Page 19 of Steal Me (Rebel Hearts Heists 1)
I’m in a really bad mood: seriously I’m sick of being treated like the one no one trusts. During jobs all they trust me to do is drive and now I’m stuck with babysitting Sloane. I haven’t been given a choice about leaving California and no one even stopped to consider that I might have people to see before I disappear. Plus if you ask me, sticking together makes us bigger targets and why are we having to stick together?
You guessed it!Sloane.
She’s recognizable while the police have no idea who’s taken the bank clerk hostage. Because before Kaden took her, we were just the Avengers. She’s the one that will get us caught, mark my fucking words.
I’m sitting in her room on the couch facing her bed, staring at her sleeping form and of course my mood is even worse because the princess is still asleep and it’s almost noon. The others left at eight am and no one thought about bringing me breakfast as they probably didn’t think that Sloane would sleep this late. By now the motel’s hot breakfast buffet is closed and this isn’t an upmarket enough place to even contemplate fucking room service.
Sloane stirs in her sleep: she’s lying on her stomach and her shapely ass wiggles around while she’s looking for a better position. My eyes are glued to her perfectly round, toned ass and my mood doesn’t improve one bit when my cock starts stirring in my jeans at the sight of our little hostage. Fuck, between my raging hard-on and my growling stomach, I feel as pissed as one could humanly be.
She moves again and I totally lose it because every ounce of my discomfort right now is due to her, and then when I say that we should’ve killed her, I’m the asshole. My stomach grumbles again and I purposely clear my voice as loud as I can to wake Sleeping Beauty. She rolls sideways and opens her jade green eyes, her sleepy gaze immediately focused on me.
We lock eyes and she throws her pillow at me. “Creepy! How long have you been watching me sleep?” Her voice is still husky with the last remnants of sleep and I clench my fists to keep my temper in check before I do something I’ll regret.
“Considering that it’s noon and having to watch you has prevented me from getting breakfast, I’d say about five hours, kitten. And then you wonder why we aren’t best friends yet like you and Kaden, huh?” Now I know full well that I’m looking for a fight, my next threat is right on the tip of my tongue as I’m waiting for her to say anything, anything at all.
“Oh shit River, I’m so sorry. I was so wound up last night that it took me ages to fall asleep. You should’ve woken me up. Let me go brush my teeth and we’ll go grab something to eat.” Her apologetic tone deflates me and pisses me off even more. I just offer her a surly nod rather than embarrass her with a comment about the brothers not being as good as Kaden at helping her ‘unwind’.
After a few minutes in the bathroom, Sloane comes out still in her t-shirt and boxer shorts and she does look embarrassed when she admits that she has nothing to wear. “The clothes I was wearing yesterday were all torn after the fight with the FBI agent. I have nothing else. We ran from that penthouse so fast that I didn’t even grab my work clothes.”
I roll my eyes at the fucking inconvenience and I’m about to drag her out of this room in her sleeping clothes but Kaden’s voice rings in my ears with something about how walking around with a girl in PJs will draw attention. My clothes are way too big for her and so are the others’ but I have an idea and I begin rifling through Royce’s clothes. He’s the tallest among us, so this should work.
I pass Sloane a denim shirt that once on is definitely big but reaches down to her knees, so after I lend her one of my belts to cinch the waist, it looks like she’s wearing one of those dress shirts that all the girls were wearing last summer. My eyes skim down her perfect hourglass figure, stopping at her tits and wondering if they’re real or ifkittengot a boob job, because I know that she isn’t wearing a bra and yet those damn tits are perky as fuck. With my fucking luck, they’re real and that would be just one more sickening reason why I am so fucking attracted to her.
We walk out of the room in silence and she follows me through a small patch of trees that separates the motel perimeter from a small strip of shops. “I’m afraid that we haven’t got a lot of choice, kitten. The others have taken the car and we have to make do with what’s within walkable distance. And of course we’re in the middle of fucking nowhere for obvious reasons.”
I give her a pointed look, signifying that this is another item to add to the long list of reasons why having her in tow is a fucking inconvenience but she doesn’t say anything, frustrating my attempts for a fight. Once we emerge from the thicket of trees, we see that our choice is pretty limited: there’s In-n-Out, a Denny’s and one of those Native American shoppettes where they sell fireworks, souvenirs and saddles and shit.
“Where’s a fucking Target when you need one, huh? Let’s eat and then we’ll check out that store, even though I doubt they sell clothes.” She nods.
“Yeah, steak and eggs sounds like just what the doctor ordered right now.” I chuckle at her words, guiding her into Denny’s by putting a hand on the small of her back.
“That’s the first smart thing I heard you say, kitten.” She narrows her eyes but again doesn’t react to my provocation.
After a hearty breakfast, we walk into the Native American shoppette and as I thought, there’s nothing suitable for Sloane to wear.
“We’re shit outta luck, unless you consider a poncho and a cowboy hat suitable apparel.” I grab a tan cowboy hat and place it on her head and damn, this girl looks cute, whatever she puts on.
“I think I should buy you this, Sloane. You look real good in it.” She blushes at my compliment and I realize that this is the first time I don’t snap at her or threaten her and I fucking hate how good that feels. I distract myself from the warmth that spreads in my chest when she smiles at me by picking up a pair of cowboy boots to match her hat. Sloane is still wearing the heels she had at work and while they make her legs look hot as fuck, I doubt they’re very comfortable to walk in all day.
“What shoe size are you?”
“A seven.”
“You’re fucking tiny, kitten,” I mutter really trying to make it sound like a liability and not that I think she’s so delicate that I’m concerned about her safety. Because I’m not. I don’t care. It’s what I keep telling myself. “Try these on, I’m sure they’re better than those heels you’re wearing.”
Sloane tries the boots and I nod approvingly. “What do you know, it might not be couture but you look hot in it.”
She gives me a flirty smile and asks, “Are you calling me hot, River?”
I wink at her and retort, not wanting to give her the satisfaction that breakfast and shopping were kinda fun. “Yeah, a hot pain in my ass. I’m just doing as told and being nice to you, but I wouldn’t get used to it, kitten. Let’s pay for this shit and go watch some TV or something until the others come back. I’d text them to stop somewhere in LA and get you clothes but Royce was clear that communication by phone is strictly for emergencies.”
???
Sloane
River pays for the hat and boots and we leave the store with my heels in a shopping bag. I have the distinct feeling that River is starting to like me but he doesn’t want to because I’m a constant reminder that he got outvoted when it came to what to do with me. But right now the mood between us is better than it’s been since this whole ordeal began. So much so that I let my guard down and laugh at his joke about how pissed Blaine will be when he sees that River is better than him at dressing me.
I giggle at the thought of what Blaine will say: I think the guys are friends beyond the bank heists, probably being teammates on the college football team helped but I find their constant banter very enjoyable, when the topic is not ‘should we kill Sloane?’ I’m lost in my thoughts and I don’t look where I’m walking, getting the toe of my boot caught in some roots that are protruding from the ground.
