“Motels aren’t homes.”
“It’s more of a bed and breakfast, actually. They do a sweet continental spread?—”
“Babe,” he cut me off.
“What?”
“We’re here.” His chin jerked toward the windshield.
My sleep-deprived brain tracked the movement. Sure enough, he’d pulled into Cade’s driveway while I was yammering on about breakfast.
“But…” I shook my head. “I didn’t ask to come here. I didn’t even want to come here.”
“Hightower wants you here,” he said, like that explained everything. Like that was sufficient reasoning for dropping me off at the house of a man I’d had preciselyone datewith. (And, okay, one orgasmic night of post-date activities the likes of which womankind had never before experienced.)
“I don’t live here,” I informed him stiffly, resolving not to cave to any macho-man antics. “I’d really prefer it if you’d bring me back to The Sea Witch.”
He shook his head as he shifted into park.
“But all my clothes are there. My phone charger is there. And, most importantly, Georgia is there. I need to check on her, because I’m sure?—”
“Don’t care.”
I blinked. “You don’tcare?”
“Nope.”
I stared at him, too stunned to speak.
Welles spoke instead. “I’ve got shit to do and no time to do it so I’m not going to sugarcoat this for you,” he said bluntly. “Hightower has had a long fucking day, a miserable fucking day, searching for a kid that’s likely going to come out of this damaged, if he comes home at all. And when you get home from a day like that, one of the few things that can make it better is having your woman waiting for you in your bed, to obliterate some of that misery with her hands and her mouth and her body.” His eyes flickered over my face, then moved to linger on the loose curls that framed it. His grip tightened on the gear shifter. “You want to know how I know that?”
I sucked in a breath.
I was sonotsure I wanted to know.
Welles told me anyway. “I know because I’ve also had a long, miserable fucking day. And I wouldn’t mind having you improve it for me.”
My stomach did a somersault.
“Hightower made it clear he wants you in his bed,” he went on. “You have problems with that, take it up with him. I’m just the delivery service.” Then, his voice dropped a shade lower and his eyes ignited, going from heated hazel to molten gold. “You decide you don’t want to be in his bed, babe… You give me a call, yeah? I’ll bring you to mine instead.”
With that insane comment still hanging in the air, he swung open his door and alighted from the SUV without another word.
Damn.
And.
Blast.
I heard the lift gate open as Welles retrieved Socks from the back. He didn’t wait for me. He just started up the walk to the house, allowing the puppy enough free rein to sniff the front lawn as he went. With no other choice, I hopped out and followed after them.
I stopped on the top step, prepared to make one last plea. “Maybe I can call Cade to clarify?—”
“Key,” Welles cut me off.
“Excuse me?”
His hand extended my way.