Jace paced back and forth between the kitchen and hall. Why the hell had he kissed her? It had felt right in the moment. Oh, God, so right—just the memory had him half hard and groaning. But it wasn’t what she wanted, and now things were incredibly awkward between them. The chemistry between them was so strong that even Sienna hadn’t bothered to deny it any longer, but whatever the hell had her tied up in knots was still enough for her to say no.

Of course, that only meant he was keeping a closer eye on her. He couldn’t walk away. Whether she liked it or not, he was a part of her life. She’d wormed her way inside his heart, and he wasn’t going to leave her alone to face whatever the hell it was, even if it meant just being her friend. He would still show up at the diner for every shift, invite her to hang out with him for as many times as it took for her to say yes, and then just be there, damn it. Maybe eventually she’d give in to the heat sparking between them, but until then, at least he could take away some of her burden.

Yep, he was up for one hell of a fight on that one. He’d probably need to start bringing lunch with him when she inevitably stopped serving him. Or maybe she’d just tip an entire milkshake over his head instead. Either way, he’d be there. He’d just bring a change of clothes. A flash of an image echoed through his mind; him naked with Sienna, and suddenly his semi was at full mast. God, just brushing his lips against hers had been heaven. What would it be like to be skin to skin with her, to be inside her? It would be ecstasy.

For now, he’d take what he could get. He just wanted to be with her, be near her. She could take whatever was between them further or not. As long as he knew she was safe, he’d take that. Whatever it was she was fighting, it was clearly bigger than her. She had to have her own reason for keeping him away, even if he thought it wasn’t a very good one. He could take care of himself, but Sienna needed someone to take care of her for a while. To support her.

That day, he was worried. She hadn’t been at work when he’d gone in. “Another day off,” Chico had said. “Do her good.” But then she hadn’t answered her cell, either, and when he’d stopped by her room to see if maybe she was just napping, there was no one there. She could be just out enjoying the day. Sienna could certainly do with as much time to de-stress as she could manage. Still, he couldn’t get the image of her at the cliff’s edge out of his mind. When that morphed into an image of her broken body lying at the bottom of the ravine, Jace gave up pacing, grabbed his hat and jacket, and jumped in his truck.

The first stop he made was back at the truck stop. He pulled into the parking lot and stuck his head through the window at the back, calling out to Chico. “Hey. Is she back yet?”

“Not yet, man. She left right after she finished her shift yesterday.”

“Any idea where she went?”

Chico didn’t turn to face him, flipping pancakes on the grill, but Jace could practically hear his eye roll. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Damn it. Jace spun, his boots kicking up dust on the way back to his truck. He was halfway to putting the key in the ignition and taking off again when he stopped. Where was he going to go? He could pick left or right on the highway, but after that he was faced with potentially endless choices. He turned, and went back to the window. “Chico, did it look like she was going somewhere for awhile?”

That time, the old man did turn around, grinning at him. “Oh, you’ve got it bad, boy! No, it was just her in the car. The small mountain of belongings is still in her room.”

So she was coming back. He hoped. Jace parked his truck properly and then found his usual table, sat, and waited.

Several hours passed and the only movement his table saw was Chico bringing him his fifth cup of coffee. By then his knee was jerking under the table almost hard enough to splash the joe all over the table. Where the hell was she? She seemed more anxious, more on edge, after the sun went down each day. He would much prefer her to be back by then, and safe.

When he was about to signal Chico for cup number six, the sound of gravel spinning under wheels in the parking lot had him jumping to his feet instead. He pushed the door open and stepped quickly into the parking lot. Sienna’s car pulled in across the lot, near her room. She might have left with it empty the day before, but it was packed full now. Of what, he couldn’t see. He started across the lot, stopping again when Sienna froze. She’d seen him. She had to have seen him, but she didn’t say a word. Instead she spun quickly around and headed for her room.

“Sienna, wait!”

She kept walking.

“Please.” He hadn’t yelled the word. He’d barely whispered it, and yet she stopped as if he’d screamed it. His long legs ate up the space between them. She looked as if she might bolt if he moved too fast, but neither did he want to move too slowly and give her time to change her mind. She’d waited for him. That meant something; he still had a chance. “What’s going on?” Her eyebrows furrowed, even as she turned to go again. “Please. You just, you seem upset.”

“I’m fine.” She looked at the ground, fiddling with her keys.

Jace took off his hat and ran his fingers through his damp hair. “I was worried about you. When Chico hadn’t heard from you, either, well, I thought something might have happened.”

