“Still, it sucks. So, you and Justin are probably closer than just cousins, then, if you literally grew up together.”
“Yeah. We’re more like brothers, and he’s my best friend.”
“All the more reason to go with my plan.”
Shaking his head, he didn’t reply as he parked at the new hotel. He was so torn about what their next move should be. Yeah, going back to Atlanta would get him Justin back and finally end this.
But she could get hurt, and he’d rather die himself than lose her.
Dramatic, maybe, but it was precisely how he felt. And it just confirmed what he already suspected.
He was falling for her hard, and there was no slowing it down or stopping it. He didn’t even want to.
Chapter Six
Katia glanced over, taking in the grim set to Colton’s mouth. She couldn’t see his eyes since they were fixed on the road, but she was sure the hazel depths were just as worried as they’d been when they left the hotel.
He’d been extremely reluctant, but he finally gave in and agreed to her plan, so they were back on the road to Atlanta. She couldn’t deny that she was pretty scared to go back and willingly put herself in the Bad Guys sights again, but she also knew it was the best option they had, to both end this and for Colton to get his cousin back.
She snuck a glance over at him and her heart immediately jumped in response. It was clear as day to her that she was falling for him—but she couldn’t help wondering if it was real or just a product of the fantasy she’d had in the beginning.
Really, she hadn’t thought of that romantic movie scenario since the beginning, but still, it made her wonder. He’d become the hero in that moment, so were the feelings she was developing strictly because of that?
Honestly, she didn’t think so. They felt as real and tangible as anything in her life ever had, but that made her nervous, too. Because even if he felt things for her too, where did that leave them? They lived in completely different parts of her country, her in Georgia and him in Montana, and they’d both created lives for themselves.
Granted, hers wasn’t much of one, but she still had her schooling to think about. She’d worked too long and too hard to throw it all away.
She rolled her eyes at her thoughts, exasperated with herself. She didn’t even know if he had feelings for her at all yet, and even if he did, what made her think he’d want to continue seeing her once this was all over?
And that thought made her feel sad as hell.
Lord, her emotions were all over the place today.
“Remember,” Colton rumbled, his deep voice filling the truck cab and sending a shiver of heat down her spine. “You stay in my eyesight at all times. I appreciate your uncle’s friends being willing to help catch the bastards, but I still don’t trust anyone else when it comes to your safety.”
Her heart warmed and she couldn’t keep a smile from spreading across her face. Other than her uncle, she never had anyone in her life who cared enough to be that c
oncerned for her safety. Maybe it didn’t really mean anything, but it made her feel special, like she was someone important—at least to someone.
“I promise.”
Giving her a half-smile, he reached over and squeezed her hand before putting it back on the steering wheel. Her belly filled with butterflies as heat licked up her spine, just from that simple touch. Swallowing hard, she blew out a quiet breath, trying to get ahold of her emotions.
She shouldn’t feel so much just from the touch of his hand on hers—it was insane to, right? But that, at least, had been real and in no way her imagination, and it reassured her just a little that she wasn’t making up the attraction that arched between them.
Her blood was humming in her veins as she watched his big hands lightly gripping the wheel, and she pulled out her sketchbook, deciding she wanted to draw them. She’d always loved men’s hands, and his were perfect to her—big and strong, with veins on the front, slightly calloused on the palms.
She couldn’t capture the way they made her feel in a sketch, but she could capture the way they looked. On rainy days, once this was over, she could pull out her sketches of him and remember the adventure she went on and the crazy strong attraction she felt for him.
Sadness washed over her at the thought of it ending, and she pushed it away, burying it deep as she concentrated. When she finally looked up, the sketch was done and Colton was taking the exit her hotel was located off of.
Nerves and fear welled up inside her, but she tried not to let it show as she put her things away. Coming back here had been her idea, after all, and she still thought it was a good one. And she didn’t want to do anything that gave him second thoughts or made him take her away again.
He was reluctant enough as it was. No need to add to it.
When they pulled up at the hotel, the first thing she saw was her uncle, standing by the entrance with four of his friends. They were all standing with their arms crossed and dark scowls on their faces, and they looked menacing enough that they were going to scare all potential customers away.
But she loved the fact that none of them, Sergei especially, looked like they gave a shit if the hotel lost business.