Whirlwind - Janet Dailey Page 0,34

chair.

Resolving to try, he settled himself as best he could and closed his eyes.

* * *

A furious pounding on the door jarred Lexie out of sleep. She sat up with a jerk, her heart slamming. Beyond the foot of the bed, Shane was getting out of the chair.

“Open the damn door, Vera!” a drunken voice yelled. “I know you’re in there.” There was more pounding, then another shout. “I’ve got a gun! If that son of a bitch is with you, so help me, I’ll kill you both!”

“Get down, Lexie!” Shane’s voice was an urgent whisper. “Over there, on the far side of the bed!”

Lexie did as she was told, trembling as she crouched behind the bed. The stranger outside had begun to kick the door, cursing with each blow. Peering over the bed, Lexie watched Shane position himself against the wall, next to the door.

“You’ve got the wrong room, mister,” he said, loud enough to be heard through the door. “Get out of here, before I call the police. There’s no Vera here.”

“Prove it, you bastard. Open the door. If that lyin’ bitch is in there with you—”

“I’m calling the police on the count of three.” Shane had his phone out. “One . . . two . . .”

“No, don’t call the cops.” The voice had dropped to a whine. “I’m goin’. But if you see that bitch Vera, tell her I’m gonna kill her if I catch her . . .” The voice faded away.

After a moment, Shane peered cautiously between the blind slats. “He’s going away. I can see him headed for the street.”

Lexie pushed to her feet. Her heart was still pounding. “Has he really got a gun?”

“I can’t tell from here. But anytime a person says he’s armed, the safest bet is to believe him.”

Lexie forced a laugh, trying to hide how scared she’d been. “I almost felt sorry for the poor man,” she said.

“You wouldn’t have felt sorry for him if he’d busted his way in here and started shooting. He could’ve been drunk enough to think you were Vera.”

“In that case, I suppose I should thank you for being here and saving my life.” She paused, unable to resist a jab. “That is unless the whole thing was another one of your setups.”

A stunned expression flickered across his face. Then he gave her a sardonic chuckle. “I’ll let that comment slide on the grounds that I deserved it,” he said. “Now lie down and go back to sleep. It’s too early to start the day.”

“What time is it?” she asked.

Shane checked his luminous watch. “Coming up on two-thirty. I could use more rest myself.”

“In that sorry excuse for a chair?”

“Yes. Unless you’ve got a better idea.”

Lexie knew what they were each implying. They were both fully dressed. There was no question of impropriety. But the invitation had to come from her.

Stretching out on one side of the bed, she indicated the other side with a gesture. “Come on. There’s plenty of room, and I won’t bite you.”

“You won’t? That’s news to me,” he teased, sitting on the edge of the bed to pull off his boots.

“Let’s just go to sleep.” She turned onto her side, with her back toward him.

“That’s what I’m planning on. But I’ll be right here in case our friend—or anybody else—shows up. Sleep tight, Lexie.”

The mattress sagged and creaked as he lay down on his side of the bed with his broad shoulders inches from hers. He didn’t speak or make a move to touch her, but Lexie tingled with the awareness of him—the heat of his body, the sound of his breathing. By now she knew him well enough to feel safe—Shane was here to protect her, and that included protecting her from himself. Somehow, that made the urge to turn over and reach out to him even more compelling.

But she’d be a fool to make the move. Whether he responded or resisted, she’d be sure to regret it. The situation would be painfully awkward for them both. And the urges she felt were only a passing whim. They would be gone in the morning, Lexie told herself as she closed her eyes and forced herself to lie still, allowing him to settle into sleep.

It didn’t take him long. Within minutes, his breathing had slowed. A velvety snore, its cadence as soothing as the purr of a cat, rumbled in his throat.

Lulled by the sound, and by the sense of safety his nearness gave her, Lexie drifted back