Mine to Hold (Mine 3)

“I’ll be ready in twenty minutes,” she promised him.

He’s not in D.C. any more. He’s long gone. I’ll be safe there.

“You don’t have to—”

“Outside,” she said again. Then she headed for her closet and the clothes that he’d bought for her. She heard him walk away.

Heard the soft click of the door shut behind him.

And then she heard a whisper from her past. The voice of Ethan Harrison’s father, Senator Colby Harrison.

You little bitch. I know you made my boy kill. You did this. I’ll make you pay. No matter how long it takes, you’ll pay.

And all of his rage had come at her before he’d lost his senate seat due to the scandal. After that, he’d blamed her, hated her, even more.

But Colby Harrison isn’t in Washington, D.C. I’ll be safe with Noah.

Her hands were shaking when she reached for the clothes.

***

Noah yanked out his phone as he paced in front of Claire’s suite. He didn’t give a damn what time it was. His buddy owed him.

The phone rang once. Twice. Then—

“Dammit, Noah,” Trace Weston growled, “you know I’m on my honeymoon, right?”

Yeah, he did. Lucky bastard. Two weeks ago, Trace’s fiancée, Skye, had confessed that she didn’t want to have a big wedding that would just be fodder for the gossip pages. Instead, she’d asked Trace to run away with her. To elope.

And since Trace would do anything for Skye…

They’d gotten married in Paris.

“I need your agents in New York to look into a break-in for me.” He kept his eyes on Claire’s suite door.

“Uh, then call the office there, man. Don’t just—”

“It’s about Claire Kramer, and I only want your best men on the case.”

Silence. Then… “Is she all right?”

“She’s with me.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

Noah yanked a hand through his hair. “The SOB who killed her parents is still locked up in an Alabama prison.”

“I made sure of that.” Grim satisfaction coated Trace’s words.

Noah knew that Claire’s sister Sara had used her connection to Trace in order to get his help. He’d used his power to convince the parole board that Ethan Harrison shouldn’t be walking outside of those prison gates anytime soon.

“Someone broke into Claire’s hotel room at the Hamlet yesterday. Slashed her clothes. Destroyed every damn thing there.”

“The Hamlet? What the hell was she doing there? Noah, I thought you said you were watching—”

“I’ve got her now,” Noah growled into the phone. “I want your men to see if they can find out who broke into her room. The cops aren’t looking hard. The Hamlet gets robbed every other day. It’s just business as usual at that place.” But the knot in his gut told him that the destruction in Claire’s room hadn’t just been the result of a robbery gone wrong.

Noah never ignored his instincts. They’d kept him alive too many times in the past, and they’d put his enemies in the ground.

“I’ll get my men on it,” Trace said, voice flat. “And if I find out anything—”

“You call me right away.” He knew he could count on Trace.

“Will do.”

“And, hey, one more thing, buddy…”

“What is it?” Worry deepened Trace’s voice.

“Give that pretty bride of yours a big kiss for me.”

“Screw off,” Trace muttered and hung up the phone.

Noah’s lips tilted as he kept staring at Claire’s door.

Trace had loved his Skye for over ten years. Loved her, but nearly lost her to a crazed stalker.

Once upon a time, Noah had thought that Trace’s single-minded love for Skye made the other man weak.

Now he knew…

It makes him lucky.

***

She’d never been to D.C. Claire had actually made a point of staying out of the area.

She hadn’t wanted to attract any unwanted attention.

But as Noah’s private jet touched down in D.C., tension settled heavily over Claire’s shoulders.

First trip to D.C. and my first time to fly in a private jet.

Noah had talked to her all during the flight. Business only. He’d gone over a listing of his most profitable hotels, hinted at his plans for expansion, told her the PR work that needed to be done…

And he’d kept her mind off the fear that wanted to snake through her.

“What’s that look for?” Noah asked as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Time for them to go.

She fumbled and managed to unhook her belt, too. “I, uh, I’m just curious about the city.” Such a lie.

“You haven’t been here before?” He seemed surprised. Since globe-hopping was no doubt a habit for him, it probably was surprising.

“Most people don’t get to jet off whenever they want,” she said as she fought to keep her voice light. “Besides, I…I was busy.”

“You mean you didn’t want to come here.” He stood, blocking the exit. Trapping her, but not touching her. “You don’t need to lie to me.”

Right.

“I didn’t want to come here.” Her hair slipped forward and fell over her left eye.

Before she could brush the blonde locks back, Noah’s hand moved. His fingers pushed the hair back and lingered on her cheek. “But you came for me.”

Her heart was beating faster. “I came for me.” Because she wouldn’t let fear lead her life. “Colby Harrison isn’t here.” She wasn’t going to dance around this issue. Noah had his neat file, after all, so why hide the truth? “He lost his position two terms back.”

And she hadn’t seen the man in eight years.

“When you worry…” His fingers slipped from her cheek and his index finger moved to lightly tap her lower lip. “You have a tendency to bite this lip.”

Her breath caught in her lungs.

His finger caressed her lip. “Don’t do that. Don’t hurt yourself.”

“I-I wasn’t…” She barely breathed the words against his touch.

But…when she spoke, she…she licked his finger.

It was an accident. She hadn’t meant to do that. Not at all.

Had she?

His pupils expanded, swallowing the gold. “Claire…” Need, lust, deepened her name.

She backed away. Tried to. But there was nowhere for her to go. The seat was behind her. He was in front of her.

His hand fell to his side. Fisted. “Don’t tease.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“I want you every fucking time I see you.”

Her eyes widened.

“But I’m trying to give you what you want.”

Claire wasn’t even sure what she wanted.

To be safe?

No, no, there had to be more to life than safety.