He wouldn’t have to help her long. She must have family or a boss wondering over her unexplained absence. Or a husband.
Jacob shied away from that thought like the plague.
His gaze snapped to her hand. She wasn’t sporting a wedding band or a cheater mark on the pale, slim finger. Small consolation since he knew that wasn’t proof positive. Meanwhile, he needed to keep her safe until the police could match her with a missing persons’ report.
He could control his attraction. He had to. She needed him, whether she wanted to admit it or not.
Which meant keeping constant watch over her.
If she had some illness lurking, he couldn’t let her sleep in her hotel room by herself. Even a simple head trauma necessitated being monitored through the night—by him. Jacob wasn’t sure what would be more difficult, convincing Dee that he should stay with her, or resisting the urges that coursed through him while he shared her room for the night.
One fact shone through without question. She wasn’t sleeping alone.
“Sleeping with me at the apartment will be more convenient than your room.” Jacob crossed his feet at the ankles.
“What?” Dee’s hands clenched in the loose folds of her oversize sweatpants.
She did bristle easily. He linked his fingers over his stomach. “Or we can stay in your room if you prefer, but I’d rather be closer to the registration desk and Emily.”
“You can’t sleep here.”
“Thank God you realized that. These beds aren’t long enough for me.” He stood and waited. The dazed look hadn’t melted from her face yet. “Are you ready? How long does it take to gather up your spare sweats?”
“No time at all, because I’m not gathering anything.” Dee held up her hand. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for all you’ve done. But even if I weren’t ready to fall flat on my face, I wouldn’t pay you back by sleeping with you.”
Sleep with Dee. Now there was an enticing image. This probably wasn’t a good time to think about the fact that he’d been six months without sex since breaking off his last relationship. “As appealing as that sounds, it’s not what I’m suggesting.”>Dee tucked her hands in her pockets. She should have held her temper in check. Perhaps she should have concocted a story to tide him over until he’d driven her into Tacoma. But she couldn’t ignore the sense of urgency to discover if she had a child out there who needed her.
Not that she could have convinced him, anyway. He’d looked like a six-foot-four-inch immovable wall, with his jaw set and eyes so cold. He didn’t appear any more approachable now, towering behind the registration desk sorting through the crowd of exhausted travelers. Casting the periodic brooding stare her way. Like now.
Dee studied the bus driver, deciding on the best approach for bumming a ride. The guy was somewhere in his early fifties perhaps, with sandy-gray hair. His patience with the older lady boded well.
Time to start begging. “Do you need some help?”
The driver glanced up. “Oh, hi. Just keep catching the door there, would ya?”
“Sure.” Dee pressed her back against the frosted glass.
The driver’s eyes flickered over Dee with appreciation as he guided the woman inside. “Thanks. Only another thirty-five more people to go.”
Dee gave him the obligatory laugh. He offered a light chuckle in return.
Jacob glanced over from the registration desk and frowned.
Tough. She refused to be moved by his proprietary scowl. He’d had his shot at playing Sir Galahad, and he’d blown it.
Although could she really blame him? Would she have believed someone who told her the same story? She honestly didn’t know.
Dee tucked her coat tighter around herself and turned to the driver. “Can you spare a minute to talk?” A smile picked up the corners of his mouth. She needed to squelch those ideas fast. “I could use a ride into town.”
His eyes crinkled with the rest of his smile. “Stranded, huh? Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve run into that with this remote route. Let me get these folks unloaded first, then we’ll see what we can work out.”
“Thank you.” There went the rest of her money. But she no longer had time to wait for a more cost-effective alternative. She had to get into Tacoma, fast, and Jacob had decided to turn stubborn.
Okay, she’d turned irritable. But his suspicions had hurt, a lot.
Her mind wandered to the moment he’d held her hand, his touch surprisingly gentle for such a large man. Her body had stirred with an odd mix of hope, security and a dangerous yearning she didn’t dare explore.
Then he’d asked for her real name.