Page 78 of Nowhere to Hide

“You think that’s necessary?”

“Stone hasn’t had any other attacks that look like yours.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” I took his hand, and he helped me to my feet. I swayed a bit as the boat hit a wave. He gripped my hip to keep me from falling.

“I don’t know. I’d love if this was a one-off.”

I brushed his hand away and went around him. “I didn’t see him enough. Why the hell would he care about me?”

He grabbed my hand. “Two attempts in the hospital tells me he’s not so sure about that.”

“It’s been weeks.”

“And he might be obsessing.”

“Are you trying to scare me?” I pulled my hand away.

“Yes. I want you careful today.”

I’d been looking forward to getting off the boat, now I was tempted to tell him to take me back out to sea. It had been quiet and easy, even if he ignored me more than half the time.

Annoyed, I hobbled out into the hallway. I was walking on my own steam, but I stopped at the stairs. Stupid things ruined my angry huff.

He came up behind me and turned me around. “I don’t like scaring you.” His voice was low and husky. “I just want you aware.”

“Pretty sure you just landed on scaring me.”

He wound an arm around me boosted me into his arms. I gripped his shoulders, my chest far too close to his face. His eyes blazed up at me for a split second before his face took on that annoying blank look.

A part of me wanted to shove my boobs in his face to see if I could jar him into some sort of reaction to holding me, but I didn’t. Instead, I went more rigid in his arms than usual and my thigh throbbed in reaction.

I grit my teeth against the pain as we went up the four stairs. At the top, he let me slide down his body. Every muscle just as taught as my own. Finally, my feet found the wood floor in the main living space. He brushed by me and out the door to the outer deck.

I tipped my head back, annoyance and awareness duking it out in my system.

I followed him, albeit a little slower, and paused at the threshold of the deck. Locke was already gone, the deck empty. Suddenly the boat bounced as he thundered back down the stairs. “We’re clear. We have twenty minutes to the next ferry.”

Clear.

Like he was already looking for trouble.

My original excitement turned to dread. Locke was always intense, but this was different. I braced as he scooped me up and climbed the few stairs to the topside of the boat. He jumped neatly onto the dock and strode through the marina with me in his arms.

“What are you doing? People are staring.” I glanced around at the surprised faces. A few giving me jealous looks. What woman didn’t want a strong guy to carry her?

But he looked a bit more raggedy than me with that stupid beard, so a few people pulled out their phones.

He looked like he’d been on the sea for years. Or an extra on that old Tom Hanks movie where he’d been on an uninhabited island. But I found myself holding on more firmly.

He might look like a refugee, but he was mine.

Well, helping me.

Notmine.

And of course, being Locke, he didn’t bother to explain himself. He just kept on moving until there were signs for the ferry. He took a hard left and went around the crowd of people.

It was a weekday, but summer was in full swing. Tourists were going to the aquarium and walking around the harbor. There were also a ton of businesses in the area which made for even more foot traffic.