
He crossed his arms and his biceps bulked beneath the arms of his t-shirt. “I’m sorry for what my brothers tried to do to you.”
Okay, so he knew part. Now she needed to expand and explain. The last time she’d done this though… it had ended badly. Angelo, an old boyfriend, had broken his arm on their ski vacation and she’d paid for his care. He’d claimed it was the reason he’d left her, as she’d gone behind his back to make decisions for him as he had insurance and could have paid for his own care. A chill raced down her spine. “I had my lawyers look you up.”
His face hardened as he stared at her and pieced together what she said. “When?”
"The police came to the door with your name and I put everything together. I had my lawyers check into your situation.”
“What else did you do? I should be in prison right now and not standing here with you.”
Now it was game over. Her stomach flipped. “Your record is expunged. You’re a free man. I didn’t want to tell you until you were cleared.”
Drat. His hues grew darker and seemed to be pools of emotion. He floored her right now. And if he didn’t look at her like that, then maybe she’d calm down. The words physically hurt like she was spitting out knives as she said, “I had my lawyers dig into your case. You were staying in my house. And you mentioned you were set up. So I wanted to know all the facts about you…and once I read your file, I had them clear your name.”
His eyes shadowed with confusion. “I don’t understand.”
Spell it out Mica. It’s not like he’ll walk away in the middle of the park. “You escaped from an imprisonment that shouldn’t have happened to you.”
He dropped his hands to his sides. “How would you know that?”
This was so hard. Rocco’s freedom meant he might not help her anymore. “Your own mother testified she thought your brother Roger was to blame.”
Rocco tensed and paced toward a few bushes on the path they’d left and then came back to her. “She wasn’t there.”
“Why are you arguing that you’re somehow guilty?” She tilted her head and her adrenaline slowed as she argued, “I read your case. Your former superior officers in the Marines testified there was no way you could have robbed anyone. You’d just left and expected to start a new job after a vacation you decided to take in Las Vegas.”
He covered his face as if to shield himself from her words. “I had nothing to do with robbing a casino bank. I’m not entirely stupid.”
“My lawyers were able to prove that there was a lack of evidence and had your entire record expunged.”
He lowered his hands, his expression hopeful. “What does that mean?”
If this was good news, her gut shouldn’t twist, but here it was. Giving him what he deserved meant she risked losing a man she could see spending her life with. Goosebumps grew on her arms. “Not only are you a free man, you’ll be getting a settlement offer in a few days that will probably be in the millions.”
Rocco stopped, stared at the moon and made the sign of the cross as he said, “Wait what? I’m truly free to go see my mother?”
“Entirely.” She glanced at the grass.
He took a step toward her and she saw his sneaker swoosh design glow in the dark. “Why didn’t you tell me what you were doing?”
Her body shook, not with pain, but from nerves. Mica gazed into his brown eyes and explained, “I was learning to trust my judgment again. I’ve been burned badly in the past.”
He backed off and she calmed down as he asked in his normal, relaxed, no-judgment tone, “So you wanted to be sure I was innocent before you told me?”
She let out a laugh. If only it was that simple. “And then I… didn’t know how.”
He didn’t move at all. “You didn’t know how to tell me?”
Her mind raced. Ali had been so mad when she’d told him that she’d caught him cheating. He hadn’t expected to be confronted and that had deadly consequences. She kept a tight grip on the stroller. “I interfered. I took it upon myself to make decisions for your life. And now you have a choice on what you want to do—stay with a domineering woman and drive into the night, or take the next plane to Miami.”
He tapped his cheek like he studied her as a science experiment and not a person. “And you do that a lot?”
Brutally self-aware, she confessed, “It’s why Ali wanted to kill me in the first place.”
He blinked and dropped his hand. “What?”
Her breaths were short as she wished she was calm and relaxed. “I decided I didn’t just want to be a token princess. I took it upon myself to make political decisions, like freeing the political dissidents and ending beheadings.”
Rocco even with his swollen eye had confidence he could handle whatever happened next to her and Jacob while he widened his stance as the street light in the park shined on his head. “So you became a target.”
Her cheeks were so hot she wasn’t sure how she hadn’t melted into a puddle. “I did, and now Jacob could pay the price.”
He brushed his fingers over the top of her hand. “I’m not your ex, Mica.”
Tears rolled down her face. She couldn’t look at him. “I know you’re not.”
He massaged her arms like he was an expert masseuse. “ If I could have handled the prison situation myself, I wouldn't have spent years in a four by four room with nothing to look at except my roommate and the gray walls.”
The image of Rocco stuck and alone in a gray room played in her head.
Life wasn’t fair. Her tears dried. “I’m sorry.”
He put his hands in his pockets and the lack of his touch made her ache. “I’m sorry too. I wish you’d trusted me.”
This was why she deserved to be alone. Her voice cracked as she said, “Me too.”
He motioned with his head toward the park gate. “Well, let’s get in the car and go pack. I want to see my mom to ensure she’s fine, and then we can go wherever you want, even out of the country it seems.”
