Page 29 of Legends: Easton (Legends of Fire Creek #3)

Bailee had never been so happy to see a motel in her life.

Though Ben and Easton did their best to entertain her on the ten-hour ride to Rockland, Illinois, the journey was long.

Exhaustion weighed on her, but there was no resting in the SUV.

She’d never been one to nap during car rides, and her mind wouldn’t shut down enough for her to rest.

Easton and Ben swapped driving responsibilities while she sat in the back seat, hidden by the tinted windows, and kept her eyes on their surroundings.

A couple of times, she’d tensely watched vehicles behind them, certain they were being followed.

But the vehicles had turned off the highway heading in a different direction.

She finally had to admit the circumstances were making her more paranoid than cautious.

“I’ll check in with the front desk and text you the room numbers.” Ben stepped out of the passenger side.

“We’ll do a sweep of the parking lot until we get your text.”

Once the door closed behind Ben, Easton kept driving in slow loops around the parking lot.

“I feel weird sitting back here. Like you’re my chauffeur or something.”

Easton laughed and tilted his head to look at her through the rearview mirror. “Sorry. It’s the safest option.”

Bailee sighed. “I know. It’s still weird.”

Easton’s phone vibrated with an incoming text, and after reading the message, he circled the motel toward the back corner, switching off the headlights as the car idled.

Soon Ben appeared and entered one of the rooms in front of them. After several minutes, he exited and entered a second one. He was clearing the rooms, making sure trouble wasn’t lurking inside. The probability was low that someone was lying in wait, but Bailee appreciated their vigilance.

“Let’s get you inside.”

Bailee felt a renewed burst of energy at Easton’s words. She unfolded from the back, her joints stiff from the long ride. He motioned for her to head inside while he and Ben unloaded their bags and brought them into the rooms.

Two queen beds met her as she stepped inside. The room was a modest size with a long counter along the wall opposite the beds and a partition separating the sleeping area from a vanity and the door leading to the bathroom.

Easton stepped inside, dropping their bags on a bed. “So, um, Ben is in the room next to this one, and I’ll be staying here with you. I’m sure you’d rather have some privacy, but—”

“But since I’m the target, it’s better to have back-up in the room with me. I get it.”

Her gaze fixed on the bed nearest to her, inviting her to sink onto the mattress.

She swayed lightly on her feet before righting her stance to brace herself better.

As tired as she was, she knew if she sat down, she’d never get back up until she had several hours of sleep.

She flinched when a pair of arms encircled her waist, but she relaxed when she felt Easton behind her.

Her body leaned into him of its own volition.

Her head fell back to rest against his chest.

“Why don’t you grab a shower and freshen up? Then you can turn in. Ben’s grabbing breakfast in the morning, so I’ll make sure to wake you in time to eat.”

She sighed, content to stay in his arms for a bit longer. “I’m too tired to move.”

“I can see that, but I think washing away the grime from the trip will help you sleep better. Go. Take care of yourself, Bailee. We need you at the top of your game, not run down.”

A tired smile curved her lips. “Okay. Thank you. Have I told you how much I appreciate everything you and your family are doing for me?”

He chuckled. “You have, and you’re welcome. Now, go. The sooner you shower, the sooner you can sleep.”

She missed his strength when he stepped away and gently nudged her in the direction of the bathroom. Stopping to rummage through her bag for her toiletries, Bailee readied the shower, discarded her clothes, and stepped under the warm spray.

For a roadside motel, the bathroom was clean, and the water pressure felt heavenly on her tired muscles. She allowed herself the luxury of standing under the cascade of water, her mind blank. When her skin started to prune, she washed and rinsed her hair before stepping from the shower.

With her body and her hair toweled dry, she wrapped herself in the terrycloth towel, relieved when the fabric reached around her curves. She folded the corner just over her breast to secure it.

Her hand wiped the fog from the mirror. Her reflection revealed faint circles under her eyes and skin tinted pink from the warmth of the shower.

She ran a brush through her hair, parting it to the side the way she liked to wear it.

The motel didn’t have a dryer. Since she failed to pack one, she would have to let it air dry a bit before she called it a night.

