Tendrils of unease filtered into me, but I forced myself to look away, because there was no time for a panic attack. “And we might have another issue, sir.”
Brodie just sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Why am I not surprised? This is fucking Ethan’s fault. He’s been sending bad vibes to ruin our date, I’m sure of it.”
That almost got a laugh out of my internally freaking-out self.
“We received word of a massive pileup on the motorway. It’ll be hours before they clear it. We can head there and wait, but with all the extra traffic, it might be a better idea to grab a couple of rooms for the night and leave again in the morning.”
“What do you want to do, Evie?” Brodie turned his whole body toward me, gaze resting on my face as he took in my every expression.
I liked that he wanted my opinion, even if I was more consumed by whether my entire life as I knew it was over. “A room for the night is good with me,” I whispered. “I don’t particularly want to sit in traffic for hours.”
“I’ll make some calls,” the dangerous-looking guy in the passenger seat said, pulling out his phone.
Brodie threaded his fingers through mine, raising my hand and kissing my knuckles. “I’m so sorry, Evie babe. I should have known this might happen.”
So should I, come to think of it. Brodie wasn’t some D-list wannabe celeb—he was the real deal. Tabloids went mental to get pics of him, especially since he was rarely seen out partying anymore. Which, I now realized, was because he was at college with me in Meadowridge.
“It’s not your fault,” I told him with a weak smile. “Someone tipped them off, but it’s more than that. Someone asked aboutthe shooting…which means they know who I am.” I shivered, and Brodie reached out to turn the heat up.
“You’re still safe with us at Meadowridge,” Brodie murmured. “Even without the anonymity of a fake last name, no one can touch you there. It’s why Andrew’s mom is okay with him living on campus and why Haze never leaves. It’s the safest place in the country right now, largely thanks to the Sullivans.”
I swallowed hard, digesting that information. He was right, though. If it was safe enough for the president’s son, it was safe enough for me. Tonight was another matter, though.
“Sir,” the guy in the front said, interrupting my melancholy thoughts. “All the big hotels in Arrowville are at full capacity due to the film festival and accident, but my contacts have two rooms available at a motel in Cessnock. I’m inclined to say it’s a good option, since no one will be looking for a movie star in a drive-through town off the highway.”
Brodie tipped his head to me, giving me the power to decide.
Wetting my lips, I nodded. “Yes, good thinking. They’d be waiting for you at the Covington or Palazzo right now. And Cessnock is on the way back to Meadowridge anyway, right?”
“Yes, ma’am, it is,” the guy agreed. “Once they clear the accident, we’re only an hour away from Meadowridge.”
I nodded more firmly. “Then let’s do that.”
The guy returned his phone to his ear while typing the address into the GPS for our driver. Meanwhile Brodie shot me a sly smile and stroked his thumb over my wrist teasingly.
“Fuck, I hope our room only has one bed,” he whispered, almost too quiet for me to even hear. “I can’t wait to get you alone.”
Heat flushed through me and I squirmed in my seat, remembering how worked up he’d gotten me during the movie. I, too, quietly hoped we’d be faced with only one bed.
31
EVELYN
“Room six,” the bodyguard dude announced, unlocking the door in question and opening it. He gave the key to Brodie, then ducked inside to check the room was safe before returning to us with a nod. “Delany and I will be next door, in room seven.”
Brodie gestured for me to enter ahead of him and I failed to stifle my small groan of disappointment.
“Two beds,” he said aloud, scowling at the offending furniture in question. It wasn’t theworstmotel in the world, but it was definitely not ahotelby any stretch of the imagination. It was clean, basic, and somewhat dated.
I bit back a grin and sat on the end of one bed to slide my high heels off. “You don’t snore, do you? Maybe I should swap rooms with Delany.”
Brodie chuckled, shaking his head. “Coming from Little Miss Screaming Nightmares?” He poked around at the TV unit, checking in the drawers and cupboards. “Oh yay, a mini-bar.” He pulled out a can of grape soda and cracked the top of it.
Returning to the beds, he sat on the other one and gesturedfor me to put my feet up in his lap, across the gap. I did so, and almost melted when he took one in his strong hand, rubbing the arch in a long stroke.
“Fuuuuck…” I moaned, collapsing backward as my foot spasmed. I’d fallen out of the habit of wearing heels, so I hadn’t realized how much my feet were cramping until now.
“Whoops,” Brodie exclaimed, his hand pausing. “Uh, I spilled my drink.”
