Wicked Bite (Realm Enforcers #5)(25)

He snorted. "Come on." Gesturing toward the sofa-no, settee-he forced a grin. "You belong in a place like this." Man, she must've hated his cabin. He liked his place. Even though he could afford more, he didn't want more.

She looked around. "It's a hotel suite."

"Yeah, it looks like the island."

"Did you grow up there?" she asked quietly.

He shrugged, and his gut ached. "Just until my teens. Then I left and came to the States." After his asshole of a father had died, he'd had to run. But he'd created a home for himself in the wilds of Washington.

"By yourself?" she asked.

"I prefer life by myself." It was good to remind them both of that fact. They were in a hotel room, for Pete's sake. He'd never taken a woman to a hotel without at least breaking the bed a little. Usually a lot.

She frowned and pressed a hand to her stomach. "Are you hungry?"

His stomach was growling before she finished her sentence. It was three in the morning, and he hadn't eaten since returning to human form. "Starving."

She moved to a phone by a round inlaid table and ordered two steak dinners.

"Three," he mouthed.

She added another order, along with several desserts, before hanging up. "They'll send the food shortly. For now, I'm taking a hot shower." She pointed down a hallway to what looked like a bedroom. "There's the other room, and I think it has its own shower."

He hesitated.

"What?"

"I'm not hitting on you." Especially since he'd just figured out that the witch probably did belong with somebody like his brother. The guy was loaded and liked the expensive stuff in life. Bear just didn't care. "But I don't think we should separate from each other while we're in the city." 

She pulled up the sagging sweats, looking way too cute. "You've been hitting on me since we met."

"I'm done." Why did she have to look both adorable and sexy? Who else in the world could pull that off? He discreetly adjusted his jeans.

Her pretty blue eyes narrowed. "Why?" Slowly, she looked around the plush suite. "Because of this place?"

God. Was she gonna make him say it? Fine. "Yes. I just realized . . . you might have a shot with my brother. He has fire, and it'd work. And you have a lot in common."

She put her hands on her hips and the sweats fell down again. She yanked them up. "I'm not a snob. For God's sake, Bear. I grew up in a thatched-roof cottage in the middle of rolling hills. I can sew my own clothes, and I can cook over an open fire."

"Then you became an expert bookkeeper and a member of the Council of the Coven Nine." There was a lot more to the woman than she'd admitted. "You have political allies that might be the most powerful in the world. Don't tell me for one second that you're a dedicated accountant just living a quiet life." How stupid did she think he was?

"I never said that."

He warmed to the subject. "In fact, I'm thinking you're one of the main number crunchers for the Council. Top of the political pyramid, are you?" Yeah, that made sense. It explained how she'd ended up on the Council. The woman was probably a billionaire who liked to be pampered.

"I'm very good at my job," she said primly. "Now, go take a shower."

"I'm not leaving you alone," he growled.

Her small nostrils flared. "We're safe here. I'm registered under an alias, an untraceable one, and there's no way anybody can find us. So go take your shower, and I'll do the same." She turned to storm off.

He caught her easily around the bicep and turned her around.

She grabbed the waistband of the sweats to keep them from falling. "What are you doing?"

"Alias?" he asked, his mind spinning. Wait a minute. Why would she use a fake name?

The color drained from her face. "I, ah-"

"You knew," he whispered. "You knew there were bounty hunters after you." She opened her mouth, and he cut her off. "Don't lie to me again. I mean it." Betrayal burned down his throat. Fucking witches. They always lied and had an agenda. She'd brought danger onto his land without even thinking of giving him a heads-up. He released her so he wouldn't shake some sense into her. "Tell me the fuckin' truth."

She sighed. "You are so overreacting."

He growled low.

She stepped back. Smart girl.

"Now, Ness," he ordered.

She looked longingly toward double doors at the other side of the living area. Dark circles stood out beneath her eyes. "Fine. Yes, I did have knowledge of a possible bounty for my capture."

Even the way she strung the words together pissed him off. "Continue."

"Would you just trust me that we're safe for the night?"