He turned to leave but she pushed the strolled and called out, “Wait.”
“What?” He returned to her side.
Mica pressed her palm to his chest. “I’m sorry.”
Rocco lowered his forehead to hers. “I can’t be mad.”
Ali had been so furious that he'd found another woman and plotted her death. She licked her lips and glanced up at Rocco as she said, “Yeah, you can be. You can do whatever you want.”
He took her hand and ushered them out of the park. “I want you safe, so let’s get moving.”
He was still here, but once the threat was over, he’d be gone. She deserved to be alone as she hadn’t learned to trust. Maybe she never could as she always took charge. This was all on her.
Chapter 16
Rocco stared out the window of the luxury Jaguar as Mica drove them expertly down the highway, into the night.
They’d stopped at the chalet, but only stayed ten minutes, long enough for him to get his new clothes and for Mica to pack her bag and then they’d hit the road.
Jacob slept in the backseat.
Of all the strange things to happen today, Rocco decided that only three things mattered.
He wasn’t going back to prison.
He was free.
And Mica didn’t deserve him.
Rocco Hellsworth was supposed to be in jail, but for now he was here to protect her and Jacob.
Which he’d do absolutely.
He closed his eyes and wished his mind could find peace with it all.
Mica yawned and he sat straight as she said, “Y
ou haven't talked in an hour.”
“I’m tired,” he admitted and rubbed his eyes.
Today had been an unusually long day.
She nodded. “Me, too.”
The sign for the exit with an H for hotel was ahead on the right. He gestured toward it and said, “Let's stop for the night then.”
Mica tapped the steering wheel. “All right. Jacob’s been sleeping for hours.” She turned off at the exit sign and went to the first hotel with a circle logo, then stopped in the parking lot before the office. “He’s bound to be hungry soon…I don’t know the Forbes star rating of this place.”
It seemed clean, Rocco thought. There was probably a small breakfast buffet in the morning. While it wasn’t anything like her boutique hotel she intended to open, this would have clean beds. He smiled at her. “This place isn’t up to your usual high standards, but will it be okay?”
She turned off the engine. “I doubt anyone would expect a billionairess in a hundred dollar a night hotel.”
He stepped out and the night air whipped against his sore face. “How do you know the price?”
She took Jacob out of the back and held him tight as she said with her nose wrinkled, “This is middle of the road accommodations and the average price is around a hundred. At most three stars, but I’d guess closer to 2.5 from the exterior. Hotels are my business.”
He grabbed her bag she’d stashed in the trunk. “I’m a three-star kind of guy. It’ll be fine for a night.”
She walked beside him. The only sound around them were cars still on the highway until they neared the electric doors. “We’ll pay in cash to avoid a paper trail.”
He moved her bag to the other side of his body as he asked, “You have cash?”
She didn’t even blink as they entered the lobby. “I have everything.”
“Except happiness,” he murmured under his breath. She turned in surprise. “You need to start picking better men for yourself and Jacob.”
Her eyes misted but she plopped Jacob into his arms when they reached the counter. Jacob curled right onto his chest, still sleeping.
Mica handed over cash and signed a paper. He gently rocked the baby and she waved for him to walk with her as she lifted the key card.
Her face was pinched and she took Jacob back once they were close enough to the door. “What’s going on?”
She widened her stance like he might argue with her as she said, “There is only one room available.”
The last thing he’d do is impose in such close quarters. “Don’t worry. I can sleep in the car.”
Her face whitened. “No. Absolutely not. We have to share.” Then her cheeks blushed and she glanced at his shoes. “I’m making all the decisions again. This has two separate beds and a crib, but it’s up to you.”
Sleeping in the backseat where half was taken up with a car seat, or sleeping in a bed was an easy choice. He winked at her. “Sounds perfect.”
Her lips pressed together but she looped her arm in his and led him into the elevator to the third and top floor. “Perfect is overrated.”
Rocco wasn’t sure how to react to that heart-felt statement.
He lugged the bags over his shoulder.
He’d get her safe to her room. She opened it wide and motioned for him to follow.
The crib was already set up in the corner of the room, and she gently put Jacob down. As she straightened, she stretched near the bed. “All I want is to sleep right now.”
He stayed near the door and pointed to it. “If you want to be alone with Jacob, I don’t mind sleeping outside.”
She stood taller and stared at him like he'd struck her. “I want you here.”
This wasn’t good. He’d never cause her one ounce of pain, but she made him uncertain what he might do to help. “Are you sure?”
She walked over and stood in front of him, blocking his way in, until she reached out and took his hand. “Yes. I was worried you wanted your own space, away from me.”
“No.” He wished he knew how to get through to her.
Mica had saved his life, in every way. She deserved far better than him.
She deserved… well a life where she was protected, safe and happy. She let him go and said, “Good. I’ll take the bed closer to the bathroom.”
“Whatever one you want.” He ignored how his heart raced as he stepped into the shower to wash off the blood and dirt, the hot water eased his sore muscles.
