safe.
“What happens now?” Gabrielle asked.
Houston knew she wasn’t talking about the drive. “I go in and meet my son.”
She drew in a long breath. “Then what?”
He considered several possible answers but settled for “Then we talk.”
Gabrielle blinked and eased her head in his direction. “Talk?”
Houston nodded and left it at that. Best not to bring up the whole subject of custody. He only wanted to focus on Lucas right now.
When Houston was certain they weren’t being followed, he pulled into the parking lot of the Starlight Inn and stopped.
“Lucas is really here?” he asked Gabrielle.
“He’s really here,” she confirmed.
Houston looked at her. The emotion was still there, etched on her face. But something else was there, too.
That damn attraction simmering just below the surface.
He just couldn’t get his mind off those brown eyes. Or that full mouth. Sheez. No woman should be allowed to have a mouth like that. It was a mouth that reminded him of kissing and other things he shouldn’t want to do with her.
What the devil was wrong with him?
He couldn’t let attraction or anything else play into this. The stakes were way too high for him to be thinking with any part of his body other than his brain.
“What?” she questioned. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
But Houston didn’t even attempt to answer her question. He opened the car door and got out. “Which room?”
Gabrielle got out, as well, and walked to a room on the ground floor. All the rooms had exterior entrances, which meant they didn’t have to go through a lobby.
She stopped in front of room 112 and lifted her hand as if she were about to knock, but then she stopped and stared at him.
“This is just a visit, understand,” Gabrielle said. It wasn’t a question. “You’ll see him for a few minutes, and then you’ll leave.”
Not a chance. But Houston kept that to himself.However, there was something he needed to clarify. “Why did you bring me here? Why didn’t you just try to run again?”
She glanced away, paused. “I wanted to run and get as far away from you as possible,” she admitted, “but after what happened with that black car today, I don’t think I can outrun the danger, the cops, your father and you all at the same time. Right now, you’re the lesser of the four evils, because at least I don’t believe you’re trying to hurt me or arrest me. Not yet, anyway,” she added, in a mumble.
“I have no intention of hurting you,” he promised. But kissing her and trying to protect her, well, that was a different story.
“Maybe not physically, but you and I both know you’re in a position to destroy me. I can delay that. I can fight it. But I can’t stop you from trying.”
She didn’t wait for him to respond to that heart-wrenching admission. Gabrielle gave three short knocks on the door. “It’s me,” she said, still looking over her shoulder.
Houston glanced over his, as well, and he heard someone undoing the locks. His heart rate and breathing instantly sped up, but he tried to rein in his emotions in case this was some kind of trick. He still wasn’t convinced that Gabrielle had led him to the right place.
The petite Hispanic woman who opened the door was middle-aged, with graying black hair and wide brown eyes. Those eyes first went to him and then Gabrielle. She gripped on to the door as if she might slam it shut.
“It’s okay,” Gabrielle assured her, but her tone wasfar from reassuring. “This is Houston Sadler. Houston, this is Lucas’s nanny, Lily Rose Torres.”
“Houston Sadler?” the woman repeated, with a gasp. “Why is he with you?”
“I had no choice but to bring him here,” Gabrielle explained, in a whisper. “It’s all right. Let him in.” She moved past the nanny and into the room.
For a moment, Houston thought that Lily Rose might ignore Gabrielle’s request and try to block him from entering, but the nanny finally stepped aside and
“What happens now?” Gabrielle asked.
Houston knew she wasn’t talking about the drive. “I go in and meet my son.”
She drew in a long breath. “Then what?”
He considered several possible answers but settled for “Then we talk.”
Gabrielle blinked and eased her head in his direction. “Talk?”
Houston nodded and left it at that. Best not to bring up the whole subject of custody. He only wanted to focus on Lucas right now.
When Houston was certain they weren’t being followed, he pulled into the parking lot of the Starlight Inn and stopped.
“Lucas is really here?” he asked Gabrielle.
“He’s really here,” she confirmed.
Houston looked at her. The emotion was still there, etched on her face. But something else was there, too.
That damn attraction simmering just below the surface.
He just couldn’t get his mind off those brown eyes. Or that full mouth. Sheez. No woman should be allowed to have a mouth like that. It was a mouth that reminded him of kissing and other things he shouldn’t want to do with her.
What the devil was wrong with him?
He couldn’t let attraction or anything else play into this. The stakes were way too high for him to be thinking with any part of his body other than his brain.
“What?” she questioned. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
But Houston didn’t even attempt to answer her question. He opened the car door and got out. “Which room?”
Gabrielle got out, as well, and walked to a room on the ground floor. All the rooms had exterior entrances, which meant they didn’t have to go through a lobby.
She stopped in front of room 112 and lifted her hand as if she were about to knock, but then she stopped and stared at him.
“This is just a visit, understand,” Gabrielle said. It wasn’t a question. “You’ll see him for a few minutes, and then you’ll leave.”
Not a chance. But Houston kept that to himself.However, there was something he needed to clarify. “Why did you bring me here? Why didn’t you just try to run again?”
She glanced away, paused. “I wanted to run and get as far away from you as possible,” she admitted, “but after what happened with that black car today, I don’t think I can outrun the danger, the cops, your father and you all at the same time. Right now, you’re the lesser of the four evils, because at least I don’t believe you’re trying to hurt me or arrest me. Not yet, anyway,” she added, in a mumble.
“I have no intention of hurting you,” he promised. But kissing her and trying to protect her, well, that was a different story.
“Maybe not physically, but you and I both know you’re in a position to destroy me. I can delay that. I can fight it. But I can’t stop you from trying.”
She didn’t wait for him to respond to that heart-wrenching admission. Gabrielle gave three short knocks on the door. “It’s me,” she said, still looking over her shoulder.
Houston glanced over his, as well, and he heard someone undoing the locks. His heart rate and breathing instantly sped up, but he tried to rein in his emotions in case this was some kind of trick. He still wasn’t convinced that Gabrielle had led him to the right place.
The petite Hispanic woman who opened the door was middle-aged, with graying black hair and wide brown eyes. Those eyes first went to him and then Gabrielle. She gripped on to the door as if she might slam it shut.
“It’s okay,” Gabrielle assured her, but her tone wasfar from reassuring. “This is Houston Sadler. Houston, this is Lucas’s nanny, Lily Rose Torres.”
“Houston Sadler?” the woman repeated, with a gasp. “Why is he with you?”
“I had no choice but to bring him here,” Gabrielle explained, in a whisper. “It’s all right. Let him in.” She moved past the nanny and into the room.
For a moment, Houston thought that Lily Rose might ignore Gabrielle’s request and try to block him from entering, but the nanny finally stepped aside and
Similar Books
