Too Much to Lose (14 page)

When we arrive at the Victorian
house, he ushers me in without a word. He hands me my bag and I clutch it to
me.

“The spare room is upstairs.”

I glance up the stairs and chew
my lip. I’m so far out of my comfort zone right now, I have no idea what to do.

“Here I’ll take you.” He stomps
upstairs, leaving me no choice but to follow. He flicks on the light and
motions me in.

The small room is neat but much
like the rest of the house. Floral. It’s so pink I’m surprised it doesn’t smell
sickly sweet. Roses on the curtains, bedding to match, a plush dusky rose carpet
topped with an unnecessary rug. The furniture is that cheap white stuff, trimmed
with gold.

“Mam loved flowers.” He shrugs.

I realize I’ve probably
offended him in some way. “No… it’s very nice. Pink, but nice.”

He gives a mirthless chuckle.
“It won’t win any design awards but Mam was an old fashioned lady.”

That explains a bit about
Hunter. He seems like the kind of man brought up on old fashioned values. Perhaps
he begrudges those values when his conscience means he has to come to my rescue
every ten minutes. I’m so lost with him. One minute he’s got his mouth on my
skin and the next he looks like he wishes I wasn’t around. Will I ever forget
the sight of him kissing his way over my breasts? Even now the memory leaves me
hot and bothered.

“So…” He shoves his hands in
his pockets. “I’ll give you a moment to get settled. I don’t know if you just
want to go to bed. It’s been a long day. There’s spare towels in the bathroom
if you want to get a shower.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty tired.”

My eyes itch with fatigue but
there’s no way I’ll be able to sleep now. Whether it’s the events of the day or
being in Hunter’s presence that causes it, I’m not sure but I don’t feel
equipped to handle his company any longer. I might do something stupid like
fling myself into his arms and with the way he’s looking at me now, I’d be
setting myself up for rejection.

“Okay, well you sort your stuff
out and if you need anything…” He backs out of the room without saying anything
else.

I listen to his footsteps
retreating downstairs before I release a breath. How did I get myself in this
situation? Staying with a man I can’t possibly resist and all the while trying
to keep my secret to myself.

Oh yeah, don’t forget there’s
someone out there trying to kill you.

Could Hunter be right? They
were trying to run me over too? In which case, he really did save my life. But
why? I pray I’ve just pissed someone off unintentionally and it’s nothing to do
with my past. If they know I’m an ex porn star, everything could come unravelled
quickly and I don’t want to have to see Hunter’s reaction when he finds out.
That’s more than I could bear. It was hard enough with Pete when he found out
and when I look back, we weren’t even that deeply involved. We lived together
but that was more convenience. He was a student and I was poor. It saved money.

But I’m not even involved with
Hunter. Why should it matter so much what he thinks? I shake my head and begin
pulling out my clothes.  It’s not just what he thinks, it’s what everyone
thinks. I won’t go through that again.

The top drawer of the chest is
empty so I shove my few bits of clothing in there and hang my suit on the back
of the door. I grimace. I’ll need to get those creases out before work
tomorrow. Hopefully I don’t have to stay long or I’m going to run out of
clothes quickly.

“Jess?”

I peek to the side to see him standing
in the doorway again. I hadn’t even heard him approach. One arm rested against
the doorframe, his jacket now discarded, he makes my heart pang. Hunter’s eyes
reflect something of a lost puppy sort of look as he gazes at me.

“Yes?”

 “You okay?” he asks gruffly.

“Yeah. Fine.”

“You’ll be safe here.”

I snort inwardly. Safe from
whoever wants to hurt me, sure, but safe from Hunter, or at least the effect he
has on me? No way.

“Didn’t mean to just…” He
curses softly and drags a hand through his hair. “Anyway, I wanted to make sure
you were all right.”

“I’m fine.” I force a sunny
smile to my face. “Thanks, Hunter, for everything,” I add.

