by Katie Knight
She ended the call, then shoved the phone back into her purse. Sitting back, she closed her eyes. When she opened them again a few minutes later, they were turning into a used car lot in a small town somewhere. She straightened in her seat and frowned. “What’s going on? Where are we?”
“We need to change cars,” Demetri said, parking the jeep near the end of a row of SUVs. He got out, then walked around to open her door for her and help her down from the jeep.
She followed him down the row of vehicles, wrapping her arms around herself as a sudden chill overtook her. Demetri had said they were targeting people close to him. What if the stalker did the same thing to her? What if her family was now in jeopardy? Her friends? Her students? Would her attacker come to the school looking for her? She’d already emailed her boss, claiming she was sick with the flu and would need to be out for at least seven to ten days, figuring she could come up with another illness if needed. Should she email again, letting the principal know to be on the lookout for someone dangerous? Or would that just cause unnecessary panic?
This was not good. Not good at all. Worse, it seemed her best bet to end the awful situation was the man currently checking under the hood of a shiny black SUV with one of the salesmen. She’d thought a lot about Demetri since their night together. Their amazing night. She had, admittedly, had a few fantasies about getting together with him again, with him telling her that all of Brad’s insults had been a pack of lies and that she was so amazing that he hadn’t been able to stay away from her. But they were just silly fantasies—not anything she expected or even truly wanted to happen.
Now, though… Well, it was one thing to have fantasies you knew would never come true. Quite another to be forced to escape with said man and depend on him to save your life and that of your child.
“How much?” Demetri asked the salesman as he walked around the SUV and kicked the tires.
“Twelve grand,” the salesman said. “And we’ll throw in a free car wash.”
Diana wandered over to peek under the hood herself. She wasn’t a mechanic by any means, but she’d once owned a car with a fickle engine, so she knew a thing or two about danger signs to look for. “Uh, I wouldn’t pay two bucks for this unless they replace the spark plugs.”
“What?” Demetri walked back around the front of vehicle to lean in beside her. He checked out the spot where she pointed, then gave her a stunned look and an appreciative smile. “How’d you catch that?”
“I picked up more than a teaching degree in college.” She shrugged, feeling far more heated under his warm gaze than she liked.
“Bet you did.” Her pulse fluttered at his flirtatious tone and she didn’t miss his little wink either. Then he leaned back out from under the hood. “The lady’s right. Fix the spark plugs, forget the car wash, and you got yourself a deal.”
They shook on it, then went inside the dealership to sign the paperwork. An hour later, they were driving away in their new car, shiny new spark plugs and all. Demetri grinned over at her as they got back on the highway. “Thanks for saving the day back there. I’ve got so much on my mind right now I didn’t catch that spark plug issue.”
“No problem.” She gave a nonchalant shrug, unable to keep the smile off her face.
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” Demetri gave her a side glance.
Diana watched the scenery pass, feeling a bit of the doom and gloom lift from around her. “You have no idea.”
Six
Diana shifted in her seat to hide the grumble of her stomach. Hunger was a near constant these days courtesy of her pregnancy, and they’d been on the road now for what seemed like forever, stopping only briefly at a big box store to pick her up some clothes and toiletries to get her through the next few days. She wished she’d thought to buy snacks while they were there. All the passing farm fields had begun to blur into nothing, and fantasies of hot fudge sundaes and French fries filled her head. Sweet and salty. That combination seemed to be her thing right now as far as cravings went, but it changed often. From the books she’d read, hankering for certain foods was normal and probably a sign of some dietary deficiency in what her body needed for the baby. She placed one hand on her stomach and her other elbow on the windowsill, resting her jaw in her palm. If this kid was all about chocolate and junk food, they’d get along just fine.
“We need to stop for gas,” Demetri said as he flipped on the turn signal, then merged over onto the exit ramp. “You hungry?”
“Always,” Diana said, perking up a bit. She needed to use the bathroom too. The joys of pregnancy. He turned into a brightly lit service station and pulled up to a pump. She unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed her bag. He got out on the opposite side and popped the lid of the gas tank. She met him at the back of the SUV. “I’m going to run inside to use the restroom and get some snacks. You need anything?”
“No. But be careful. If you’re not back in five minutes, I’m coming in to get you,” Demetri said, his tone stern.
“Yes, sir.” She gave him a mock salute then hurried inside. After using the facilities and washing her hands, she grabbed one of those little plastic baskets and began filling it with crackers and chips and popcorn, along with beef jerky—protein was important—then hit the cookie aisle. By the time she’d grabbed a few bottles of water and paid for it all, Demetri was finishing up outside. They climbed back into the SUV at the same time and he started the engine, the AC gushing out a cold blast.
“Where to now?” she asked, tearing open a jerky packet with her teeth.
He gave her a side glance, then jammed the transmission into drive. “It’s after eight. We should probably find a place to sleep tonight, then start out again early in the morning.”
“And where exactly is our destination?” she asked, the words muffled around a mouthful of food. “You do have a plan, right?”
