“Yeah,” he said. “I’ll have some cops ride by.”
“I’m sure I’m fine,” she said. Burying her chin deeper into the pillow, she thought about Stan catching her at the lawyer’s office. Fear did a number on her full stomach. Then for some reason, she recalled Stan saying he hadn’t been the one to shoot at her. She almost told Brit that, but thought better of it. He’d just think she was defending Stan again.
Then she remembered the dream last night, when Mom had said…No. Her maternal psyche had said that Stan hadn’t killed anybody—that Nolan was after him, and that Stan was looking for the bracelet because he needed money to get away. Could Nolan have been the one who shot at her door? Had he been aiming at Stan?
There had been blood on the door. Was it blood from his two friends? Or had Stan been shot? She closed her eyes and tried to remember if he’d seemed hurt when he came at her at the parking lot.
No, he had seemed fine. Then all of a sudden, she recalled that he’d smelled really bad. Had it been because he’d been in the hotel room with the dead bodies? Oh, God, what kind of person would do that?
She chewed on those thoughts and questions while chewing on her lip. Footsteps sounded outside the door. She stiffened, then relaxed when she heard them pass. Taking a deep breath, she glanced over her shoulder. Brit was asleep. Something told her all she had to do was scream, and he’d be up. But what if Stan showed up while Brit was at work? Suddenly, she wasn’t so eager for him to leave.
~
Cali heard the beeping noise, but pushed it away. The warm mattress beneath her shifted slightly. Or was it a mattress? It felt too warm, too much like…someone. A male someone. Oh, crap!
Everything came back. Brit in bed with her. She felt the warmth of bare skin under her cheek. When had he removed his shirt? When had she decided to trade out her pillow for his chest? Bare chest. She started to jerk up when she heard and felt him take a sharp breath.
Mortified, she feigned sleep. That’s when she realized her head wasn’t the only thing on top of him. Her right arm and hand rested across the man’s bare stomach. Yup, mortified pretty much defined her mood right now.
Chapter Twenty-Two
He inhaled again, sharply. He shifted and through the tiniest slit in her eyes, she saw him look at his watch.
Slowly, as if not wanting to wake her, he picked up her hand and removed it from his stomach. Then she felt him slide out from under her. Cali’s head dropped to the warm spot on the mattress. She kept her eyes shut, praying he wouldn’t guess she was awake. She felt the mattress shift as he left the bed. She heard him heading to the bathroom.
In a few minutes, he came back and sat on the edge of the bed. She felt him staring. He leaned down and pulled the blanket across her. The mattress shifted ever so slightly and she felt his breath on her ear. Lightly, he pressed his lips against her cheek. The minty scent of mouthwash filled her nose.
“Damn, you’re pretty,” he whispered and stood up.
Her heart stopped beating, and she wished he’d crawl back in bed, pull her into his arms and make love to her.
Instead, she heard him gathering his things from the bedside table, and he moved to the door. He didn’t leave quickly, but stood there for several seconds before finally walking out.
As soon as the door clicked shut, she rolled over and pulled the pillow he’d been using closer to her face. It smelled like him.
Closing her eyes, she shut everything out, and let herself drift off.
~
Brit stood at the motel door. He had to think about Keith and Anderson, he had to go to work. How long had she been in his arms tonight? He wished he’d been awake the entire time. Sweet heavens, she’d felt good. For that, he’d give up sleep.
He pushed a hand through his hair, realizing it had happened again. He’d slept. Really slept. It was her. Something about being with her allowed him to let go of the grief that had bunkered down in his soul. And not just the sleep, but he could taste food again. Being with her felt too damn good. He felt alive again.
Breathing in the cold November air, he looked around the parking lot. Perhaps, being with her felt good, but leaving her felt wrong. But he had to, didn’t he? Thoughts of Keith made his feet move away from the door.
He got into his SUV and fit the keys in the ignition just as a car pulled into the lot. It parked two doors down from where Cali slept. Brit’s hands curled around the steering wheel. He waited. A man got out. Dark hair, large build. Brit couldn’t see his face. The stranger walked past the first door and stopped in front of Cali’s room. Brit reached for his gun.
~
Cali had just drifted off, when she smelled the cigarette smoke. The dream pulled her in.
“You need to call her,” Mama said.