Page 10

Rhett called her name, his voice a tinny sound through the pulse pounding in her ears. “Talk to me.”

She stared at him over the top of his car, afraid the tears threatening would spill over any second. Blinking rapidly, she stifled a miserable groan. “Bachelor Number Three just checked in.”

Chapter Three

Whoever this guy was,he wasn’t welcome in Trina’s life. It might not be his place to make that decision permanently for her, but she was freaking out tonight. Rhett couldn’t walk away while she was so distraught.

Scenarios flooded his mind—none of them pleasant—that explained why her parents might not know anything about how much this guy upset her. But it stopped now.

“Is he waiting in the lobby?”

“No.” Her curls swayed as she shook her head. “Jacob messaged that he went up to his room.”

“Good.” Rhett resisted the urge to touch her. She looked so fragile. “Let’s get you home.”

He ignored the now-familiar tingling response in his fingertips. This wasn’t the time to face his highly-inconvenient attraction to her. They’d just gotten good at being civil. And of course, she’d reached that milestone first and with far more grace.

He took a step toward the Inn, but she remained frozen near the car. “I’m not sure I can do this,” she whispered.

He returned to her side. “You’re not alone, Trina.”

Her eyes were big and glossy as she looked up at him. “Rhett. I-I…”

“We can go somewhere else. To Harper,” he said, inspired. “She can meet us at the resort or downtown. Whatever you need.”

When her phone chimed again, he was tempted to smash the damned device. She checked the message, swiping away the tear that spilled down her cheek. “This is my home,” she stated. Her chin lifted. “I won’t be chased away.”

The defiance was a good sign, but he wasn’t comfortable leaving just yet. “Can I walk you in?”

“Please,” she said with feeling.

Rhett knew enough about hotels to avoid the public areas without any instruction from her. Her steps were brisk as they crossed the parking area and went in at the kitchen entrance. She greeted a couple of people as they passed, her smile wobbling only a little. From there, he easily located the service elevator. They rode up to her floor in silence.

Her steps were quick as she dashed down the hall to her door. He would’ve said good night right there and promised to check on her in the morning, but she pulled him inside.

“Can you stay?” She threw the main deadbolt, a u-lock, a second deadbolt, and two more sliding locks. One at the top of the door and one at the bottom. “Just for a minute. I know it’s an imposition.”

He wondered what maintenance had thought of that request. The extra locks and her nerves nearly broke his heart. She’d been through something terrible that left her scarred. Something she hid from the rest of the world. He was ready to charge out there and slay dragons for her. Anything to chase the fear and insecurity from her normally warm gaze.

“I’m here as long as you need me.” He tucked his hands in his pockets and looked around the suite she called home.

She turned from the door and dropped her keys in ashallow glass bowl on the stand. “This is it,” she said. “Would you like a drink?”

“Water is fine.”

“Okay. Good.” She scooted by him and into the kitchen. “Help yourself to the nickel tour.”

Just back from a tiled-floor entry, he stood in the main room, an open-concept space much like any other luxury hotel suite he’d visited through the years. Not too different from his own place at the Cove in Key West.

The light over the stove had been left on and a lamp with a stained-glass shade glowed on an end table near the couch. Everywhere he looked he saw her personality. Little touches of Trina showed in the warm bold colors and vibrant patterns where he’d expect to see a more neutral design choice.

A round table with generous seating for four served as her dining room. The table wasn’t hotel standard. Although the surface was scarred, when he touched it, the wood was silky under his fingertips. “Tell me about this table.” He met her gaze across the island that separated the kitchen from the rest of the space.

“Oh, sure.” She carried glasses of water for each of them. “It was my grandmother’s,” she replied. “Nonna insisted on shipping it to me when I landed this job.”

He drank half the water in his glass. Her affection for her grandmother struck him square in the heart. If they had anything in common, it was respect for their family heritage. “That’s thoughtful.”

“She sent some other things too. Including a set of everyday china.” She gestured to the kitchen cabinets behind her.