“Of course.” They pulled out of the gas station lot and headed down a four-lane road lined with superstores and fast-food places. Up ahead was a glowing sign for a budget motel and Demetri pointed to it. “I’ll see if we can get a room there.”
She scrunched her nose but nodded. Her back hurt from sitting so long and her ankles were swollen. Any place other than the SUV sounded good to her. Never mind that the Happy Traveller Inn looked like its heyday had been in 1962. As long as it was clean and safe, she’d take it for the night. “Fine. See if they have one with a bathtub.”
Twenty minutes later, Demetri unlocked the door to their evening accommodations and flicked on the lights. If there’d been any doubt about when this place had last been updated, the décor put an end to that speculation. Brown shag carpeting, wood panelling on the walls, and a shockingly bright scarlet bedspread. The thing that caught and held her attention, though, was the jacuzzi in the corner.
“You said you wanted a tub,” Demetri said, closing and locking the door behind them before tossing the key on the dresser. “This room had the biggest one in the place. Honeymoon suite.”
She didn’t care if it was the royal palace at that point, all Diana could think about was climbing into the warm, soothing water and letting those jets ease away her aches and pains.
His gaze darted from her to the jacuzzi then back again. “If you, uh, want to take a bath, I’ll go out and grab us some real dinner. You can’t eat crap all the time. It’s not good for the baby. There’s a diner next door—what would you like?”
“A sandwich would be fine,” she said, deliberately biting back the With fries and a milkshake that she wanted to add. She wouldn’t give him an excuse to continue lecturing her about her eating habits. “But should we really stay in this room? There’s only one bed.”
“It’s fine. I’ll sleep on the floor,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I figured the tub was more important than another mattress.”
She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again, unsure what to say. She’d been used to her ex’s thoughtless selfishness, always considering his
own opinions and comfort over anyone else’s. The fact that Demetri had given her priority over himself now left her speechless. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked, looking genuinely perplexed.
“For the tub,” she said, then exhaled slowly. “And for keeping me safe today.”
Tiny dots of scarlet dotted his high cheekbones before he looked away. “It’s fine. No need to thank me. This is my job. It’s what I do. I protect people.”
Right. She scolded herself for getting all sappy about it. This was just another mission for him.
They stared at each other for a moment and the exhaustion started taking its toll on her. Hard to believe the day had started out so great. Now she might have lost her house, and her life was in danger from an unknown assailant. It was a lot to take in, and her energy reserves were already depleted from the baby.
“Fine.” She set her bag on the dresser and headed for the bathroom because yeah, she had to go again. “Thanks for going to get dinner.”
“No problem.” He turned for the door. “I’ll be back shortly.”
Demetri settled himself on a bench outside the diner while he waited for their carry-out order. The sign outside proclaimed their menu to be “farm fresh,” whatever the hell that meant. He was used to eating in the mess halls on base or out of ration packets while in the wilds. With those, you were lucky if you could even identify the species of what you were eating, let alone wonder about how the food was sourced. It kept you on your feet and moving, that was all that was important.
And speaking of moving, he needed get the plan Diana thought he had going…
Not that he was flying totally blind here. Some basic survival skills came naturally, and evading capture was something ingrained in him by his years of military training. But with a pregnant woman in his care, he needed to take many more precautions than he normally would. Winging it wouldn’t do this time. Not for Diana. He could still picture the shadows beneath her eyes tonight in the motel room and the faint lines of stress at the corners of her mouth. She needed rest and security. Too much stress would be bad for the baby. Hopefully that huge tub would help her relax a little.
When he’d checked them into the room and the clerk had said it was the honeymoon suite, he’d expected the one bed. What he hadn’t expected was for the damned tub to be right out there in the middle of the room like that. Okay. Maybe not in the middle of the room, but in the corner. And surrounded by mirrors and little electric candle thingies. It was romantic, he supposed, if a little cheesy. He could see how a honeymooning couple on a budget might find it fun—a cute story to remember on their anniversary in years to come. But romance and family memories were forbidden territory where Diana was concerned. So yeah.
Best thing he could’ve done was get out of there for a while and let her have some time to herself. He needed a bit of breathing space too, especially after she’d thanked him for saving her that day. The sadness in her eyes had tugged at his heart and made him want to hold and comfort her and damn if that wasn’t the worst idea ever. Because if he held her, that would only dredge up all those memories of when he’d held her before. Held her, kissed her, made love to her all night long.
And no. Not going there. Not now. Not ever again.
To distract himself, he pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial button for his buddies’ security firm in Atlanta. He and Diana were still a good two days away, but he wanted to get the ball rolling on this stalker guy. Besides, work would keep him on track and stop him from thinking about things best left forgotten.
John answered on the second ring. “Bratton Security.”
“Hey, it’s Demetri,” he said, moving his legs as a family with a toddler barrelled in through the entrance doors nearby. The open door filled the air with the smell of roasted meat and grease and he realized he was starving himself. He lowered his voice and angled toward the corner for a bit of privacy. “Listen, I need your help with something.”
