Living Dangerously (16 page)

Hell, she hadn’t said a damn thing he hadn’t already thought himself. “How about we take each day at a time. It’s possible the police will find something when they go through your car.”

Julie’s smile nearly stopped his breath. “I’ll have to remember you’re an optimist.”

“I’m hurt,” he said, holding onto a straight face. “I’m sunshine and light. I thought for sure you saw that about me.”

Now she laughed. “Right. Sunshine and light. Let me write that down. Hey, maybe if I’m lucky you’ll sing ‘The sun’ll come out tomorrow...’”

“Actually,” Troy said. “If you’re lucky...I won’t.”

Her grin broke down every wall he kept trying to erect. He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. “C’mon. Let’s get you packed. Vegas is waiting.”

* * *

Dressed in soft gray sweats, Julie settled in the comfortable backseat of Troy’s black BMW 750 Li—under protest. Just because she had eighteen stitches in her thigh didn’t mean she couldn’t sit in the front seat like an adult. Apparently Troy thought otherwise. As she settled against her pillow—Troy had brought along a few creature comforts including her pillow and favorite blanket, and yes, it softened the blow of this trip to see him bend over backward to make her comfortable—she decided to treat this trip as a twofold vacation. One, she could dig into the stack of scripts that had piled up on her desk, and two, she could use the time to research her roles for the two movies she had lined up back-to-back. She had just enough time to shoot Ari’s movie before starting the as-yet untitled indie film that had caught her attention.

She constantly observed people and this trip would give her an opportunity to watch real people along the way. Hollywood was good for watching the people who wanted to stand out, people who made themselves something they weren’t, in the name of fame. But Julie wanted to be around real people. The ones who cared about the important things in life like family and friends. She pulled the blanket up under her chin. His black leather backseat wasn’t so bad after all, but she didn’t plan on confessing that.

For the first time in hours, she sighed and let her muscles relax. What a day. She was wiped out. She could pull out her reading light and work on some research with one of the psychology books she’d brought along, but moving seemed counterproductive to the exhaustion creeping into her bones. The warm bath she’d taken had been shallow and had lasted just long enough to get the smell of smoke out of her hair without getting her stitches wet.

The car hummed smoothly beneath her and her lids got heavy as she gazed at the dark stubble on Troy’s jaw. It had been a long day for him too. A surreal lifetime had passed in the twenty-four hours since they’d fallen into her bed. No wonder she was tired. She’d hardly slept at all last night. Mmm, last night...kissing him...touching him...

* * *

“Julie.” Troy’s low voice woke her and she blinked open heavy eyes. “We’re here,” he said. He’d opened the door at her feet and leaned in. “I’m going in to register. I didn’t want you to wake up and get scared.”

She sat up. “We can’t be here already?” She looked around at the flashing lights that definitely screamed Las Vegas.

Troy lifted a dark eyebrow. “You passed out before we got to the freeway in L.A.” He shrugged. “And I made good time.”

Julie squinted her eyes and looked at her watch. “Three and half hours? Are you kidding me? I’ve never made it to Vegas in that time.”

“I’ve got a talent.” He grinned and her pulse quickened like it did every time he smiled at her that way. She wouldn’t have minded if he kissed her again, but he backed out of the car. “Stay here. I want to keep you under wraps. I’ll come get you after I check us in.” He closed the door and strode to the lobby of what had to be a one-star hotel. If that. The man definitely planned to keep a low profile. He came back a few minutes later, started the car and drove around to the back row of outside-facing rooms. He parked in front of the room, but a driveway close by led to the street. Had he done that in case they needed to make a quick getaway?

“Um...you know,” she said, keeping her tone neutral as he grabbed his bag and one of hers from the trunk, “I usually stay at the Venetian when I’m here.”

“Yeah? Nice place.” He pointed to the room in front of them. “This is us. Room 113.”

“Have you been there? To the Venetian?” she asked.

“Yep. A couple of times.” He unlocked the door as she gimped her way up the sidewalk.

