Too Much to Lose (29 page)

“Shit. You think it was him?” I
scrub a hand over my face.

Mitch lets out a long exhale.
“What do you think? Bit of a coincidence.”

“The cops have any leads?”

“You know how it is… they’re making
enquiries. Who knows if they’ll pin it on him. You need to be careful. Let us
go with you.”

“No. I need you with Jess. I
can deal with this, don’t worry. This guy spent years hiding behind his
position. I’m telling you, Mitch, I know people like this. They can’t handle
confrontation. I’ll scare him easily enough.”

“If you need to pay him off…”

“I know, I appreciate it. I owe
you big time for everything you’ve done already, but money isn’t going to cut
it with him. I need to scare the shit out of him.” Over the noise of the
shower, I hear the bed creaking. “I’ve gotta go. Text me Lucas’s number.”

“How are you going to get him
to meet you?”

“I’m going to offer him the one
thing he can’t refuse.”

“What’s that?”

“Jess.”

The door handle rattles and I
slam shut my phone as Jess creeps in. She greets me with a sleepy grin. “You’re
up early.”

“Yeah, couldn’t sleep. Been
spending too much time in bed.”

Jess sidles up to me and
presses herself flat against my chest. Coming to tip toes, she sweeps her lips
over mine.

“Haven’t brushed,” I protest
but my body doesn’t care. The feel of her curves and the silky skin of her
thighs brushing my bare legs is enough to send me into overdrive. I finger the
expensive silk thing she’s wearing, thoughtfully provided by Mitch. I scowl. He
better not have pictured her in it.

“Don’t care,” she murmurs and
snakes her arms around my neck. “Were you going to take a shower?”

I glance at the running water.
“Yeah. Care to join me?”

Jess nods, lip tucked under her
top teeth. I push off one flimsy strap, then the other. The material hangs for
a moment on her breasts before pooling at her feet.

“Oops.” She giggles.

“Goddamn.” I take the sight of
all the golden skin and the delicate paler bits. In the bright light of the
bathroom, I see everything. There’s no hiding anything and every inch of her is
perfect to me. “Get in the shower,” I order.

She hurries under the water,
giving me a good view of that lush ass that’s driven me mad for so long as I
slip off my boxers.

“I could lick you all over,” I
tell her and climb in next to her.

With sparkling eyes, she gazes
up at me. “You already did.”

“Oh yeah.” I recall last night
and how I had her writhing and begging for mercy beneath me. “Well, I could do
it again.” Another big smile. I sweep aside a wet strand of hair from her face.
“I love you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Make-upless and happy.
Confident, I guess.”

“I like me like this too. It’s
only for you.”

“I get that. I don’t mind the
make-up and everything but I’m damned glad you don’t feel you have to use it
around me anymore.”

“I don’t think I could hide
anything from you anyway. I always felt like you stripped me bare.”

I grab her rear and slot her
against me. My arousal rubs against her and I groan. “Damn right.”

The thought that I nearly lost
this drives me forward, pressing her hard against the wall. Water beats my
back. I take her mouth and claim her body with rough squeezes. She gasps but
quickly catches on, skimming her hands over my shoulder blades and ass. I
shudder in spite of the warmth of the shower.

There, against the pristine
white tiles to a backdrop of luxury and the splash of water, I take her, hard
and fast until she shatters around me. There, she steals any part of my heart I
may have still had. It leaves me with no doubt that I will do whatever it takes
to protect her.

When I have her dried off and
bundled up in a towel, I make a trip down to the hotel lobby under the pretence
of asking for more towels. I hope she listens to my order to remain in her
room. She seemed pretty sated and the accident has made her more obedient.

Sitting myself by the ornamental
fountain, I try not to remember what Jess’s skin looks like all wet. Half the
things that have occurred recently have been due to my lack of focus—and that
sexy woman. I need to concentrate. Her life is at stake here. I shut down my
heated thoughts.  Nothing gives a man motivation like the thought of the woman
he loves getting hurt.

I punch in the number Mitch
texted me and wait, breath held.

A click. “Yeah,” a gruff voice greets.

“Lucas Delgao?”

“Who’s this?”

“Someone who can help you.”

“What? What is this?”

I allow myself a grim smile. “It’s
regarding a Jess Callahan.”

“I don’t know a Jess Callahan.”

“Well, I do. And I know
someone’s been following her and trying to hurt her.”

He snorts. “So, what’s it to do
with me?”

“I can help that someone get
her. I can bring her to them if they wanted.”

“And why would you do that?” he
sneers.

“I could do with some money.
The bank’s trying to foreclose on my house. I’m in a mountain of debt. I figure
if someone wants her that badly, they’ll pay.”

“How did you get my number? Who
are you?”

“I’m a P.I. It’s what I do.”

“You’re the boyfriend, aren’t
you? The one who keeps getting in the way.”

My grin expands. “I could get
out of the way for the right sum.”

“I heard you were in debt,” he
muses. I can practically hear the cogs turning. Would he really hand her over
for money? he’s asking himself. “You can get her to me? To a certain place?”

“She’s putty in my hands. I can
get her to do anything.” I inject a smug note into my voice.

“How much would it cost?”

“Ten thousand.”

There’s silence at his end,
then a huff. “Five thousand.”

“No way. Ten or nothing.” I’m
pushing but I don’t want to seem easy.

“Eight.”

“Fine, eight. Cash.”

“Only when you’ve handed her
over.”

“Of course.”

“Bring her here.” He gives me
the address of the studio apartment in King’s Cross I checked out the other
day. “Can you bring her this evening?”

I pretend to ponder this.
“Sure, I can do that. What are you planning to do with her?”

