Protecting His Kidnapped Family - Leslie North Page 0,41
eager to get him back, so all we have to do is grab him and turn him over. Me and the guys have planned a takedown for tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, can I come?” she asked, scooting to the edge of the bed, excitement zinging through her. “I’d love to see that guy get what’s coming to him.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Noah walked out, his words muffled by the towel pressed to his face. He tossed it aside and searched for a clean shirt among the stuff she’d unpacked and hung up in the closet for him. “It’ll be safer for you here. With the baby.”
Dammit. He was right and she was being unreasonable, but she was in too far to back down now. “I can take care of myself,” she said, clenching her teeth. “And Olive could watch her. With you and the other guys there, I would be taken care of anyway.”
“No.” He shook his head, then tugged a clean black T-shirt on. “You stay here.”
Serena bit back the argument clawing to get out and took a deep breath. This wasn’t going to help anything and letting her temper take over wasn’t productive. If she’d learned anything in her years working with charities and other causes, it was that compromise was best, even if it wasn’t always easy. “I just put Gracie down for a nap, but if you want to go in and see her, I think she’d like that.”
“Best not,” he said, raking his fingers through the damp hair at his temples. “I never was much good with her. Don’t want to upset her.”
Serena fisted the duvet in her hands to keep from punching something, namely him. Just when she’d thought they’d defeated his negative self-talk once and for all and proven he was a good caretaker for Gracie and a competent dad, insecurity reared its ugly head again. She seriously could not deal with this right now.
Spurred on by annoyance, mixed with anxiety about the takedown the next day, Serena pushed off the bed and walked over to him, determined not to let him off the hook so easily. She stepped in front of him when he tried to leave, blocking his path, and shut the door so they were trapped in there together. “I don’t think that’s the reason at all.”
He gave her a mulish look. “What are you talking about?”
“The baby. I don’t think you’re really scared of hurting her. I think you’re scared of opening up to her, letting her into your heart, getting too close. To her and to me.”
Noah tried to step around her to escape, but she wasn’t budging. “Don’t be ridiculous. Get out of the way.”
“So, now I’m ridiculous?” She dug in her heels, leaning back against the door to keep him from opening it. “And I’m not going anywhere. Not until we talk this out.”
“I’m tired of talking,” he growled, looming over her like an angry bear. “I just want to eat, then hit the sack. I’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
“Yeah? Well, I’ve got a big conversation planned tonight, so…” She stood toe to toe with him, not backing down an inch. “We’ve got a problem.”
They stared at each other across the span of a foot, the air between them crackling with anger and more than a little passion. In fact, she couldn’t seem to ignore the heat of him surrounding her, spurring her need higher, lighting up her bloodstream like a gasoline-fueled wildfire. His eyes flickered from her gaze to her mouth and back again, making her lips tingle and letting her know that his thoughts had veered in the same direction.
Except they really did need to talk. After her discussion with Olive earlier, she was determined to break through the walls Noah had constructed around his heart and get to the truth of what he was feeling for her, for Gracie, and about their future. If they even had a future together.
Sex would only muddle that up.
Now, if someone would just tell her body that, she’d be all set.
Her pulse raced and her blood pounded through her ears, and she wasn’t sure if she’d ever wanted Noah more than she did right then. Maybe it was his determination to keep her at a distance. Maybe it was her desperation to reach him. Whatever it was, the fine line between anger and desire was getting blurrier by the second.
“Move,” he said, his voice low and rough, the word stroking over her like velvet.
Serena rose