Bound by Danger (The Alliance #6) - Brenda K. Davies Page 0,45
had no idea what she hoped to hear him say.
What was she looking for from him? To admit she was different than the others, but different how?
She had no idea what he would do with her, but she wasn’t going to press him on that either. First, she would shower and sleep, and when she woke up, she would try to figure out her future.
“I can accept that,” she said.
Lucien stared at her, and before he could think about it, he pulled her close and crushed her against him. She stood unmoving in his arms before lifting hers and embracing him. He held her close as her body melded to his. She felt so right in his arms.
Something tickled at the edge of his mind, but he pushed it away. He didn’t have time to deal with anything more than getting her somewhere safe. Later, he would take the time to think about everything that happened but not now.
Reluctantly, he released her and stepped away. “We should go.”
He wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but when he lowered his hand, it brushed against hers. He liked to think she’d reached out to him, but it was more him who clasped her hand and slid his fingers between her delicate ones.
He braced himself for her to tug her hand free; she didn’t. Instead, a small smile played at the corners of her mouth as her eyes met his.
That smile caused a shift inside him as something primitive, possessive, and lethal slithered to the forefront. He wouldn’t mess with her head, and he wasn’t going to let her go.
Chapter Nineteen
Lucien pushed open the glass door and stepped into the dimly lit interior of the motel lobby. It felt like it was two o’clock in the morning, but the hands on the clock on the wall behind the counter read ten.
The office, with its wood-paneled walls, pictures of rivers, dear, and bear, was straight out of the seventies. The red carpet looked old and had a worn path to the main desk, but it was still in good shape.
On top of the Formica counter was a bell. Next to the small metal bell was a sign reading “Ring for service.” He released Callie’s hand as he walked up to the counter and hit the bell.
The tiny ding echoed throughout the small room as he rested his elbow on the counter and waited for the clerk to arrive. Behind the counter, he spotted a glass case full of supplies. A shaving kit sat amid the toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, hairbrushes, deodorant, and assorted other necessities a traveler might forget to pack.
Callie wandered over to a rack full of brochures. She fingered some of them before pulling a couple free and flipping through them. Most of them were for places to hike and raft in the area, but others were for nearby caves and a casino.
Lucien watched her every move like a hawk. He didn’t know what it was about the woman, but she increasingly intrigued him. He stepped away from the counter and prowled closer to her.
His chest brushed her shoulder as he stopped behind her. He gazed at the brochure for whitewater rafting in her hands. She stiffened a little but didn’t move away, and after a few seconds, she relaxed and lifted her striking eyes to his.
Before she could speak, a noise drew his attention away from her as a pretty young woman emerged from the back room. She smiled when she saw them.
“Welcome to the Mountainside Motel,” she greeted as she rested her hands on the counter.
Callie shoved the brochures into her back pocket as Lucien returned to the counter. An uneasy feeling grew in her stomach as she studied the pretty woman. Her silky blonde hair, pulled into a knot at her nape, fully exposed her neck. Her blue eyes shone as they ran appreciatively over Lucien before shifting to Callie.
However, the woman only glanced at her before focusing on Lucien again. Her smile widened. He was still thinner than he should be, but his beard and lean body couldn’t hide how handsome he was.
Jealousy burned like acid in her belly when she realized he planned to feed on this woman. And then self-loathing blazed inside her. She shouldn’t be jealous of this woman; she should feel sorry for her and try to stop what was about to happen, but what could she do other than shout a warning for the woman to run?