Page 59 of Lone Star Country Protector
“I don’t have anything with me,” she said, unable to think up a better argument against the idea. “Not even a toothbrush.”
Jules sized her up. “You look to be about my size. If you don’t mind sharing my clothes, I always have an emergency overnight bag with me. I left one in Grandpa Lor and Grandma Lacey’s room just in case I got permission to stay the night.”
“Sounds good,” Blakely said. “Besides, my adrenaline rush dissipated a while ago, and crawling into bed sounds amazing right now.”
“Great. I’ll be right back.” Jules gave a little wave before disappearing into the hallway. The woman had a remarkable resemblance to the actress Blake Lively when she was in her early twenties, great hair included.
Must be nice.
“Do you think the nurses would kick me out of the hospital if I took the bed over there?” She motioned toward the twin on the other side of the curtain that had been drawn back halfway.
“We can probably make some kind of arrangement,” he said. “Or you could just crawl into my bed.”
“We both know where that would end up.” She couldn’t deny the pull toward Dalton or the fact even thinking of being that close to him lit all kinds of wildfires inside her. But it would be a mistake.
“I’m not complaining,” he said before shaking his head. “No. Never mind. We’ve done that dance. Haven’t we?”
“We have,” she said, not mentioning the part about it being the best dance of her life. Or that she wished more than anything she could figure out a way to trust men. Trust him.
“No use beating a dead horse, in a manner of speaking,” he clarified.
“Nope.” Even though her lips still burned with the imprint of his from the kisses they’d shared. She needed to change the subject before heat consumed her. “He won’t come back tonight. Will he?”
“This guy is unpredictable,” he said after a thoughtful pause. “I have no idea what the man is capable of.” He paused another beat. “I would never believe someone would go after two marshals and a judge. You, of all people, know the kind of time he would do for that.”
“The promised paycheck must be big,” she reasoned. “For him to take that kind of risk.”
“Who would have that kind of money?” he asked.
“That’s a good question.” Before Blakely could think too much about it, Jules came bounding into the room again.
“Everything you need should be in this bag.” Jules held out the black gym bag.
Blakely took the offering and thanked her.
“I’m going home to grab a couple hours of shut-eye, but should be back at sunrise,” Jules said before exchanging goodbyes and then leaving once again.
True to Jules’s word, the bag had everything she might need for the evening. “Do you think we should ask permission for me to stay overnight?”
“Nah,” Dalton said. “We should be fine.”
“Do you need to shower?” she asked.
“Are you offering?”
Blakely’s cheeks heated once again. It wasn’t a terrible idea. But sex with Dalton would only leave her wanting more. And then what? The whole question of a relationship would enter her mind, causing even more confusion. She couldn’t risk it. “I can hit the ‘call’ button for you if you’d like.” She smirked. “Maybe one of the nurses with big, calloused hands will be on duty.”
His laugh was a low rumble in his chest, and it was one of the sexiest sounds she’d ever heard. “One can only hope.”
Blakely tightened her grip on the handle of the bag and then disappeared into the bathroom. A quick shower did the trick. Brushing her teeth with a clean, fresh toothbrush was beyond amazing.
She’d run out so fast from Houston that she hadn’t thought of necessities like clean underwear or toiletries. After getting ready for bed, she brought the bag with her into Dalton’s room. He was already asleep, softly snoring.
After climbing into bed, she did her best to shut down her thoughts as they spiraled. Who could hate her so much they wanted her dead? Who would be willing or able to pay someone to erase her?
The same hamster wheel of questions spun through her mind. She turned on her side and then punched the pillow in an attempt to get comfortable.
Closing her eyes only served to bring up images of Hoodie. She’d seen his mouth, his thin-lipped sneer. The fact he had day-old stubble on his chin. She concluded he had dark hair based on his facial hair.
