She gazed at him with wide eyes, looking like she wasn’t even breathing. She slowly shook her head, but he thought it was more in disbelief than denial. Clearing her throat, she glanced away as she inhaled deeply, and then looked at him with a wry smile.
“I appreciate that you value my safety so much, Colt. I can’t even put into words how much, and I’m incredibly thankful that you’re trying to look out for me. You’re wrong about one thing, though.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Katia didn’t reply as she reached for her backpack. Opening it, she pulled out her sketchpad and flipped through the pages, handing it to him silently. Curious to finally see her work, he took it from her, surprise filling him as he looked at the drawing.
A man’s face filled the page, all the detail in the image making it look so lifelike, it felt more like he was looking at a picture taken with a camera than a drawing.
“Katia, this is amazing,” he said softly, glancing up quickly before he went back to studying it.
“Thanks. Turn the page and look at the other one.”
He did as she suggested, finding another man and taking in all the details in the drawing that was just as good as the first. Eyes narrowing as he noticed how cold the man’s eyes were, he flipped back to the other one and saw he had the same hard gaze.
“What are these?” he asked slowly, flipping back and forth between them.
“Those are the men who had your cousin. So you see, we do know what they look like.”
He looked up to meet her eyes, his blood turning to ice in his veins. “These are them?”
She nodded. “Down to the last detail, from the mole on creep one’s cheek to the scar on creep two’s chin. I tried to ignore them as much as possible, but I got a few good looks in, and I never forget a face. I think it’s the artist in me. I always notice all the details so I can recreate the things I see in my drawings.”
Nodding, he glanced back down, studying each drawing closely again, committing the faces to his memory. It was helpful to know what they looked like, so he didn’t accidentally kill the wrong people when the time came.
And we will definitely kill these sons of bitches, his dragon hissed, practically breathing fire inside him.
Bet your ass we will.
“Thanks for drawing these. Knowing what they look like is definitely helpful.”
“So now that you’ll be able to recognize them, can we go back?”
He snorted, resisting the urge to look at her other drawings as he closed the sketchbook and handed it back to her. “Not likely. My other reasons still stand. Why are you so anxious to put yourself back in danger?”
Shrugging, she twisted her fingers together. “I want to help you and Justin. And I really don’t like that he’s still stuck with the Bad Guys because you rushed me away to safety. I’m not a damsel in distress, but I’ve done nothing except act like one since I met you. Besides, I have absolutely no doubts that you’ll do your best to protect me. I have complete faith in that.”
His breath caught at the complete conviction in her voice and sky-blue eyes, and he cleared his throat, searching for words. The only person who’d ever had that much faith in him was Justin. His aunt and uncle had been kind, but while they’d always taken care of him, they were also distant, with both him and their son.
That was probably why they’d grown so close so quickly growing up. They were each other’s support system, and no one believed in him more than Justin.
But now there was a gorgeous woman with a heart of gold entrusting him with that same amount of faith, and he felt humbled beyond measure that she thought he was worthy of it. And he was determined to make sure her trust wasn’t misplaced.
“What if my best isn’t good enough in this case?” he asked, his words coming out hoarse.
There was pure confidence in her voice when she replied. “I know it is. I can see the desire and need to protect me and find your cousin shining from your eyes. It’s so strong, I can practically feel it down in my soul.” Pausing, she blushed, her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink. “That probably sounded more dramatic than I meant it to, but it’s still true. And I already know you’re not a man who lets anything stand in his way when he decides to do something.”
He swallowed hard as emotions overwhelmed both him and his dragon. Awe, gratefulness, resolve to protect her no matter what—and something else he wasn’t sure he could identify. He ran his eyes over her, taking in her tousled black curls, light blue eyes, perfectly bowed lips, and then down her small frame, trying not to linger on the way her breasts filled out her V-neck top.
The urge to stare was strong as desire washed over him, but he forced his gaze down to her red painted toenails before retracing the journey. He met her eyes, taking in the faith and trust shining from the blue depths, still trying to figure out what else he was feeling.
Whatever it was, it was strong enough to steal his breath, and it seemed to be affecting his dragon the same way.
Realizing he’d been quiet for too long when she raised a delicately arched eyebrow, he cleared his throat as he searched for words. “I can’t tell you how much your faith in me means, Katia. Justin’s the only one who’s ever trusted me that much. But that’s exactly why I can’t go along with your plan. The need to protect you burns inside me, and if I use you as bait, it’ll go against that and every instinct in my body. I can’t do it.”
Frowning, she shook her head slowly. “But you barely know me, and what about Justin? Isn’t he more important? I don’t want to be the reason for even worse things to happen than getting his finger cut off.”
“He’s not more important than you, and I know you well enough to know I’ll do anything to protect you. We’ll find a way to get to Justin back, I promise you that, but it won’t be by risking you.”
She looked stunned and then she glanced away, looking past him to the window while she took a deep breath. “Like you with your cousin, I’ve never had anyone besides my uncle who put me or my safety in front of anyone else before,” she said softly, her eyes coming back to meet his. “I wish you’d take me back so we can save him, but I promise you that I’ll do everything in my power to help you find and rescue him.”