He didn’t want to leave the steam, but he finally did and found a pair of clean underwear Mica had packed for him. He wore the sleep pants she’d given him and headed back to the room. She sat tucked in under her comforter on the bed, reading on her phone, but lowered her screen as he passed her. She crawled out of the sheets. “Rocco?”
He headed toward his bed and ensured the windows were all closed and locked so they might rest safely. “Yes?”
The air smelled like her perfume when he turned. She was beside him in the nook of the room as she glanced up at him. “I… hoped you’d fall in love with the real me.”
Part of his heart melted. She was amazing and kind. But Mica was a princess and he was the pauper. He’d never do anything good for her, not really. His pulse went faster. “Why me?”
Her lip trembled and how he ached to kiss her. “Because you’re the most real man I’ve ever met.”
The prince had been a fool. Actually worse than that. He’d hurt someone pure and good, but Rocco couldn't be a replacement for that. He reached behind his head and massaged his neck like that might relieve the tension that built there. “That’s not a reason to want love. You deserve better than what you got, and way better than me.”
She turned away but her shoulders fell as she whispered in the dim light of the hotel room, “I just want to be seen as a woman, not as some rich girl. I’m not always strong.”
Mica was perfect. He loved her, of course he did. Anyone who knew her must love her, but that wasn’t enough. She just needed her confidence back to find the right guy for her, and Jacob. He reached for her arm and wished he could just give that to her. “You’re the smartest, strongest and prettiest woman on the planet.”
She let out a long sigh. “But I’m not any of those things. I was born in privilege, but it’s been just as much a prison as the one you lived through.”
He let her go.
People with everything didn’t understand how he'd been trapped.
He wouldn't wish the mess of his life on anyone. His skin was alive from her being near. “How do you see that?”
She laughed in a hollow way he’d heard in jail and said, “I’ve never once had the chance to even have my heart broken in a relationship. Ali preferred killing me over sending me away.”
His heart dropped into his gut. If he could have stopped Ali, he would have. Luckily he was already gone. It was probably the one thing he’d ever have to thank his brothers for. His pulse was like butterflies practicing their wings. “Why do you think he did that?”
Her eyes were glassy but she shed no tears. “Because he wanted my money. Everyone wants my money. It’s all anyone sees when they look at me.”
Until today he hadn’t realized the depths of what wealth she had. Money alone didn't define her, she was so much more. “That’s not true.”
She scoffed and shook her head like he was wrong. “Yes, it is. What did you think when you met me at the hotel the first night?”
His gaze narrowed. “That you were going to call the police and have me arrested like you should have.”
Her lips curved into a reluctant smile. “No. I mean about me.”
She shouldn’t doubt herself. He wished she saw her own value as she was worth far more than everything she possessed. “I thought you were kind in giving me a place to sleep out of the cold. You didn’t have to.”
Her face wrinkled like she didn’t believe him as she glanced at the crib and then said, “I don’t know what you mean by kind, but I’ve clearly had sex before and I’d like-”
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Rocco fought the urge to wrap her in his arms and hold her tight, clenching his hands. “I don’t mean any man, but a good man--he would have scooped you up a long time ago.”
She sucked in her breath and those pretty lips of hers pouted. “Okay… I don’t know any other good men, just you.”
He pressed his hand to his chest. “See? That aims right for the heart. What are you trying to do to me?”
Her soft sigh made him pause as she said, “Your gentleness was part of what I fell in love with.”
Everything in him was on pins and needles. He had no right to touch her or feel or ever tell her how his heart was already hers.
All he could offer was his protection. She deserved more. “You really love me?”
Mica flinched but she took a step toward him and reached for his hands. “I love you more than words can say, more than I can express.”
Her touch made him aware of parts of him he long thought dead. He tore himself back and said, “I have no right to love you.”
She hugged her waist. “How do you feel?”
“About you?” He pivoted toward her.
Her huge eyes were full of emotion as she asked, “Yeah, about me.”
The words came without thinking. “It’s my job to protect you.”
She winced and pushed her hair behind her ear, taking a small step back. “That’s it? Just what I’m paying you for.”
The fact that he'd hurt her wasn’t good. He didn’t budge. “It’s not just a job.”
She turned from the window where she'd paced and glanced at him over her shoulder. “It’s not?”
If he admitted to her that he loved her, he’d ruin her life. She would try to be with him, but then realize that he didn't fit. He hoped that in time she understood why he had to deny a relationship. He stood at attention. “I’ll die to protect you and Jacob. I’ve never had a family to care about, but I know what it’s like to never trust anyone. It’s why I can’t offer you more than my life. You deserve to have the world.”
She headed back to her bed and pulled her sheets over her as she said, “I don’t want the world. I just want you.”
He settled into his own bed and hoped somehow the tension ended so he could get some rest. He fluffed his pillow. “We’ll need to leave early in the morning.”
Hidden Rocco (Hidden Alphas Book 5) Page 13