That sorrowful expression
flickers into something else. Remorse perhaps. Does he regret getting involved
with me? Rescuing me?

“No worries.” He hesitates and
for one moment I’m convinced he’s going to stride over the threshold and press
me back against the bed. My heart sinks when he drops his arm from the door
frame and takes a step back. “Well, good night then.” He turns and pauses, peering
at me sideways. “You sure you can’t think of a reason this person is after
you?”

“No, I can’t think of anything
at all,” I lie.

Hunter

With a yawn and a stretch, I stumble into the shower. What a
terrible night’s sleep. I swear I could hear Jess’s gentle breaths all night
which is nonsense because there’s no way the walls are that thin. But just
knowing she was in bed with only a wall separating us killed me. I spent half
the night angry with her for not telling me what’s going on and the other half
imagining different scenarios ranging from what might have happened if our kiss
in her apartment never got interrupted to more terrifying ones where I didn’t
turn up to protect her. Someone trying to harm her still sends bile into my
throat.

I twist on the shower and hiss
as cold water hits my back. I hold myself under it in an attempt to wash away
the fatigue and confusion until it warms. Jess is lying. That hurts, but not
for the right reasons. I want her to trust me enough to tell me what’s going
on. It can’t be any coincidence that she has a shady past, happens to be a
thief and someone is out to get her. Perhaps she screwed them over in whatever
deal she’s got going down?

Above all I’m pissed at myself
for being unable to remain focused. It shouldn’t hurt that she doesn’t trust
me. Yes, I’m allowed to be annoyed because it’s making this job harder but it
shouldn’t damned hurt.

I slap a palm against the
shower wall and swipe a wet hand over my face. Snatching the shower gel, I scrub
vigorously and rinse off.  Steam clouds the air as I step out and sling a towel
around my waist. I don’t look in the mirror while I brush my teeth. I know what
I’ll see. Rings around my eyes and steadily increasing scruff on my jawline. I
recall Jess’s nails raking through it and shrug off trimming it, trying not to
consider why.

When I step out of the
bathroom, the cooler air of the hallway strikes my skin and I shudder. And
there, just outside the door, is Jess, with what looks like no make-up on and
tangled hair. The sight of her assaults me in the gut. Dark shadows haunt her
eyes and though her golden skin still glows, she has a fragile air to her. Her pale
lashes—a dead giveaway of her true colouring—make her eyes wider and I find
myself staring down into those green depths.

At least until her gaze drops.
She might as well be touching me for the effect her study has. I grow tense
while she skims her gaze down my chest to the edge of the towel and up again.
Spots of colour grace her cheeks but she still repeats the action. Guiltily,
she drags her gaze to mine and swallows.

“Mornin’.” I allow myself a
grin at her discomfort. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one thrown off
balance.

“Um… morning. I was just going
to get wet…” Her eyes round in horror. “That is… I was going to take a shower!
I didn’t realize you were all, erm, wet a-and standing there.”

I step to one side. “Don’t let
me stop you.”

Jess nods. “Right, thanks.”

In the narrow hallway, she has
no choice but to push past me. Her shoulder skims my damp chest and I turn my
attention to the sweet little ass encased in tartan print shorts. I’m caught
looking when she shuts the door. Her wide eyes flicker with need before she
slams it to.

I allow myself a chuckle. I’m
an ass, being amused by her reaction but, damn, the woman’s spent so long
torturing me, it’s nice to see her thrown off balance. I just wish it didn’t
send a jolt of guilt through me too. I should not be encouraging her.

After getting dressed into some
old jeans and a plain dark blue T-shirt, I head downstairs and force myself not
to imagine Jess all slick and wet. Wonder if she’s
really
wet. Fuck
knows, I’m aroused at the mere idea of her showering only feet away from me.

