He grabbed his gear bag and went into the bathroom. He braced his hands on the counter and looked in the mirror. The man staring back at him looked tired and pissed off. He was also horny as hell.
He closed his eyes. Work the problem. Protect Dani and get her back to New York. Any other problem she had wasn’t his business. He did not need to make her feel safe. He did not need to make her feel happy. He did not need to make her feel anything. He opened his eyes. Then why was he so desperate to do just that?
Chapter Nine
Dani’s heart crashed against her ribs as she sat bolt upright in bed. What? Where? She blinked a few times to clear the fog. There was a clatter and, suddenly Gage’s head and upper body appeared around the corner and Dani emitted a tiny scream. Her hand flew to her chest. Where the hell did he come from?
“Are you okay?” he asked as he scanned the room.
“Er, um, yeah. Something woke me, I guess. I…” She glanced at his naked chest. His muscles flexed as he moved farther into the room. He was standing at the end of the bed, wearing navy gym shorts and nothing else as far as she could tell.
Smooth, tan flesh covered his chiseled muscles, from his shoulders to the top of his shorts and most likely beyond. Heat crept up Dani’s neck to her cheeks. She had to stop staring. When she dragged her gaze from his chest to his face, she realized he was smirking at her. Caught, damn it.
“It’s fine. You can go back to what you were doing now,” she said as she flopped back down on the bed. What was he doing? Looking friggin’ hot as hell was what he was doing. Seriously. Get a grip.
There was a loud thump, and Dani recognized it right away as the sound that had woken her up. Someone farther down their hallway had slammed their stateroom door. She groaned softly. It was time to get up. She had to figure out the problem with the software today. There was no time left.
She swung her feet over the side of the bed and stood up. She grabbed the wall as the room spun. What the hell? What was wrong with her? She didn’t have time to be sick.
The ship wasn’t moving. Fear shot through her. Why weren’t they moving? Were they stuck at sea? When she let out a strangled cry, Gage popped back around the corner.
He stared at her. “Are you okay? You don’t look so good. Are you going to be sick?”
She shook her head. Her tongue was suddenly three feet thick. She couldn’t make it work at all. Stuck out in the middle of the ocean. Surrounded on all sides by nothing but cold, black water. She made another strangled noise.
Gage advanced toward her until he was mere inches away. He didn’t touch her, but he studied her intently. “You’re breathing. You’re pale but not turning blue, so it’s not physical. What’s going on? You’re terrified.” His eyes narrowed. She realized he wasn’t so much asking her as just speaking aloud.
She glanced toward the windows.
He followed her look. “You’re afraid of the water. But you can’t see the water now. So why are you frightened?” His eyes darted all over the room and then back to her. He opened and closed his fists. “What’s making you so scared?” He looked around the room again but shook his head. “I’m missing it. Damn, Dani!”
She knew he wasn’t yelling at her. How could she communicate with him? She was frozen. Her body wouldn’t obey her at all.
Gage walked over toward the window. He opened the curtain just a bit and let it fall. He turned back and said, “We’re docked, but I still see water so I won’t open the curtain.
Docked.
Relief flooded Dani’s veins, and her legs gave way. She sat back down on the bed.
“Oh, shit.” Gage quickly moved to next to her again. “You thought we were stuck at sea. I should have told you we’re at port today.” He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “I’m so incredibly sorry.”
“That’s okay.” Her voice came out as a croak. Heat crawled up her cheeks. What an idiot she was for panicking. She should have realized they were at port. If she’d thought about it for a moment, she would have. The panic had just set in so quickly. “I’m okay,” she said.
His eyes were sad. He was blaming himself. It wasn’t his fault.
“Really, I’m okay. It was just me being stupid.”
“No. Fear isn’t stupid. Fear is paralyzing and horrible. I’m so sorry I didn’t think to go over the cruise schedule with you. My fault.” He squeezed her shoulder again and then promptly dropped his hand.