She looked at him, the stubborn expression back. Wherever she’d been, she was locked down again. “I’m fine. No need to worry about anything.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. She shifted her gaze, looking anywhere but him. “I just couldn’t sit around anymore worrying, so I came here to wait for you.”

She smiled that time, a wistful look crossing her face. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have kissed you. I—”

Jace grinned at that. “Darling, I believe it was I who kissed you. Besides, it was totally worth it.”

He was expecting a smile back, maybe even a laugh. Instead she just looked away again. “I meant what I said. I’m not getting involved with you. I—”

“You feel it too, right? I’m a patient man. We can take things as slow as you like.”

She sighed. “It’s not that. It’s not anything to do with you. I’m not getting involved with anyone right now. I’ll just get you hurt.”

Not “it” would hurt him, the situation. No, Sienna was worried that she’d be the one harming him. Jace frowned at the implication. Whatever this was, there was no way she’d done anything bad enough to deserve it. He stepped forward, lifting his hand, gently cupping her cheek. “Sienna, I don’t care.” He ran a finger along her jaw. Her gaze locked with his, but her eyes were sad. “You don’t have to push me away. We can find a way.”

She leaned into his touch. “I want to, Jace, God I do, but—”

He kissed her, silencing her protest. His mouth captured hers, pushing his tongue through her parted lips and sliding against hers, taking over. She was dead set on breaking his heart, but he would fight for her until she forced him away. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him. “Let me be there for you. Please.”

She gripped him tightly, her hands locked onto his shirt, the heat of her burning him even through their clothing. Her head rested on his chest, and he swore he felt her heart beating. “Sienna.”

She pulled away abruptly, swiping angrily at her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Jace. I—just please, don’t come around anymore.” She turned and ran back to her room.

Fuck! There was no way he was getting into his truck and just driving away, not after a kiss like that. How could he? He’d never felt anything like that before, and he’d bet, neither had she. But he wasn’t going to force himself on her, either, not after she’d asked him to leave her alone. Instead, he ended up standing there on the sidewalk like an idiot for a good ten minutes. Damn, he could still feel her head pressing up against his chest, the warmth of her body against his. She was hurting, despite her protests, and he wanted to be there for her. The only problem was, it seemed like anytime they got within a couple of feet of each other, it ended up with their lips locked together. The touch of her practically had him moaning in ecstasy, but it didn’t go far toward solving her problems. He just wished that Sienna would tell him what was going on. She deserved to be cherished, worshipped—not to live in fear. He could do that for her.

Mind made up, he set off for her motel room. He wasn’t going after her, just trying to get a little closure, to let her know he’d still be there for her as friends. He might still have to duck after he knocked on the door, though.

When he arrived at the door, he knocked once, then waited, but there was no response. He tried again, and this time all he heard was someone shuffling about inside. Had this been a mistake? Was she standing on the other side of the door, really wishing he’d go away? He looked down at the ground. If that’s what she really wanted, then he would. But he’d knock one last time first. He had to.

Jace raised his hand and was about to rap at the door a last time when something crashed against it from the other side. Had she just thrown something at the door? The crash was followed swiftly by a loud cry—one of pain, and one of Sienna’s. Screw that! Jace drew his gun, pulled back, and kicked in the door. What he saw inside the room made him nearly drop his weapon on the floor.

Sienna was standing across the room, arms outstretched like she was choking an invisible man. Two large men were pinned against the other wall, faces red as if they were being strangled by the force of her will alone. She turned toward him, her face twisted and just as strained as theirs. “Jace! I can’t hold them!”

He raced to her side, raising his gun. The man’s face twisted wide with terror. “We didn’t know! It was supposed to be easy. She didn’t tell us!”

“Who the fuck are you?” Jace hissed. Sienna’s face contorted and one man fell to the floor, unconscious.

The other man didn’t answer, just kept babbling. “I’ll leave. I’m sorry, I’ll leave.”

“You don’t get to leave. You get to tell me who the hell you are.” Jace’s finger inched toward the trigger. Next to him, Sienna gasped and fell to her knees, before raising her hands again. The man groaned in pain. “Sienna! Stop, I got it.”

“Not your fight,” she muttered before falling forward, eyes closed. The man took his second of distraction to take a step forward. Jace turned and threw a hard punch to his jaw. The man crumpled, joining his friend on the floor. He dropped to his knees, grabbing Sienna’s wrist to check her pulse. Thank God—it was weak, but it was there. She was still breathing. He still had time. Ignoring the men on the floor, he scooped her up in his arms and bolted for his truck. He’d call the cops to scoop up those two assholes. His only responsibility was to get Sienna to the ER.

He raced down the highway, his eyes darting to her every couple of seconds. She had to be okay. There wasn’t any other option.