whole scenario, and she still had the feeling
she’d only just escaped in the nick of time.
If they were really willing to kidnap her
and whisk her away to some foreign country, that meant that Club Alpha was
capable of just about anything. Now
that she’d openly defied them, what would they do to her next?
She didn’t know. Raven unlocked her hotel room door, and
as it swung open she was shocked to see Jake sitting on one of the chairs,
drinking a bottle of beer.
She walked inside and the closed the door
behind her.
“What are you doing?” she asked him,
realizing she was less surprised than she probably should have been at his
invasion of her personal space.
“I should ask you the same thing,” he
smiled, taking another swig from the beer bottle.
She wanted to tell him the truth, tell
him what had happened with Club Alpha, but she was also afraid of his
reaction. What if he didn’t
care? What if he wouldn’t help her, wouldn’t stand up for her?
And what made her think that he might
stand up for her for any reason?
Jake hadn’t defended her or shown any
interest in helping her in the past.
“I’m not ready to talk about me yet,” she
said slowly. “I’m having a pretty
bad day.”
“Were you hanging with Skylar and her
parents?”
“Ummm…yeah,” she said half-heartedly. The weird thing was, as much as she
doubted him sometimes, she couldn’t deny the safety she felt being in the same
room with him.
Jake made her feel like nobody could ever
hurt her as long as he was nearby.
Even if it wasn’t true, it was how she
felt. And that melted her, it made
her want him to hold her tightly again, it made her want to be close with him
like they’d been not so long ago.
Jake got off the chair and swigged from
his beer. “What did you guys do?”
he asked, wiping his lips with the back of his hand as he came towards her.
“I don’t want to talk about it right
now.”
“I’m sure you don’t,” he said, coming
even closer. He was dressed in a
casual gray sweater and black slacks that hugged his muscular legs. He smelled clean and fresh, and every
hair on his head was perfect. But
his brown eyes were locked on hers, and he wasn’t giving her any space.
“Jake, how did you get in my room?”
“Hey, I’m practically Houdini,” he said,
throwing his arms wide. “There’s no
safe I can’t crack, no lock I can’t pick,” he said, getting so close to her
that she stepped back nervously.
“You should try and respect my privacy.”
“I can’t do that, Raven.”
“Why not?”
“You won’t let me. You keep lying to me,” he said. “And so I can’t trust you.” He put his beer bottle down on the coffee
table nearby.
She bit her lip, her entire body
trembling now. This day had been
too much for her in so many ways. The last thing she could do was resist Jake
Novak, especially when his comfort was her one possible salvation.
“I don’t want to lie,” she told him,
meeting his brown eyes. The little
scar above his eyebrow wasn’t just sexy—it also turned his boyish face
into the face of a man who’d seen too much.
And he seemed to have seen through her. “If you don’t want to lie, then why did
you text me you were with Skylar?” he asked. “I saw her and her parents in the hotel
restaurant and she said she hadn’t seen you at all.”
Raven turned and walked away from
him. “I can’t take this,” she
said. “I can’t be grilled right
now. Everything’s getting to be
impossible.”
Suddenly, Jake’s hand was on her
wrist. “Don’t walk away from me.”
She spun around. “Don’t touch me. Remember what we said?”
“What you said. I never agreed to stop touching
you.” His brown eyes were burning
as he looked at her. His hand was
still gripping her wrist just tight enough as she tried to pull away from him.
At the same time, she wanted him to
refuse
she’d only just escaped in the nick of time.
If they were really willing to kidnap her
and whisk her away to some foreign country, that meant that Club Alpha was
capable of just about anything. Now
that she’d openly defied them, what would they do to her next?
She didn’t know. Raven unlocked her hotel room door, and
as it swung open she was shocked to see Jake sitting on one of the chairs,
drinking a bottle of beer.
She walked inside and the closed the door
behind her.
“What are you doing?” she asked him,
realizing she was less surprised than she probably should have been at his
invasion of her personal space.
“I should ask you the same thing,” he
smiled, taking another swig from the beer bottle.
She wanted to tell him the truth, tell
him what had happened with Club Alpha, but she was also afraid of his
reaction. What if he didn’t
care? What if he wouldn’t help her, wouldn’t stand up for her?
And what made her think that he might
stand up for her for any reason?
Jake hadn’t defended her or shown any
interest in helping her in the past.
“I’m not ready to talk about me yet,” she
said slowly. “I’m having a pretty
bad day.”
“Were you hanging with Skylar and her
parents?”
“Ummm…yeah,” she said half-heartedly. The weird thing was, as much as she
doubted him sometimes, she couldn’t deny the safety she felt being in the same
room with him.
Jake made her feel like nobody could ever
hurt her as long as he was nearby.
Even if it wasn’t true, it was how she
felt. And that melted her, it made
her want him to hold her tightly again, it made her want to be close with him
like they’d been not so long ago.
Jake got off the chair and swigged from
his beer. “What did you guys do?”
he asked, wiping his lips with the back of his hand as he came towards her.
“I don’t want to talk about it right
now.”
“I’m sure you don’t,” he said, coming
even closer. He was dressed in a
casual gray sweater and black slacks that hugged his muscular legs. He smelled clean and fresh, and every
hair on his head was perfect. But
his brown eyes were locked on hers, and he wasn’t giving her any space.
“Jake, how did you get in my room?”
“Hey, I’m practically Houdini,” he said,
throwing his arms wide. “There’s no
safe I can’t crack, no lock I can’t pick,” he said, getting so close to her
that she stepped back nervously.
“You should try and respect my privacy.”
“I can’t do that, Raven.”
“Why not?”
“You won’t let me. You keep lying to me,” he said. “And so I can’t trust you.” He put his beer bottle down on the coffee
table nearby.
She bit her lip, her entire body
trembling now. This day had been
too much for her in so many ways. The last thing she could do was resist Jake
Novak, especially when his comfort was her one possible salvation.
“I don’t want to lie,” she told him,
meeting his brown eyes. The little
scar above his eyebrow wasn’t just sexy—it also turned his boyish face
into the face of a man who’d seen too much.
And he seemed to have seen through her. “If you don’t want to lie, then why did
you text me you were with Skylar?” he asked. “I saw her and her parents in the hotel
restaurant and she said she hadn’t seen you at all.”
Raven turned and walked away from
him. “I can’t take this,” she
said. “I can’t be grilled right
now. Everything’s getting to be
impossible.”
Suddenly, Jake’s hand was on her
wrist. “Don’t walk away from me.”
She spun around. “Don’t touch me. Remember what we said?”
“What you said. I never agreed to stop touching
you.” His brown eyes were burning
as he looked at her. His hand was
still gripping her wrist just tight enough as she tried to pull away from him.
At the same time, she wanted him to
refuse
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