The look Sara sent him was grateful. She scanned the room herself and her mouth turned down in disgust. “The more upscale places require credit cards and I.D. If someone is after me, I was afraid they could track me through my credit or debit card.”
Tag nodded approvingly. At least she’d used common sense there. She could have been traced through her cards. However, nobody was looking for him. It had been two years since the two of them had been involved, and until yesterday, she’d been engaged to Mitch. Nobody would link him to her. They’d be safe enough using his resources.
“We’ll put the new motel on my card.”
The fact she didn’t argue was clear indication of how badly she wanted out of this room.
“I’ll pay you back.” She made it sound like a vow.
He scowled. Like hell she would.
Besides, the fact she was willing to trade motels meant she was telling him the truth now. She wasn’t on her way to meet Mitch.
That realization was payment enough.
A slow, content smile curling her lips, Sarah slowly awakened. She stretched, yawning. The glide of fresh sheets against her skin broadened her smile. There was nothing better than waking up to fresh sheets.
Vaguely, she recognized the sound of the shower going.
Still lost in a sleepy haze, she stretched again. Had she forgotten to turn the shower off last night? She cracked her eyes open, expecting the seafoam walls of her bedroom, only to find crisp white. Frowning, she rolled her head on the pillow and found another bed—a queen, with rumpled sheets and a thrown back comforter.
She jolted up as memories flooded her. This was not her room…or her bed…or her sheets stroking her skin. Nor was that her shower running.
She turned her head to stare at the rumpled mattress beside her. Tag had taken the bed closest to the door. When they’d been a couple, he’d always taken the side of the mattress closest to the bedroom entrance. Just one more protective quirk of his, this habit of putting himself between her and potential danger.
Shifting slowly, she stared at the closed bathroom door. Brett must be taking a shower. She tried to not picture him standing beneath that steamy spray, his broad hands roaming over his tanned, muscled body as he soaped himself and washed his hair. But no matter how hard she tried to banish it, the image of a naked Brett with water running down his rock-hard abs and chiseled thighs insisted on taunting her. She groaned and flopped back down on the bed.
Okay…come to think of it…there was one thing better than fresh sheets, and that was the man standing naked in the shower.
It was damn embarrassing how quickly that thought managed to warm her up. You’d think she’d suddenly hit menopause with the burst of heat that swept through her. Not that the goosebumps suddenly pimpling her skin or the damp heat between her legs could be explained by menopause.
Time for an emergency distraction.
She did not need Brett walking out of that shower and finding her all hot and horny.
The car keys on the dresser across the room provided just the distraction she needed. She sat up again. The keys to his truck were just sitting there, begging to be taken.
They were also her only opportunity to escape from this mess. After hauling her suitcase out to his truck and stowing it behind their seats, he’d driven them to an upscale motel a couple of miles down the road. Before checking into the new place, he’d badgered her keys from her and headed into the lobby with them. A few minutes later, he’d come back out with the keycard and room number, but not her keys.
She’d caught the tail end of his conversation with Lucas when she emerged from an extremely long shower. Lucas would be picking up her keys in the lobby and driving her Nissan back to San Diego.
Sarah had asked how Brett thought Lucas was going to drive two cars back. She should have known better. The two men already had a plan and an entire SEAL team at their disposal.
The downside was she no longer had access to her car. If she wanted to arrive in Dark Falls on her own, she’d have to borrow Brett’s truck. Not only did she want to arrive without the man currently soaping up in the shower, she absolutely needed to. Because heaven help her, she didn’t want to see his face when