Page 29 of Cold Foot Cash

He flinched and shook his head. “They’re already half-healed.”

“I have Advil. I mean, if you want some.”

“I don’t like dulling the ache,” he said softly. “I deserve it.”

“That wasn’t on you,” she argued, giving him grace.

“Don’t let me off,” he uttered.

He was trying to tell her something, right? She leaned her shoulder on the doorframe and studied his face. There was guilt there in his molten gold eyes.

“What did you go to prison for?” she asked, but she already had a guess.

He chewed the corner of his lip and glanced up at her quick, then back down to the floor. “I didn’t want you to see any of that. I didn’t like it. I want to make you smile. That’s it.”

“Okay,” she said low. “What do I say now? I…I guess I don’t understand what you need.”

“You did it.” He inhaled deep and backed off a few more feet. “I’m going to get myself a room.”

“Oh.” Harley swallowed hard. “You can hang in here for a few minutes until the police are gone. Or if you need me to give you a ride to wherever you live?”

“You shouldn’t do anything else for me tonight.” He twitched his head like it was a nervous tic. “Thank you for coming out there and doing a statement. Thank you.”

“Sure.”

Cash ran his hand down his face and forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll see you around, Harley.”

As he walked back down the hallway toward the motel office, she called out, “You really can just hang in my room for a while.”

“Six more days.”

That’s all he said before he disappeared around the corner. Harley’s mouth was hanging open, and she clacked it closed and backed into the room, then closed the door behind her.

The cold wood of the door was cold under her palm.

He was respecting her wishes, right?

Cash was maintaining distance. He was enforcing their boundaries.

She didn’t know if she loved or hated that about him.

Chapter Seven

Fuck.

Cash shook his head hard as he made his way back toward her room. Wreck was blowing up his phone, thanks to some bullshit feeling the Alpha had gotten from their bond. Cash’s hands hurt, and his head was pounding from the effort it took not to Change into his owl. Changing right now wouldn’t help anything. He needed to stay near Harley just in case any of those guys had seen them walking to the motel, and got a stupid idea to get revenge on her.

His protectiveness was choking him right now.

He stopped in front of Harley’s door and backed to the wall right across from it. He slid down it and squatted there, staring at the number.1010.

Everything in him wanted to knock on the door and push her back into the room and taste her. Taste her lips, pull her panties down, taste every bit of her just to settle the fight instinct in him.

He’d lost everyone he’d ever dated when he was younger, because he couldn’t stay out of trouble, and no woman wanted to put up with that long-term. And now what? He met Harley, and she felt big, and important, and consuming, but on day-one of knowing him, she’s having to sign police statements for him? She’s having to lie for him? Pretending they were together to get him off the hook?

She saw him with bloody knuckles. Fucking typical Cash behavior.

He pushed off the wall, disgusted with himself and made his way two doors down from her, beeped the keycard and pushed the door open.

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