Mine to Hold (17 page)

No, it didn’t look like anyone would come here voluntarily.

Tyler opened the door and stepped inside, body taut, eyes watchful. He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Wait by the vending machine. Keep your back to the guy behind the counter. We don’t need witnesses or security cameras.”

She didn’t argue, just filed in behind him, head down, and made her way to the soda machine humming in the corner. Within a few minutes, Tyler had secured them a room. He grabbed her arm and led her back to the car.

“Good news. Our room is upstairs. There are two nearby stairwells that lead to the parking lot, a service elevator next door, along with roof access from the balcony. If Carlson is coming, I don’t think he’ll be able to muster enough guys to block four escape routes before we can blow this joint.”

Del nodded gratefully. She would have chosen a nice hotel in the middle of a tourist area, hoping to blend in. She would have never considered where the parking lot was situated in relation to the road or how many escape routes the room might have.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You’re not going to like our accommodations.” With a nod, he ushered her inside, then locked the door behind him.

As she looked around, her stomach tightened. “There’s only one bed.”

One lumpy, king-sized bed decorated with a vinyl tufted headboard, cracked with age, and a turquoise bedspread with bright yellow flowers. Cheap wicker furniture that had seen better days, a fading mural of palm trees along the bathroom wall, and cracked off-white tile flooring rounded out the look.

“To get the bonus safety features I mentioned, we had to compromise.”

She scowled. “I’m not sleeping with you.”

“Yeah, you are, at least next to me, where I can keep you safe. We’ll decide about sex later. My vote is yes because I’m done tiptoeing around the fact that I want you damn bad. I’m pretty sure this is the only chance I’ll have to convince you that something about us works, so if I have to be ruthless . . .” He shrugged. “I have no problem with that.”

Del’s jaw dropped. She should be pissed off. And she was trying to be. But she found something so compelling about Tyler’s desire. He wanted her and he refused to deny it. She couldn’t refute the ache flaring in her again. She hadn’t missed sex in almost two years, and here he was, making her need and want it in a way she never had.

“For now, I’m going to take a quick shower. Call to check on Seth, if you’d like.” He tossed her his phone. “When I get done, we need to find some dinner, buy a few supplies, and exchange our car again. Xander will call to set it up.”

With that, he disappeared into the bathroom. Del sank onto the bed, disquiet dawning. Tyler had never come after her with all his seductive prowess. For years, she’d watched him turn it on other women, always somewhere between envious and grateful. As much as she wanted him now, resistance was going to be brutally difficult.

Was it worth the effort when they’d only be together for a few days? Whatever he said, Tyler would likely go his separate way when this mess was over. Instead of pushing him away, maybe she should seize the opportunity to feel like a woman again, to feel loved, put closure to this chapter of her life.

Biting her lip as she considered the question, she turned Tyler’s phone over in her hands and opened his contact list. She scrolled and scrolled and scrolled. Lots of females, first name that usually sounded artificial and overtly sexual with a phone number only. Jazmine, Krystal, Angelique, Chastity—yeah, right—and even a Lexxxie. Del rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the jealousy blazing through her. Tyler wasn’t hers, and he never would be. She couldn’t afford to lose sight of that fact.

Finally, she came across Alyssa’s contact info and dialed. The woman answered almost right away. “Hey, Ty. Figure your shit out yet?”

“It’s not Tyler.”

“Delaney? Hi.”

“Hi.” She didn’t want to resent the woman he called friend, that he’d clearly wanted—and slept with?—at some point. The woman now watching over her son. But she couldn’t help it. “How’s Seth?”

“Great. Kimber brought Caleb over to play with Chloe and Seth. They are having a great time. Magically, she’s keeping the boys from fighting. He seems really happy. He misses you at bedtime, but we’ve all done our best to comfort him.”

Tears speared her eyes again. She’d been strong for so long, but one thought of Seth sad or in need brought her to the brink. That’s one thing she hadn’t seen coming before giving birth, the power of a mother’s love for her child. She’d never known anything so pure and unconditional. For that alone, she was so grateful to Tyler.

After they chatted for a minute, Delaney ended the call. If she and Tyler were going to have a plan before they reached their destination tomorrow, she needed up-to-date information.

Digging through her purse, she found the disposable phone she’d bought on the road and dialed Lisa, one of the paper’s investigative reporters. They’d been working together for just over a year. Lisa was wicked funny, but more importantly, she was razor sharp when it came to digging for dirt. That’s exactly what Delaney needed right now.

“Del, is that really you?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. I should be back in L.A. by tomorrow.”

“And Seth?” Lisa sounded all kinds of worried.

“Fine. I miss him, but he’s better off being out of town with friends. Tell me what I’ve missed.”

Lisa’s voice dropped. “The lid is about to blow here. If you have any intention of stopping Carlson, you better do it quickly. Rumor is, he’s got some shit on the DA. Apparently, the esteemed Mr. Reed likes to swing both ways, and Carlson is threatening to publish pictures of him and a barely legal boy together in a park. And they aren’t throwing a Frisbee.”

Shock doused Del. “Seriously? Mr. Family Values and Church?”

“Isn’t it always the ones you least suspect? But you haven’t heard the worst. It’s likely that Carlson will be appointed to replace him until the next election.”

Del nearly dropped the phone. “As sneaky as he is about getting positive press, it’s unlikely he wouldn’t be elected.”

“Bingo.”

“Oh my God.”

This changed everything. If she couldn’t get this story published before he became the district attorney, she feared he’d have too much power for her to take him down via a mere newspaper article. Hell, for all she knew, he could have her thrown in jail and Seth taken away.

Fear lashed her.

“How much time do I have?” Del whispered.

“A few days, maybe. A week at most. I’ve been staying on top of this for you, just like you asked. Sorry I don’t have better news.”

