“I agree.” Jinx glanced toward the bar. “How about you take the pretty lady home, then you and I can meet up to talk about what the hell is going on?”
“No,” Maisey said instantly.
Both men’s heads swung toward her.
“We will all talk about what’s happening. It’s my case. I hired Odin. No one is cutting me out.” They could just stop that plan right then and there.
“War’s cabin.” Banked rage filled Odin’s voice. “Meet us there. Make sure you’re not followed.”
“No one follows me. I’m a master at evasive action.” With that, Jinx sidled away and vanished into the shadows.
Odin hurried around the Jeep. Jumped inside. Had them out of the parking lot and roaring down the road. He took a series of twists and turns, and even though Maisey was familiar with the area, he had her lost in moments. He was also driving helluva fast. “Uh, Odin…”
He took a hard left.
She grabbed the dashboard. “I think we should slow down.”
“I have to make sure we’re not tailed.” A quick right.
Her eyes closed. Motion sickness was not her friend. “We should also make sure that we arrive alive.” That was important, too.
The Jeep hurtled forward. Her breath blew out. At least they were done with the turns. The Jeep’s top was off, and the wind whipped her hair, tossing it around her face. Was it her imagination, or had he slowed, just a bit?
Her eyes cracked open. She could smell the ocean. She took a deep, steadying gulp of air. “We should…talk about what happened.”
“Oh, we’ll fucking talk about it, all right.”
She turned toward him. “Are you mad at me?” After she’d tried to help him? Multiple times?
“Mad isn’t the right word.”
“Then what is the right word?” Her own anger stirred.
“You’ll find out.” A grim warning. “As soon as we get to War’s cabin.”
She didn’t like his tone. “Odin?”
“I don’t recommend pushing me right now, Maisey.”
“Oh, really? I don’t recommend that you push me either. In case you missed it, I saved your ass back there!” Where was the gratitude?
“What?”
“I saved your ass. Yours. Your hot, sexy ass. I saved it. I got us out of there without more fighting.”
He shook his head. “Not believing this.”
He’d better believe it. “You had some crazy plan about staying behind and fighting alone. Not happening.” That very idea still had her seeing red. “In case you missed it, you aren’t a one-man show any longer. You and I? We’re partners. That means I don’t leave you. It means—”
“Don’t push, Maisey. You won’t like what happens next…”
“I don’t like anything that has happened so far this night!” This night had not been her idea of a good time. “You took on a bar full of criminals all by yourself! You were some kind of crazy fighting machine and I was terrified that you were going to get hurt!” The truth burst from her. “I don’t want you hurt! You can’t be hurt because—” She stopped. Just in the nick of time. Just before she’d said something she couldn’t take back. Something along the lines of…
You can’t be hurt because…I am starting to care too much about you.
Maisey didn’t say another word.
Chapter Ten
He whipped off the road. The Jeep bounced, dipped. Gah! She held onto the seat for dear life but they were actually…on some kind of road? Possibly a driveway?
Just how long had they been driving? Everything had passed in a blur of fear, nausea, and anger for her, but as he sped ahead, she realized that she could now hear the crash of waves. They were thundering against the shore. He’d taken her to the beach? “Uh, Odin?”
He braked the Jeep in front of a beach house, one that stood high on wooden stilts that would protect it from storm surges. He killed the engine and leapt from the Jeep.
Slowly, she unhooked her seat belt. “I take it that this place is War’s cabin?” Her voice was a little more subdued now. Her racing heartbeat had calmed down, and as she’d been reassured that they hadn’t been followed, some of her fear had receded.
“Yes.” Nothing else. Just that fast, rough response. He glanced around. “We need to get inside.”
“But we weren’t followed.” What was the rush? She’d like to take a minute and just breathe.
“I’ll feel better when we’re inside.”
By all means, she wanted him to feel better. Maisey stomped her way to the cabin. Up the stairs. The salty air wrapped around her, and the waves kept pounding as he unlocked the front door and ushered her onto a screened porch. She barely glanced at her surroundings before he was swinging open another door. This one led to the main portion of the house and—
“What in the hell were you thinking?”
She spun toward him. Maisey had to suck in a sharp breath at the look on his face. When he’d been driving, she’d known that he was mad. But…
The expression on his face was absolutely savage.
“You put yourself in front of me.” A hard step toward her. “Don’t ever do that shit again.”
Her shoulders squared. “You put yourself in front of me all the time. It’s kinda been your thing since we met.”
Another hard step. “Damn straight it’s my thing.” He towered over her. “In case you missed it, I’m bigger than you, stronger than you, and a million times meaner than you. I can take a threat. I can take an attack…”
Okay, he was deliberately trying to be all intimidating and tough and he had no idea just how mean she could be when the situation called for it—
“But I cannot fucking take anything happening to you,” he added, voice thickening even more. “I’m not worth something happening to you. Got it? I can take the hits. I’ve always taken them. I will always take them. But you are different. Never put yourself in danger for me.”
Her chin lifted. “That’s just not a promise I’m willing to make.”
“What?” Veins seemed to bulge in his neck.
“I’m not going to say that I’ll hide and let danger take you. Not happening. If I can help you, I’m gonna do it!”
He grabbed her. Hauled her into his arms. Crushed his mouth against hers. The kiss was unlike the others they’d shared. Absolutely consuming. Crazed. Desperate.
She kissed him back the same way. Her mouth opened wider. Her tongue met his in a hungry dance. His taste had lust exploding through her.
The storm of emotions she’d felt on the drive there had transformed in an instant—became greedy, consuming lust. She yanked at his shirt. Shoved it out of her way. Then her hands were touching hot, hard skin. Lickable, sexy skin. He was so strong. So gorgeous.
Her hands slid down. She grabbed the front of his jeans. Yanked at the button. Distantly, she was aware that this was very much not the way she usually acted. She didn’t rip off men’s clothes. Didn’t haul down their zippers—as she was doing. He wasn’t wearing underwear—such a typical, macho Odin thing, she wasn’t even a little surprised—and his heavy cock sprang toward her. She put one of her hands on him. Squeezed him with her fingers. Like everything else about Odin, his cock was built on the same massive scale and she wasn’t sure—