After he’d relayed everything that had happened so far—the letters, the fire, the death of the squad leader—Demetri sat back and leaned his head against the wall, waiting for John’s response. They’d been on more missions together than Demetri could count. And while they weren’t close friends—in truth, Demetri didn’t have many of those—if anyone could help him out of this mess, it would be John and some of the other retired SEALs. There was no group he trusted more.
John took a moment then said, “Wow, man. That’s fucked up. What do you need us to do?”
“See if you can find out anything from the investigation into McCammeron’s death. Maybe there’s a clue there that I’ve missed. And I need a safe place to crash tomorrow night. Can you handle arrangements for that, since I’ve got my hands full protecting Diana? Lord knows I don’t trust motel security to keep us safe. I wouldn’t have settled for it tonight if I’d had time to put a better plan in place.”
“Sure thing. I’ll get things set up and text you once it’s done. Anything else?” John asked.
“No, that’s it for now. Thanks, man. I’ll be in touch soon.”
Demetri hung up, then waited a few more minutes for their food before heading back to the hotel. With the scent of his burger and her grilled chicken sandwich filling the SUV, he couldn’t stop himself from stealing a few fries from the bag. Knowing John’s team was on the case now helped take a tiny bit of pressure off, and the knots of tension eased between his shoulder blades. He pulled into the parking spot in front of their first-floor motel room and got out, locking up the car before barging into the motel. It wasn’t until he heard an alarmed shriek that he stopped dead in his tracks.
“Oh, shit! Sorry.” He averted his gaze as he set the bag of food and tray of drinks down on the dresser, but it was too late.
Stupid, man. So fucking stupid.
He’d told her to enjoy the bath before he’d left, so why hadn’t he expected her to still be in it? His unexpected entrance had made her jump to her feet, and even though he’d turned away after no more than a second, her naked glory was now seared into his brain forever. Skin dripping wet and shining, her cheeks flushed, her eyes bright with surprise and adrenaline. And her breasts. Oh God, her breasts. He’d remembered how perfectly they’d fit into his palms before, but now… Well, now they were plumper, fuller, even more beautiful. His fingertips itched to caress her pert pink nipples and he fisted his hands at his sides, heat racing up from beneath the collar of his black T-shirt.
“Don’t you knock?” she shouted at him from across the room, the sound of splashing water loud in his ears.
“I’m sorry,” he started to say, making the mistake of glancing to the side and spotting her reflection in the mirror. She’d turned away, giving him a glimpse of her back and butt, those soft globes all but begging for his touch.
No! Stop it. This is Peter’s kid sis. You already messed up once with her and look what happened. Peter’s going to kick your ass when he finds out about the baby—and you’ll deserve it. Do. Not. Touch. Her. Again.
He swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes shut. “Sorry. I had my hands full and wasn’t thinking and…”
“Forget it and hand me a towel please,” she said, waving her hand toward the dresser while crouching awkwardly, her arm covering her chest. “Hurry, it’s cold in here.”
“Sure. Yep.” He kept his back toward her as he fumbled for the towel, afraid to even open his eyes for fearing of seeing what he shouldn’t again. Bad enough the memories of her from their one date already haunted his dreams at night. Now these new images would burn in his brain for eternity. Diana, pre-baby, had been gorgeous. Diana with curves for miles and that inner glow of new life was nearly irresistible.
“Here,” he said, grabbing the towel and holding it out to her blindly.
“Thanks,” she said, taking it from him, then cursing. “Dammit. This tub is great, but it’s slippery as hell. Oh, crap!”
Her surprised squeak had him turning before he thought better of it. He
caught her just in time before she fell. For a moment, they just blinked at each other, her wet body soaking the front of him, despite the towel she clutched to her chest. Then just as fast as he’d grabbed her, he let her go, staring at the floor while she carefully climbed out of the tub and wrapped herself in the towel.
He backed toward the door once more, needing to get out of that room, needing fresh air and space to clear his head before he did something crazy like pull her into his arms and kiss her silly.
What was it about Diana, and the way she made him yearn for connection?
He didn’t understand this draw he felt to her, and that scared him most of all.
“Get dressed and I’ll be back.”
“But what about—”
“Do it,” he growled, wincing inwardly at his harsh tone. He didn’t mean to take his aggravation out on her, but he was frustrated in more ways than one and if he didn’t get some perspective on all this, he would be in big trouble. “Please. I’ll check the perimeter and be right back.”
Seven
By the time she’d gotten dressed and dried her hair, Diana felt at least a bit less flustered than she had before. Which was good, considering that her blood still pounded from the feel of Demetri’s strong arms around her, the spicy scent of his aftershave and the warmth of his skin making her remember the last time he’d held her close like that.
Ugh. Time to get it together, girl.
The guy had obviously been as discombobulated as she was at their current predicament. Which was silly. They were both adults. They both had lives and history outside of this motel room. They both were mature enough to put the past behind them and spend the night together in this space without it being awkward. Never mind that her wet boobs had been all up in his face half an hour prior. That had been an accident, and it meant nothing. Just like the way his eyes had widened as he stared at them.
