Even with the heater on high, her fingers are cold under my palm, and I squeeze them a little to warm them. “I was wondering if anything long distance would be out of the question.”
Relief moves across her face, and her shoulders relax. “Really? I would like that.”
My heart springs in my chest and I couldn’t stop the smile on my face if I tried. “It might be difficult, but I want to keep seeing you. I don’t want to let you go.”
The tension that was just billowing off her is gone and her smile is genuine this time. “I know you can’t leave the horses, but we can try to work something out. I don’t want to let you go, either.” She links her fingers with mine and relaxes in the seat.
Once we reach the highway, the roads are clear and the drive is, to my dismay, quicker. When we get to the hotel parking garage, I have to worry about my rig being so big and end up having to park on the street. I don’t want to make Elly walk a long distance in her heels, so I drop her off at the front of the hotel and get the room number from her.
I have to drive around the block a few times, but I finally find a spot and walk to the hotel. Trying to put a label on the way I feel right now is difficult. I’ve only known her a week, but she has weaseled her way into my heart and I can’t stand the thought of losing her. We can try long distance and if it doesn’t work, at least we can say we tried.
The mirrored elevator doors open and I don’t have to go far, the suite she’s in is right around the corner, but when I get to the door, I hear a man’s raised voice and something crashing. My heart skips a beat, and I knock on the door. “Elly?”
It’s quiet for a moment and then I hear muffled yelling, and I try the knob, but it’s locked. “Elly.” My voice is louder.
Stepping away from the door, I lift my leg and kick it open. I’m shocked when I step into the room and see a man holding Elly against the wall with his hand over her mouth.
White-hot anger washes over me and I see red as I quickly close the distance between us, the look on the guy’s face switches from anger to fear when he looks into my eyes. As he lets Elly go and turns toward me, I throw a hook and the guy flies backward to land on his back next to the little couch.
Turning around, I ask Elly, “You okay?”
She’s rubbing her jaw as she steps away from the wall. “Yeah.”
Turning back to the shit stain on the floor, I walk up his body to get in a standing straddle over him and grab his shirt to lift him up to hit him again. The second time my arm goes back to hit him a second time, Elly wraps her arms around my bicep and practically hangs off my arm.
“Gray! Stop!” she yells.
Her voice breaks through the haze of rage that’s fueling me, and I step back while taking deep breaths. The guy rolls to his side, holding his nose, and then he kicks the leg of the table next to the chair.
“Fuck! Who the fuck is this?” He yells like he has the right to ask.
Elly is standing at my side, her hands still on my arm. Her voice is combative when she says, “This is Gray Harlow.”
I’m not sure what bothers me most, the fact he’s in her room or that she’s talking to him like it’s okay for him to be in her room. The anger shoots back up my spine and I look down at her. “Who is this, and why is he in your room?”
She looks up at me and her face flushes pink. “This is who I warned you my father would send.”
“But why is he in your room?” I’m trying to keep my voice calm, but the conflicting emotions inside me are making it difficult. I know Elly and I are not together and I have no right being angry about a man in her room, but my head is not listening.
So many questions are swirling in my mind. What was happening when I got to the door? As I look over her face, I can see the red mark from where he was holding his hand over her mouth. What the fuck could have happened between the time I dropped her off and when I got to her door?
The sharp tone makes her drop her hands from my arm and she takes a step away. “He must have bribed someone at the front desk. I didn’t give him my key.”
My eyebrows shoot up my forehead. “He was in here already? Before you came in?”
The contents of my stomach are swirling like they want to come back up and I take a few deep breaths. What do I really know about her?
Before she gets to answer, the guy laughs and we both swing our heads in his direction. He’s pushing himself up from the floor and when he is facing me, he smiles. He fucking smiles. Blood is running down his face and some of it is settling in dark red lines between his teeth.
He looks between me and Elly before his gaze lands on her. “You didn’t tell him about us?”
My hackles go up and my heart drops. Hiding the ache in my chest behind my poker face, I only stare at him. I sure as fuck can’t look at her, I don’t know if I can handle it.
“Harris, stop it.” She barks.
His smile gets even bigger. “I have to admit, I’m a little hurt.” He pulls an expensive-looking handkerchief from his pocked and shakes it out before he holds it over his nose.
His eyes cut back to me. “She’s a cute little thing, isn’t she? But I have to admit when I got ahold of her, she was pretty inexperienced, but now she’s a bit of a firecracker in the sack.” He winks at me.
