Read Online Saved by a Dangerous Man by Cleo Peitsche - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cleo Peitsche
Ads: Link
posture obscured his muscular frame fairly well.
“Hey, cuz. Sorry I’m late. I forgot to write down the flight number.” He scratched at the back of his head. “Had to check all the terminals.” His über-manly voice had become reedy, wheezy, and his every word was undermined by hesitancy that practically begged for him to be interrupted.
“He’s here, Mom,” I said, and hung up. I pushed the mute button on my phone as I stowed it and hoped—irrationally—that my mom would shrug off the weird exchange.
My legs were wobbly, but I forced myself to stand; even in disguise, Corbin was still far too recognizable for my comfort, and the more distance between us and Henry, the better.
Henry stood and extended a hand. “Henry Heigh.”
“Joe Daydson,” Corbin said.
He knew my mom’s maiden name. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was.
Corbin shook hands like he didn’t know how to do it, eyes trained on the floor. The insecure guy act was strangely convincing, and I wondered if he’d ever been this awkward, perhaps as a teenager.
“Can we give Henry a ride home?” I asked, confident that Corbin would invent the perfect excuse.
Corbin pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Sure!”
My face fell.
“If my back seat weren’t full of junk,” he continued. He looked Henry up and down. “You’re not so big,” he concluded. “And Audrey is a slip of a girl. Maybe you could both fit in the front. As long as the seatbelt reaches around you. Don’t want to break the law. Not with all these bounty hunters in the family.”
I didn’t dare shoot him a dirty look, but if Corbin knew me at all, he sensed that I wanted him to shut up while he was ahead.
“That’s fine,” Henry said icily. He turned to me. “Give me a call tomorrow. We have things to talk about. Big things.”
“Really?” I squeaked.
“Have a good night.” He shook Corbin’s hand again, then picked up his stuff and walked away.
“Let me get your bag,” Corbin said in that strange affected voice. “It’s a nice one. Such quality and style.”
I rolled my eyes. Of course he would say that. It used to be his.
“This way.” He set off with a strange limp, subtle but convincing. I looked behind me and caught Henry lingering near the exit, his expression dark. I waved goodbye.
After what seemed like an eternity, he returned my wave. Then he walked outside.
Corbin essentially led me to the next terminal. I followed his lead and didn’t say anything.
Only when we were in his vehicle (yet another black SUV with tinted windows) did he pull off the glasses. He deftly removed the contact lenses and stowed them in a container while we waited for a light. He shed the wig, plaid pants and hideous cardigan. Underneath, he wore a tight black sweater and jeans. He swapped the shoes for boots.
“From a grub to a butterfly,” I said.
Corbin grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Any problems?”
“Other than Henry trying to get me to leave with him, no. He was pretty pissed about not catching Lagos…” I trailed off with a laugh. Corbin Lagos was sitting right next to me. All my concerns on the flight to Tampa seemed like silly worrying now that we were together.
I really was very lucky. Corbin could have made a big deal about me going to Florida with Henry. He’d respected my wishes when I decided to go rather than act like a meathead on steroids, getting all crazy territorial and telling me what I could and couldn’t do.
Which helped me trust him… and trust our relationship.
That I’d ignored his request and he’d been there to help me when things got bad only made him that much more awesome. And he wasn’t going to give me a lecture, either.
“I told you not to go,” Corbin said.
Oh well. “Lecture-free zone!” I eyed him and considered admitting that the trip had been ill-advised. Because at the moment, I regretted going. “But it was helpful to you, right?”
“And I
“Hey, cuz. Sorry I’m late. I forgot to write down the flight number.” He scratched at the back of his head. “Had to check all the terminals.” His über-manly voice had become reedy, wheezy, and his every word was undermined by hesitancy that practically begged for him to be interrupted.
“He’s here, Mom,” I said, and hung up. I pushed the mute button on my phone as I stowed it and hoped—irrationally—that my mom would shrug off the weird exchange.
My legs were wobbly, but I forced myself to stand; even in disguise, Corbin was still far too recognizable for my comfort, and the more distance between us and Henry, the better.
Henry stood and extended a hand. “Henry Heigh.”
“Joe Daydson,” Corbin said.
He knew my mom’s maiden name. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was.
Corbin shook hands like he didn’t know how to do it, eyes trained on the floor. The insecure guy act was strangely convincing, and I wondered if he’d ever been this awkward, perhaps as a teenager.
“Can we give Henry a ride home?” I asked, confident that Corbin would invent the perfect excuse.
Corbin pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Sure!”
My face fell.
“If my back seat weren’t full of junk,” he continued. He looked Henry up and down. “You’re not so big,” he concluded. “And Audrey is a slip of a girl. Maybe you could both fit in the front. As long as the seatbelt reaches around you. Don’t want to break the law. Not with all these bounty hunters in the family.”
I didn’t dare shoot him a dirty look, but if Corbin knew me at all, he sensed that I wanted him to shut up while he was ahead.
“That’s fine,” Henry said icily. He turned to me. “Give me a call tomorrow. We have things to talk about. Big things.”
“Really?” I squeaked.
“Have a good night.” He shook Corbin’s hand again, then picked up his stuff and walked away.
“Let me get your bag,” Corbin said in that strange affected voice. “It’s a nice one. Such quality and style.”
I rolled my eyes. Of course he would say that. It used to be his.
“This way.” He set off with a strange limp, subtle but convincing. I looked behind me and caught Henry lingering near the exit, his expression dark. I waved goodbye.
After what seemed like an eternity, he returned my wave. Then he walked outside.
Corbin essentially led me to the next terminal. I followed his lead and didn’t say anything.
Only when we were in his vehicle (yet another black SUV with tinted windows) did he pull off the glasses. He deftly removed the contact lenses and stowed them in a container while we waited for a light. He shed the wig, plaid pants and hideous cardigan. Underneath, he wore a tight black sweater and jeans. He swapped the shoes for boots.
“From a grub to a butterfly,” I said.
Corbin grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Any problems?”
“Other than Henry trying to get me to leave with him, no. He was pretty pissed about not catching Lagos…” I trailed off with a laugh. Corbin Lagos was sitting right next to me. All my concerns on the flight to Tampa seemed like silly worrying now that we were together.
I really was very lucky. Corbin could have made a big deal about me going to Florida with Henry. He’d respected my wishes when I decided to go rather than act like a meathead on steroids, getting all crazy territorial and telling me what I could and couldn’t do.
Which helped me trust him… and trust our relationship.
That I’d ignored his request and he’d been there to help me when things got bad only made him that much more awesome. And he wasn’t going to give me a lecture, either.
“I told you not to go,” Corbin said.
Oh well. “Lecture-free zone!” I eyed him and considered admitting that the trip had been ill-advised. Because at the moment, I regretted going. “But it was helpful to you, right?”
“And I
Similar Books
