“I hope, but we can’t be too careful.” I yawned and stretched my arms in front of me.
“You should get up to bed. If I see anything of importance, I’ll be sure to call.”
“Make sure it’s damned important, will you?” We shared a laugh before I headed out of the office and down the hall. By the time I rounded the stairs, he was headed back outside, and I could sleep easier because Joe was on the job.
When I got upstairs and entered my room, I found Luna in my bed surrounded by pillows, like a child in a fort. I didn’t know the secret password, but I imagined I could infiltrate her boundaries without a problem. I undressed to my shorts and pulled the covers back to crawl in with her. Despite the pillow perimeter, her body heat radiated near. I pulled the pillow away from her back and slid myself closer.
Luna didn’t move. I pulled myself closer still and pressed my face against her hair. I loved her scent and the way her ass felt when I pressed against her. I wanted to wake her and make love to her. I wanted to be inside her and feel her around me. As I nestled in, wrapping my legs with hers, she stirred.
“Stop it.” She wiggled away and put a few inches between us.
“Sorry I woke you.” My erection called me a liar as it punched forward in my shorts.
“I think it’s time we discuss other arrangements. I can’t stay here like this. I’ll be as safe at my father’s house, or maybe Kim’s. Maybe I can leave when she does.”
My back stiffened and panic shot through me. “I’m sorry it’s been a bad day, but you know it’s not like that all the time. I thought you’d be happy here. I thought we were getting closer, too.”
“You ignored Harbor’s accusations. One minute you defend me, and the next you sit there like an ass and let him get away with it. I’m growing tired of being called a gold-digger.”
I had wondered if she’d been upset when she headed to bed, but I thought she knew I didn’t think those things about her. “You should know better. I don’t think those things. That’s their opinion, which means nothing to me.”
“But it means something to me. You defending me means something to me.” She rolled over on her back and pulled the covers up around her neck. “I get that they see me as a threat. I’m competition to them both, and they’ll never see me as anything else, especially if you don’t defend it.”
I felt horrible that she felt that way, but angered because she should know better. “I didn’t want a rise from him again, and with him talking about C
indy and the trip, I felt it best to let him keep talking. You should trust me.”
“I do, and I appreciate you going ahead and having Mason draw up the papers. We can sign them whenever you’re ready.”
“I didn’t have him draw up the papers. He did that on his own. I’ve told you you’re not going anywhere until I can assure your safety. This is not a negotiation.”
“Excuse me?” She rolled over and kicked my shin under the covers. “You can’t keep me here. I’m not your prisoner.”
“For Christ’s sake, Luna. I’m not saying any of that, but I don’t understand why you want to back out on our agreement. We have a plan, and I want us to stick to it. Nothing has changed with the investigation and there is still a killer out there targeting women I’ve been with.” She yawned and I realized that she was too tired to be arguing. “I’ll talk to you about this in the morning when you’re awake.”
She rolled over and tucked another pillow between us. “I’m wide awake.”
Minutes later, her breathing leveled off and she was asleep, but I lay on my back staring at the ceiling. There was no way I was going to let her leave.
I should have told her that there had been someone seen lurking around the property, but I didn’t think scaring her to death was a good idea. I’d talk to her about it later when her stubborn anger would give way to reason.
Chapter Thirty-One
Luna
Despite how angry I was with Gabriel, I had gravitated toward him in the night. The pillow I’d put between us had worked its way down to our feet and my back was pressed up against his side.
I stretched my legs and turned to glance over my shoulder, hoping he was sleeping sound. Instead, I found him staring at the ceiling with sleepy eyes. Had he even slept at all? He caught me peeking and his jaw clenched so tight the muscle feathered beneath his skin.
“Morning.” His voice was rough, and I hoped it was from sleep.
“Good morning,” I said, sitting up.
“I asked Harbor to stay away from you.” I wondered if he’d been up talking to him all night, but I felt he hadn’t left the bed.
“When did you do that?”
“After you went up to bed last night and about the same time I told him how you’re not like he thinks and told him how you refused my support.” He met my eyes as I sank down into the covers.