Run To Rome

After a distinct hesitation, she supplied, “New York.”

“The city or just the state?” he pressed.

“City.”

“Hmmm. This is a far cry from New York.”

A small smile curved her lips. “You can say that again.”

“This is a far cry from—”

“I didn’t mean it literally.” Her smile widened.

The situation demanded he laugh with her, but he forced his attention off her smile. Once on the porch, he opened the door and stepped inside ahead of her. Then he waited. For the sound of her footsteps. For the thump of her bags hitting the floor. For the click of the door to assure privacy.

“I wanted to—”

When he turned, she halted mid-sentence. Her apologetic expression gave way to an alarmed squeak when he grasped her upper arms and pushed her up against the wall. The bulk of his body gave her no room to move.

“Who the hell are you?” he demanded.

Stark fear dilated her pupils until her brown eyes were nearly black. Her breathing grew shallow, and she gulped twice before stuttering, “Y-you know w-who I am.”

He tightened his grip on her shoulders, then became aware of how delicate they seemed under his large hands and forced himself to ease up. “I don’t believe it. You’re up to something, and you’ve got about five seconds to tell me what it is.”

“H-honestly, I’m n-not.”

Colton scoffed. “So, it’s merely coincidence that you robbed me this morning and then show up here claiming to be some long lost relative?”

“It’s nothing more than cruel coincidence—I swear to God.”

“Don’t you dare do that. I don’t buy one word of it.” He leaned closer, ignoring her trembling beneath his hands. “Who are you? What do you want with Joel?”

“He told you, I’m his sister. Please…all I want is a place to stay until my…until we get back on our feet. We have nowhere else to go.”

He caught her hesitation, saw a brief flash of panic, and wondered what she’d been about to say.

He searched her expression for any kernel of truth to her words.

In the space of a heartbeat, he became aware of the heat of her vibrating body. If he leaned down a few inches, their lips would meet. His pulse thrummed. The urge to do just that was so great it left him shaken as he stared into her eyes. She was an untrustworthy, lying, thieving, scheming con artist.

And he’d never felt an immediate attraction like this in his life.

~*~