Now That I've Found You (New York Sullivans #1)(9)

Hoping she’d follow him now that he had her things, he headed for his car. Fortunately, by the time he opened the passenger door and threw her things in, she was only a step behind him. He held open the door for her until she was safely inside.

It wasn’t until he was behind the steering wheel that he realized just how small a car could be with only two people inside it, especially with the windows steaming up on the inside.

“I’m Drake Sullivan.”

It was a little strange to finally tell her his name when it felt like they’d already been through so much together today. But that wasn’t actually true, was it? She was the one who had been through the wringer. All he’d had to deal with was his painter’s block...and the relentless urge to end it by capturing her face and body on canvas.

“You acted like you didn’t know who I was at the grocery store.”

“I didn’t. I saw your face on a magazine, and that’s when I realized who you are.”

“Please.” She turned to him in supplication. No longer fierce. No longer furious. “Please don’t tell anyone I’m here. I’ll give you whatever you want. As much money as you want, just to keep this quiet.”

“I don’t want your money.” How could she think he would? Then again, she didn’t know him, did she? Didn’t know anything at all about him—even though he’d just seen pictures of her getting in and out of a bathtub. “I’m sorry for what happened to you.”

“You feel sorry for me?”

“Not sorry for you.” He wanted to make sure she understood that. He didn’t pity her. She was clearly too resilient for his—or anyone else’s—pity. “But what happened to you? It was wrong. Really wrong. If something like that happened to my sister—” He gritted his teeth. “I’d want to kill the guy who took those pictures.”

“You’ve—” The word broke, and she slumped back into the seat in a defeated pose. “Of course you’ve seen them. The whole world has seen them by now.”

“If I could take back looking at them, Rosalind, I would.”

“Rosa.” The one word from her lips was so quiet he almost couldn’t hear it. “Rosa is my real name.”

“Rosa.” It fit her so much better than Rosalind. “Rosa,” he said again, just to feel her name on his own lips.

Had anyone ever tugged at him like this? If so, he couldn’t remember. Then again, these were some pretty crazy circumstances, weren’t they?

Of all the cliffs, in all the parks, in all the world, she’d walked onto his.

“I can help. My family—”

“No!” The word family seemed to snap her back to life. Back to fierce. “I don’t want your family involved. I’ll figure things out on my own. All I want right now is somewhere to clean up and rest for a few hours before I make my next move. When I was a kid, there was a motel pretty close to here. It would be great if you could take me there.”

“The Seaside Motel is still there. But there are nicer places in town.”

“No!” The word was infused with panic. “The Seaside Motel is good enough.”

Even if the magazine article had been ninety-nine percent lies, Drake knew one thing for certain—the woman in his passenger seat was rich. Really rich. One-thousand-thread-count sheets had to be her standard, not whatever faded cotton was on the ancient beds at the Seaside Motel. But instead of pushing her on it, he said, “I have a friend who can help tow your car. Joe won’t ask any questions. And he can fix it for you too.”

Her “Thank you,” was heartfelt, but soft. Almost as if she felt she didn’t deserve his kindness. As if she actually thought it was her fault some creep had taken and sold those pictures of her.

“I have money, but I can’t really get to it right now without people tracking m—” She cut herself off as though she suddenly realized she was saying too much. “All I’ve got on me right now is some cash, so hopefully your friend’s work on my car won’t be too expensive.”

“Don’t worry, Joe doesn’t rip people off.”

Finally starting his car and pulling onto the road, they drove the short mile to the motel in heavy silence. When he pulled into the parking lot, she asked again, “You won’t tell anyone I’m here, will you?”

He understood the urge to get away from real life. It was part of the reason he’d bought his cottage. Yes, it was a quiet place to paint, but more than that, it was the perfect way to escape from the pressure that came with his painful legacy as William Sullivan’s son. Even so, he didn’t have the first clue how to deal with her situation.

“I won’t tell a soul, Rosa.”

He wasn’t prepared for her small smile—or for the way his heart turned over in his chest at the pure sweetness of her beauty.

“There’s an extra car key hidden under the driver’s seat.” She licked her lips, biting the lower one before saying, “I owe you. Big-time.”

With that, she gathered up her things in her arms and got out of the car. He waited until he was sure that she’d arranged for a room on the second floor before slowly driving back to his cottage.

He’d tried like hell to forget her this morning, but now that he’d met her and knew even the smallest details of her situation?