Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 58962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 295(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
I frowned. “Why not? Isn’t your suite on the fifth floor?”
“Yes.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Roy, I’m not walking up five flights of stairs–even if I take off the heels.”
“I’ll carry you,” he replied instantly.
I let out a helpless laugh. “Up five flights of stairs?” He probably would. He seemed dead serious about it. I looked him over, remembering his naked body. Based on all the muscles I’d run my hands over, I bet he could do it.
“That’s crazy.” I tipped my head up and whispered. “You’ve been shot, remember?”
His jaw clenched.
“I don’t want to,” I admitted. “Last time we were in this stairwell, you–” I couldn’t say the words.
The sound that came from him was a growl, which was odd. Everything we’d done together was odd from the very start. The sex wasn’t odd, it had been amazing, but the fact that I’d had sex with a guy I’d just met to burn off adrenaline was crazy.
Casey would love that I’d been properly laid, but if she knew the circumstances, she would shake me with a what the actual fuck?
Casey was the good devil on one shoulder, and my mother would be the bad devil on the other.
He closed his eyes, grimaced, and said, “Fine. We’ll take the elevator.”
His hand was on my back once again, and he walked–no, speed walked–back across the lobby and to the bank of elevators. He stabbed at the up button three times then another three.
Roy had been as calm as could be when we’d been shot at and when he’d saved me at my house earlier, but being inside this hotel seemed to be making him antsy. A bead of sweat slipped down his temple.
I looked around. Did he think they were here?
Or did he not want to be seen with me in case he had to hide my dead body later?
The ding of the elevator propelled us to the one that just opened. No one was inside as we stepped on. Roy pushed the correct floor button, and stalked the small space. With his big size and the mere six or seven feet of space, he took two small steps and turned around, pacing.
The puzzle pieces finally clicked into place. I remembered the last time we’d been in an elevator, he’d tensed up, too. And when I first met him, he’d come from the stairwell.
“You’re claustrophobic.” My voice was soft with compassion.
Roy stopped pacing and whirled to face me. His eyes locked on mine like I was a lifeline. Panic swam in his gaze.
This big, burly mountain man couldn’t stand confined spaces.
I stepped closer, bringing my palm to his chest. “It’s okay. We’re almost there.” I didn’t remove my gaze from his to check if it was true.
He searched my face like he hoped he could believe me. “This city is going to kill me,” he muttered.
As soon as the doors opened, Roy practically launched himself into the hallway and ran a hand through his hair as he waited for me to get off. “Sorry.” His whole body shivered, giving him the impression of a dog shaking off water. “I’m sorry about that.”
Oh God. Poor man. That had been a big deal for him. It was clear he hated elevators, that using one took him to a dark place. I followed him out and set my hand on his arm. I felt the muscle beneath my palm flinch. “You okay?”
He swallowed, tension seeping from his body. “Yeah.” He snapped me up into his arms and held me tight. My cheek pressed against his chest, and I couldn’t miss the frantic thumping of his heart. He put his mouth to my head and kissed my hair. Took deep breaths.
I wrapped my arms around his back to hug him back. My head was turned and faced down the hall toward the suite I’d been in for the meeting. While he’d been right that his suite was a safe place to be, we couldn’t linger here in the hallway. He had his fears, and I had mine, which was the suite the meeting was in yesterday, right down the hall.
Pretty quickly, he calmed, as if holding me had helped.
“Come on,” I said gently, nudging the big guy away from the elevators. “Let’s get back to your suite.”
11
ROY
* * *
Shit. Shit.
The sweat on my skin was drying, and my heart was coming down from stroke level. It hadn’t been a full-on panic attack because I’d had my mate at my side, but my wolf had been freaking out.
He sure as fuck didn’t like being imprisoned any more than I did. He didn’t know the difference between an elevator and a military jail cell.
I did my usual quick sweep of the room once I shut the door behind us then went to the mini bar and grabbed a bottle of water, twisted off the cap, and started chugging. I appreciated Boone getting this expansive space now more than ever. I needed to remain calm for my mate, and that sure as fuck hadn’t just happend. It wasn’t the size of the room that was an issue because my cabin in the woods wasn’t as spacious. It was the fact that the room was on the top floor of a hotel in the middle of a city, and I’d just taken an elevator to get there. Denver had some big parks, but there was concrete everywhere. Cars. People.