The fear inside her spiked even more. “Maybe I shouldn’t stay with you.” Not when she clearly had a target on her back. “I don’t want to put you in danger.” Vadim had said the man had been a Marine, so he was trained, but it still worried her.
He snorted and headed for the door again. “I’m going to see if I can find a doctor and get you released.”
After she’d been officially admitted, examined and prescribed antibiotics, the doctor had already told her he wouldn’t need to keep her for further observation. She could stay overnight if she thought she needed it, but she’d much rather stay at Roman’s. Roman had already told her that the truck he’d been driving was a company vehicle and the address listed on the title was for the hotel and casino he worked at; The Serafina. So if the shooter tried to track him down using the truck’s license plate, that guy would be out of luck. It was actually the only reason she would stay with Roman because if there was a chance she could put him in danger, she simply wouldn’t do it. Even if he was deadly and trained.
It still stunned her how kind he was being. Yeah, she knew it was because of his relationship with Vadim but still, it was amazing. She was a stranger and he’d stepped up to the plate to protect her, even letting her stay at his place. That told her all she needed to know about the type of man Roman MacNeil was.
A very rare one—the kind of man she wouldn’t mind getting to know better.
Chapter 6
Taylor opened her eyes with a start and nearly jerked upright in the soft bed. The shadows and furniture in the room were wrong and it took her a second to remember where she was. Roman’s house. In his brother’s bed since Logan was still out of town for his job. They had two guest rooms but one was an office and the other had an uncomfortable looking futon—to discourage guests, Roman had said. So he’d given her his brother’s bed.
Until he’d told her, she hadn’t known that both Roman and his brother Logan worked private security for billionaire Wyatt Christiansen. It certainly explained the extremely large house they lived in. She knew a little about the Vegas real estate market so it wasn’t hard to imagine they’d gotten it for a steal, but even so, the neighborhood was beautiful.
Her racing heart calmed a fraction as her eyes adjusted to the dimness. Faint light filtered through a set of wooden blinds on the window behind the king-sized bed. According to the clock on the nightstand it was six in the morning. By the time they’d arrived at Roman’s place last night it had been late and she’d passed out almost immediately. Now, she couldn’t seem to turn her mind off. Sitting up, she was relieved that her wound didn’t hurt as much.
After brushing her teeth with the extra toothbrush Roman had given her, washing her face and inspecting her wound, she headed for his room. It was early and she felt bad that she’d likely wake him up, but she needed a favor. Fast.
His room was two doors down from Logan’s. She knocked softly on the door and was surprised when it opened seconds later. Roman’s hair looked more brown than auburn in the dimness. Even though it was on the short side, it was ruffled, but he looked wide awake, his eyes piercing in their intensity. From his alertness she didn’t think she’d woken him up. “You okay?” he asked softly.
For a moment her gaze dipped to his bare chest and abs. The man was pure muscle, all lean lines and angles with a few scars interspersed on his skin for good measure. She guessed he must have gotten them when he’d been in the Marines. Maybe during combat or training. He was like a walking billboard of what hotness looked like. She had the insane urge to reach out and trace over the dips and striations. Forcing her gaze to his, she said, “Yes. I hate to bug you but can I use your laptop? I thought of something as soon as I woke up.” More like the thought had woken her up. And she couldn’t let the sight of Roman’s ridiculous body distract her no matter how delicious the man was.
He stepped back so she could enter. “Give me a sec.” He flipped on the lamp on his nightstand, illuminating his room. He had a king-sized bed like his brother but his was platform style. Very minimalist. So was the rest of his room with sleek, dark wood furniture, including a bookshelf overflowing with non-fiction books. He headed for the bookshelf and pulled a thin laptop from the top of it. “Is this about what happened to your boss?” he asked as he flipped it open and sat on the edge of his bed.
She hesitated for a moment, but he was letting her use his computer and was basically keeping her safe at his home. He deserved an answer. “Yes. Maybe I should wait for the police to sort things out, but I know Neal stole a ton of money from the company and I don’t want to let him get away with it. Now that I know it’s him and not Hugh—that bastard tried to make it look like his own partner had taken it—I think I can track down the funds. I just need to look at a few of his personal accounts.”