“Thanks for letting me know,” she said woodenly.

But Del’s thoughts raced. If she didn’t succeed, what would happen to her and Seth? Every time she turned around, Carlson proved all over again how ruthless he was. He’d already tried to have her killed more than once. She was the only one standing between him and power. He wasn’t going to stop.

“You sound rattled.”

To say the least. “Don’t worry about me. Just keep your ear to the ground.”

“What’s your next move?”

Del sighed. “I’ll have to try calling Eric again. I tried while I was heading out east. Somehow, I’ll have to explain that I hid part of my evidence on a flash drive and stashed it at his house.”

She hoped that conversation didn’t go badly. They’d managed some civil conversations since their divorce. If he had a new girlfriend and was getting laid, he enjoyed rubbing it in her face. If he wasn’t, well, Eric had proven during the divorce that he was fabulous at serving up a cocktail of acid and guilt. She’d known when she hid the flash drive at his house that she’d have to retrieve it sooner or later. She’d simply hoped that time would continue healing him, and they’d be on better speaking terms.

“Keep me posted. I think he’s been out of town. Newspapers are stacked in front of his house, at least when I drove by there on my way to work this morning to check for you.”

Maybe that explained why he hadn’t been answering when she called the house. At least she hoped that was all. She had to get back in the little Craftsman quickly. She’d simply sneak in again, but with everything going on, Eric had a right to know that someone might hit his house. But she also had to keep him and Tyler from coming to blows. Hmm. Maybe she should meet Eric by herself . . .

“Please let me know if you hear anything else.”

Lisa agreed, and they hung up.

And Del saw her future teetering on extinction. So much was riding on these next few days, her ability to navigate Eric, get this story written, and dodge killers. She thanked God that Seth was safe and away from the danger, but every moment she couldn’t talk to him, she worried something terrible was happening to him. If someone hurt him because of her . . . Guilt choked her.

Tears began to flow. God, she hated being weepy, but fear did that to her.

Del wished she could undo the day she’d confronted Carlson with everything she knew. She’d wanted to provoke him into admitting something. Be a hard-hitting investigative journalist. She’d been determined to show the world what ruthless scum he was.

Naïvely, she hadn’t counted on him being this violent, and now she and Seth might pay with their lives.

***

TYLER
emerged from the bathroom to see her set her phone aside. Then she dropped her face to her hands. Her shoulders shook with sobs. She was dead silent. Her pain was a blow to his gut.

“What’s wrong, angel? Is Seth all right?” He put a hand on her shoulder.

She jumped up and pressed a hand to her chest, quickly wiping away her tears. “He’s fine. It’s just that . . .”

Del stopped talking, her gaze grazing his face, then moving down his chest. The air conditioner kicked in, and he felt the rivulets of water cold on his skin. Once more, her gaze dropped to the little white towel wrapped around his hips. In the next instant, her cheeks flushed rosy. Her lips parted breathlessly.

His cock stood at attention. If she liked what she saw, Tyler wasn’t above using that to his advantage, but not until she calmed down.

“Don’t look at me like that, angel, unless you want me to accept that unspoken invitation and take you to bed. I’m trying to be a good guy here and find out why you’re upset.”

Del looked away, cleared her throat. “I was just talking to an investigative reporter I work with, Lisa. She helped me find you. She’s been keeping an eye on the situation in L.A. while I’ve been gone.”

Tyler stared. What the hell was she thinking? He didn’t want to yell and upset her more, but damn it. “Did you tell her where we are?”

“No, just that we’d be there tomorrow.”

Tyler breathed, trying to calm himself. “I know you’re trying to help, but I don’t like this. I know nothing about this woman.”

Del turned imploring eyes on him. “She’s my friend, I promise. You asked me to trust your friends. Now I’m asking for the same.”

“We should have discussed this first.”

“I’m trying my best.” The angry tears that stabbed her eyes only made him wince with pain. “There wasn’t time. At the end of the day, it’s
my
problem. And now we have a bigger issue. Carlson is about to be named district attorney.” She explained everything Lisa had divulged. “If I can’t take him down before that happens, he’s going to find a way to shut me up for good.”

Tyler wrapped his arms around her and dragged her against his chest. “I won’t let that happen. Do you hear me?”

“He’s got contacts everywhere and—” Tears overcame her again, and she swiped at them angrily.

“Aw, angel, don’t cry.” He brushed a tender hand down her hair, kissing the top of her head.

“I’m scared. I need to be strong, but . . .”

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “Lean on me.”

“You’re already done so much.”

In the last two years? No. The way he looked at it, even if he wasn’t crazy about her, he owed her like mad. The excuse of needing to pay up kept her close—a bonus that would buy him time with her.

“No worries. Whatever you need.”

She chewed on her bottom lip and looked at him with wary blue eyes that silently begged. “Hold me.”

He wrapped her up tighter, all but drowning in her sweet scent. “You got it.”

Tyler would love to do a whole lot more, but as upset as she was, now wasn’t the time.

Del placed a hand on his chest, then backed away to meet his gaze again. “Kiss me.”

His heart stopped. “You’re sure?”

Slowly, she nodded. His hormones flew off the chain.

She was fragile; he had to remember that. No tossing her to the bed and devouring her. No ravaging her lips, violating her pussy, or making her take every bit of the hunger he felt for her.

Fuck. How was he going to manage that? He knew a shitload about getting a girl off. Not so much about comfort. But for her, he’d do his best.

Taking hold of her shoulders gently, he let out a calming breath and cupped her face, resting his forehead to hers. “Angel . . .”

He laid his lips over hers, a soft press, a sharing of breath. Reverent. Connected. Tyler felt her all the way to his core. The moment was endless, effortless. He could simply breathe her in all night.