She released a small scream and tore off her headphones. “What the hell?”
He got right in her face. “Just gonna crash, huh?” He pointed at her laptop screen. “Is that after you pulverize an entire city with your stockpile of weapons?”
Liberty glared at him and hit pause. “You play?”
“Not very often.” He squinted at the screen. “Holy shit. What level are you on?”
“Veteran.”
Then, without warning or even asking, he bullied his way into her private space. “Scoot over.”
“Hey!”
“What? I wanna watch the expert soldier do her thing.”
“Fine.” She moved closer to the wall. But they were still shoulder to shoulder. She hip-checked him. “Crowding me much?”
“I’m a big guy. I take up a lot of room.”
“Good thing you don’t have to sleep in this bunk.”
“Quit complaining. This is a helluva lot bigger than some of the bunks I’ve slept in over the years.”
“It’s definitely not made for two people.”
She realized her mistake when he crowded her even more. “It can be pretty comfy for two; it’s just someone’s always gotta be on top.”
Rather than get sucked into his smoldering eyes, she refocused on her laptop screen. “You’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?”
Devin chuckled. “Without apology, darlin’. Want me to show you so you’re in the know too?”
Yes. Please. “No. Now hush. You’re breaking my concentration.”
As the game progressed, Liberty realized Devin was hell on her ability to focus. The man was just so solid. And warm. He smelled good too, like sun-warmed pine and clean cotton. And sex.
Okay, maybe not sex, but she couldn’t be this close to him and not have everything remind her of sex. With him.
He didn’t ask a bunch of questions. He seemed content to watch her play. After about an hour, her neck hurt and her eyes started to droop. It’d be easy to rest the side of her face against his biceps and doze off.
“You okay?” he murmured into her hair.
“Getting sleepy.”
“Me too. I think it’s time to hit the hay.”
She smiled against his arm. Except . . . When had she cuddled up to him? Why hadn’t he moved her?
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Devin’s rough-skinned fingers slipped beneath her chin, lifting her gaze to his. “Tell me.”
“I haven’t heard the phrase ‘hit the hay’ for a long time.”
“What can I say? I’m a bumpkin.”
That’s when those intent blue eyes sucked her in. “You’re too polished to ever be a bumpkin, especially in public.”
“But in private?”
“In private . . . you’re just you.”
“You say that like it’s a good thing.”
“It is. Like tonight at the campfire. Another artist would’ve played his own music, but you covered everyone’s but your own. And when Crash suggested you add the cover tune in your show? You said no.”
“You seem surprised that not everything I do is calculated to sell more records or concert tickets or charm the pants off the female fans.”
Stung, Liberty jerked her chin out of his hold. “Forget I said anything.” She logged off the game and powered down her laptop, ignoring him completely even when she could feel his breath stirring her hair.
“It seems whenever you say something nice to me, I don’t believe it. Then I open my mouth and insert my foot. Bein’ antagonistic with you isn’t my intent.”
She sighed. “I know. I’m at fault too. I just don’t know what to do with this.”
“That makes two of us.” He scratched his head. “The logical part of my brain says it was better when we had no personal interaction. I don’t wanna listen to logic this time, Liberty. And I don’t think you want to either.”
How hard would it be to redefine the parameters of this relationship? Scary to think it wouldn’t be hard at all. That they’d been circling each other the last three weeks. Waiting for the right moment to make the change. “Look, it’s late. We can have this discussion another time, okay?”
Devin scooted to the edge of the bed and ducked out of her bunk. “I’ll let it go for now, but we can’t keep ignoring it.” He placed his right hand on the curve of her jaw and swept his thumb over her cheekbone. “Sweet dreams, sweetheart. Thanks for today. It’s been one of the better days in recent memory.”
Not fair the man could be so damn sweet that he made her ache. She shut the curtains and curled up in her bunk. But sleep was a long time coming.
Chapter Eleven
Devin was awakened by a loud scream. Immediately, he scrambled out of bed.
He’d left his bedroom door ajar and paused inside the doorframe instead of racing out—per his bodyguard’s request.
Then he heard it again. A lower-pitched scream this time, followed by a loud “No, no, no! Please, no!”
Thumping sounds echoed back to him, and he realized Liberty was thrashing around in her bunk, not wrestling with an assailant.
Devin ripped open the privacy curtain, hoping like hell Liberty wouldn’t shoot him on sight.
The illuminated strip running the length of the hallway allowed enough light for him to see she wasn’t armed. But she was rolling around and kicking, bucking her body as if someone—or something—was holding her down.