Let Me In by Callie Croix Page B

hands over the arms of his jacket she wore. He had the heat on high already to take some of the chill out of the cab.
She shook her head.
They were almost to her hotel when she spoke again. “Swear to me you won’t tell your family about this.” Her voice was low, strained.
What? He shot her a startled glance. “Tal, it’s nothing to be ashamed of—”
“Swear it, Liam. On your honor.”
He knew damn well if he didn’t she’d disappear the moment he let her out of the truck. And not just into her hotel room. The stubborn woman would vanish from his and his family’s lives entirely. He couldn’t stomach the thought. “All right. I swear.”
Apparently satisfied, she sat there stiffly until he pulled up in front of the lobby doors. “Thanks, for stepping in when you did. I couldn’t hold her anymore.”
He still couldn’t get the picture of them out of his head. Talia struggling to hold her enraged mother safely on the floor, her lip bleeding, face twisted with the kind of emotional pain he couldn’t even fathom. “No problem.” The woman had been a handful even for him to subdue without hurting her. As it was, she’d have bruises in the morning, but he’d had to be a hell of a lot rougher than he’d wanted. “What are you going to do now?”
“I don’t know.” She sounded exhausted. Lost. “Thanks for the ride.” Before he could stop her, she got out and slammed the door, started heading inside.
For a moment he sat there in stunned silence. Even after all that had happened, she thought she was going to face everything alone? No way in hell.
Cursing, he threw the truck into park then shut off the engine and ran after her, catching up on the second-floor staircase. The moment she saw him her shoulders stiffened. He could see the tear stains on her face as she tried to wipe them away. It felt like someone had sucker punched him in the diaphragm. “Tal.”
“Liam, no. I just want to be—”
“Alone? Forget it.” While her mouth dropped open, he snagged her hand and all but towed her up to her room. What kind of an asshole did she think he was, to let her deal with this by herself? If she’d made him swear not to tell his family, then he couldn’t call his sister in for backup, and that was fine by him. He wanted to be the one to comfort her, stand by her through this. Maybe that would get the message through her stubborn head that his feelings for her were more than physical. More so now than ever.
Inside her room she shut herself in the bathroom, so he ordered room service for them both. When she emerged with puffy eyes fifteen minutes later, dressed in a white robe, the soup and sandwiches were already waiting. He sat her down and forced her to eat the soup, then drink a cup of hot tea laced with sugar. Satisfied he’d taken care of her in at least some small way, he moved to the couch and waited for her to say something. She didn’t. Only poked the spoon around in her half-finished soup while she did her best to ignore him.
His temper simmered.
If she thought she could wait him out and make him leave, she was sorely mistaken. Talking wasn’t his strong point, and with Talia it always seemed to get him nowhere, so he decided to switch tactics. He was a man accustomed to action, completely comfortable with taking charge of any given situation. Right now, she needed to be held. Almost as much as he needed to be the one holding her.
Taking her by surprise when she rose from the small table, he tugged her down onto his lap on the couch and wrapped his arms around her. At first she was stiff, but after a few seconds she relaxed and turned into him, resting her cheek against his chest. He closed his eyes, enjoying the victory of that tiny surrender. Though she seemed pliant enough on the surface, he could sense something darker simmering beneath the surface. Anger, a pain she couldn’t—or wouldn’t—give voice to.
His cheek rested against her hair. So shiny and soft, smelling of green apples.