Page 10 of Hunted Temptation (Alpha Nights: Unlikely Heroes #4)

Chapter Nine

VAUGHN

Sleep evades me.

I’m not sure why I thought I would be able to close my eyes with this woman just a few feet away in the next bed, sound asleep. But here I am, not sleeping and staring at the ceiling.

I have never wanted to wrap my arms around another person in my entire life.

Cuddling is not my thing, except I want to do that with her. I want to pull her against my body. Feel her weight press against my side. I want to smell her. Taste her. Feel all of her, inside and out. I want it all, and I know I shouldn’t take it from her.

I shouldn’t touch her in any way.

Even though that’s all I want to do… touch and taste.

When my alarm sounds, I turn it off quickly and throw my legs over the side of the bed. Placing my feet flat on the floor, I wince at the rough carpet against my skin. We’re on day two of shit motel rooms.

I hate them.

I yearn for my own bed and my linen sheets. My own pillows. My own showerhead. My own everything, actually. Just a few more days. Just a few more days, and I can close my eyes in peace, knowing we’re both safe.

Boden and Hale haven’t given me any information on the pictures and license plate number I sent them, but I have a feeling they’re waiting until we get back.

They’re going to want every ounce of information on the woman lying beside me, like a couple of gossips.

And I can’t deny that if the tables were turned, I would want the same.

Standing from the bed, I make my way into the bathroom to take a quick shower, brush my teeth, and throw some clothes on. I’m not ready for another full day in the car, but I don’t really have a choice.

The only way we’re going to get back to Nights is by driving. Flying isn’t an option. Elodie doesn’t exist any longer. Therefore, she can’t get a plane ticket and fly across the country, not until I get a new identity worked out for her.

When I walk out of the bathroom, I smile at the sight of her. She’s still passed out cold. Seeing her eat, sleep, and smile is probably my favorite thing in the whole world. I’m acutely aware of the fact that every minute I’m in her presence, I fall deeper for her.

Making my way over to the nightstand, I grab my phone and put in a mobile order for coffee and some pastries. I usually do avocado toast and fried eggs for breakfast with a side of bacon, but I don’t really give a fuck about that today. I have a hankering for a blueberry crumble muffin.

No clue why, but I’m craving sugar and carbs. Maybe it’s because I can’t fuck and I’m looking for a way to feed that desire, so why not sugar and carbs? Whatever the reason, I need to get home and back to my routine.

“How are you awake?” a sleepy voice grumbles softly.

My lips curve up into a smile as my gaze swings over to her. I watch as one of her eyes cracks open, then the other. She pushes up, straightening her arms, and then shifts around so she’s sitting with her back against the headboard. I watch as she tugs the blankets up to her chest.

“Better get up. Coffees and breakfast will be ready for pickup in twenty minutes,” I announce.

Her eyes widen, her lips part, and she sucks in a deep breath. She shakes her head a couple of times, and then her eyes narrow on me, and her lips purse.

“Twenty minutes?” she hisses.

“Goldie,” I warn, “we gotta get on the road.”

She rolls her eyes to the ceiling, throws the blankets off her body, and slides her legs over the side of the bed before she stands up, letting out a sigh as she does.

Elodie seems tired, and I can’t blame her.

I feel the same way. This is an exhausting trip.

I have no doubt that all the shit that happened over the past few days is stressful.

“Did you get a vanilla latte with almond milk?” she asks

Laughing, I shake my head a couple of times as I look down at my shoes. Slowly, I lift my head and my eyes, focusing on her. “Yeah, Goldie. Same order as yesterday. You lactose?”

“Dairy-free, but not necessarily lactose intolerant. It’s the same order as always. The only thing I like there,” she mutters, wrinkling her nose before she shrugs a shoulder.

“Sensitivity,” I murmur. “Then that’s what you’ll get.”

She smiles, and I swear to fuck it pierces my heart.

The sight of her is almost too much. She’s just so beautiful.

And I know I shouldn’t desire her the way I do.

It’s wrong. She’s been through hell, and she deserves to be able to choose whomever she wants, and it shouldn’t be someone fourteen years older than her.

It shouldn’t be someone as damaged as me.

It should be someone who is healthy, who hasn’t seen and done the things I have. Who hasn’t lived the life I’ve lived. No matter how many times I tell myself that, I continue to think about her, to ache for her.

As I pack up the few things we brought into the room, I can’t help but think about the future, about her future. I want Elodie to find her happiness.

She deserves it.

The water begins running behind the bathroom door and turns off less than five minutes later. A few moments after that, she walks out of the steamy room, and her eyes find mine.

