Page 6 of Grave Games

“Shiloh?” Romeo lifted his chin my way as I absently pressed a hand to my misbehaving heart. “You coming, or what?”

Again my heart did a weird little flip-flop before I nodded. “I’m coming.”

*

Romeo hadn’t been kidding. The interior of his truck was so warm and toasty I quickly wished I hadn’t done up all the buttons of my coat. I thought about putting my fingers up to one of the vents gushing out hot air, but at this point I figured they’d thaw out all on their own without me burning them in the process.

“I’m in Lake Meadows Townhomes in South Loop, so only four miles or so from here. And they’re not really townhomes, trust me on this. They’re tiny little apartments crowded one on top of the other with weird layouts and paper-thin walls.” I gave him the exact address, all the while not sure why, since I was there to give him turn-by-turn instructions on how to get to my place. That was when I realized I was babbling and would probably be better off just shutting up and trying not to think about what Heather had said.

But…

Had Romeo waited for me to leave the restaurant tonight? Now that the rush of terror and adrenaline had passed, the fact that he’d been there didn’t make any sense. He should have been long gone. Yet he’d been right there to land on my attacker with all fours, just when I’d thought I was doomed. At the time, I’d been so grateful I hadn’t been able to think of anything except that I was still alive, and it was all thanks to him.

But now…

Why had Romeo been there?

And why did he risk his life to save me?

Because that’s what he did. He put himself in danger because of me. That giant in a parka could have snapped anyone in two if he’d had a mind to do it, so…

Why?

“Shiloh?”

“What?” I jumped, jolted out of my spinning thoughts, then offered a feeble laugh to cover the embarrassment at my overreaction. “Sorry. I, uh… I guess I’m still recovering, or whatever.”

“No need to apologize.” His voice was surprisingly gentle, a tone I never imagined I’d hear from a wannabe tough guy. The unexpectedness of it melted something vital inside me, because for the first time I thought there might be more to this man than just the biker façade that made every part of me cringe. “Anyone would be shaken up by what happened tonight, yeah? Just know that you’re safe with me, no matter what. To my mind, all that matters from here on in is you. That’s a promise.”

I waved a useless hand that was still alarmingly pink even in the semi-darkness. “Really, you don’t have to worry about me, I’m doing great. I’m just… I guess I’m trying to work it all out in my mind.”

“What’s there to work out?”

“Why were you still there at the diner?” The words were out before I knew I was going to say them. “I mean, you’d left hours earlier. Why were you at Buzzby’s?”

There was a beat of silence. “That’s what you’re trying to figure out?Mymotives? Lady,” he snorted, shaking his head in clear incredulity, “anybody ever tell you that you’ve got one helluva suspicious mind?”

“I know I do. It’s a flaw, seriously. It’s just…” I blew out a breath before giving my rescuer a crooked smile. “I guess I just want to know if you were lowkey stalking me. And if you were, it’s okay, because you wound up saving my life, Romeo. I could never be mad at you after something like that.”

“Lowkey stalking you. Man, you’re a piece of work,” he murmured as if to himself, shaking his head. At first I thought he was angry, but when he slanted a look my way and I caught the humor in his eyes, I allowed myself to relax. “I got a newsflash for you, Miss Paranoid—not everyone’s out to get you. You’re hot, no doubt about it, and like I said, I like you. If I want to make sure you get your ass home safely in shit weather like this, then that’s what I’m going to do. If you want to call that stalking, go right ahead, but it’s nowhere near the truth.”

So Heather had been right. He’d been genuinely worried about me traveling in this hellacious blizzard. That odd melting deep inside increased, and I found myself smiling over at him as he carefully drove through the nearly deserted streets of The Loop. “Thank you.”

He glanced at me.

“I mean it, Romeo. Thank you for worrying about me. It’s been a while since anyone’s done that sort of thing.”

“Yeah?” Again he slanted a look my way. “No man in your life? No family?”

I shook my head and wiped my expression of all emotion. “Nope.”

“What about the photo on your keyring? There were people in it besides you.”

“That photo’s several years old. I was eighteen and still living at home. Now I’m not.”

“Moving out doesn’t mean you stop having family.”

“True.” I shifted in my seat, but it didn’t make the weight of grief, regret and helpless rage any easier to bear. “I wish I still had my family around, but I’m not really on speaking terms with my parents. And my brother… He lives a life that’s well beyond my reach.”

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