Of course there was no way he’d allow them to stay at any of the posh hotels in town. She’d be recognized instantly. Realistically, she’d probably be recognized anywhere they went, but she understood his attempt to keep a low profile. Still, it was fun to bust him. “I can pay, you know. I didn’t plan on you footing the bill just because it was your idea to get me out of town.” Thinking about being out of town made her remember something that hadn’t crossed her mind until this second. She stopped. “Oh, my God.”

Troy turned and scanned the parking lot. “What?”

“What about your job? You can’t just leave Ari for two weeks without any notice. He’ll fire you.”

“I already quit.”

Julie’s mouth dropped open and she all but felt the blood drain from her head. “You what? You can’t quit. When did you quit? I won’t let you quit. That’s your job. What were you thinking?”

He moved right in front of her. So close she smelled the last traces of his spicy aftershave. “I was thinking that someone’s trying to kill you...” He ran his hand through her hair, cupped her head. His heat, his strength sent an instant mass of tingles down her back. “...and I’m not going to give them another chance.” He gazed down at her as she licked her lips in anticipation of his kiss. Instead, he jerked his head toward the room. “Chop chop. You’re wasting time.”

She didn’t move a muscle except to narrow her eyes. “Did you just tell me to ‘chop chop’?”

He grinned and she hated that he was having so much fun, except he was so absolutely gorgeous it was worth it.

A car zoomed into the lot and Troy moved in front of her, all traces of humor gone. The new arrival parked right next to them and a couple staggered out.

“C’mon, Irma Jean, get in the room,” Troy said to her.

Irma
Jean
?

The couple barely glanced at them until Julie lost her balance on a crack in the sidewalk because her crutch landed funny. Troy dropped a bag and caught her, righted her.

The woman waiting for her drunk boyfriend to open the next door got a closer look at Julie. She didn’t have on any of the disguises they’d discussed before the trip started. Not even a baseball cap. “Hey, you know who you look like?”

Troy opened his mouth, but Julie beat him to it. “Yeah. I get that all the time. Reneé Zellweger.” Her old—now new—hair color was just enough to throw people off and if these two had been at the pool or in a casino, they may not have seen the news all day.

“Who?” the woman said, crinkling up her nose. “No, I was thinking of...what’s her name?” She smacked her boyfriend in the back just as he finally got his key card to work. He opened the door and looked at her. “You know...the one in that race car movie,” she said. “She had that TV show for years. You hated that show, remember?”

“You can’t please all the people all the time,” Julie stoically informed Troy under her breath.

Troy was tired of playing games. “Irma Jean, get in the room. I’m not going to tell you again.”

So, he wanted to role play, did he? She was a professional. May as well try out that southern accent she’d been working on. “Okay, Billy Joe Bob, I’m goin’. Quit being such a pain in the ass. G’night, y’all. Have a nice evenin’.” Even though it was nearly three in the morning.

Troy quickly closed the door behind them and flipped on a light. The odor of strong cleanser didn’t quite mask the stale scent of the room. Dark maroon carpeting covered the floor and navy comforters blanketed the beds. Troy tossed his duffel bag on the chair in the corner and her suitcase on the luggage stand next to the dresser. The furniture barely fit in the small space. She hadn’t even considered the possibility of two rooms, but looking at two double beds made her wonder if that’s all they’d had available or if he didn’t want a repeat performance of last night.

“For your own safety, I think you should avoid interacting with people.”

Julie faced him. “So, I’m supposed to cower and hide for the next two weeks even though I’m not anywhere near someone who wants to kill me.”

“I didn’t say cower. Hiding isn’t bad.” He looked stone-cold serious.

Suddenly all the fight drained out of her. She dropped her bag on the dresser, yanked her pillow from his arms and tossed it on the bed closest to the door.

He snagged it up just as quickly. “You’re in this bed.” He lofted the pillow on the bed deeper in the room.

“Because...?” She really wanted to hear this answer.

“Because if someone tries to get in I’m closer to the door.”

