“No.” He said it so coldly, she blinked up at him.
“They’ll be worried. They’ll want to know where I am.”
“They understand the gravity of the situation. They know you’re with me and that you’re safe. That’s all they care about right now.”
She must have looked as stunned as she felt because his expression softened the tiniest bit, and he said, “You can call them when I say it’s safe to do so.”
How had life shifted so dramatically in the span of a few hours? She felt like Sarah Connor being forced to live on the run in theTerminatormovies. “And if I say no?”
Jordan exhaled, his massive chest rising and falling under the weight of his restraint. “I’m really hoping you won’t. But if you do, then we stay here. I lock this entire building down like it’s Fort Knox. Gabe has agreed to close his bar, and Joel will reimburse him for his lost income. And we’ll get security around the perimeter, so no one comes in and no one goes out.” He gave her a pointed glare. “No one.”
Geez, sounds like fun.
“Can Nigel come?”
“No.”
She was starting to loathe his bluntness, but her annoyancewas eclipsed by the desperation pressing on her chest. “But who will take care of him? He’s become dependent on me.”
Jordan rubbed the spot between his eyebrows like he was trying and failing to find patience. “Sean and Ivy come home in three days. Gabe can feed the rabbit until then.”
She let out a gasp of horror. “Gabe can’t take care of him! He doesn’t know how Nigel likes to be stroked between the ears, or that he needs to cuddle under your armpit before he falls asleep.”
Jordan stared at her, his mouth slightly parted, and slowly blinked.
“He has anxiety,” she whispered, lowering her gaze to the counter.
In the moment of silence that passed, she mentally prepared herself for the finalno. Mentally prepared herself for a trip to God knew where, for an indeterminate number of days, with a man that had her heart flying toward cardiac arrest, all without her support pet. So, she was surprised when she heard the rough, “Fine, he can come.”
Her gaze flew to his. They stared at each other for several heated seconds, until she finally said, “Okay, I’ll trust you completely. This once.”
A slow breath released from his lips and the furrow between his eyes melted away…along with a corner of her heart. Luckily, the loud rumble from her stomach distracted them both.
“I hope you don’t expect me to travel on an empty stomach. I’ll take three pancakes, two pieces of bacon, and real maple syrup, please.”
An infinitesimal twitch popped on the corner of his mouth before he pivoted abruptly to plate her meal.
“Ineed to pack,” she said a few minutes later as she chewed her last bite of pancake.
They were fluffy and delicious, not bad for an ex-gang banger. Would he make them for her again, wherever they ended up?
“Will it be hot or cold? Do I need to pack a swimsuit? Sunscreen?”
“We’re not going to an all-inclusive resort, Your Highness. And no, you don’t need to pack.” When she glared at him with a half-masticated pancake shoved to the corner of her cheek, he pointed to a small duffle bag that was propped against the door. “Natalie collected a few things from your apartment while you were sleeping.”
She slid her narrowed gaze back to his, swallowed, and licked the remaining maple syrup off her lips, not missing how his eyes followed the movement. “While I was sleeping? Wasn’t she also sleeping?” It had been past two in the morning when he carried her to bed.
His brows pinched slightly. “She came this morning. It’s almost three in the afternoon.”
“What?” she shrieked, jumping up from her seat.
“You didn’t check the time?” An amused smile quirked his lips.
“No, I got out of bed and came out here.” She’d lost track of her phone. Had she even taken it to the bedroom with her?
“You were out like a log for over twelve hours. Nigel came hopping out about twenty minutes before you did, so I started breakfast.”
“Wow.” Her eyes widened. “I can’t remember the last time I slept that long.”
