He needed to give hersomething.Otherwise he risked her defiance growing even stronger than it was now.
“Because if Gordan Crawford finds out who I really am, his men will torture me for intel,” he whispered softly. “And once they’re done having their fun, they’ll kill me.”
He didn’t know what to expect, but Alex throwing her head back with a boisterous laugh most definitely wasn’t it.
“Really?That’sthe best you could come up with?” Aftershocks of her humor escaped with a disbelieving shake of her head. “Come on, Colt. Even you can do better than that.”
She’d called him Colt, but thankfully, Crawford and his goon were gone.
“I’m not joking, Al.”
“Yeah, okay.” Alex’s pretty eyes rounded their way into a dramatic roll. But when she realized he wasn’t smiling, her own grin faltered into a frown. “Wait, you can’t be serious.”
“As a heart attack,” he growled. “Which is why you and I need to leave.”
Coulter prayed like hell she’d see the truth as her gaze searched his.
“Fine. I’ll go with you, but you’d better keep your promise. And no bullshit.”
“You have my word.”
Sensing her need for control, Coulter held out a hand for her to take.
She hesitated only a moment before sliding her palm against his. Together they began making their way through the crowd, stopping at the coat check on their way out to grab her jacket and purse.
A few minutes later, following a brief wait for the valet to arrive, a young man in a black suit and tie tossed Coulter the keys to Cole Morris’ car.
“This is yours?”
He went to the passenger side and opened the door without saying anything more. The expectant look he sent her way must have conveyed enough because Alex remained silent as she slid her way past. Once she was settled in her seat, he pushed the door shut, careful not to catch the hem of her long dress in the process.
Coulter rounded the rear bumper with confidence in his swaggering gate. The second he was behind the wheel, Alex swung her fiery stare his way.
“Okay, spill it.”
He shut his door and pulled on the seatbelt. “Not yet.” The metal buckle clicked into place.
“You promised to give me an explanation.” When he remained silent, her frustration seemed to ramp up to another level. “Dammit, Colt?—”
“I’m not stalling, Al.” The tires squealed a bit as they moved swiftly away from the curb. “Just sit back and enjoy the ride, okay?”
“Enjoy the ride? What are you even talking about right now?”
Rather than answer, he slid a hand into his jacket’sinterior pocket and pulled out his phone. Using one hand while his other remained on the wheel, Coulter dialed a number he knew by heart before putting the device to his ear.
“Oh, sure.” Alex’s tone oozed of infuriated sarcasm. “Because that makes complete and total sense. Ignoremeso you can call and chat with someone else instead. You’re unbelievable, you know that?”
She was pissed, but this call couldn’t wait. Especially given the unexpected turn of events.
A female voice he recognized answered on the usual third ring. “Thank you for calling Sunrise Travel Adventures. Which destination do you wish to reserve?”
Giving the woman the information she needed, Coulter responded with, “The Maybourne in Beverly Hills,” before reciting a number only she would understand.
There was a slight pause before she came back with a friendly, “Sir, you already have a room reserved at that location.”
“Times two.”
A few clicks of the keyboard could be heard through the phone’s speakers. “Understood, sir. The additional room will be ready by the time you arrive.”