“You don’t honestly think someone’s going to come after us, do you? I mean, it’s not as if anyone followed us to Vegas. I’m assuming you would’ve realized if someone had been following you. Especially since you drove here at the speed of light.”

That got her another smile. “Let’s just get in the habit, okay? Make me happy.”

She thought she’d made him happy last night, but maybe not if he seriously expected them to sleep in two different beds tonight. It was like taking a shot to the solar plexus. He got her right where it counted. Her self-esteem.

She took an unsteady step toward the bed and the pressure on her thigh made it scream in pain.

Without missing a beat, Troy snatched her up in his arms and laid her down on her bed. “I’ll get the pain meds the doctor gave you.” He rooted through her pack and came out with the prescription bottle.

Julie hated taking anything, but she swallowed the pill with a few chugs from a bottle of water Troy handed her. The doctor had told her to stay ahead of the pain and since this was still day one, she saw no reason to ignore that order. “You sure thought of everything,” she said to avoid talking about the giant sex elephant in the room. “Water, snacks, my pillow and blanket. You probably have a quartet stuffed in your bag too...you know, for a little ambiance music.”

“No quartets.” He bracketed her with strong arms once she made herself comfortable against the headboard. “Look, I know this place isn’t the Ritz.”

“Or the Venetian,” she deadpanned.

“Or the Venetian,” he repeated. “But you know if you’re spotted, then the word is out and all this is for nothing. I’m not letting this guy get to you.” His words landed with definite promise in the quiet room. He looked so serious, so intent.

She stroked her thumb lightly down his cheek. “Why are you doing this? Going so far out of your way for me.” Maybe she wasn’t the only one who felt the connection between them, but the wall he’d erected still had her wondering if he wanted mental distance. She had offered him a job, so maybe he’d just changed his mind and forgot to tell her. That kind of made sense on a weird,
I
haven’t
exactly
hired
you
level.

“I like you.” He said the words simply. Softly. His gaze roamed from her eyes to her mouth and back to her eyes. “When you called today. When I heard the panic in your voice, I...”

He looked away.

“You what?” she whispered. She had to know.

He met her gaze. “I freaked out. I know I don’t have any rights to you or hold over you after one night, but I still panicked. If I can do something that’s going to keep you alive, then I’m going to do it. If that means keeping you under wraps and going underground then I’m going to do that too.”

She wanted to kiss him so bad. Wanted to feel his arms around her and forget the horror of the day. “Are you really going to sleep in that bed over there?” She saw no reason to skate around the subject anymore.

He looked straight into her eyes. “Where else would I sleep?”

“Seriously?” she asked. “You want an engraved invitation? Because I’m fresh out at the moment. Of course, we are in Vegas and we can probably get anyth—”

He kissed her. Not hard, but just enough to shut her up. His lips moved tenderly over hers and memories from last night lit her up like a Roman candle. Warmth spread from her stomach to her chest and fanned up to her face. He could turn her into a ball of fire with a simple kiss.

Julie snaked her hands around his neck and raked her fingers through his hair. It felt so good to taste his tongue against hers, to feel the heat of his mouth. He tasted salty like the party mix snacks he’d swiped from her pantry. He cupped her face in his hands and pulled away.

“I accept the invitation,” he whispered. “I just need a minute in the bathroom and I’ll be right out.”

Relief seeped through her sore muscles and she relaxed against the headboard. She should probably go to the bathroom too and get ready for bed, but she was so tired and she didn’t want to lose any extra time with Troy. The warm glow of his kiss still lingered on her lips and she snuggled deeper into the bed. She could go take her turn in the bathroom after they had wild monkey sex. She grinned as he disappeared behind the door.

Chapter Fourteen

Troy barely spent five minutes in the tiny bathroom. He hated this place almost as much as he hated taking Julie away from everyone and everything she loved. Sure, it was for a good reason, and if he thought he could get away with setting her up at the Venetian, he’d have done it in a heartbeat, but they both knew better. Had she said one thing about the shithole he’d picked for them? Not a word. How much did he appreciate
that
? When he came out, the sight of her stopped him cold. She’d pulled the comforter over herself and fallen fast asleep sitting up. He pulled down the covers on the other side of the bed, then gently slipped her between the cool sheets before lifting the blankets over her again. She didn’t stir one bit.