She forgot to bring her sleep shirt and fresh underwear with her into the bathroom, which meant slipping into the ones she discarded before she emerged. She ruefully eyed the clothes where they laid in a pile on the floor, now damp from the steamy bathroom.

Maybe she could just have Easton hand her what she needed through the door. The idea of him going through her bag for her underwear was embarrassing, but it was more appealing than stepping back into the clothes she’d been in all day.

When she cracked open the bathroom door, she opened her mouth to call out but paused. She listened for a moment, the room eerily quiet. She expected to hear sounds of Easton moving around or talking on his cell or watching television or…something. The silence was unexpected.

Hesitating a moment, she stepped out of the bathroom, the air conditioning at once cooling her skin and producing goosebumps. Nothing seemed amiss. She scanned the room before realizing why everything seemed so quiet.

Easton sat in the one chair in the room, a stiff, padded chair with a high back and lumpy armrests.

His long legs, encased in well worn denim, stretched in front of him.

His neck tilted so his head rested against the side.

His eyes were closed, his lashes fanning against his cheeks.

She smiled at the sight of him sleeping in what had to be the most uncomfortable position he could be in.

She should wake him, but first things first.

Padding on bare feet over to her bag, she searched to the bottom and retrieved a fresh pair of underwear and her sleep shirt. She glanced once more at Easton’s sleeping form and froze.

The man wasn’t sleeping. He was sitting upright, his eyes opened and fixed on her.

His gaze roamed the length of her body, from her face that flamed bright with embarrassment, to her feet and back again.

Though the towel covered her lady bits, she felt exposed under his scrutiny.

A haze of desire clouded his eyes, and her belly flipped in response.

“I, uh, well…sorry. I just, um, needed something to wear. Then, well, the bathroom will be all yours. Sorry to take so long. I, well…” She cut herself off when she realized she was rambling.

Her gaze locked on his Adam’s apple. It bobbed as he swallowed before answering her.

“Take your time.” His tone was deeper than normal with a husky quality she’d not heard him use before.

She backed up slowly until her elbow bumped the door, and she turned around on the ball of her foot to scurry into the bathroom. Clutching her clothes to her chest, she pressed her back up against the door and took a deep breath. Her fatigue faded as energizing tingles flooded her body.

Calm down, Bai. All he did was look at you. Her tough-love internal speech did nothing to quiet the excitement sizzling through her. That one heated look and the few kisses they shared were enough to make her yearn for more…a lot more.

When was the last time a man thrilled her this much?

Never. Dammit, she’d never had a man do so little and curl her toes the way Easton did.

She’d never had a man to actually curl her toes.

Maybe stir her interest, give her some satisfying sex, but the mind-blowing, ruin-her-for-all-others sensation that he managed to stir within her…

that was brand-new territory, and all they’d done so far was kiss.

Dropping her clothes to the floor, she swung open the door before she could ignore the impulse. She found Easton still in the chair, still staring in her direction, not appearing to have moved an inch since she’d run from the room.

But she wasn’t running away this time. She was running toward him and hoping like hell he didn’t send her packing.

“Easton.” Her voice sounded odd to her ears, but she was more concerned with his response.

“Bailee.” Her name was a rasp that sent a thrill snaking up her spine.

“I, uh, I’m not so tired anymore.” Before she lost her nerve, she tugged on the towel until it dropped to the floor.

Easton’s nostrils flared, his dark eyes appearing almost black. His fingers dug into the denim material at his thighs as he raked his gaze over her.

She forced herself not to fidget under his perusal and not to run away as she thought of how she must look to him.

Shoulders and arms a bit too muscular to be considered feminine.

Breasts that were average and a bit saggy.

A stomach that wasn’t flabby but not firm either.

Hips a bit too wide. Calves and ankles that were muscled like a man’s.

And feet that were long and narrow enough to make shoe shopping a challenge.

“Easton,” she tried again.

And then he was there, directly in front of her, moving faster than she could react. He stood close enough for her to have to tilt her neck to peer into his face. The raw desire she saw left her speechless.

His strong hands cradled her face, and his mouth crushed hers. He swallowed her gasp, her parted lips giving his tongue access to plunder her mouth. If she thought their kisses before were intense, she was na?ve.