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I follow until her back touches the wall beside the stairs.

I’m not touching her.

I don’t need to.

“You spent the last two hours with your thighs wrapped around me, Clara.”

Her cheeks turn pink. “That was different.”

“Was it?”

“Yes.”

“Then a mattress shouldn’t scare you.”

“I’m not scared.”

“Good.”

I lower my mouth near her ear. “Because if I wanted to break your rules, sweetheart, the bed wouldn’t be the dangerous part.”

Her breath catches.

I straighten and start up the stairs.

Behind me, Clara mutters something.

I look back. “What was that?”

“I said I hate you.”

I grin. “Keep telling yourself that, librarian.”

This road trip is definitely a terrible fucking idea.

I’m starting to hope the road stays closed.

Chapter 5

Clara

There is one bed.

I know this because I’ve been staring at it for approximately thirty seconds.

One bed.

One chair.

One bathroom.

One extremely wet Ryder Hale taking off his shirt three feet away from me.

I stop staring at the bed.

This is worse.

His black T-shirt peels over his stomach, exposing a hard line of muscle before he pulls it over his head and tosses it onto the chair.