She’d had a hell of day; no wonder she’d passed out. The three-plus hours in the car had only been the tip of the iceberg. Guilt already reared up and bit him in the ass because he planned on waking her up early to hit the road before the traffic got too ugly.

He looked from her bed to the empty bed and back again. Sex had been out of the question even if she’d been awake. He wouldn’t risk opening the stitches on her thigh, and judging from her enthusiasm last night, that was a real possibility. The way she’d wrapped those gorgeous legs around his hips and rose to meet him with every hard thrust...

Damn. His hard-on grew as the memories flashed in his mind. The way she held his head steady when he tasted her. The way she moaned his name and begged him to quit teasing her. Sixty-nine.

Troy looked up to the chipped paint on the ceiling and exhaled hard. This was going to be the longest fucking road trip of his entire life.

No, he couldn’t have sex with her now and probably not in the near future. The sooner his dick got used to the idea, the better off he would be. But that didn’t change the fact that she hadn’t wanted to be alone. She needed someone. Needed comforting because her world had been tossed upside down.

Like the patsy he was, he climbed into her bed, rolled onto his side and pulled her close against his chest. She made that sound he loved so much, the little purr in her throat that made his pulse quicken. He breathed in the fresh smell of her shampoo and scent of her skin. He willed his dick to stay down. No such luck. But having her safe in his arms was what finally made him relax enough to sleep.

Voices outside woke him up and he blinked awake in the dark room. Clock said five-twenty. Ten minutes before his watch alarm would’ve gone off. Julie’s hand cupped his over her breast and the hard-on he’d gone to sleep with begged for morning action. Troy eased away from a warm Julie and peeked through the heavy curtains. The neighbors on the other side were just coming in.

Welcome to Vegas.

Since he could kiss his gym goodbye for the next couple of weeks, he hit the carpet and pumped out alternate sets of fifty pushups and fifty crunches. An hour later, he showered and got dressed, letting Julie grab as much sleep as she could before he rousted her out of bed.

The cuts on her face still looked bright against her pale complexion. He wanted to get his hands on the asshole that hurt her and break every bone in his body.

Troy knelt next to the bed and stroked his thumb across her cheekbone. “Julie,” he whispered. “Wake up, sweetheart.”

Her eyes fluttered open. “Hmm? I’m up. What time is it?” Her husky voice had a new level of sexy that arrowed straight to his groin. She took in his clothes. “Are you going somewhere?”

“We’re going. It’s almost seven. I want to get on the road. You can sleep in the car just like last night.”

“I don’t get a shower?” she complained.

“You rinsed down at your place last night. Besides, you can’t shower with the stitches. How about I give you twelve minutes in the bathroom to do what you need to do. I’ll go get us some doughnuts and coffee and check out, and we can hit the road.”

“Gee. Twelve whole minutes. You’re a real stand-up guy.”

He grinned at the delivery, loved her sense of humor. “I try.”

She leveled narrow eyes at him. “Fifteen and you’ve got a deal.”

“I can live with that.” He kissed her forehead and pulled back. “You need some help getting up?”

“Pft. No,” she said as she threw the covers off, but her first move to get out of bed brought a grimace to her face. She needed a pain pill.

Troy ignored her words and helped her up anyway. He handed her the crutches that she’d placed at the bedside. “You can wash down your antibiotic and pain meds with the coffee. I’ll be fast.” Although he felt relatively sure they were safe, he didn’t want her out of his sight. The coffee shop across the street had everything he needed and he could be back in minutes.

“Can you get me a chai instead of coffee if they have it? Otherwise, coffee is fine.”

“Got it.” He watched her hobble to the bathroom and every possessive cell inside him screamed with fury. Tamping down his anger, Troy jogged to the coffee shop and got an assortment of doughnuts, a coffee for him and chai for Julie.

