“What do you write?”
She shrugged, as if it didn’t matter. “Mysteries.”
“You mean murder mysteries?”
“Not necessarily. Not every book is about a murder. I write about all kinds of crimes. Or rather solving crimes.”
He made a mental note of that. If Lilo wrote crime fiction she had to be smart, and he’d have to stay on his toes to make sure she didn’t discover his secrets. It would only complicate things.
“So who’s your protagonist? A female detective?”
“A bounty hunter.”
That response made him toss her a quick look. “Seriously?”
“Why?”
“Well, you’ve got stiff competition in that genre. Few are as good as Maxim Holt. He’s got that market cornered.”
“You’ve read the Morgan West bounty hunter series?”
Blake nodded. “Just finished Anatomy of a Bounty.” And he would have finished it earlier, if he didn’t have to look after thirteen hybrids, who couldn’t shut up for even one minute.
“So he’s the best, you say?”
Crap! He should have just kept his mouth shut. No writer liked to hear somebody rave about another author’s books. “Maybe if I read one of yours for comparison…”
“No, no. That’s fine. Honestly.” She yawned.
Great, now he was boring her to sleep! Way to treat a woman he was attracted to. Yeah, exactly: he was attracted to Lilo. Despite the fact that his mind was working overtime to come up with ideas on how to find Hannah, his body was occupied with other things. Things he had no business imagining.
“We’re almost there,” he said quickly and turned into the next street.
He pulled into the fourth driveway on his right and drove up to the garage of the two-story Edwardian house that stood on an extra-wide city lot. As he came to a stop, he lowered the window, then reached through it to the electronic reader that was built into the wall that ran along the property line. This part of the driveway was covered so that during daytime it was safe to open the window of the car without being exposed to direct sunlight. In addition, the scanner could be moved closer to the car window by a remote control which was built into his car’s steering wheel. And since there was a tall concrete wall on the driver’s side, no sunlight could enter the car from that direction.
Blake placed his thumb on the scanner. A moment later, the garage door started to lift.
“You have a high-security, government-style entry system for your home?” Lilo asked incredulously.
He met her wary gaze. “It’s very practical. At least I can’t lose my keys.”
“Unless you lose your thumb,” she answered in a deadpan manner.
“If that happens I’ve got bigger problems than not being able to get into my house.”
He put the car back in gear and drove into the garage, parking next to his black-out SUV. Behind him, the garage door lowered again, shutting out the outside world.
“Come, we’ll get you settled.”
He got out of the car and opened the trunk. Lilo was already next to him and reaching for her suitcase. But he’d reached for it at the same time. Their hands touched, and he felt a charge go through him. He could explain it away as static electricity, but he would be lying to himself. This wasn’t electricity; it was chemistry. The kind that could instantaneously combust if he wasn’t careful.
With a gasp, Lilo withdrew her hand, and he tightened his grip around the handle. He didn’t look at her when he said, “Why don’t you take Hannah’s computer and tablet?”
“Yeah, sure.” Her voice trembled as much as her hands as she grabbed the small bag with the electronics and moved away from the car.
“Listen, Lilo…”
She stopped walking, but didn’t turn around.
Maybe it had been a bad idea to bring her here. Perhaps he should have brought her to a hotel. “You don’t need to be afraid of me.”
Silence greeted him. Then a sigh. She turned slowly and lifted her eyes to look at him. “You saved me from that intruder. You took me to the police like I asked you to. The policeman knows who you are.”
Shock coursed through him. Had she somehow guessed that he and Donnelly knew each other?
“I mean, he took down the details of your drivers license. And there were cameras in the police station. If something happened to me, they would come looking for you.” She shook her head. “No, I’m not afraid of you.”
“Then why are you shaking?”
“I’m shaking because I’ve never been in a situation like this. I’m scared.”
Slowly he walked toward her, set the suitcase on the floor, and gently drew her into his arms. She didn’t protest, and for a long while he simply held her, feeling her body’s warmth caress him. The brave woman who’d fought against her attacker and verbally sparred with him earlier tonight, now felt fragile and vulnerable. And with it, his protector instinct surged.
He ran his hand over her hair. “Everything will be fine.”
“Thank you,” she murmured into his chest, and the vibrations of her voice made his entire body tingle and awaken a desire he knew he couldn’t act upon.
With regret, he released her from his embrace. “Let’s get you settled. You need to rest.”
8
She hadn’t told him the entire truth.
Yes, she was scared for her friend, but the reason she’d been shaking was because she was scared of her reaction to Blake. She’d never felt this kind of intense physical attraction to any man, particularly not to one she knew nothing about. There was absolutely no reason whatsoever for her to be drawn to Blake like a moth to the light, especially considering her trust issues.
As she followed him up the stairs into the house, she couldn’t help but admire his strong legs and flexing butt muscles. Damn, he filled out a pair of pants like nobody she’d ever seen. He was the epitome of strength and power. And he had a soft side, one she hadn’t expected. His embrace had been comforting and gentle. And just about as platonic as it could be. Which drove home another reality: the first man she was interested in since her last relationship two years ago, wasn’t interested in her.
Lilo stepped into the hallway as Blake flipped the light switch, illuminating a large entry hall with a mahogany staircase, a long hallway, and an open arch leading into the living room.