Page 42 of Have To Be Mine

I lay there in the dark, trying not to think about how sexy she’d looked across the table from me tonight. Guard down, ego stripped away. Just Krista. Real and vulnerable and so damn beautiful it hurt. So vulnerable I had opened up to her in a way I never did with anyone.

I rolled onto my side and glanced over the wall of pillows. A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

She was lying flat on her back, blankets pulled tight and tucked in on all sides, arms at her sides like she was standing at attention even in sleep. Military style, even in her dreams.

She cracked open one eye. “Shush.”

“You sleep like you have a backboard attached to your spine.”

“I’m comfortable.”

“Bullshit.”

“Don’t worry about my comfort or lack thereof.”

“This bed is essentially a cloud and you’re acting like you’re on a military cot. Enjoy the experience.”

“I bet you say that to a lot of women who make the mistake of climbing into bed with you.”

The laugh that erupted from the depths of my soul had me flopping onto my back. “It’s like you’ve been in my room.”

“Go to sleep. You thought me pounding on your door to wake you up was bad, just imagine what I can do when I’m in the room.”

“That sounds like a promise,” I said. “Are you going to jump on me?”

“I guess you’ll find out in about eight hours. Just remember, I’m military trained. I know pressure points. I know many things about the human body I probably shouldn’t.”

“You sure do talk about my body a lot.”

“Don’t make me move back to the hostel. Now good night.”

I bit back another laugh and rolled away, smiling into my pillow.

14

KRISTA

Iwoke up to silence and the feeling of being alone. The wall of pillows I’d constructed remained mostly intact, though a few had fallen on me. Dash’s side of the bed was a disaster, with sheets tangled and pillows askew. Maybe he actually was a restless sleeper.

But he wasn’t there.

I sat up straight and felt that familiar fear and dread. Did I oversleep? Did he let me oversleep? I never slept that hard. How did I miss him getting up.

I checked my phone. Six-thirty. The car was scheduled for seven. “Shit!”

I hopped out of bed and walked into the living room. He wasn’t there, either. I checked the bathroom. It was empty but he’d been there. His toiletries were scattered across the counter in a way that made my organized soul twitch.

Where the hell was he?

I showered quickly, pulled my hair back into its usual ponytail, and dressed in khaki shorts and a white tank top. Practical. Comfortable. Appropriate for a beach shoot where I’d be running around making sure everything stayed on schedule. I grabbed my phone and my bag, checked the time again. Maybe he went down to get breakfast. I would never hear the end of it if he was up and ready before I was.

Whatever. I was jet lagged and exhausted after chasing his ass around. I headed down to the lobby. The driver was waiting, leaning against a sleek black sedan. He straightened when he saw me.

“Good morning, Miss Hedley. Ready to go?”

I scanned the lobby. No sign of Dash. “Can you wait a few minutes? My colleague should be here any second.”

The driver nodded and I pulled out my phone, shooting off a text to Dash.