She’s dressed much as she has been the past two days. Tight running shorts and a tight sports bra tank-top thing. She reaches for an oversized long-sleeved shirt, covering up all that gorgeousness before she slips into a pair of sandals.

“You ready?” I ask.

She’s barefaced, which is honestly the way I prefer her.

Her hair is thrown up in a messy bun, too…

S tunning . She could be wearing the most expensive outfit out there, thousand-dollar shoes, and a full face of makeup with an expensive hairstyle, and she wouldn’t be any prettier than she is right fucking now.

I can’t take my eyes off her, watching as she looks around the room, taking a mental note of everything that is in the space, or rather, not in the space. Once she’s surveyed the room, her gaze flicks to mine.

“I’m ready,” she murmurs.

A few moments later, we’re in the car and heading toward the coffee shop. We’re in a new car, this time an SUV, and I have to admit it’s nice not being so low to the ground. I enjoy sedans, but feeling like you own the road has its own special place.

I pull up to the window and give them my name, then watch as they bring me a drink carrier with an iced coffee and a hot black, along with a baggie of pastries, passing it through their window and mine.

I hand Elodie the bag of pastries, and she opens it, then quickly closes it before she lifts her head. I don’t look at her, but I can imagine her eyes are wide and her lips are parted in awe, just based on the way she says her next sentence.

“Muffins, coffee cake, and cake pops?” she breathes.

Chuckling, I reach for the black coffee that is now nestled in the car’s cup holder beside me. Lifting it to my lips, I take a sip and almost moan at the strong black roast that meets my lips.

“One of those muffins is for me,” I say, holding out my hand.

She doesn’t place the muffin in my hand. Instead, I feel the sweet bread touch my lips. When I open my mouth, she slips it inside. I chew a few times, almost moaning when a blueberry pops inside my mouth.

Shifting my gaze to her, I snort before I look out the windshield again, trying to focus on the road ahead. Though it’s difficult because all I want to do is pull over and take this woman for myself.

Until the pastries are gone, Elodie feeds me bite by bite, then does the same to herself, and she also forces me to try one of the cake pops, both of which I bought for her.

Then she turns on an Imagine Dragons playlist, and we listen to that, even though I’m not sure I can take another one, although with as much as she loves it, I think I could probably listen to them on repeat until my dying breath.

Elodie does that to me.

I end up agreeing to shit like music and cake pops that I would never even consider otherwise.

And I like it.

ELODIE

We pass through towns, and then we pass through states. Everything is a blur, and I’m sure I should be feeling a myriad of emotions. But there is only one that flows throughout my entire body, and that is— hope .

I shouldn’t be happy about this. I shouldn’t be excited about what’s to come. But I am. That is exactly how I feel. Excitement and happiness rolled into a big ball of hope. Closing my eyes, I fall asleep again, which seems to be my way on this trip.

Sleep fuels me and heals me all at the same time.

When the car stops, I open my eyes, turning my head to look over at him, over at happiness. I’m sure that just cements the Stockholm Syndrome thing I have going on. I don’t mind it, though. Instead, I smile at him.

He’s beautiful.

Light-brown hair, blue eyes, tall and muscular. So muscular. I’ve seen him without a shirt, and my god, it’s beyond sexy. Any woman would feel the same way, I’m certain.

Woman.

I’ve never thought of myself as a woman before.

I mean, I’m only eighteen, so I guess some people wouldn’t consider me that.

But when I look at this man, I feel like one.

At least, what I think a woman would feel like.

I don’t really know any who weren’t my teachers or school administration.

I never had friends, never had a mother or mentors. I’ve never had anyone.

“Hungry?” he asks.

My lips twitch into a smirk as I roll my head to the side, my eyes focusing on his blue ones before I speak.

“You eat a lot,” I whisper.

My voice is raspy from sleep. He chuckles. “Not really. I mean, maybe, but I’m more worried about you.”

My body suddenly jerks, and I sit up straight, leaning over slightly as I continue to watch him. “Worried about me?”

“Worried about you,” he confirms. I watch him for a moment, confused at why he’s saying he’s worried about me, and then he clarifies. “You’re gorgeous, but you’re thin,” he states.

I wince at his words, and my gaze flicks down to my lap. I know I’m thin. Not only did my father want me that way, but my nerves were always so shot that food was the last thing on my mind most of the time.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

Instantly, I feel his fingers on my chin. He pinches me there, gently lifting my head, then guiding it toward his. My eyes meet his, and he holds my gaze for a moment. We stare at one another in silence, then he leans forward, closing his eyes before he presses his forehead against mine.

“Never be sorry, Goldie. I just want you to be happy.”

I don’t tell him that I am happy. Right here. Right now. Sitting beside him, feeling his breath on my face, having him so close to me… I’m happy.