Sloane got up and went to the fridge.She opened the door and rooted through its contents.No snacks, which she supposed made sense, considering the overpriced vending machines outside, but there was a variety of spirits in tiny bottles, red and white wine, energy drinks, juice, and two bottles of beer.
“They don’t have Budweiser, but they do have something called Imperial Hop Drop.”She turned toward him and held up the bottle like one of those women on the game shows who showcased prizes.“I think this beer is meant for you to drink.It’s got an old muscle car on the label and everything.”
His eyes went to the bottle, and then back to her.“Temptress.”
She laughed.“You know you want it.”
“Technically, I’m still on duty.”
“Oh, give it a rest.One beer isn’t going to impair you.Besides, everything’s locked up tight, the curtains are closed, and I seriously doubt those guys are braving the storm looking for us.As far as anybody else is concerned, we’re just two hikers taking a break from nature.”
For a moment, he looked as if he was going to argue, but then he sighed and extended his hand.“Give me the damn bottle.”
Cracking Navarre’s iron-clad resolve felt like a victory of sorts, and she barely held back the grin as he popped the cap with the bear-shaped bottle opener and took a long drink.
“Damn, that’s good.”He held the bottle out toward her.“Want some?”
“No, thanks.Bitter beers aren’t my thing.”
“Well, there’s got to be something in there that you could use to make one of those girly drinks you like so much.What, you didn’t think I’d remember?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“No, but it’s written all over your face.”
Okay, he had her there.She hadn’t expected him to remember something so trivial.She went back to the fridge, took out a can of pineapple juice and a tiny bottle of coconut rum.She poured the juice into a glass, added half the bottle of rum, stirred with her finger, sampled, and then added the rest of the rum.
“Yeah, that hits the spot,” she said after sampling the drink again.
Apparently tired of watching the news, Navarre reached for the remote control and scrolled through the programming guide.
“Looking for a bad movie to watch?”Sloane asked as she settled back against the headboard.
“No, just one I’ve seen a thousand times and don’t have to follow too closely.Ah, considering the last couple of days, this one’s fitting.”
He pressed a button and Sierra’s glamorous face filled the screen.It was the first movie in theDeathslayermovie franchise, the one that catapulted her from movie star to cultural icon.
On-screen, the Deathslayer raced toward Castle Dughardt on a mythical creature that looked like a cross between a bison and a hyena.When she reached the gate, she jumped off the beast and slashed her way into the castle.
Despite her best efforts, old insecurities crept into Sloane’s thoughts.“It must suck to be stuck with me when you could have spent the weekend with her.”
Navarre paused, the bottle halfway to his mouth, and then looked at her as if she were one of those kids who needed to be told not to eat a detergent pod.“Why would you say something like that?”
She shrugged.“I’m just being realistic.She’s rich, and gorgeous, and leads an exciting life.Pretty much everything I’m not.”
His brows drew down.“You really need to stop selling yourself short.The only thing she has that you don’t is a shit-ton of money.”
“I’m not gorgeous.”
“The fuck you’re not.”
Her pulse skipped.“I don’t lead an exciting life.”
He huffed out a breath.“Excuse me, but did you hit your head in the bathroom and forget the last two days?”
“That was exciting in an unpleasant way, and it’s not the way my life normally works.”
“But that’s what makes it so impressive.”He drank another swig of beer.“Most people would have lost their shit if half of those things happened to them.You were shot at, had your car run off the road, got chased by a team of trained mercenaries, had to sleep outdoors in freezing temperatures, and almost got eaten by a bear, and you never freaked out, not even once.Hell, you even put up with my shit and gave as good as you got.That’s impressive all in itself.I’d bet my next paycheck that if half of that ever happened to Sierra, she’d curl up in a corner and cry.”
