She knew Tyler . . . and she didn’t. He’d definitely seemed to have changed. He’d always been funny and on the protective side, but now defending her was like a code to him. A mantra. He meant every word he said, obviously committed in a way she hadn’t seen before.
With watery vision, Del sent a grateful glance to Tyler. “Thanks.”
“I don’t want you to thank me. I want you to live.” He wiped away the tears on her cheek. “Jack and Deke did some prodding and got ahold of the police report detailing your car bomb. It was definitely Semtex, a quarter-pound directional charge, under the dash. So Carlson has connections to some bad people. Angel, you shouldn’t be involved in this.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Xander is flying to L.A tomorrow. I want you to go back to Lafayette with him. Take care of Seth. I’ll deal with this.”
“I can’t. I think Carlson has a lot of dirty cops in his pocket. So I’m not expecting any help from that end. Carlson won’t go away without public exposure. My editor at the paper is just waiting for this story. I have to do the legwork and write it.”
“But Seth needs you.”
“He needs to be safe even more. You can’t write this story, only I can. So I’m going to do it, then go back to my son. Besides, I’m not leaving you to clean up my mess and risk yourself.”
“You are one hardheaded woman. Jack swears that a good spanking is one hell of an attitude adjuster. I’m beginning to see his point.”
“You’re not touching my ass—or any other part of me.”
He sent her a lazy smile that did crazy things to her pulse. “Angel, I wouldn’t take that bet if I were you.”
Del swallowed. Yeah, she wasn’t sure that was a wise bet at all. Within a few short days, she’d gone from being certain that temptation was the very last thing on her mind to almost craving the feel of Tyler’s skin on hers, his lips demanding her surrender, as he drove deep inside her. How long could she really resist? And did she genuinely want to?
She cleared her throat. “So what’s the plan? Are we rolling into L.A. tonight?”
“No. We’d get there late. You’re tired, I’m tired, and I’ll bet Carlson has a whole network of people on the lookout for us. The closer we are to his turf, the more dangerous it is. We need to rest and have a solid plan. You’ve got to get in touch with Eric, too. We need that evidence you stashed at his house.”
And that fact really pissed Tyler off. Unfortunately, he was right.
It was early evening when they pulled into a little motel just inside Palm Springs that had seen its heyday forty years ago. They exited the air-conditioned SUV under a sign that advertised COLOR TV and SWIMMING POOL, then approached the sprawling blue-stucco structure surrounded by desert and palm trees. Tyler pulled a baseball cap low over his face.
Del frowned. “Why here?”
“It’s off the beaten path. It’s not a chain, so I can pay cash. There’s parking around back, but no road behind us. Someone would have to be deliberately looking for us here to find us. And I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
No, it didn’t look like anyone would come here voluntarily.
Tyler opened the door and stepped inside, body taut, eyes watchful. He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Wait by the vending machine. Keep your back to the guy behind the counter. We don’t need witnesses or security cameras.”
She didn’t argue, just filed in behind him, head down, and made her way to the soda machine humming in the corner. Within a few minutes, Tyler had secured them a room. He grabbed her arm and led her back to the car.
“Good news. Our room is upstairs. There are two nearby stairwells that lead to the parking lot, a service elevator next door, along with roof access from the balcony. If Carlson is coming, I don’t think he’ll be able to muster enough guys to block four escape routes before we can blow this joint.”
Del nodded gratefully. She would have chosen a nice hotel in the middle of a tourist area, hoping to blend in. She would have never considered where the parking lot was situated in relation to the road or how many escape routes the room might have.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You’re not going to like our accommodations.” With a nod, he ushered her inside, then locked the door behind him.
As she looked around, her stomach tightened. “There’s only one bed.”
One lumpy, king-sized bed decorated with a vinyl tufted headboard, cracked with age, and a turquoise bedspread with bright yellow flowers. Cheap wicker furniture that had seen better days, a fading mural of palm trees along the bathroom wall, and cracked off-white tile flooring rounded out the look.
“To get the bonus safety features I mentioned, we had to compromise.”
She scowled. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
“Yeah, you are, at least next to me, where I can keep you safe. We’ll decide about sex later. My vote is yes because I’m done tiptoeing around the fact that I want you damn bad. I’m pretty sure this is the only chance I’ll have to convince you that something about us works, so if I have to be ruthless . . .” He shrugged. “I have no problem with that.”
Del’s jaw dropped. She should be pissed off. And she was trying to be. But she found something so compelling about Tyler’s desire. He wanted her and he refused to deny it. She couldn’t refute the ache flaring in her again. She hadn’t missed sex in almost two years, and here he was, making her need and want it in a way she never had.
“For now, I’m going to take a quick shower. Call to check on Seth, if you’d like.” He tossed her his phone. “When I get done, we need to find some dinner, buy a few supplies, and exchange our car again. Xander will call to set it up.”
With that, he disappeared into the bathroom. Del sank onto the bed, disquiet dawning. Tyler had never come after her with all his seductive prowess. For years, she’d watched him turn it on other women, always somewhere between envious and grateful. As much as she wanted him now, resistance was going to be brutally difficult.
Was it worth the effort when they’d only be together for a few days? Whatever he said, Tyler would likely go his separate way when this mess was over. Instead of pushing him away, maybe she should seize the opportunity to feel like a woman again, to feel loved, put closure to this chapter of her life.
Biting her lip as she considered the question, she turned Tyler’s phone over in her hands and opened his contact list. She scrolled and scrolled and scrolled. Lots of females, first name that usually sounded artificial and overtly sexual with a phone number only. Jazmine, Krystal, Angelique, Chastity—yeah, right—and even a Lexxxie. Del rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the jealousy blazing through her. Tyler wasn’t hers, and he never would be. She couldn’t afford to lose sight of that fact.
Finally, she came across Alyssa’s contact info and dialed. The woman answered almost right away. “Hey, Ty. Figure your shit out yet?”
“It’s not Tyler.”