He brought back everything and knocked on the bathroom door to make sure she was okay. Her curt “I’m fine!” made him grin.

After checking out, he went back to the room. Julie had changed into black yoga pants and a white form-fitting strappy top that showed off the soft curves of her figure. With her thick blond hair up in a ponytail, she looked like a college student. He was glad to see some color in her cheeks too.

She’d already dug into the breakfast bag and had white powder on her lips from the frosted doughnut.

“Hey, I wanted that one,” he said with just the right amount of pout.

“You snooze, you lose. Sorry, pal.” She took another gigantic bite and Troy held back the urge to smile. He couldn’t remember wanting to smile so much.

He shuffled through the outside pocket of her bag where he’d tossed her meds yesterday. “Here,” he said, tapping out a pill from each bottle. “Wash these down with your tea.”

“You know you’re not my keeper, right? I’m perfectly capable of taking these without your help.”

“Yeah. I know.” He nodded and took a step back. Why was he so freaked out when it came to this woman? Why did he feel so off balance around her? Because she wasn’t what he expected in a superstar? Because her unique beauty and personality hit him square in the chest and made him want something he couldn’t have?

Julie’s cell phone rang and interrupted the silence. Troy stopped her from punching the talk button.

“Just so we’re on the same page. No one knows where we are or where we’re going and it stays that way.”

She lifted the phone, showed him the screen. “This is Cal. I can tell my best friend where I am. Besides,
I
don’t even know where I’m going.”

Troy shook his head. “Not your best friend, not your mother, not anyone. What if our guy decides he wants the information and picks up one of them?”

Julie’s face went ashen and it was all Troy could do to keep from smacking himself in the head. Not the right thing to say at this moment in time.

“You think this guy will go after my mom or Cal or someone who knows me?” She tossed the medication bottles in her bag. “That’s it. We’re going home. If my leaving puts them in just as much danger as it does when I’m there, then I may as well stay.”

The phone quit ringing and Troy stopped her, pulled her in front of him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I doubt it will happen. My point is I don’t want to take the chance. All it takes is one person to spill it to the
wrong
person and if word gets out then...” He let the sentence dangle.

“I just can’t stand that people are getting hurt because of...” She couldn’t finish her sentence and tears pooled in her eyes.

“I know.” He pulled her against him and held tight, took in the sweet smell of her. “I know.”

But honestly, he didn’t know jack shit. Someone could hurt her, a relative or a friend. Someone could be following them right now, waiting for the exact right moment to pounce. Troy concentrated on Julie and her safety. It was the only thing he could do.

* * *

Julie slept another two hours in the car, then after a phone call to the detectives on the case, who told her they had exactly
nothing
, she started reading one of her three psychology books. She didn’t say anything to Troy. She didn’t know
what
to say. The farther she got from home, the more worried she became for her friends and family.

Would someone really hurt the people she loved just to find her? It didn’t seem real. This whole scenario seemed out of left field. She had to believe that leaving town kept everyone safer than if she stayed. Her mother was the perfect example.

“How about we stop for some lunch,” Troy said from the driver’s seat.

“Whatever.” She wasn’t very hungry, mainly because when she worried she didn’t eat.

“There’s a diner about thirty miles away,” he said.

“Where are we anyway?” she asked, glancing outside. The desert terrain from hours ago had morphed into a forest of thick green pine trees and cooler air.

“Utah,” Troy said.

She’d gone skiing in Park City once and she’d always planned to come back. She never would’ve guessed her return trip would be like this.

Julie closed the book in her hands. She could barely focus on the medical and psychological jargon used in the text. She reached into her bag and pulled out Ari’s script. Another half hour would give her a chance to make notes in the first act. This script had held her attention from page one. A psychological thriller. Funny how the timing of this movie should work out with the turn her life had taken.