“I’m just going to finish up in the bathroom and then it’s all yours.” He disappeared around the corner.
Dani flopped back on the bed and started taking deep breaths. She was trying to bring her heart rate down out of the stratosphere. Her fear was unreasonable, and she knew it, but she just couldn’t control it.
The warmth from Gage’s hand was still imprinted on her skin. He knew she didn’t like to be touched. Last night he’d approached her but stopped after the drunk guy incident. She’d appreciated it then just as much as she appreciated his touch just now. It had brought her back down to earth. It really helped calm her down.
It was weird how one minute he was a complete asshole with her and the next he was taking care of her. He’d closed the curtains immediately for her last night and gotten her food. Maybe he wasn’t such jerk after all. Or maybe it was just part of his job—taking care of her so she reached New York in one piece. Shit.
She took one last deep breath and then got up off the bed. Her stomach growled so loud the people next door would have heard it if they hadn’t already left their room. She needed food and about a gallon of coffee. That’s why she was dizzy and her brain wasn’t working. So, food first and then the software. She moved down to the end of the bed and ran straight into Gage’s now covered chest. “Ack!”
“I’ve got you. You okay?” he asked.
She looked up. His frowning face was mere inches from hers. Before her freak-out of two minutes ago, she hadn’t been this close to any man in a long time.
His eyes were even bluer than she’d first thought. His lips were fuller, too. When she licked hers in response to seeing his, his eyes followed her tongue. They changed color. Deeper blue.
“I’m fine,” she said as she backed up away from him. “Really.” She didn’t like to be too close to anybody, but this guy set her nerves jangling. The fact that his navy T-shirt matched his shorts and hugged his chest didn’t help either. Even his scent was intoxicating. Something woodsy with citrus.
God, she was losing it. She must be hungrier than she thought. “I just haven’t eaten since yesterday morning. Um, if you’re through in the bathroom, I’ll just go get dressed.”
Gage stepped sideways to let her pass. “All yours. I’m going to the gym. It might be good if you joined me. We should stick together.”
She grabbed her duffel bag and headed for the bathroom. “No, thanks. I’m good.”
Ten minutes later, dressed in jeans and another T-shirt, this one red, teeth brushed and hair up in a ponytail, she was ready to go.
Gage had waited for her, which she wasn’t so pleased about. She needed some space. From him. “So, I thought you were off to the gym?” She reached out, grabbed her backpack with her laptop in it, and then opened the room door. She’d given herself a pep talk in the bathroom. She could leave the room. Water was not going to defeat her. She moved into the hallway and then looked left and then right.
“Left,” Gage said. He was right behind her.
She tried not to sigh. He was so insufferable somehow. She was hangry and she knew it. Best keep her mouth shut until she ate. She needed to get back to work on her software.
After turning left, she moved swiftly down the hall until she found the elevator bank. The doors magically opened just as she arrived. “Going down” someone inside said so she hopped on, but it was crowded. She took her backpack off and held it at her feet. Gage got on and stood beside her.
The doors closed, only to have them open again as someone else hit the button and then jumped on. She and Gage mov
ed to the back of the elevator. He was standing in the back corner and she was pressed up against him.
The woodsy scent was back, and his breath teased the hairs at the nape of her neck. That, in combination with being backed up against his chest, was making her nether regions tingle. Damn. She needed to get away from this man. He was killing her senses.
“Do you even know where you’re going?” he whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her earlobe now.
“Um, breakfast,” she said, but her voice sounded funny to her own ears.
“We really should stick together.”
“I have no interest in going to the gym.”
The doors opened and, before she knew it, Gage had his arms around her waist and was maneuvering her out of the elevator.
“Wha—?” she sputtered.
“Don’t worry, there are restaurants on this floor. There are restaurants on every floor. I just thought we should have a little chat first.” He led her around the corner into a big open area, and they walked slowly along a promenade.
“I don’t like the idea of you being alone,” Gage said as they negotiated the crowds.
