“He has terrible timing, but he means well,” I whisper, still trying to get my overheated skin to calm the heck down.
“The worst timing.” Valen lifts his head, and despite his frustration, there’s warmth in his eyes. Affection too. “To be continued?”
“Yes.” I blurt.
Another knock, more insistent this time. “Also, I set up your first meeting. She’s from the Peachvale post office and won’t talk to anyone but you.”
That’s all it takes to have us both scrambling for clothes.
My hair is a disaster, and I briefly wonder how insulated the walls are here. Does the entire inn know what we were up to last night?
The thought of passing Randi in the hall has me too nervous to blush.
Luckily, Chief’s announcement of a meeting keeps my thoughts focused. For the most part.
He said someone was looking for us—us specifically, and my old friend, dread, swirls to life in my gut.
Valen’s buttoning his shirt, and I watch his deft fingers work with hypnotic efficiency. No outward signs of nerves on his part.
“How are you so calm?”
“Stop staring at my hands,” he says without looking up.
“I’m not.”
“You are, and since we both know where they were moments ago, I suggest you look away. I have very little restraint around you, so I really need you to be the adult here.”
The idea that he can’t control himself around me has me standing a little straighter.
But he does have a fair point, so I busy myself with finding my clothes. My shirt is under the bed, and somehow, my jeans ended up in the bathroom, which is fine because I need to shower.
When I emerge ten minutes later, Valen’s waiting by the door. “Ready?”
“Ah, I guess?” I smooth down my hair with both hands, but it’s useless. Even after a shower, I still look…different. “Do I look like I just had sex? I can’t get my hair to lie flat.”
His gaze rakes over me, hot and possessive. “You look fucking perfect.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting,” he says with mischief cloaking his expression, then opens the door. “Hey.”
“Hmm?”
“We’re in this together, yeah?”
I nod, my throat suddenly tight. “Yeah.”
His hand finds mine as we head downstairs to the RV with our small bags. As we pull out of the inn’s parking lot, Valen’s jaw clenches tightly, and his knuckles are white on the steering wheel.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Nothing.” But his eyes flicker to the rearview again. “I just thought I saw…never mind. It’s nothing. We’re just all a little jumpy.” He flashes a wobbly smile.
He’s a terrible liar.
It’s not nothing, and we both know it, even if neither of us is brave enough to say it out loud.
Something is chasing us, and we’re about to face it head-on.
