Page 40 of On the Chase
“No,” she blurted out honestly. “Not really. I’m homeless again, for the second time in two weeks, and this time I don’t even have my Walmart jeans with me. Just today, I’ve been kissed, shot at, cleaned up dog poo, climbed on a roof, and almost killed by a biker. So I’ve had better days. Why are you smiling? What part of my really sucky day is making you smile? Because that stupid smile will probably go away if I hurt you.”
Instead of showing the appropriate fear and intimidation, Hugh actually chuckled. His hands slid down to her upper arms and then back to her shoulders in a gentle caress. “You’re so cute. You actually saidpoo.”
And just like that, all her righteous indignation disappeared, and she was fighting a return smile. As annoying as Hugh was, he was also charming. That made it very difficult to stay hostile, especially when he was touching her.
When her anger left her, so did the last of her strength. Her legs wobbled, just from sheer fatigue, and she wasn’t able to stop the forward lean that plastered her front against his. He wasn’t comfortable. His chest was too hard for that. Despite that, it was still an amazing feeling to be pressed against Hugh. Grace didn’t want to move—ever.
“Poor Gracie.” His arms wrapped around her, enveloping her in a bear hug, and Grace decided that was even better than the massage thing he’d been doing earlier. Cuddling her against his chest, he kissed her temple. His mouth stayed close, and she felt his next words brush across her skin. She shivered and then decided that, for her own mental health, she would just pretend that she hadn’t reacted, that Hugh was not attractive, and that she didn’t find him stupidly appealing. “What’s your real name?”
“Kaylee.” It felt strange to say it aloud now.
“Kaylee,” he repeated, as if trying it out. “Hmm. I like Grace better.”
“Too bad,” she grumbled, although she wasn’t annoyed enough to move yet. “I’m not going to change it just to make you happy.”
“Grace fits you. You’re very graceful.”
The compliment made it hard to build up much indignation, so she just shrugged, the motion moving her body against his. “Whatever. Grace is fine.”
“Oh.” He sounded disappointed. “It doesn’t annoy you?”
“Not really.” She couldn’t hold back a yawn.
He hummed. “That’s not fun, then.”
She raised her hand to smack him, but it was halfhearted at best. “Jerk.” Her arm fell back to her side. “I don’t care what I’m called. I just want this to be over.”
“I’m kidding. Kaylee’s a pretty name, too.” His arms tightened around her. “I promise we’ll get Jovanovic put away so you can go back to your life.”
“Grace is good. I’m used to it now.” She ignored the rest of what he said. As much as she wanted to be free of Martin Jovanovic’s death threats, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to give up Monroe, Colorado. The harsh truth was that, right now, the thought of her LA home didn’t bring the same melancholy feeling as it had a few days ago. At this moment, Grace was completely content to stay right where she was, wrapped in the warmth and safety of Hugh’s bear hug.
“You still with me, Grace?” he asked. Even the underlying thread of teasing humor wasn’t enough to force her to pull away. She knew that once she stepped out of Hugh’s embrace, she’d have to return to reality, and reality had been a little too full of near-death experiences lately. “You’re not glaring at me or telling me how annoying I am. This new docile side has me worried.”
“Docile?” she repeated, jerking her head back so she could scowl at him. “What am I? A cow?”
Hugh gave her that innocent, wide-eyed look that was more aggravating than any of his other rage-inducing habits. “I would never call you a cow, Gracie.”
As she eyed him, waiting for whatever punch line he was coming up with, she realized that he still had his arms around her. With a reluctance that she wished she didn’t feel, she stepped back, and his hold loosened and then fell away, leaving her cold and vulnerable.
His smile turned from devilish to wry, as if he knew fun times were over. “Let me make you some food, and we’ll eat on the deck. The view from there is pretty nice.”
“Shower first.”
After giving her a measuring look, as if to reassure himself that she wasn’t about to collapse from low blood sugar, Hugh waved toward the stairs. “Bathroom’s the second door on the left, and my bedroom is the first. Feel free to raid my dresser and take any clothes you want.” He faked a frown. “I don’t have any Walmart jeans, though, so I can’t help you there.”
Grace seriously considered making a rude gesture, but she didn’t have the energy. Her arms suddenly felt incredibly heavy, so she settled on ignoring his attempt at humor. “Thanks.”
“Need help?”
“With finding something to wear?”
“Sure.” He took a step toward her. “Or getting up the stairs, or undressing, or…” When his voice trailed off into silence, they both stared at each other, and the air got thick and warm.
“Um, no.” Her voice sounded several notes deeper than it usually did. She cleared her throat. “I’ll be fine climbing the stairs. And with…everything else.” She couldn’t sayundressingwithout turning bright red. Although she normally wasn’t a blusher, there was something about Hugh that brought heat to her cheeks, as well as to other places she wasn’t going to think about at the moment. They both had enough going on—like being chased by killers—without this stupid crush making things awkward.
She hurried away from him. Despite being distracted by the way Hugh watched her until she was out of sight, she noticed that the stairs were amazing. The heavy cross-sections of logs were held in place with curled wrought iron that looked almost delicate. The design gave the illusion that every step was floating. It was beautiful and unique and fit perfectly with the rest of the house. Her first impression had been that his house was rustic and homey, but the longer she was there, the more careful details she noticed.
When she was in Hugh’s room, though, she tried not to notice any of those details—not the slightly mussed bed that looked like he’d just rolled out of it, or the way the room smelled faintly like that spicy, stupidly good scent that clung to his skin. Hurrying across the space, she fixed her eyes on the dresser. She needed to get some clothes and get out quickly, before she gave in to temptation and sniffed his pillow or something.
