Heartless Rebel by Lynn Raye Harris Page B

at the room. It was time to go, time to get a taxi to the
train station. She didn’t have the luxury to remember Jack’s nude body, his raw
male beauty and power. She only need step through the door and close it behind
her and Jack Wolfe would be a memory.
                 Resolutely,
she did just that. The hotel reminded her a bit of one of those cheap chain
motels in the States, an industrial box of a building close to the autoroute.
She looked at the traffic moving on the highway and imagined Jack was several
miles away by now. He wasn’t thinking of her anymore. He was thinking of home
and how long it would take him to get there.
                 She
hoped he would be okay, that he wouldn’t push himself too hard when he was
still recovering. Maybe she should have gone along with him, if only to drive
him to his destination. What would another day or two matter? Perhaps Bobby’s
temper would have cooled even more by then.
                 Cara
walked toward the front office. Jack was gone and that was the end of it. She
would ask the desk clerk to call a taxi for her and then she, too, would be on
her way.
                 Before
she reached the office, however, a familiar engine revved and she turned as
Jack whipped into the parking lot and stopped beside her. Ridiculously, her
heart leaped into her throat. Why was she so happy to see him?
                 “I
have an idea,” he said, that delightful accent rolling over her, making her
shiver.
                 “I’m
listening,” she replied, keeping her voice as cool as possible in spite of her
pounding pulse.
                 “I
have to go to a wedding in a couple of days and I need a date.” Cara frowned.
“You want me to be your date?”
                 “I’ll
pay you. And I’ll make sure you get your passport and bank cards back.”
                 She
was conscious of the cash he’d given her burning a hole in her pocket. “But why
would you want to pay me to go to a wedding with you?”
                 He
raked a hand through his dark hair. He looked tousled, sexy, and she found
herself wanting to repeat the motion with her own fingers. No way on earth did
this man need to pay for a date.
                 “You
need a job, I need a date. Seems the perfect solution.”
                 She
stiffened as her throat felt suddenly tight with emotion. He thought she was
the kind of woman who needed money so badly that she would do anything to get
it. “I’m sure you know plenty of willing partners who don’t need to be paid.”
                 She
felt cheap, dirty, disappointed in a way she hadn’t when he’d given her the
five hundred euros to get home. Now he was offering to pay her, as if she were
a professional escort. It hurt.
                 She
took the money from her pocket and thrust it at him. “I’m not for sale, Jack. I
told you that before.”
                 Jack
groaned. “Cara, for God’s sake, I’m trying to help you. Whatever bonus Bobby
was planning to give you, I’ll double it.”
                 “How
can you say that? You have no idea how much—”
                 “So
tell me.”
                 “Twenty-five
thousand,” she ground out, certain he would laugh in her face at the sum.
                 He
shrugged. “Fine, we’ll make it fifty, then. What do you say?”
                 Cara’s
lungs refused to work. He couldn’t be serious. And yet—
                 My
God, she’d be able to take care of everything ,
be able to pay off the remaining debt on the house, pay the insurance premiums
and make sure that Mama never had to worry again. Remy could get the extra
therapy he needed without Mama sacrificing so much to do it. Evie could have a
normal life.
                 Did
it really matter if her pride stung or if it