I make coffee and buttered
toast. The scent of strong caffeine and burnt crumbs brings me back to reality.
I sit at the dining table and shovel in a slice of toast while I ponder the
problem that is Jess. I’ve got so little time left on this job, it’s not even
funny. Now she’s in danger. It’s so messed up, you couldn’t make this shit up.
One way or another, I need to get to the bottom of this before my time runs out
and I lose this house and my business for good.

When the pad of feet finally
sounds, I’m more awake and determined. Her gaze flits from the freshly poured
coffee to me and back again.

“Made you breakfast. Well, sort
of breakfast. Sorry, don’t have company much.”

I eye her slightly crumpled
suit and feel a pang of sympathy. The black trousers and white silk shirt make
her look so innocent and the creases only add to the affect. It makes me wish
I’d never taken this job. I’m dreading bringing her world down around her.

“Thanks.” She sits opposite,
snatches a piece of toast and nibbles uncertainly.

I shove the mug of coffee
toward her. “Milk and sugar right?”

Jess smiles. My heart flips.
“Right.”

“So listen, I’ll take you to
work—”

“You don’t have to.”

I stare her down. “It’s too
dangerous to be on your own.”

“Don’t you have a job to do?”

“Joys of being your own boss.”

“Are you on a case?”

Swallowing, I nod. “But I’m
going to go and check out your apartment today.”

“Why?”

“To see if anything else has
happened.” Damn the woman and her questions. “Maybe he’s sent another note.”

“I don’t see why you need to—”

“Just… trust me, okay?”

Jess frowns “I do.”

The words strike me like a knife
to the heart but I continue regardless. “So just leave me your keys and I’ll
check it out while I’m working.  Also, my friend Mitch is going to meet us at
the bank. He’s a bodyguard. I’m going to have him hang around for a bit.” Though
I called him last night, I’ve yet to ask him to keep an eye on Jess for any odd
behaviour as well. Something that might lead me to the money.

“Is that really necessary? It
all seems a bit much.”

“You were shot at, Jess. It’s
very necessary. Mitch is a highly trained and experienced bodyguard. There’s no
one else I trust more with my life.”

She traces the rim of the
coffee cup. “Oh I’m sure he is. I just don’t know how I’m going to explain
someone hanging around and following my every move.”

Is she fighting this because she
doesn’t want to be followed, fearing it might get in the way of whatever she’s
up to? Or is it just discomfort at the idea of being watched over?

“Mitch is an expert. You won’t
even know he’s there.”

“I guess I don’t have much
choice.”

“Not if you value your life.”

She finishes off her slice of
toast and I try not stare at those white teeth and sexy lips. To distract
myself, I begin clearing the table, fighting the knot of guilt in my gut.

Jess brings over her coffee cup
and plate and I dump them in the sink. “We’d better get going,” I tell her.
“Traffic might be bad. Can I get your keys to check your apartment out?” I
throw it lightly out there, trying to slide the question in.

“Yeah, I guess so. I don’t know
what you expect to find.” She goes to her handbag now hanging in the hallway.

Handing me the keys, she swings
the bag over her shoulder and stares at me with those guileless eyes. I fold
the keys into my palm, the sensation of the metal hot and heavy against my
skin. She has no idea I’m trying to bring her down. If she’s truly a criminal,
why does it feel so wrong? I shake my head. If she’s innocent, I won’t find
anything, right? Either way, I’ve got to find out for sure.

“What?” she asks.

“Nothing,” I say gruffly and
snap my attention away. “Let’s go.”

***

Mitch is already at the bank by
the time I’ve found a place to park and we’ve walked around the front. He gives
me a wave and I note his gaze flitting over Jess with interest.

“Jess, I’m Mitch.” He offers
her a hand and takes a far too long shake. “I’ll watch over you today. Make
sure nothing happens.”

I crunch my hands into fists as
she flusters slightly under his disarming grin. “I appreciate it, Mitch, but
I’m sure nothing will happen.”

A brow archs. “Gunshots aren’t
nothing. Hunter is right to take your safety seriously.” He faces me. “Did you
give her my number?”