“I can’t move,” she gasped out. “I can’t move!”

Scott jerked back and shot her a look. “Why did you open the door?”

“I thought it was you,” she shrieked at him. “Help me! Why can’t I move?”

He growled low and crawled onto the bed beside her. “You were drugged, most likely.” He shifted her head to one side then the other, evidently looking for something. She felt him probe at a tender bit of skin on her neck. “She paralyzed you. Fortunately for you, it’s not permanent.” He tugged her up further on the bed. “The best thing you can do is sleep it off.” He then felt around her throat for her pulse, seeming to track it for a moment.

“You’re probably going to feel sluggish for a while anyway.” When he seemed to have her arranged to his liking, he sighed and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “This effectively traps us here.” He rubbed his face and his shoulders slouched slightly. “Staying the night wasn’t something I wanted to do.”

She whimpered, wishing she could move because she had the sudden urge to want to comfort him. “I am sorry.” She shifted her gaze to the ceiling, seeing the stained plaster and finding no comfort. She was on the verge of tears now. So many mistakes. Did they ever end?

“Well,” he grumbled as he reached to turn off the lights. “The least we can do now is get some rest. You’ll be able to sober up, and hopefully, in the morning, you’ll have regained some movement.”

“I will?” she asked, doubtful.

“The paralysis is temporary.” He lay beside her then groaned as he stretched out. “It's a drug that’s used to subdue, not kill. I imagine she was trying to get more information from you, right?”

She tried to nod and when she found herself unable to, she cursed. “Yes.”

“Did you tell her anything?”

“No,” she breathed. “I could not answer her questions.” She tried to relax but failed. Earlier, she had been able to doze and was nearly fully asleep when that woman had knocked on the door. Now, she was struggling. Panic still coursed through her. The inability to move was frightening. Scott lay beside her, and she could feel his warmth against her arm and side. Silence began to weigh in.

She didn’t know if he was asleep or awake. His breathing seemed normal, though not particularly deep. The room was dark. The only light was a sliver coming from where the curtains didn’t close all the way. It didn’t give her a view of anything.

She struggled for a second, managing to pick up her head. “Oh,” she gasped out, then dropped her head back to the bed. “Oh.” She winced, though being able to move just a little had been some sort of victory.

“Sleep,” he rumbled from beside her.

“Easier said than done,” she huffed. “I have never had to deal with being paralyzed before. This has been nothing but a nightmare. It keeps going on and getting worse.” She felt tears begin to burn her throat. “You should have killed me,” she managed. “You would have been putting me out of my misery.”

He hushed her, and before she could say more, tears burning trails down her cheeks, he tugged her close. His arm wound around her waist and her breath caught when his other slid beneath her head, propping it up. “You’ve fought this long to get this far,” he murmured, his mouth close to her ear. “Are you really ready to give up because of one mistake?”

She relaxed because there was comfort in his arms that she didn’t understand. His scent coiled around her, dark and musky, and she managed to curl into him. “Not a mistake to make light of,” she murmured, deciding she would take what he was giving her, this comfort she needed.

“It ruined everything. It has taken everything that I have fought for. If I had been vigilant, it would not have happened, but I am careless and it did. As I was careless for opening the door for Sasha. Had it not happened, I would be at home now. I would be happy. Because it happened, you were sent here to kill me.”

“I didn’t.” His voice was low and gravelly, making something tighten within her. “But I found you again and I’m going to keep you safe.” His fingers began to toy with her hair, and there was something comforting about his tentative touches and the way he spoke.

Relief flooded her now, and she finally relaxed. He was going to keep her safe. Darkness swallowed her up and she surrendered to sleep.

* * *

Light filtered into the room. It was soft and comfortable. It would have been so easy for him to just relax back with the warm body against his and drift back to sleep. Jovana shifted closer to him, her hand gripping his shirt. Her head was resting on his chest and she looked right at home lying against him.

He needed to get up. Enjoying the feel of her wasn’t something he needed to do. He didn’t need to enjoy the way her breasts pressed into his side and the smell of her clean hair. Her scent seemed to have gotten stronger since she showered. He growled, finding a morning problem getting his attention. He needed to get up. He managed to untangle himself from her and sit up, watching curiously as she shifted into the spot he had vacated.

Amused, he stood and went to his laptop. It sat open on the table, still surprisingly undisturbed. He booted it up, not waiting for the desktop to come up he went to the bathroom to relieve himself and give his teeth a much-needed brushing.

It had been maybe five hours since they fell asleep. He made quick work of his teeth and stretched aching muscles. It wasn’t enough sleep. He could still feel fatigue tugging at his senses. He had to check to see if Austin had gotten the picture and if the payment for the job had been made.

He walked back to the table, unable to keep from looking at the picture of Jovana on the bed. His borrowed shirt had ridden up, showing the expanse of her thighs and a flash of lacy underthings. He swallowed hard as he eyed the curve of her hip. He shouldn’t want her, he told himself again. She should be off limits. He shook his head and looked back to his laptop, opening the email account. Only, it opened up blank. The account had been deleted.

“Fuck.” He swore as he straightened. Now they were both fucked.