“Thanks. I really want a shower and don’t want to put these back on.”
“No problem.” I sat down and grabbed some chopsticks. “I have some good news and some bad news. Apparently the people in the garage were not trying to kill you.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” She slurped a mouthful of noodles and motioned for me to go on.
“They were going to abduct you.”
“Are you serious?” She finished chewing her food and took a drink from the bottle of water I’d brought. Her skin took on a green sheen and she took another sip of water. “Why? I mean, why abduct me? I’m not worth a ransom.”
“I’m not sure.” I stabbed a shrimp with my fork. “Not enough information yet. The contract for you didn’t give reasons.”
“Who wants to kidnap me?” Sitting her box down, she scrubbed at her eyes. Strain pulled her face into a grim mask. “I’ve barely been in England for over a week. Why now? Why me? Who did I piss off?”
I didn’t have an answer so didn’t offer a response. At the house she had said being abducted would be worse than death. Had she meant it? The thought of someone using her as a sex slave froze my blood. She stood up and walked over to the bags and I forced my fingers to unclench before I broke the chopsticks I was holding. Turning toward me she held up a large shirt and gave me a weak laugh.
“Prince Harry stole my heart?”
“It was on sale.” I shrugged. “Besides, I thought all Americans came over here to win a prince.”
“With all of that family drama? No thank you.” She shook her head trying to hide the tears gathering in her eyes. “I’m going to shower and then sleep. I can’t think any more.”
She closed the bathroom door quietly and I leaned back in my chair. For all of my travel, I actually spent a good amount of time by myself. However, I knew enough about women to know Ava was most likely in the shower crying while trying to be quiet. That bothered me.
A lot.
Fuck.
I ran my hands through my hair and blew out my breath. There was a naked, gorgeous woman crying in the shower and I didn’t have a fucking clue how to fix it. Crying women gave me hives. You’d think that over the years I’d be used to it, okay with it even, but it still made me want to kill people.
Standing up, I took off the jumper and threw it on a chair before cleaning up the food mess. I stuffed the leftovers in the tiny fridge next to the tele and looked around the room. There wasn’t much I could do in the tiny space. Tomorrow we would do some recon before approaching Marcus. Though I knew he’d be waiting for me. Since the squad in Oxford hadn’t worked, he’d know I was coming for him. If he wanted me dead, why hadn’t he sent more men? If anyone knew what I could handle, it would be him.
The bathroom door cracked open and I realized I had been staring off into space. Ava leaned against the doorframe in nothing but the oversized shirt and I felt the blood drain from my head and head south. I hadn’t thought to buy her shorts or sleeping pants and I’d never been so glad I had overlooked something. Her long legs went on forever and the image of them being wrapped around me burst into my brain.
“Who gets the bed?” She brushed her wet hair over her shoulder and I had to force myself to ignore the way the damp material clung to her breasts.
“There’s enough space for two.” I smiled at her dubious expression. “I’ll behave if you do.”
“Shouldn’t someone stand guard?” Her eyes darted to the door and I realized she was genuinely nervous about being caught while sleeping. I moved to the door and slid the old dresser across the floor. I looked back at her to see if that helped but she had moved across the room. I watched as she picked up one of the chairs and carried it across the room. The t-shirt slid up a little higher as she made her way to me and I had to remind myself that she was vulnerable right now. I moved so she could place the chair where she wanted.
Knowing that someone might bust in on you while you were sleeping was part of the job. After a while you learn how to accept it. You take precautions, like picking a secure location, keeping your gun close, and learning to sleep lightly. Ava wasn’t used to that and she’d been put through the ringer in the last few days. So, instead of mocking her, or explaining that I’d chosen this inn because of where it was located and how we’d be able to defend ourselves, I moved the other chair to the growing pile of furniture. I unplugged the tele and set it atop the bureau.
Ava grabbed one of the lamps we were using and placed it so it was leaning against the door. The dingy crystals swayed for a moment and I realized she was using it as an alarm. Not a bad idea. The jingle would serve as an early detection sound if someone was messing with the door.
“You think I’m silly.” Her mouth pulled to the side and she looked at me with large eyes. “But I know that if someone really wants in, this isn’t going to stop them.”
“It will slow them down.” I pulled my shirt off and made my way to the bed. I sat down on the edge of the bed closest to the door and undid the clasp on my watch.
Ava hadn’t come to the bed. She was standing next to the leaning tower of furniture and watching me. Her cheek ticked nervously and I fought my smile. That’s right. I wasn’t the only one feeling the sexual tension. I swung my legs onto the bed and tucked my hands behind my head.
“Scared you won’t be able to control yourself?” I patted the other side of the bed. A blush crawled out of the neck line of her shirt and up to her cheeks. She sputtered and her back stiffened, which is exactly what I had been going for.