Under Pressure (Body Armor #1)(5)

Catalina chewed her bottom lip, her arms folded around her.

She looked exhausted, apparently with good reason. He needed to make up his mind about what to do with her now, but there were too many unanswered questions.

Questions that would have to be answered later.

Hoping she’d have a suggestion, he asked, “Where would you like to go?”

Thinking about it, she inhaled and said, “If you want to find another bus station—”

“Not an option.” Leese reached over, took her chin, and turned her face toward him. “Like it or not, I was hired to keep you safe. I can’t do that if I can’t see you.”

“You also can’t keep me safe indefinitely.”

She sounded so sure about that. Did she really believe someone planned to do her harm? All he’d been told was that her father wanted her protected while she was out of reach, but he didn’t know anything about a specific threat to her.

Was there a chance Mr. Nicholson had hired a bodyguard because his daughter was confused, maybe a little irrational...even delusional? She wouldn’t be the first person to imagine a bizarre conspiracy theory.

As if she’d read his thoughts, she smiled sadly. “Bus station, after all?”

“No.” Until he knew what was going on, he planned to keep her very close. “Do some weaving until you hit the highway,” he told Justice, “then find us a place to stay for the night.”

“Swanky or low-key?”

Leese thought about it, then asked her, “Preference?”

Her gaze traveled over his face, his shoulders, down his body. “Most would assume you’d go low-key, thinking that’s what I’d want. But if we can afford swankier...?”

“We can.” He had an alternate credit card to use, without any ties to the agency, just in case Catalina wasn’t imagining anything. “It’ll just take a little longer to reach.”

Justice said, “We going to make her wait to get room service?”

Again, Leese deferred to her.

“I’d kill for a burger,” Catalina said. “Loaded. With fries. And a malt.” She made a sound of pleasure. “Man, that sounds good.”

“I just fell in love,” Justice said.

Ignoring Justice, Leese said, “A burger is doable, but we’ll pick it up and take it to the hotel to eat. Okay?”

“You two might be my new favorite people.” She curled into the corner, snuggling for a comfortable position. “At least for a little while.” After a yawn, she said, “Wake me when we’re there.”

Leese watched her fall asleep.

A whole lot of things weren’t adding up. For one, despite all the research he’d done on her, Catalina wasn’t quite what he’d expected.

The situation, too, was off. He’d planned to keep her safe, but now he had to wonder: from what?

“She’s out?” Justice asked with disbelief.

A soft snore was his answer.

Leese smiled, until she shifted, turning toward him and stretching out on the seat, her head on his thigh.

“Shh,” she muttered. “So tired.”

In the rearview mirror, Leese saw Justice’s wide eyes. Hell, his own were probably bugging. What woman escaped danger, met strangers, mistrusted them, then decided to doze?

It wasn’t normal. The idea of her being irrational seemed more plausible by the moment.

Justice turned the radio on low, and as she’d ordered, they both stayed quiet. But Leese stewed, at first in discomfort.

Where the hell was he supposed to put his hands?

Then he decided to hell with it and rested one forearm across her body. She shifted and his hand ended up on her hip.

Worked for him, and she didn’t complain, so he just went with it.

The discomfort turned internal. Confused on all counts, he wanted to call Sahara and insist on some additional details, but not while Catalina might hear. He’d have to wait for the right moment and some privacy.

Using his left hand, he double-checked their route. With that done, he read a few private emails, did a little more research on the woman dozing against him and basically bided his time.

When it occurred to him that he was lightly stroking Catalina’s hip without even thinking about it, he ceased...until she grew restless. Then he gave in to the urge again.

They drove for forty-five minutes before Leese decided they were close enough to the hotel to pull into a drive-through burger joint. In all that time, Catalina had slept soundly but now, as the car slowed, she stretched awake.

Feeling the lithe movement of her trim little body against him, Leese gave her a few pats. “Time to wake up.”

“Mmm.” Sluggish, she turned to her back, her knees bent against the door, and stared up at him, taking a moment to orient herself. Blinking in surprise, she asked, “How long was I out?”

Shadows kept her expression hidden, but he felt her intensity. “Less than an hour.” His forearm was now across her stomach, meaning he practically embraced her. “Ready to order some food?”

Cautiously, she sat up and looked around, then turned to stare at him. “No trouble?”

“No.” Did she think she’d have slept through it?

“Sorry I passed out.”

“Not a problem.” Odd as hell, but it had maybe made things easier, giving him time to sort through the altered situation.