Page 19 of After The Storm

“Yes, I’m Roman. You don’t have to be afraid. I’m here and you’re safe.”

She stared up at him for a long moment and then nodded. “You went to go get food, right? My cheeseburger? How long have I been asleep?”

“Not long. I just got back from getting the food. Your cheeseburger and fries are over there on the table.”

Looking around him toward where he pointed, she searched for the burger and then covered her face with her hands. “This is all a mess. Someone wants me dead. I know it. They killed my boss and his client, and now they’re out there wanting to kill me. Jonas told me to not trust the cops, so all I have is you to keep me safe, and I don’t even know you. If it wasn’t for the desk clerk saying your last name, I wouldn’t even know that since you wouldn’t tell me.”

The way she said that sounded so sad that he couldn’t lie to her about his name anymore, even though it shouldn’t have meant anything to her and he would be breaking one of his cardinal rules telling her his real last name. None of that mattered as he listened to her sound so unhappy.

“I gave the desk clerk an alias. Madson isn’t my real last name.”

Kate dropped her hands into her lap and turned to face him. Frowning, she asked, “Will you tell me what it is, at least to make me feel like I know something about the person who just showed up at the Bayou Motel claiming to want to help me?”

Something about seeing her frown after hearing her sound so dejected made his chest hurt. For as difficult as she’d been from practically the minute they met, Kate Sheridan wasn’t a bad person. She wasn’t even that difficult, if he was being honest.

She was just a person forced into the middle of something she had no business being involved in. Roman couldn’t even say for sure he believed someone wanted to kill her, but he wanted to protect her, nonetheless.

So even though it broke the number one rule he lived by, he told her the truth about his last name. “Gregory. My name is Roman Gregory.”

Her eyes grew wide, like the very fact that he’d told her surprised her. “Is that the truth? Or are you lying to me just to shut me up?”

Chuckling, he had a feeling more than one person in her life had lied just to shut her up or at least to stop her from asking so many questions. Something about her need to be so inquisitive began to charm him, though.

“No, I’m not lying, and I doubt it would make you shut up anyway. My name is Roman Gregory.”

The smile he received in return for telling her his real name lit up her beautiful face. “Okay. Well, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The happiness quickly faded from her expression, and she frowned again. “You know, I’m trying to be tough and strong, but I can’t pretend not to be terrified that someone may be out there who wants to kill me like they killed Jonas and Samuel,” she said sadly. “I don’t know what to do. I’m just a legal assistant, or at least I was. Now I’m wanted by the police, who I can’t trust, and I might have a target on my back. God, my life’s a mess.”

“Don’t think about that now. I’m here, and I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise, Kate.”

She tried to force a smile, but she couldn’t. He understood. He knew what being afraid felt like, and he didn’t blame her for not being able to pretend to be happy.

“I hope you aren’t making promises you can’t keep.”

With a sigh, she lay back down onto the bed and curled up next to him. He knew he should move back to the chair. Better to let her just be.

But he didn’t.

He sat back against the padded headboard and didn’t push her away when she rolled over and rested her head on his chest. Then he watched as she fell back to sleep all curled up against him. He couldn’t help think that beneath all that sharpness she showed, behind the endless stream of questions and bravado she put on, she was as sweet as she was beautiful.

For Roman, his job with Project Artemis forced him to come to terms with his desire to use the skills he’d learned in the Army for something other than fighting. He’d always leaned toward protecting those who needed help, but he’d made sure to keep the women he helped at arm’s length, never letting them in as he did his job. He knew himself well enough to know that decision ensured no one got hurt because of him losing focus.

People died when you lost focus. He knew that better than most.

But Kate roused a protectiveness in him he thought he’d pushed so far down inside that he’d never feel it again. He’d never looked at a client like he looked at her. She made him want more than just to help her.

Shaking his head, he looked down at where her head lay on his chest and thought he didn’t know if he could let himself feel that again. He didn’t know if he could let himself feel anything for a woman again.

Whatever happened, he’d keep his promise, though. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt her if he had anything to say about it.

Chapter Seven

Opening her eyes,Kate looked around the dimly lit room for any sign of Roman but didn’t see him there with her. She stretched the sleep from her limbs and worked on waking up. As she slowly came around from what felt like the deepest nap she’d ever taken, she remembered bits and pieces of the last time she saw him.

He’d been next to her on the bed. Or at least she thought so. Had she been dreaming?

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