Maybe that explained why she fidgeted with her utensils and napkin at the table in the diner. Maybe now wasn’t the time to be reading about all the psychoses that triggered people to do crazy, unjustifiable acts. What she needed to know for the upcoming role was why seemingly normal people let other people decide their life, their fate. Was it chemical, hormonal, or was it simply the need to please beyond all reason? The research for the movie inadvertently turned into an expedition on finding why someone might be after her, but so far she’d come up empty.

The small eatery buzzed at half capacity. A toddler cried two tables away and three boisterous truckers sat at the counter and kept each other laughing. The smell of fresh-baked apple pie had Julie’s mouth watering.

Troy leaned forward, his voice low. “Want to talk about it?” He’d been so sweet this whole trip even when she’d been a pain in the ass. It wasn’t his fault that someone wanted her dead.

She shrugged and met his gaze as she scratched at the itch under her stupid brown wig. “What’s to talk about? I’m worried about everyone I left behind.” She’d already made a second call to the police, who still had nothing to tell her.

“I know. I don’t blame you.” He leaned forward, his forearms on the table. He had big hands. She remembered all the things he’d done to her with those hands. “I shouldn’t have said what I did. I do believe that they’re safe. I also think that it’s really important to keep your location top secret.”

“A need-to-know basis, huh?” She leaned forward too and lifted an eyebrow. “It seems pretty dramatic if you ask me.”

He scanned the restaurant behind her, then leveled her with hard, serious eyes. “The shooting at the Sporties wasn’t dramatic? The sniper at the party and that car bomb at your house weren’t dramatic?”

Point made. “Touché.” She studied him, wanted to take his hands in hers, but didn’t. “When exactly did you quit working for Ari?”

He didn’t answer immediately. He just twirled the pepper shaker. “Does it matter?”

“Yeah. It does.” She had so many questions for this man, but this one topped the list.

“Right after you called me when the bomb exploded.” He didn’t bat an eye.

She processed this. “You just dropped him off, said, ‘I quit’ and came to me.”

“Something like that.”

Julie leaned back as the server set down her salad. The college-age girl kept a shy gaze on Troy, which didn’t surprise Julie since he filled out his navy T-shirt with broad shoulders and a muscled chest. Her glance at Julie turned into a double take. Julie knew the look well. “Billy Joe Bob, if I catch you lookin’ at another woman again, I’m gonna hit you so hard your mama’s gonna feel it.”

Troy’s brows lifted and Julie mirrored the move. He glanced at the server staring at her and caught on like the astute man he was. “Now, calm down, Irma Jean. I’m not staring at anybody. You know I love you, sugarplum.”

Her lips curved in a half smile and she glanced at the waitress, who finished setting Troy’s burger in front of him. “Let me give you some advice, Ginny,” Julie said, reading the girl’s nametag. “You can only trust a man about as far as you can throw him.” She shook her head. “It just ain’t enough.”

Ginny gave her a weak smile and bustled away. The toddler finally stopped crying when his mother handed him a glass of milk.

“Having fun?” Troy asked before taking a bite from his burger.

“Not especially. I still think she might figure it out. Ask me if I care.” She stuffed her fork with wilted lettuce and stuck it in her mouth. Nothing like diner food. She washed it down with weak iced tea. “So you quit working for Ari. Does this mean I’ve hired you? I mean I know I offered the other night and I was serious, but it’s not like I even know what Ari was paying you. Not that I can’t match it or beat it, but I should probably know what I’m going to be paying you.” Boy, none of that came out the way she wanted it to. Jeez.

“I’m not on your payroll,” he growled before taking another bite of his lunch.

“Why not?”

He raised a hand in the air as if she should know the answer to that question. When he finally swallowed his bite, he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I slept with you,” he whispered fiercely. “I’m not taking your money. I’d feel like you were paying me for...for...”

“For services rendered?” She worked to keep a smile off her face.

“Yes,” he said sharply.

Maybe things were looking up. She liked the taste of victory. It sure beat the salad she was trying to force down. “So...if I’m not paying you, does that mean we’re still sleeping together?” At his deer-in-the-headlights expression she continued, “I’ll take that as a maybe.”