No Escape From War (Trouble for Hire #1) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,19
to know that as I was clearing out of the motel room, the cops were swarming. Someone must have tipped them off.”
“The motel room?” Rose tried to jerk around War.
He wasn’t in the mood to be jerked around, so he side-stepped with her. Mostly to make sure that she stayed covered from Odin’s avid gaze. Odin didn’t need to get a heavy visual of Rose’s body and her lacy underwear.
“Found your handcuffs,” Odin added. “And the blond wig. Guess all that featured heavily in the news story of the night?”
Oh, nice. Someone was trying to be funny. He is your best friend. He is your best friend. War mentally repeated the words twice. They didn’t help cool him down. “Odin.” Now, his voice was low and growling. Dangerous with intensity. “This is Rose.” His gaze remained on her. “You will watch the fucking mouth with her. And you will give us privacy.”
“Huh.” A pause. “It’s like that again?”
It was.
“Your funeral.” The door closed a moment later.
Rose still glared up at War.
He could see that the ‘yesterday’s news’ bit was gonna be a problem. “I can explain…”
“Do not. Don’t even try. You’re over me, and I’m over you.”
It hadn’t felt like they were over three minutes ago. It had felt like they were about to kiss. Like he was about to get his hands on her, get her hands on him, and that they would go supernova. “I—”
“You’re in my rear-view mirror, too. Trust me. Like I said, I have no intention of picking up where we left off.”
He was in her damn rear-view? Screw that. He curled his hands around her hips. Let his fingertips slide up over that silky skin of hers. He had missed touching her so much.
I missed her.
“What are you doing?” Nervous.
He was lowering his head toward her. He was thinking about taking her mouth with his and seeing if they would ignite the way they used to do. He was thinking about all the ways a man could be a fool.
“Don’t kiss me,” she whispered.
“Wasn’t going to,” he murmured right back.
He heard the hitch of her breathing. Saw the flare of her pupils even as she called, “Liar.”
“I was going to wait for you to kiss me.”
She shook her head. “Not happening.”
“Then why are you staring so hard at my mouth?”
Immediately, her gaze whipped up to meet his.
He smiled. “Caught you.”
“You’re the one touching me.”
“Because I like touching you. Like touching you. Holding you. Kissing you. Fucking you.”
She swallowed.
“I don’t think I’m in your rear-view, and I know you could never be yesterday’s news.”
Her tongue swiped over her lower lip.
His dick jerked. Down, boy.
“Then why did you say I was?” A hint of pain slid beneath her careful words.
“Because I’m a jackass.” Truth. “Because men say stupid shit, especially when the woman of a guy’s dreams walks out of his life.”
“That’s—I wasn’t—”
His fingers slid away from her. “If you decide you want to kiss me, you know, just for the hell of it, don’t worry. I’ll be close by.” He cocked his head to the left. “For the next two days, you’ll know exactly where to find me. You say my name, and I’ll be there.”
“I need—”
Yeah, baby. Tell me what you need. I will give it to you.
“—to get dressed. So if you could just go hang out with your asshole friend, that would be great.” She squinted. “Wait, how did he even get inside?”
“Odin has a key.” A situation that would be changing.
“Why?”
“Because…I’ve been letting him crash here since he came to town.” Odin had been having a hard time adjusting to civilian life. The beach had been a balm for War when he’d finished his service, and he’d hoped it would help to soothe his friend.
Except, some people couldn’t be soothed. Not by anything or anyone.
Odin was definitely still a work in progress.
War’s gaze drifted over Rose’s body.
“Like what you see?” she fired at him.
“Fucking love it.”
“War.”
“But then, you already know that.” She was looking at his body, too, and there was no hiding his physical reaction to her. His dick was happily saluting in appreciation. “Get dressed. The last thing I want is for Odin to get hooked on you, too.” Then he did a fast about-face and marched from the room.
He made sure to shut the bedroom door softly behind him.
War found Odin waiting for him. The man waited with his arms folded over his chest, and his legs leaning against the back of the couch.