Page 92 of Seven Night Stopover

She looked over to Warren and caught his cool regard. He wouldn’t approach. Their way had always been for her to go to him when she needed him. Never vice versa.

He said it was so she’d never have to feel he was impinging on her boundaries. Now she wondered if it was a power thing.

She flinched as Noah’s fingers tightened, and he sent her a sidelong glance of apology. When she tried to free herself, he held on tight.

“Ashley, I have nothing to say to you other than get the hell out of my way. If you have a burning need to communicate with me, contact my lawyers. Approach me like this again, and I’ll sue you for harassment.”

Her smile didn’t falter one iota, but her gaze flicked to Leia. “Are you going to introduce me to your little pixie?”

Anger flared through Leia. Lifting her free hand, she gave Ashley a two-fingered wave. “Little Pixie, Leia Michaels here. If we ever meet again, and I sincerely hope we don’t, you can call me Miss Michaels. And I’ll do my very best not to call you Rude Bitch.” She tacked on a false smile.

Ashley paled a little and her eyes narrowed.

Leia turned away from her. “Noah, I have to go. I’ll call you later.”

Noah’s inner smile at Leia’s response to Ashley’s rudeness died as he looked over at Warren Snyder.

He’d seen the way the other guy had looked at Leia as they approached. Every hackle in his body rejected the idea of letting Leia leave with him. Grabbing her arm, he walked her away from Ashley wishing they were back in that bubble Leia had been so afraid would burst once they came back. Christ, how right she’d been. “Come home with me. Please,” he breathed. “We can deal with this from my place.” He needed to halt this absurd spiral before he lost his mind.

Leia’s gaze flicked to Ashley, and her lips pursed. “Looks like you have your hands full with your own monsters. Besides, I really need to talk to Warren.”

He struggled not to curse. “My hands want to be full with only you. Call me as soon as you’re free and I’ll send a car to pick you up, okay?”

Her gaze strayed once more to Ashley and she lifted her brow. “You sure?”

He caught her chin in his hand. “No excuses, remember? Don’t think about her. She’s less than a minor inconvenience.”

She nodded. “She better be. You may have control in the bedroom but I’m trained in Bartitsu. I’ll break your arms in several places if you let any part of her touch you.”

He smiled at her fierce look. “I’ll consider myself adequately warned.”

She gave an answering smile that blew him away.

Considering the grenade the justice system had thrown into her life a few short hours ago, she was holding up pretty well.

Whereas he was fighting the very strong urge to beg her to come with him.

He contented himself with a short, hard kiss before he walked her to the Jaguar.

Warren Snyder eyed him, then held out his hand. “Thank you for bringing Leia home safely.”

Noah shook his hand and curved his arm around her shoulders. “No need to thank me. I protect what’s mine.”

Leia stiffened, but he didn’t care that he sounded like a mega-possessive SOB. If Leia objected to it later, they would work it out.

It was his turn to stiffen when Snyder’s gaze shifted to Leia. “We need to go, my dear. The lawyers are waiting.”

Noah’s hand cupped her nape for a long moment before he let her go. He turned to the valet holding the keys to his Maserati and saw Ashley.

34

Everything inside him tightened. “Are you still here?”

“I’m not going away just because you ignore me, Noah.”

Anger and bitterness fought for supremacy in his gut. “I really wish you would get the message. I wish you’d disappear off the face of the earth. That’s how very badly Idon’twant to see you.” He took his keys and pressed the unlock button.

“Taylor died.”

---