“It’s a deal, so long as you don’t try to put yourself in harms way to do it. Did you call your uncle and let him know what’s going on?”
Amusement filled her eyes as she smiled. “Yeah. He wasn’t too happy that I was in trouble, and he offered to call his so-called mafia contacts to take care of the Creepy Dudes. He also said to tell you that if you hurt me or anything happens to me, he’ll sic those same men on you, and that he has all your info in the hotel’s system, so there’s no hiding from him.”
He chuckled in response, but he was positive her uncle meant every word of that. “The threat isn’t needed because I have every intention of taking care of you, but it’s duly noted. I’m glad you have someone in your life who cares as he does.”
“Me too. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without him. Probably stayed dirty and hungry when my mom was still around, and then placed into foster care after she left. He’s the best.”
Colton couldn’t imagine how Katia’s mother hadn’t loved and taken care of her, but he was glad her uncle stepped in to do those things when her mom dropped the ball. His aunt and uncle might have been distant with him and Justin, but they’d never gone hungry or not been given the things they needed.
“Okay, I need to get a shower. I didn’t get a chance this morning, with staying in the truck all night and then getting you the hell out of there. You hungry? I can order a pizza.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
“Don’t answer the door for anyone while I’m in the bathroom, okay? I’ll be out of the shower fast enough to get the pizza when it gets here.”
“I won’t.”
He studied her gorgeous face for a few more moments before placing an order for delivery. Wh
en he was finished, he grabbed his bag, watching as she settled back onto the bed with her sketchpad.
And the whole time, he was still trying to figure out what in the hell the elusive emotion he felt for her was—but he was no closer to an answer than he’d been the first time he felt it.
Chapter Five
Silence filled the room as Katia’s pencil flew over the sketchpad, her eyes quickly moving back and forth between the paper and Colton. The only light in the room came from a dim lamp on the nightstand, but it was enough for her to see him clearly.
When he came out of the bathroom after his shower, it had been all she could do to keep her mouth from popping open. He’d been wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung pajama bottoms, and his glorious, muscular chest was bare.
Her mouth had instantly dried as she took him in, and from that moment on, trying not to stare was one of the hardest things she’d ever done. He somehow looked even larger without his shirt. His pecs were bigger than any she’d seen before, at least in real life, and dusted with light brown hair. The hills and valleys of his abs were well defined, and he had a happy trail that started under his belly button and disappeared beneath his pants, bracketed by a well-defined V that made her wonder if she was drooling.
And she swore his biceps were as big as her thighs.
The moment she saw him walk out of the bathroom in a cloud of steam, she itched to draw him.
She was treated to the mouthwatering view as they ate and then for about an hour afterward as they chatted and watched TV, before he said he was exhausted and laid down. She’d tried so hard to resist the urge to grab her pencils and sketchbook, and she managed it for about an hour before she finally gave in.
Pausing, she gazed at him for a moment, swallowing hard as desire heated her blood and pooled in her belly. He was sprawled out over the bed, so big that he damned near took up the whole surface. One of his arms was behind his head, and the covers had fallen to his waist, giving the illusion that he wasn’t wearing anything at all—and he looked sexier than a man had a right to.
She could almost hear the sound of her ovaries exploding as she gazed at him.
Lord, she needed to get herself under control. She was already getting attached to him, and that wasn’t good. Their circumstances weren’t the least bit normal, but it was getting harder and harder to remember that. She was in so much trouble.
If it was only his looks that she was attracted to, she might stand a chance of keeping herself separate from him. She’d seen good looking men before, after all—although none as gorgeous as Colton. Hell, none of them even came close.
But she was just as attracted to who he was on the inside as she was to his outside. He was kind, caring, protective, and funny. As much as she knew he needed to find his cousin, as worried as he was, he still put her safety first, even when she offered to lure the Bad Guys out.
How could she not think he was even more attractive after getting to know him?
And how the hell was a man like him even still single? Women on the whole were a bunch of idiots, and that’d never been clearer to her than it was after meeting him and finding the absence of a wedding ring on his finger.
Biting her lip, she forced herself to look away and went back to her drawing. He might not be single—just because he didn’t wear a wedding ring didn’t mean he had no significant other in his life.
Disappointment filled her at the thought that he might have someone at home, so potent it surprised her. Why did she care whether he was single or not? They were only in each other’s lives temporarily. As soon as he had Justin back and she was no longer in danger, they’d return to being strangers.
Sadness replaced the disappointment, but she tried to banish it. She might feel like she’d known him forever, but in all reality, she didn’t really know him well enough to miss him.
But for whatever reason, she knew she would, just as well as she knew her own name.
Hey, she tried to console herself, at least you’re getting an amazing adventure out of this. It’s been the most exciting thing to happen in your boring existence. So, focus on the experience you’re having and not the fact that it’ll eventually end.
