Dare to Take (Dare to Love 6)

He shrugged, aware she wasn’t the type of woman to waste money, that she hadn’t come from a world of privilege. He knew he was being extreme, but he’d seen her strength, and he knew what she’d do.

“Will you wear any of this again knowing someone touched it? If so, I’m more than happy to pack it up for you. But if you’re that upset, take what you want, and then we’ll grab your stuff from the hotel safe and get the hell out of Dodge.”

She straightened her shoulders and began to toss everything into the suitcase with more determination than before. “No way am I going to let some asshole beat me down,” she muttered, adding the last item of clothing she could find from the floor.

Reverse psychology worked every time. But he admired her strength and couldn’t help but grin at her renewed spirit. That was the young girl he’d met, surviving needles and tests and more at the hospital while his father hovered over her ill stepmother, not his petite daughter.

Tyler was glad to see that spunk still lived inside her. He found it easier to focus on this side of Ella than the vulnerable woman who’d pulled away from him in bed. He hated knowing that he’d hurt her, and even more, that the pain had stuck with her all these years. There was a lot he didn’t know about Ella and the woman she’d become. Any time his sister spoke of her, Tyler tuned her out, not wanting to deal with the lie between him and Avery or the self-loathing he always experienced because of how he’d behaved afterwards.

But now, he had an opening. Apology given, he could try, at least, to put his own guilt aside and deal with Ella as a woman. A woman he still had extremely hot chemistry with. A woman he both liked and admired. And a woman he wanted to get to know better. Shit.

Pushing those thoughts aside to deal with back home, he refocused on getting them out of here. While Ella retrieved her toiletries from the bathroom and packed them too, Tyler checked the drawers and closet, although all were open and nothing left inside.

A little while later, she’d emptied the hotel safe and packed things up, adding them to her bags. She slid one particular piece, a long necklace, over her head, a blue item that resembled an amulet, and patted it against her chest. “Now I’m ready,” she said, her hazel eyes alight with excitement. She was as ready to blow this joint as he was.

“We just need to check out.”

They stopped at the front desk, where an older woman sat behind the counter. “All set?” she asked.

Ella nodded, placing a pair of sunglasses on top of her head.

“There’s no charge to either of you for last night’s room. Between the storm and the robbery, we’re just so sorry you had an unpleasant stay on our island.”

“We appreciate that,” Tyler said. Considering they hadn’t had a solid meal, he was glad he didn’t have to argue about paying.

“I need to close out my account for the earlier part of my trip,” Ella said.

“Our computers aren’t working today. I’m going to have to mail you the bill,” she said regretfully. “It’ll go on the credit card you left when you checked in. Any issues, just give us a call.”

“I will.”

“Do you need a ride to the airport?” the clerk asked.

“We do,” he said, all too eager to leave.

The clerk gestured to a man sitting by a desk near the door. “Matteo can help you.”

“I’ll be right back,” Tyler said, heading over to arrange their transportation and returning almost immediately. “He said a cab would be here any minute.”

“Okay, I’m ready.” Ella reached for her luggage, but he beat her to it, grabbing the handle.

“Before you go, I just want to say that I love your necklace,” the woman behind the desk said.

Ella lifted the blue amulet trimmed in gold. “Thank you. It was part of the photo shoot. My boss asked me to make sure it got home. I figure my best bet is to wear it.”

The desk clerk leaned over the counter, and Ella let her look more closely at the piece while Tyler tapped his foot with impatience. Though he had sisters and should be used to discussions about jewelry and makeup, it was because he’d grown up with two females that he lacked a healthy tolerance for it.

“You know, it looks like a replica of an item stolen from a museum on the island years ago.”

He perked up at the word stolen. Part of the job, he supposed.

“Legend has it that one of the earlier kings had it designed for his cousin’s bride. It was part of a collection in the national museum until it was stolen. There have been replicas floating around for years.”

“I didn’t know it had such history attached to it. That’s fascinating,” Ella murmured, eyes twinkling as she studied the necklace. “I’ll have to look into it some more when I get home.”

The woman smiled. “You should do that. It’s interesting. Anyway, Matteo’s gesturing for you. Your cab’s here. Have a safe trip back.”

“Thank you,” he and Ella said at the same time.