Page 27 of Hacker Salvation

A soft knock sounded on the door. “Come in.” I didn’t need to look up from the suitcase to know it was Daisy.

She padded across the room and sat cross-legged on the bed while I continued to throw the clothes from my suitcase onto the bed. “Whatcha looking for?”

I glanced up from the suitcase. “Something to wear for bed.”

“It takes this much work to find something to change into? You already threw like five possible pj’s to the side.”

My suitcase was now empty with no options. I sat on the bed next to Daisy. “I need to stay in John’s room tonight and check on him.”

She grinned. “You know you could set the alarm and walk in every couple hours. You don’t need to stay in the same room.”

What she said was correct, but I was afraid he might need something in the night and I wouldn’t be there to help him when he did. “I’m going to sleep in the chair in his room.”

“Really? The chair?” Daisy held up her hand. “You like him, don’t you?”

“Yes. But what happens if he uses me?”

“For what?”

I grabbed a white tank top and a pair of boy shorts from the pile of clothes. “It seems every man I date uses me to get into the industry.”

Daisy burst out laughing. “You really think John would use you to become a Hollywood star? He thinks no one wants to truly be with him because of the scar. He thinks women take pity on him. Half of the women at the club would do anything to be his sub.”

Jealous rage came over me for a second. “The whole sub thing scares me. I don’t want to give up control.”

Daisy laid her hand on my leg. “Annabella, I love you to death, but I’m protective of John. He was one of the men who rescued me, and I stayed with him over a year. If you truly see yourself with him, go for it. But if this is a fling, be up front. Don’t hurt him.”

“I like him, but where could this really go? I live in California, and he lives in Florida. It’s not like we can go on dates. When he came to the jail to pick me up, Daisy, I just knew he was something special. What can I do?”

“If it’s meant to be and you really like him, see where it goes these next few days. When you aren’t filming, you can go to Florida. And when he isn’t off in another country on a secret mission, he can come to visit you.”

My stomach dropped as I thought about how he put himself in danger for his job. How would I handle not getting to talk to him for days and not knowing if he was okay? I knew one thing—I couldn’t say unless we talked and tried. I wasn’t even sure how he felt or if he thought something was between us.

I grabbed my clothes and headed for the bathroom. Then I quickly changed into my pj’s, brushed my teeth, and scrubbed the makeup off my face. When I looked in the mirror, I contemplated putting it back on. I didn’t like going to bed with makeup on, and I supposed it would be dark anyway. I pulled my blond hair up into a ponytail and headed back to the bedroom.

Daisy looked up from her phone and whistled. “You’re going to knock him out, girl.”

I could feel my face blush. “Should I change?”

“Hell no, girl.”

I grabbed the blanket off the bed and headed across the hall to John’s room. The door was ajar. I lightly knocked, and he said to come in. I didn’t know what I expected to see, but it wasn’t John sitting up in bed with no shirt on. The bedside light was on, giving a light glow to the room. I stopped short, and my tongue ran over my lips. John raised a brow.

“Um, the doctor said someone needs to watch you at night. I planned to sleep in the chair. Or I can come back every few hours. I just thought it would be easier if I slept in your room. Is that okay? I’m trying not to impose.”

“You’re fine. Come in. But you don’t have to sleep in the chair. You can sleep in the bed if you want. I promise to keep my hands to myself.”

My palms started to sweat at the idea of sleeping next to him. My feet seemed to be rooted in place. “Okay,” my voice squeaked. I placed the blanket next to the bed, and when I padded over to the side of the king-sized bed, John pulled back the covers. All he wore were black boxer briefs. I climbed into the bed next to him and scooted to the edge. I worried my hand might jet out and feel his abs. He didn’t just have a six-pack. No, they went down below the covers.

John had his hair pulled up into a bun. His book lay in his lap. I wanted to run my fingers down the scar on his face. I didn’t understand why he thought it made him unattractive. It turned me on and made me want to crawl on top of him and lick his chest.

When my eyes traveled down his face to that broad chest, I noticed that little scars lined his body. I didn’t even realize I’d reached out until I was dragging my finger along the scar on his right pec. He jumped when my finger touched his skin.

“Can I ask you something?” I whispered.

John pinched the bridge of his nose. “If I say no, are you going to ask anyway.”

My lips twitched. “Yes.” I kept tracing the scars on his chest. “I know you don’t know me very well or what is going on with us. But can you tell me how you got these?”

---