Her little pep talk did nothing to make her feel better, and she had to snort at herself. She was basically on the run because her life was in danger, and she was calling it an adventure, of all things. And shouldn’t she want it to end? If it was over, that meant she wouldn’t have anyone wanting to kill her because she could identify them.
Maybe her little fantasy that she was in the middle of a romantic movie was becoming too real in her mind. It was better than the terror she’d felt at first, and she felt like she could breathe again after she decided to pretend. But if she was starting to truly believe it, she needed to nip her imagination in the bud and force herself to acknowledge the reality.
Exhaling heavily, she began drawing again, wishing she’d brought her charcoals with her. Or even her paint. She wasn’t as good at painting as she was sketching, but she’d like to have this in color. She’d been at it for nearly an hour, taking her time so she could get all the details just right, but she was nearly done. She wanted to remember this moment when she was back in her regular life.
Focusing on the image coming to life in front of her, she lost track of time as she put the finishing details on. She was just closing the book when a knock came on the door. Blinking with surprise, she stilled as she looked over at it, wondering who in the world it could possibly be.
A glance over at Colton showed he was still sleeping, so she shoved her sketchbook into her backpack and stood, padding silently over to the door, taking care not to make any noise.
Easing in close, she looked through the peephole, freezing when she saw two large men outside. Surely Creepy Dudes wouldn’t politely knock on the door if they’d found her—right?
They were both wearing ballcaps and sunglasses—the latter of which made her uneasy as hell about their intentions, since it was dark outside—so she couldn’t tell if they were the same men. Her sight line was limited, but she didn’t see a third man who could be Justin, and she tried to reassure herself that that was good news, and these men had nothing to do with that situation.
But just because he wasn’t right there at the door with them didn’t mean he wasn’t somewhere else, still being held hostage, maybe tied up—or even worse—while the Bad Guys came to take care of their loose end—meaning her.
Biting her lip with indecision, she stared for a few moments more. They didn’t walk away, but she decided if she didn’t answer the door, she and Colton were fine. She was just starting to move back when one of them glanced down the hall, and her blood ran cold as she saw the mole on his cheek.
The Bad Guys were definitely there—at least, one of them was. She didn’t see a scar on the other one’s chin, so this man was different.
And that meant there were more than just two of them involved. That car she saw at the gas station probably had been them. They’d figured out she was leaving with Colton and followed them, but they hadn’t realized it, because the bastards weren’t in the Camry.
Shit on a stick. This wasn’t good.
Easing backward, she tiptoed over to the bed, fear and uneasiness coiling together in a knot in her belly and making her queasy. Leaning over Colton, she took a deep breath, pausing as his scent filled her nose.
Damn, he smelled delicious.
It was stupid to stop for even a brief moment to smell him when danger was at their door—literally—but for some odd reason, it calmed her down.
Maybe because it cemented the fact that she wasn’t in this alone. She didn’t know, but whatever the reason, she was grateful for it. She felt calmer and more in control.
Another soft knock came on the door and her heart knocked painfully against her ribs. Placing her hand on Colton’s warm shoulder, she ignored the tingles rushing through her at the contact, shaking him gently at first, and then a little harder.
“Co
lton,” she whispered quietly, afraid the men outside would hear her. “You need to wake up.”
His head moved on the pillow as he turned toward her voice, and then his sleepy hazel eyes slowly opened. She immediately put her finger over her mouth, warning him to be quiet. Frowning, he met her eyes, his gaze full of questions.
Leaning in, she put her mouth next to his ear as she whispered. “The Bad Guys are outside the door. Well, one of them is, at least. There are two out there, but only one of them is one I saw before. They’re knocking politely for some reason, but they’re not going away.”
Katia pulled back, watching as his eyes went from sleepy and confused to awake and alert in an instant. He got out of bed with a reassuring smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and they had a hard glint inside them.
She watched as they became greener with swirls of yellow, narrowing her own when it seemed like his pupil elongated for a moment. He looked away quickly and made his way silently to the door, and she frowned, wondering if that really happened or not.
Every time she saw it, it was in an intense, stressful situation, or they were having an emotional conversation. So, she had to be imagining it. Her mind was playing tricks on her, maybe trying to distract her from the reality of the situation.
Because there was no way it was really happening. It just wasn’t possible.
Right?
Colton turned away from the door, his face a thundercloud of emotions. Worry—for her, she thought—mixed with fury, and a poorly masked yearning to open the door and beat answers out of the bastards.
He stalked over to the window and her brow furrowed as he peeked out of the curtain, looking like he was contemplating the window as an exit route. Lord, she hoped not, because they were on the second floor, and she’d surely break her neck.
Walking back over, he grabbed their bags from the floor and set them on the beds. “Get all your stuff ready, just in case,” he said, so softly she had to strain to hear him.
Nodding uncertainly, she got her stuff together and slid her shoes on, her mouth drying as she watched him pull a shirt on and then quickly exchange his pajama bottoms for jeans. Sweet baby Jesus, he was so damned hot.
Colton: Rogue Beginnings (A Rogue Enforcers Novel) Page 6
