I looked at Lila, raising an eyebrow in silent question. Her expression cycled through several emotions before settling on resignation.
"Fine," she said tightly. "We'll take it."
The clerk's smile widened as she pushed the registration form toward me. "Cash or card?"
"I've got it," I said, pulling out my wallet.
"I can pay for my half," Lila protested.
"Consider it part of the rescue package," I replied, handing over my credit card. "Knight in shining pickup truck, remember?"
She looked like she wanted to argue but held her tongue. The clerk handed me a key—an actual metal key, not a key card—with a plastic tag attached.
"Room 14, end of the row," she said. "Diner's open till 9. Breakfast starts at 6."
"Thanks," I replied, pocketing the key.
As we walked back to the truck to grab our bags, I could feel tension radiating off Lila in waves. She'd been adamant about not being a damsel in distress, but fate seemed determined to put her in situations where she needed rescuing.
I unlocked the room and stepped inside, flipping on the light. It was basic but clean—king bed dominating the space, small table with two chairs by the window, dated TV on the dresser, and a bathroom that looked recently renovated.
Lila followed me in, setting her bag carefully on the small luggage rack.
"I can sleep on the floor," I offered, trying to ease the awkwardness.
She glanced at the bed, then at me. "Don't be ridiculous. It's a king-sized bed. We're both adults. We can share without making it weird."
"You sure about that?"
"Positive," she said, though she didn't sound quite as confident as her words suggested. "Just... stay on your side."
"Yes, ma'am," I said, mimicking a salute.
She rolled her eyes—it was becoming her signature move around me—and disappeared into the bathroom with her toiletry bag. I heard the lock click firmly into place.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. This was not how I'd planned to spend my night. But as I listened to the water running in the bathroom and pictured Lila's stubborn, beautiful face, I couldn't quite bring myself to regret the detour.
Life was an unexpected complication. Sometimes, those complications were worth the trouble.
Chapter Three
Lila
I shut the bathroom door with perhaps more force than necessary, the solid click of the lock providing a small measure of comfort. Leaning against the cool countertop, I stared at my reflection in the mirror—flushed cheeks, slightly disheveled hair, and wide eyes that couldn't hide my panic.
"Get it together, Lila," I whispered to myself. "It's just one night."
One night. In one bed. With a man who seemed to delight in pushing every single one of my buttons.
This was not part of the plan. None of this was part of the plan. By now, I should have been settling into a boutique hotel in Oakcrest Bay, reviewing my presentation notes for tomorrow'smeeting, and perhaps enjoying a glass of their famous Cabernet. Instead, I was locked in a motel bathroom, trying to decide if I could reasonably spend the entire night in here without Griffin noticing.
I took a deep breath and splashed cold water on my face. The rational part of my brain reminded me that I had survived far worse than sharing a king-sized bed with an attractive man. The irrational part, however, kept replaying the memory of his forearms flexing as he drove, the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, and the deep timbre of his voice when he'd called me "pretty."
"Stop it," I muttered, aggressively unzipping my toiletry bag. "He's infuriating, remember? Deliberately provocative. Probably thinks 'Chardonnay' is a type of cheese."
Yet he'd also stopped to help me when my car broke down. Had driven hours out of his way to make sure I got to my meeting on time. And hadn't once mentioned the scar on my neck that I knew was visible when I turned my head just so.
I went through my evening routine methodically, letting the familiar steps calm my racing mind. Cleanse, tone, moisturize. Take out contacts, put on glasses. Brush teeth. Brush hair. Each action precise, controlled, exactly as I'd done every night for years.
