Cross My Heart (Ty & Hunter 1)

Anna Marie slammed the window shut tight.

“I really need to move,” Molly said, laughing.

Hunter grinned. “That’s a little drastic. How about next time you can walk me home?”

She leaned her head back, meeting his gaze. “ Albany , right?”

“Close enough to drive in twenty minutes, far enough away from prying eyes.” He gestured toward Anna Marie’s side of the building with a nod of his head.

Molly put her key in the door, her hands still trembling from the impact of their kiss. “I’ll have to take you up on the offer one day.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” he said. And with a brief wave, he took off, leaving Molly wishing he’d taken her up on that cup of coffee after all.

Eleven

T y knocked once on Lilly’s door and let himself in without waiting for her to answer. They needed to talk. Most of all, he needed to just be with her and know she really was safe. But when he stepped inside and shut the door behind him, he realized she was lying on top of his old double bed and was fast asleep.

He smiled and sat down beside her, watching as her chest rose and fell. Her face was so peaceful, so beautiful. His heart ached just looking at her. Far from getting her out of his system by making love with her, he’d only fallen harder and deeper. He reached out and brushed her hair off her cheek, letting his fingers linger on her soft skin.

He wondered what she thought about them being together last night. And he was curious to know how she’d handle that boyfriend of hers now that she’d been with Ty. All questions he wanted answers to, even though he sensed none of those answers mattered. Not to Ty’s future.

Whether or not she remained with the guy, she had a business back home that meant everything to her. A life that she’d created without him. What did she have here? Painful memories and an uncle who seemed to want her dead. Ty doubted his pull could overcome those obstacles.

For now they had more important things to think about than them.  Their priority now had to be in proving her uncle was behind the two attempts on her life.

A few phone calls earlier confirmed that although someone had broken in, there were no fingerprints to go on. No leads. Ty knew someone had to have been watching Lilly, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Ty’s grocery trip this morning hadn’t been routine so unless someone had been outside his apartment, they wouldn’t know or anticipate Ty leaving Lilly alone. The police were investigating but that didn’t give Ty comfort as long as the culprit was still out there.

The only thing they had going for them was that her uncle was turning out to be an inept killer.

Thank God.

He decided right then and there to call his assistant and turn his business over to Derek for the time being. Until this mess with Lilly was resolved, Ty wasn’t leaving her side.

Starting now, he thought, setting himself on top of the covers and pulling a pillow beneath his head. Then he wrapped one arm around her, snuggled her curves into his and settled in for the night.

Next thing he knew, the sun shone through the open window blinds. Beside him, Lilly lay facing him and when she stirred, her knee came into contact with his thigh.

She opened her eyes, looked directly at him and a warm smile curved her lips. “Well, this is a surprise,” she murmured.

“I came by to lure you into the kitchen for milk, cookies and late-night conversation but you were fast asleep.”

“So you decided to stay.” Laughter danced in her brown eyes, her joy at finding him here obvious.

Pleasure surged through him. “It is my room.”

She laughed. “Well at least I know now why I slept so well.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said as he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. He didn’t see any reason to scare her by telling her he planned to be her twenty-four-seven bodyguard. “Seriously, are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “The paramedics said I’m fine and after your mother’s cooking, I’m even better.”

She obviously didn’t want to get into detail, but they had to touch on some important things. “I wasn’t talking about physically.”

She swallowed hard. “I know. I’m trying to avoid thinking about it,” she admitted.

“I wish that was the answer.” He paused, then asked, “Do you have a will?”

She blinked in surprise at his question. “Well, yes. I wrote one recently. Alex said anyone who owns a business needs to plan for all possibilities.”

Alex. Another conversation they needed to have. This time it was one he wished to avoid.

Coming from Lilly, the man’s name reminded him better than anything else that she had another life, and everything inside him froze.

Ty cleared his throat. “A will ensures all your possessions will pass the way you want. Which means you need to claim the trust right away. As soon as you do, your uncle will have no claim to it. He’ll have no reason to kill you in the hopes of getting his hands on the money.” He spoke in a clipped, businesslike tone.

Then he rose, intending to get out of bed. They were too close, too cozy for comfort.

She touched his back, her hand warm through his shirt. “Ty, listen—”

“Your appointment is in the morning, right?” he asked, cutting her off.

“Yes. And we’ll talk some more about the trust fund and about my uncle later. Right now I need you to hear me out.” She paused. “Please,” she said, her tone plaintive.

He never could deny her anything. He lay back, propping his hand beneath his arms as he stared at the ceiling. “I’m listening.”

She breathed in deep. “I called Alex after you fell asleep the other night.”

He turned to look her way. In her Target flannel pajama pants and men’s T-shirt, she looked so soft and vulnerable, he had to remind himself he was the one with his head on the chopping block.

“I broke it off with him,” she said, taking him off guard.

Ty tried not to overreact to the news. He couldn’t allow himself to get his hopes up that her decision would affect his life. But he couldn’t control the kernel of hope lodged in his chest.

A flush stained her cheeks as she explained, “Despite what happened between us, I’m not the type to cheat.”

“I know.” With her words came the realization that he hadn’t been in touch with Gloria at all.

Not once since Lilly’s return. He had some nerve being upset about her love life when he hadn’t put his own in order.