Page 21 of Cast in Shadow
Granted, he was tall, dark, and gorgeous and had amazing eyes. He had an aura of danger surrounding him and had been chivalrous enough to carry her up two flights of stairs.
She thought of his strong arms and being held against that warm, hard chest—the one covered in beautiful, intricate tattoos—and felt something stirring within her. Had they been in a romance novel, they would have fallen into bed, crazed with lust, and spent a passion-filled night making each other see God.
Aggie shook those thoughts off when heat began pooling uncomfortably between her legs. They weren’t characters in a romance novel, and the reality wasn’t nearly as sexy. Yeah, he was a fuck-hot bad boy who pushed her buttons in theory, but the reality was, he was a glorified bounty hunter, working for God knew who.
That cooled her burgeoning desire and had the added benefit of reminding her that the only person she could trust was herself. At some point, an opportunity to part ways would arise, and when it did, she was going to take it. She needed to contact her brother and figure out what was going on.
It was a pity they couldn’t partake in some hot and sweaty monkey sex along the way though.
* * *
When Aggie opened her eyes again, it was morning. The curtains were still drawn, but the sun was bright enough to backlight them and brighten the room.
She reached for her glasses and peered around. There was no sign of Zeke. His bed was made. The bathroom door was open, the small room unoccupied. It was a shame she didn’t feel good enough to make a break for it just yet.
It was most likely a test. He was probably skulking outside the room, waiting to see if she’d try to run.
Sorry, Zeke. No running today.
She hobbled to the bathroom and did her business, and then she took more ibuprofen and another shower, letting the pulsating hot water temporarily ease some of her aches and pains. When she emerged a short while later, fully dressed and feeling slightly better, Zeke still hadn’t returned, so she sat cross-legged on the bed and began her morning meditation.
Zeke entered just as she was finishing up her intentions for the day, which included giving herself permission to take it easy and finding out as much as she could about her escort and his mission. He didn’t seem surprised to see her, which meant either he had been skulking or he trusted her. She didn’t think it was the latter.
His eyes lingered on her with an unreadable expression before they moved to her already-packed bag. “Good. You’re ready to go.”
She unfolded herself with care. “Where were you?”
“Getting us a new ride.”
“Stealing another car?”
“Borrowing.”
She snorted.
“Where did you think I was?”
“I was kind of hoping you went for breakfast.”
His lips quirked as he tossed her an apple and a banana. “Complimentary breakfast. We’ll get something more substantial once we put a few miles behind us.”
He took the bag from her hand and stuffed it into his own before slinging it over his shoulder. He reached for her next, but she stepped back. The thought of being held against that broad, hard chest was a pleasant one, but she had to keep her wits.
“I’d prefer to walk, if you don’t mind.”
If his expression was anything to go by, he did mind. In fact, she thought she saw a flash of disappointment there as well. But he exhaled and nodded, and those rose-colored lenses she was wearing went back to normal.
Leave those romantic notions to the romance writers, Aggie. You’re just a paycheck to him, and you’d do well to remember that.
Chapter Nine
Zeke
She hadn’t tried to ghost, which surprised him. Then again, she wasn’t really in the condition to do so. She was moving slowly and with great care.
Not that she would have gotten far even if she were at one hundred percent.
He held the door open for her, and she limped past him. Aggie immediately turned toward the stairs.
