Page 49 of Unlawful Seduction

I should continue to be terrified of his actions, but I was comforted instead. It appeared he would stop at nothing to ensure no harm came to either one of us.

And certainly not to Jax.

The light of his life.

At least I knew the man had some emotions when he looked at or talked to his pup. Other than that, I’d think he was running on adrenaline and hatred. I wasn’t familiar in the ways of crime families, but it was obvious he’d pissed someone off and was running.

He didn’t look like a runner to me on any level. That told me the choice to leave had been for a significant reason.

Did I care to pry it out of him? Honestly, I was curious, but learning more about him might cause him to change his mind about letting me get back to my life. Was that possible? It wasn’t me these monsters were after. They’d wanted him.

Why had they thought I was with him or knew what he was? The only way was if they’d spied on us somehow. At the veterinary clinic? On the lonely stretch of road? It didn’t make any sense.

Backing away, it almost felt as if I was invading his privacy, which was a silly thought.

I finished my coffee, surprised to find an empty dishwasher in which to place my cup. The man was certainly about as unexpected as I could imagine for someone seemingly so cold and detached from the world.

I made certain Jax had water, grateful Beckett had taken him out to do his business before he’d walked outside. Time for a very long, hot shower. That’s where I usually did my best thinking.

The fact I was snowed in with him was irritating and fascinating at the same time. Once in the bathroom, I finally snagged a good look in the mirror. The gash wasn’t bad, the slight bruise easyto cover with my bangs. I’d taken the Tylenol he’d offered, so hopefully the remnants of the headache would go away.

There was a big fluffy towel already on the rack, waiting for me. This was the guest bath, extremely nice with a warm purple accent wall and a matching shower curtain. Somehow I doubted the he-man had selected the color. I turned on the water and stripped off the tee shirt. I certainly didn’t need to worry about looking like a fashion queen while I was here with oversized sweatpants and sweaters. That was fine by me.

The clothes would help with there being any possible confusion about our relationship.

Not that we had a relationship, but I didn’t want him getting the wrong idea. We’d suffer through the storm and move on to our previous lives.

As I stepped inside, my mind continued to wander to how he was going to continue handling the danger. Maybe he was just used to it. Criminals needed to be prepared for anything. Right?

I laughed and rolled my hands through my hair as soon as I stepped under the showerhead, already tingling with warmth.

As I allowed the water to cascade down my shoulders, a strange sensation rolled over me, another sudden clap of fear that I couldn’t seem to control. I slowly tilted my head toward my shoulder and suddenly every nightmare occurring in my life seemed real.

I let off a horrific scream, flailing my arms. One caught the shower curtain and in the least graceful move of my life, I was pitched forward from terror and slipping on the tile. As I’d seen in a movie, the shower clips began to pop one at a time and I was headed straight to the floor, and would have crashed againstthe sink or toilet had a pair of strong hands not grabbed me, instantly pulling me against one big and beefy chest.

My scream continued, cut short only when my savior nuzzled against my neck.

“You’re okay. You’re just fine. Breathe for me.”

His voice was stern and commanding, but I needed the strength he was giving me. After a few seconds, I was able to calm down enough that utter embarrassment took over. I was wrapped in a shower curtain, completely naked underneath and terrified of two huge spiders.

Spiders.

I’d fought against an assassin, but spiders had finally reduced me to a paranoid mess?

“I’m okay.” I managed the two little words, but they burned in my throat.

He pulled away yet kept his hold. Now it seemed every time he looked at me he was doing so warily. “You’re sure.”

“Uh-huh.” I immediately looked over my shoulder, expecting one or both to be crawling down my arm. When I looked back, Beckett had pulled away another few inches, which allowed me to see the weapon in his hand.

“What happened? What did you think you saw? Something out the window?” I could tell he was deeply concerned. He was panting, still in his jacket from when he’d bolted into the house to protect me.

To save me.

From spiders.

“Um, no.”

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