“Does it matter?”

“Guess not.”

“Good. Meet me there at six.”

Lucas hangs up and I grin to
myself. It’s not ideal. I’ll be on his territory but I’ll have the slippery
fucker pinned down and in a private place where I can do what I want. He won’t
think about touching Jess ever again.

Jess

After an afternoon of food and
amazing sex, I’m surprised when Hunter announces his friends will be here any
moment. Thank goodness I decided to get dressed after our last passionate
session. Mitch greets me with a grin and the other one, a blond haired guy with
thick arms and a menacing look nods toward me as Hunter introduces him as
Connor. I know a little of him from what Hunter’s told me. He trusts these guys
with his life. But why are they in our hotel room?

“What’s going on?” I ask as I
perch myself on the edge of the bed.

Mitch helps himself to a bottle
of water from the mini bar and positions himself by the window. Connor sits
awkwardly in one of the lounge chairs.

Hunter wraps his hands around
my arms and draws me to my feet. He presses a kiss to my nose and my heart
flutters.

“Hunter?” I prompt.

“Mitch and Connor are going to
watch over you for a bit. I’ve got to head to the police station.”

“You have? But it’s so late.
Why?”

He shrugs. “Who knows?”

“Well, I’ll come with you.”

“No, you won’t, Jessica. I need
you here.” His tone broaches no argument but his gaze remains soft on my face.
“I won’t be long. I don’t want to be worrying about your safety.”

“And what about your safety?”

“Lucas is after you, not me.
I’ll be fine.” He grins but it doesn’t touch his eyes.

A leaden lump of dread settles
in my stomach. “Hunter, what—”

“Do you trust me?”

I scowl. “Yes, of course. With
my life.”

The words are out before I’ve
even thought about it. I might have admitted to loving him but I hadn’t said
anything about trust. I’ve never trusted anyone before but I trust Hunter and
it’s sends a rush of warmth through me, more powerful almost than love. I trust
this man with my heart and my future. Whatever happens, he’ll stick by me and
even if my past rears its ugly head, I understand now that Hunter won’t be
scared away.

For the first time in forever,
I’m willing to put my future in someone else’s hands. I wish Mitch and Connor
weren’t here so I could explain my revelation fully to him but he seems to
understand. Warmth lights his blue eyes.

“Do as I ask and stay here. I’ll
be back within a few hours.”

I frown. When did he speak to
the police? He’d been on his phone when I surprised him this morning. Perhaps
that had been them. Whatever they want, it doesn’t sound good. I sigh. If
Hunter wants me here, I’ll stay. There’s no point in adding to his stress.

“Fine,” I grumble.

“I love you, Jessica. Remember
that, okay?”

“I love you too.”

The kiss he gives me is all too
brief. It leaves me aching and confused. His gaze searches mine and with what
seems to be a small nod to himself, he leaves. I slump onto the bed. An ache
gnaws at my heart. What is it that feels so strange?

“Do you know what the police
wanted?” I ask Mitch.

Mitch shrugs and picks at the
label on the water bottle. “No idea.”

I glance at Connor who shifts
in his chair. When I stand, he jumps up and Mitch looks ready to pounce. “I was
going to go down to the lobby,” I explain.

Mitch shakes his head. “You
need to stay here, Jess. It’s not safe.”

“So I’ve got to stay in this
room? For how long? Until Hunter returns? What’s going on?”

“Hunter just wants to make sure
you’re safe while he’s gone. You know how protective he is.”

I lift my chin. “So you’re going
to keep me locked up?”

Mitch laughs. “You’re not a
prisoner. It’s just for a while.”

Sinking back onto the bed, I
replay Hunter’s words while I chew on the end of a finger. I do trust him, I
really do. So why am I left with this feeling he’s lied to me? All I can think
is if he has, he’s doing it because he believes it will protect me. That’s why
he lied about my uncle. He feared I’d send him away. Is it something to do with
him? Why did it seem like Hunter was saying goodbye. I mean, he even called me
Jessica. He
never
calls me that.

I glance at my two protectors.
They know something. Their fidgety mannerisms give them away. But they’re loyal
to Hunter. I doubt very much they’ll tell me anything.

“Hey, Mitch, are you hungry?”

“A little. Are you?”

“Yeah, I was wondering if you
could run down and get some bar snacks?”

His brow furrows. “Can’t you
just order room service?”

“They don’t do snacks, just
meals.” It’s true but I’m not hungry at all.

Mitch shares a look with
Connor. “Okay, I’ll be as quick as I can. Don’t let anyone else in, Connor.”

Connor sets his jaw. “Do I look
stupid?”

With a laugh, Mitch leaves and
Connor stands to lock the door behind him. I let out a slow breath. One down,
one to go. We sit in silence for a bit and I eventually get him talking about
his bikes. Passion warms his face as the gruff-looking man explains what he
does. I find myself becoming fond of him. I hope I don’t have to do anything
drastic to get out of here.

When he’s halfway through
telling me about his latest job, I hold up a hand and he freezes.

“I heard something,” I hiss.
“Like a scrape at the door.”

Connor comes to his feet.
“Could be Mitch.”

“Scraping?”

“Yeah, you’re right. Stay
there, I’ll check it out.”

He approaches the door
carefully and puts his eye to the peephole. While his back is turned I go for
Mitch’s jacket and snatch his phone from the inner pocket. Palms clammy, I tuck
it into my hand and settle back onto the bed just as he turns to face me.

“Can’t see anything.”

“Must have been my
imagination.” I get off the bed and he pauses in front of the door.

“Where are you going?”

“The toilet, if you don’t mind.”