“I’m hardly alone.” She rolled her eyes and gestured at the throng of people that surrounded them.
“You know what I mean. I would very much like it if you stayed with me.”
“Then don’t go to the gym. I’m getting breakfast.” The tantalizing aroma of frying bacon made her mouth water. There was a restaurant off to her right. It looked like a buffet place. Worked for her. She just needed food and to get away from Gage for a bit. A group of people passed in front of them, speaking what sounded like Italian. She’d always wanted to go to Italy. Maybe one day she’d get there.
“What kind of food do you like?” Gage asked.
“What?” She glanced up at him and frowned. What was he going on about now?
“What kind of food do you like? You know, Italian, Greek…” He gestured at the Italian group that was walking away.
“For breakfast? Pancakes.” Italian, Greek. Maybe he was hungry, and he just didn’t realize it. He wasn’t making any sense.
“Are you sure you want to eat right now? You could come with me to the gym, and we can eat after. There’s always a restaurant open on the ship.”
Dani shook her head. What part of ‘I don’t want to go to the gym’ didn’t he understand? “Nope. I’m all good. I want to eat breakfast now.” She pointed down the hallway away from the restaurant. “You go do whatever it is you do at the gym, and I’m going to stuff my face and enjoy every minute of it. We didn’t eat dinner last night, and I’m starving.”
Gage started to laugh. “Point taken. Note to self, Dani gets very hangry when she doesn’t eat.” He smiled down at her.
She felt herself relaxing and smiling back. “Gym or breakfast? You have ten seconds to decide, and then I’m out of here. The smell is killing me. I need food.”
“Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t let you out of my sight, but I figure there’s no way the men from Juneau could have made it through the storm to Ketchikan last night. It’s about a twenty-hour drive at the best of times, and with the storm, it would’ve been much longer. I’m hoping they still don’t know we’re on the ship, so I think you’re safe for the moment. I’m not thrilled that we’re docked here for the day. We’ll have to be very careful as the day progresses, but— Are you listening?”
She’d been staring at the restaurant, thinking about what she was going to eat, when his voice snapped her back to attention.
His smile was gone, and his eyes were serious. “Please be aware of your surroundings at all times. Pay attention. If something seems off, then it is. Find a crew member as quickly as you can and call me.” He handed her a burner phone.
“My number is programmed in. I took the battery out of your phone yesterday just in case someone is tracking it. I know I don’t have to remind you to keep it out. Even if you need someone’s phone number or some information on it, it’s imperative your phone stay powered down.”
Dani nodded and desperately tried not to roll her eyes. She wasn’t an idiot…well, not a complete idiot. This morning’s little fear-induced incident wasn’t making her feel like her usual smart self. But she knew what she was doing and didn’t want to be traced either. She wasn’t giving up her laptop, though. She needed it to work, but she also needed it to contact Carly. No need to mention her just yet.
Gage continued. “I’ll be at the gym for about an hour. I wouldn’t go, but it’s been almost two weeks since I worked out and I’m getting stiff. I need to move a bit to limber up. I will be back in the room in about two hours. If you aren’t there, I’ll call on that phone to check in. Answer it. And please be watchful.”
When Dani nodded, Gage let go of her arm. After one last hard stare at her, he turned and stalked away.
She looked at the restaurant. Her stomach growled so loudly a woman walking by her turned and looked.
“Alien baby,” Dani said. “They are quite vocal even when they’re inside.”
The woman blinked twice and hurried off, glancing back over her shoulder, a nervous expression etching lines into her face. Dani couldn’t help but smile. She could’ve just ignored the woman, but where was the fun in that?
She walked into the restaurant and gave the crew member her medallion to scan. “Now, where to sit,” she murmured. She walked to the end of the buffet and turned the corner. A glass wall was ahead of her where she could see the pier and the water. “Nope.”
Then she spotted an empty table right at the end of the buffet. If she sat with her back to the water and faced the buffet, she’d be fine. She shifted her backpack and put the coffee she’d grabbed earlier on the table to mark her spot and then went to get breakfast.
