Page 19 of Corey
“Yeah, well, it was a…a spur of the moment decision.” God, she was a terrible actress. Her life had fallen apart, and she wasdoing her best to act like everything was normal and two bad dudes weren’t trying to hunt her down.
“You said you have a cat upstairs?”
Her cheeks heated up, and she’d never felt like the proverbial cat lady more than she did at that moment. “Loki. I couldn’t—I mean, I didn’t want to leave him… Soooo, yes, I brought him. He’s a good boy. I promise he won’t scratch up your furniture or mark anywhere.”
“No need to explain,” Corey said in a low voice. “I love animals, so I get it.”
They both looked over at the wolf.
“Storm is one of my best friends,” he added quietly.
“Storm is a great name.”
“I found him in the river a few summers ago. He was still a pup and almost drowned, but I got to him just in time. Once he was better, I tried releasing him back into the wild, but he didn’t want to leave.”
Can’t say I blame him.Sera looked from the wolf’s golden gaze to Corey’s electric blue one. Good thing she was already sitting or her legs would’ve given out.
“So, that’s it?” he asked, his tone conversational.
“What do you mean?”
“Just a spur of the moment decision to visit your sister and then your car slid off the road?”
She looked away from his piercing gaze and forked another spoonful of eggs into her mouth. God, it’s like he could see straight into her head and knew she wasn’t telling the full story. “Mmm-hmm.”
He didn’t seem entirely convinced, but she didn’t want to tell him about the men chasing her. It wasn’t his problem. And, besides, she wasn’t used to relying on anyone else for help, especially a man. She was a strong, single woman who figured things out on her own.
Yeah, and look where that got you.
If he helped her get her car to a garage, it would be more than enough. He had a life and she didn’t want to disrupt it. Well, at least not any more than she already had.
Even though he was somewhat older—not that she was any kind of spring chicken herself—he did seem quite competent and strong. Like he could defend her, if it came to that. But why would he? It’d be easier to hand her over, especially if the bad guys came with guns.
Don’t think about that,she chastised herself.
His phone beeped with an alert, and she used the distraction to take their dirty dishes to the sink and start washing them.
“Sera?”
“Yeah?” She glanced over her shoulder to look at him.
“If you tell me the truth, I can try to help you.”
Her brow scrunched. “I told you, I was going to my sister’s and then hit some black ice.”
He slid off the stool and stalked over to her. Turning his phone, he showed her the screen. Two men holding rifles walked through the snowy woods.
She sucked in a sharp breath, her heart pounding harder.
“My perimeter cams picked them up. We’re going to have company in about two minutes, and they don’t look friendly.” He pinned her with glacial eyes. “Are you sure there isn’t anything else I should know?”
She swallowed hard, instantly recognizing the man she’d pepper sprayed in the face at the rest stop.Shitshitshit.
Chapter Eight
“I-I don’t know,” she stuttered.
“Uh huh.” Corey didn’t believe her and suspected she was hiding something. But he wasn’t going to push her if she didn’t want to talk. Except for sleeping in the same bed and sharing breakfast, they were total strangers. Why should she trust him?
