Page 10 of Her Delta Force Protector

“I’ll walk.”

He handed her the key. “Room one eleven. Meet you there.” He stuck his helmet back on his head, didn’t bother to buckle it, and rode to the back of the motel.

She reached the room just as he did, and he came to a stop. She smiled when their eyes connected, and his gaze fell to her mouth. Something fluttery happened in his chest as she smiled at him. He gave a mental head shake. After some eight hours on the bike, he was tired and not thinking straight. That was the reason for these new thoughts about her. A little rest, and things would be back the way they were supposed to be.

“What do you need to take in tonight?” He opened the saddlebags.

She unlocked the door, pushed it open, then returned to the bike and collected some of her things. He followed her into the room. It was about what he expected. At least it was clean. He’d slept in much worse places over the years.

“I guess they didn’t have two rooms available?”

He sat on the end of the bed closest to the door. “I’m sure they did, but I can’t protect you from another room. Not that I’m expecting trouble tonight. Better safe than sorry, right?”

“I guess.” She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth.

“What?”

“Do they have a vending machine? I haven’t eaten since last night. I think my stomach is eating itself.” She went to the other bed and dropped her things on it.

“There’s a convenience store across the street. Why don’t you get settled in, take a shower if you want, while I go get some snacks?”

“Thank you.” Her gaze lowered to the floor. “I’m sorry if I’ve disrupted your life. I don’t even know if you have a girlfriend now, and if you do, she’s probably not happy.”

“Hey.” He stood and walked to her. “No girlfriend, and you’re not disrupting my life. Truthfully, I was getting a little bored, so think of it as saving me from driving my brothers bonkers.” He winked.

Her eyes lit up in that way they did when she was amused. “So, I’m doing you a favor?”

“More like doing my brothers a favor. Any special request from the store?”

“No, I just need to get something in my stomach. Oh, and if they have a bottle of green tea, that would be great. If not, just some water.”

“On it. I’m taking the key, so you won’t have to let me back in the room. Don’t leave, and don’t answer the door for anyone.”

“I won’t.”

He stepped outside, stopped, and both listened and scanned the area. All was quiet, and he didn’t sense anything that didn’t belong. An awareness of danger, of being watched, was something he’d honed over the years of sneaking in and out of places under the noses of his enemies.

The convenience store was directly across the street, and he was able to keep an eye on the motel while he piled up an assortment of snacks on the counter. He added four bottles of green tea to the pile, along with a couple bottles of water. Harper liked ice cream sandwiches, so he got her one. A few packages of beef jerky for him, and he was done.

“Dude, that’s some serious munchies,” the young clerk said, admiration in his voice as he bagged the snacks.

“I’m a growing boy.” Again, not wanting to leave a trail, he paid cash.

Back at the motel, he stopped at the door and let his senses reach out. Nothing was out of the ordinary. He didn’t know who Harper was running from, how well she’d covered her tracks, if she had at all, or what the danger was. As soon as she had something in her stomach, he’d find out what was going on so he could make plans.

He unlocked the door and went in. She was slipping into bed, wearing nothing but a T-shirt and panties.

“Um, I was in a hurry and didn’t pack any pajamas,” she said when she caught him looking at her. She scrambled under the covers.

“S’kay.” It wasn’t. It was a sight he wished he could unsee because now the vision was imprinted in his mind.

“Wow,” she said, when he dropped three bags of snacks on her bed. “Did you buy the store out?”

“The clerk thinks I’m a pothead with a serious case of munchies.” Thankfully, she’d pulled the covers up to her waist.

She leaned forward and rummaged through one of the bags. “Oh, good, they had the tea.”

“There’s an ice cream sandwich in there you might want to eat before it melts.”

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