Page 30 of Keeping Guard

“Uh, I wasn’t finished,” she informed the empty space.

Chapter Eleven

Noah stared at Peyton’s broken bathroom door. Rage filled his chest, boiling his blood. He was transported back to the day he and his mother had locked themselves in the bathroom in an attempt to stay out of reach of his father’s fists.

It hadn’t worked. The old man had kicked the door in. He’d dragged both of them out, him by his skinny boy’s arm, and his mother by her hair. It was only one of many times his father had let his drunken rage loose before one day crossing a line that couldn’t be uncrossed. That had been the day Noah’s mother died at the hands of the man who was supposed to love and protect her.

That was a fucking joke.

“Noah?” A warm, soft hand pressed against his back. He blinked, his mind returning to the present. He didn’t know Peyton’s ex, didn’t know what the man was capable of, but if he kicked in doors to get to a woman afraid of him, left bruises on her body, and was willing to force her to marry him, he was not a man to be trusted.

“What do you want from me?” He was afraid he knew the answer.

“Come with me.” She slipped her hand around his.

He shouldn’t like her hand in his so much. She took him across the hall, into what was obviously a guest room since there were no personal effects of hers.

“Nice room.” He was even more certain he knew what was coming.

“It’s almost as big as that little apartment you’re staying in.” She let go of his hand, walked to the window, and looked out. “You can see the hog statues from here.”

He joined her at the window. Sure enough, there were two hogs on the sidewalk. “The question begs to be asked. Why hogs?”

“In the mid–eighteen hundreds, Tennessee hog farmers brought their hogs to market here, drove them right through downtown.”

“That had to be messy.”

She laughed. “I would imagine so. Anyway, the statues commemorate that.”

Delaying tactics. He waited her out.

“So.” She glanced around. “What do you think of this room?”

“It’s nice.” Nicer than any bedroom he’d ever slept in, but he kept that fact to himself.

“There’s a bathroom attached.”

“Hmm.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Are you being dense on purpose?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, princess.” He liked that fire flashing in her eyes.

“And here I thought you were smart,” she muttered.

He snorted.

“I’m offering you a place to stay that’s a palace compared to that box you’re currently in.”

“So, let me get this straight. The princess wants the warrior to move into her castle and what? Slay her dragons?”

“In a nutshell, yes.”

He’d intended to insult her, but her grin said he’d failed. “No.”

She blinked her pretty blue eyes as if his answer was a complete surprise. “No? Just like that?”

Lucky ambled into the room, glanced from them to the bed, and then jumped up on it. He lay down, rested his chin on his paws, and leveled his gaze on them.