Slowly, he unfolded his long body from the chair. “Why did you run?”
She stepped back as he took a step forward, but she had nowhere to go and they both knew it. She was trapped.
“You’re a liar. You work for him.”
“I don’t work for anybody but my brothers.” He slid another step toward her.
She backed up again and banged her shoulder on the bathroom doorjamb. “Then explain why the hell Giuseppe Bellisario has your phone number!”
He stopped short halfway across the room, and his eyes widened, then narrowed. “Jesus. Is that who you’re running from? The Bellisario family?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her face away, because his expression of surprise was too realistic, too compelling, and she couldn’t risk trusting this man. She’d already come too close once. “Like you don’t already know.”
“No, I honestly don’t,” he said, and God, she wanted to believe he was telling the truth. “Sage, I don’t work for Bellisario. I only landed on his radar a few days ago because I’m a fucking idiot and got involved in one of his underground fight rings. He wants to hire me for a job, but I’ve been ducking him.”
It sounded like the truth, but if there was one thing she’d learned while running for her life, it was that lies often did. “You’ve been ducking him?” she said doubtfully and gave a humorless laugh. “That’s dangerous.”
“No shit. That’s why we were run off the road. He was sending me a message.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Why not, hmm?” He was so close now, she felt the heat of his body. The clean scent of soap and male wrapped around her as he caged her against the wall. “Have I ever been less than truthful with you?”
She shut her eyes, breathed out softly. “No.”
“Then why do you think I’d start lying to you now?”
“Giuseppe has a lot of money.”
“Oh, vixen.” He cupped her head in both of his hands, tangled his fingers in the hair at her temples. The corner of his mouth kicked up in a smile as he gave her head a little shake. “If I wanted money, I wouldn’t be a PI. I sure as hell wouldn’t have been a SEAL. Money doesn’t motivate me.”
She met his gaze. Saw anger there, yes, but also something else. Something like…fear. Was he afraid for her? “Then what does motivate you?”
Instead of answering, he leaned in and captured her lips.
Chapter Fourteen
He kissed her with a tenderness she’d never experienced before from him—or anyone—and tears flooded her eyes.
He drew back mere centimeters, their lips almost still touching, and thumbed away her tears before kissing her again. While her brain didn’t want to risk trusting him, her heart was all for it. She clung to him, pulled him closer, needing his body against hers.
But he wasn’t in a hurry.
His kisses were sweet, lingering, as he backed her toward the bed. He gently sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and heat surged straight to her core. The backs of her knees hit the bed.
Oh God, she wanted nothing more than to sink down onto that mattress with him and lose herself in sensation for a little while. And because she wanted it so badly, she flattened her hands on his chest and gave him a little push.
“Vaughn.” Her voice cracked on his name. “Stop.”
He stared down into her eyes for a long moment, searching for…something. At last, he heaved out a breath and stepped back. “If that’s what you want.”
She didn’t know what she wanted. Him? Yes. She’d always wanted him, and that was the problem.
She hugged herself and moved away from both him and the temptation of the bed. “How did you find me?”
Sighing, he sat down on the edge of the mattress and dragged his hands through his hair. He was silent for so long, she finally turned to face him and saw a ravaged expression she hadn’t expected. He usually kept his emotions so locked-down it was hard to read him, but right now there was no mistaking the raw fear in his eyes when he met her gaze.
“I thought I saw you die today, Sage.”
“What?” she breathed. Her legs suddenly went numb beneath her, and she sank into a chair.
“After you left the motel, Cam called. He found out we’d been in an accident and demanded I take myself to the nearest ER. So I did.”
Despite the dread roiling in her stomach, she had to smile at that. Cam was the only person in the world who could get Vaughn to do something he didn’t want to do, like go to a hospital. “I’m glad he made you go.”
He scowled, then shook his head and continued. “While I was sitting in the waiting room, an ambulance pulled up. A woman had been shot twice. She was a blonde, wearing a Navy T-shirt and black leggings…”
“Oh, no.” She wrapped her arms around her middle and bent double to keep the surge of nausea down. She didn’t want to hear this, didn’t want confirmation of her fears. “No, no, no.”