She grabbed a plate and started toward the buffet. Within a minute, she had a stack of blueberry pancakes doused in maple syrup and a bunch of crispy bacon on her plate.
She went back to the table and hooked her backpack over the back of the chair and sat down. She took a quick sip of coffee and then cut into the stack of pancakes. She watched as the syrup oozed over the sides. “Ah, heaven.” She took her first bite and practically moaned with pleasure. She really needed to avoid missing meals. It wasn’t good for her. She grabbed a slice of bacon and started munching.
“All I’m saying, Dottie, is you need to watch what you’re eating. Look at your plate. There’s a lot of food on it all ready. Do you really need pancakes, too?”
Dani looked up to see two elderly women standing beside the buffet. One had a small bowl with what looked like a boiled egg. She was wearing a sweater with a graphic of a big red hat on it and a pair of leggings. Her hair was bright, brassy blond and coifed to within an inch of its life. She was in full makeup as well.
The other held a plate full of eggs and hash brown potatoes. She was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of old jeans. Her curly white hair was messy as if she’d been in a windstorm. She was shorter and quite a bit rounder than her friend. Dani figured they had to be in their seventies.
“Honestly, Ann. You are taking all the fun out of this cruise. I came to enjoy myself. What’s a pancake or two?” She glanced down at the woman’s egg. “Live a little. Have some toast with that.” She turned toward the buffet and put a couple of pancakes on her plate.
“Dottie, it’s really not good for you. You aren’t helping anything. You said you wanted to lose a few pounds, and this isn’t the way to do it.” Ann sniffed as she looked down at Dotti’s plate.
Dottie looked down at her plate, too, and her shoulders drooped. Then her face sort of crumpled. She looked so disheartened. Dani couldn’t help herself. She spoke loudly. “Actually, she’s helping the environment.” Both women turned in her direction.
“Excuse me?” Ann said.
“The leftover food will go to waste and end up rotting in a landfill. That’s horrendous for the environment. So, by eating more, Dottie is actually making a sacrifice and taking one for the
planet. Way to go, Dottie.” Dani gave her a big thumbs up. “What are you doing to help the environment?” She looked pointedly at Ann’s single egg in her bowl.
“Well!” Ann sniffed again and walked away.
Dottie winked at Dani and then reached for the syrup. “I love saving the planet,” she said.
Dani laughed and went back to eating her own pancakes. There was one in every crowd, she mused. Someone always wanted to suck the fun out of things. Her foster mother had been a prime example of that. But she wasn’t going there. She didn’t need to drudge up the past. It was over and done with. She never had to go back. She had Carly. Carly was her family.
She glanced at the phone Gage had given her. She didn’t like how the little girl looked last night. Not at all. But it was too early to call. Plus, she wanted to work on the software. Maybe today was the day she would find where the code went wrong and was causing the memory leak.
The pancakes sat heavily in her stomach. She looked down at her plate. Yeah, no more of that. She got up, put her backpack over her shoulder, bussed her table, and then got a to-go cup of coffee.
She left the restaurant and started to go back to the stateroom but decided it would be nice to buy Carly something from the cruise. The tween would love a gift. Anything would do, but she wanted to get Carly something special. The girl deserved some joy.
Dani bit her lip. Walking around meant she would see the water. It was inevitable. She thought about Carly and all that she was facing. Dani could stand seeing the water. She was just being weak. She needed to be strong like Carly. She squared her shoulders and started off down the promenade.
Chapter Ten
Gage coughed a couple of times and then wiped his face with the gym towel. He glanced at his watch. He’d only been working out for forty-five minutes, but it felt like he’d been at it for hours. His body hurt, and he felt a bit weak. Maybe he was getting too old to be on the road for so long.
Hit and Run: A Thrilling Novel of Romantic Suspense (Callahan Security series Book 3) Page 6