CHAPTER
9
“YOU WANT to go home?” Seth repeated. He stared at me like what I’d just said was the craziest thing spoken that night. And there had been a lot of crazy.
I’d used every moment soaking in that tub—that awesome tub—focusing on keeping my head on straight, and I’d barely pulled that off. Having him bust into the bathroom hadn’t helped. I still couldn’t believe he’d thought I was in there drowning myself. And I really couldn’t believe I’d been totally naked in the same room as him. I was kind of naked now, since this robe left so little to the imagination, but I wasn’t going to think about that. I was pretty sure he’d gotten an eyeful of my breasts in the bathroom anyway.
At least now he was a couple of feet from me, staring at me like I was insane. That was better than him right in front of me, his fingers curled around the edges of my robe, his knuckles against my skin, and staring at me like… My breath hitched as a strange flutter danced low in my stomach. He’d been staring at me with eyes that were slightly luminous, and he’d looked hungry.
I couldn’t recall any guy ever looking at me like that unless I was holding a basket of chicken wings or something. But in that moment, with the back of his hands searing my skin, if he had lowered his mouth to mine, there was a good chance I would’ve stood there and let him.
I wasn’t sure what that said about me.
Pushing those thoughts aside, I rose as I reached for my belt, making sure it was still tight. “I need to go home to see my mom. I need to talk to her.” Guilt churned through me even though I knew it was ridiculous. Who would’ve thought that any of what she had been saying for years was true?
Seth folded his arms as he eyed me. “And you can’t just, I don’t know, pick up the phone and call her?”
“I can, but I want to see her.” Frustrated and feeling about a thousand other emotions, I reached to tug my hair loose, but stopped when the stupid top of the robe gaped open again. Clutching the edges, the flutter was back when I noticed the way he seemed to breathe deeper. I needed to focus—and not on the flutter. “I don’t expect you to understand or even care, so I’m not going to go into the million reasons why what I need to say to my mom—the huge apology I need to deliver with probably a garden of flowers—is not phone-call appropriate. I want to be with her. I want to hug her. Okay? So I need to see her. Not call her.”
Those elegantly arched brows climbed slowly. “Do you realize you ramble? A lot.”
Heat swept over my cheeks. “No. I’ve never been told that.”
“I find that hard to believe,” he responded dryly.
My eyes narrowed, and when he grinned, I was torn between wanting to knock it off his face and…and grin back at him. That was an infuriating response. “You’re supposed to take me to South Dakota. Why can’t I stop in Missouri and see my mom on the way?”
“I never said you couldn’t.”
My eyes met his. “Then I’m going to see my mom before you cart me off to the middle of nowhere.”
He tilted his head to the side, and his hair, now dried in soft waves, brushed his face. “I don’t think it’s smart.”
“And I didn’t ask your opinion.”
One eyebrow rose.
I squared off against him, drawing in a deep breath as my grip on the robe tightened. “You can’t stop me.”
He stared at me a moment and then tipped his head back, laughing deeply. A shiver curled around my spine. Such a nice laugh. “I can’t stop you? You can’t stop me, Joe.”
“Don’t call me Joe!”
His chin dipped as amusement curled his lips. “Sorry, Joe-sie.”
“Oh my God, you’re so annoying,” I muttered as I started pacing along the length of the bed. “What is your job? Like, why are you here with me? You’re my babysitter, right?”
His amber gaze tracked my movement with unnerving intensity. Did he always stare at people like he could see right into their innermost private thoughts? “I prefer the term ‘guard’ over ‘babysitter.’ I’m supposed to keep you alive, not fed and watered and entertained with Disney cartoons.”
“Whatever. You’re a hot, ninja-esque babysitter who has to protect me,” I amended, distracted for a moment by the sudden glimmer in his tawny gaze. Drawing in a shallow breath, I raised my chin. “Because my…my father ordered you to do so. And he’s like Apollo—the real deal—and I’m guessing he’s super-powerful and not someone you want to tick off. And I’m also guessing, since he had other…people watching over me, he doesn’t want me dead, so he’d be pretty ticked off at you if I end up not breathing, right?”
His lips pursed as the glimmer faded in his eyes. “Something like that.”
“So, to make your job easier, you should just let me go see my mother. If not, you’re going to have to spend half the time worrying about killer mythical creatures gunning after me, because the moment I can make a run for it, I’ll do it. I can promise you that, Sethie. And then, if I’m there running amok with no protection.”
His mouth opened slightly as he cocked his head to the side, and then he shocked me. He laughed again as he unfolded his arms. “That was clever.”
I tried and failed to hide my triumphant grin. “I thought so myself.”
“It’s not smart,” he added with a shrug. “But, hey, what’s the worst that could happen? You end up dead and I end up wishing I was dead. Or the Titans or shades follow you home and put your entire family in danger. It’s a risk, but no biggie.”
My grin slipped off my face. Well, that didn’t sound good.
Walking over to the other side of the bed, he picked up a pillow, fluffed it, and dropped it back against the headboard. Then he pulled the heavy blanket and sheet back.
“When are we leaving? Now? If so, I need clothes.” I needed clothes like five minutes ago. “And probably my purse and cellphone. I guess I need my identification stuff. You never know when—”
“Your friend will be bringing that stuff over, probably in a couple of hours. Not only is she doing clean-up, she’s out there scouting and making sure nothing gets close to this hotel.”
I had to wear this robe for a few more hours? I could put my old clothes on, but they smelled weird—musty and dank.
Seth looked over at me. “So we’re not going anywhere until the morning.”
“The morning?”
“Yep.” He threw himself on the bed, causing the mattress to bounce, but he did so with a level of grace that was sort of astonishing. Sprawled on his back, he folded his arms behind his head. Nice biceps—that position really showed them off.
“What are you doing?”
He wiggled his hips. “What does it look like?” Whatever it was, it looked good.
Those lips formed another grin, and I prayed that he couldn’t read minds. I might need to ask about that later. “Unlike someone, no names mentioned.” He looked pointedly at me. “I didn’t just take a four-hour nap. So I’m going to use these next couple of hours to sleep.”