Chapter Four

Ididn't think my kidnapping misadventures could have become any more amusing, but Lilou proved me wrong.

Things took a weird turn when hot soup dumped in my lap and then got even weirder when my adorable captor accidentally groped me.

As soon as she'd realized where she had been aggressively rubbing, she'd turned a red that made it seem she'd been the one burned. The sharp scent of embarrassment rolled off her in waves, like the warning on the wind before rain came. If I wasn't worried about laughing and causing her to snap, I might have tried to comfort her.

Knowing I'd burst out laughing if I looked in her direction, I kept my gaze focused out the window. I clung to the door handle like a cat clinging to a shower curtain so it didn't get wet. Except I was already wet.

The most confusing part of the whole situation was how quickly my body had responded to her innocent touch, and how a small part of me had wanted to stop her rambling apologies with a kiss.

Wolves got one mate. I'd found mine, and she had already passed from this world to the next. So why was my body, and wolf, responding to her touch?

I should have been angry with her for disrespecting me with this farce of a kidnapping. If anyone else had tried this, my wolf would've ripped the door off their vehicle and I would've dragged the offender back to my pack.

But instead of getting away from my novice kidnapper, I wanted to pull her onto my lap and bury my face in her hair. I wanted her to wrap her fingers around the hard length she'd roused with her cleaning efforts. Mostly, I wanted to hold her tight, breathing in her scent and reassuring her I'd protect her from whatever had her so desperate that she'd abduct an alpha.

Turning my head a fraction, I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. Lilou's cheeks were still bright red and I could practically see the steam coming from her ears thanks to her internal fuming.

Lilou broke the silence. "I need to stop."

"Okay." At this point, I was just along for the ride and hoped I wouldn't have to wait long for the answers I wanted.

I needed to get those answers and then get away from her before my pack figured out she had me. Otherwise, what was I going to do when Oliver, my right-hand wolf, dragged Lilou through the pack of wolves and threw her at my feet, demanding she pay for her crime?

Oliver was my best friend, and I knew him well enough to know he'd want to keep up appearances. Allowing Lilou to get away with this—the ultimate crime against the pack—would tell my pack members, and other packs, that they could disrespect me as they pleased because I was too soft-hearted and weak to punish them for it.

Closing my eyes, I blew out a long sigh. If my pack realized this was a kidnapping, I'd be forced to make an example of her, and I didn't want that. But I couldn't leave until I had answers and knew why she'd been desperate enough to attempt this farce of a kidnapping.

Deep down, I knew that wasn't the only reason I wasn't in a hurry to leave.

I like the way I feel being around her.

Strange as the thought was, it was as though life was less heavy and a little less dark since she'd shoved me inside her SUV.

Or maybe it wasn't her presence at all. Maybe it was just that this outing was providing a welcome distraction and the weight of responsibility would come crashing right back down on my shoulders once I returned to my pack.

Lilou pulled into a motel that sat far outside town and turned off the engine.

She stared, unseeing, through the windshield as she mulled something over. "Come with me."

Ah. That made sense. Lilou had needed to choose between the lesser of two evils. She either had to leave me in the vehicle and trust that I wouldn't bolt, or she had to drag me along and hope I didn't cause a scene.

Apparently, she'd rather drag me along. That was fine by me.

Her SUV smelled like her, and with each breath I drew in, it felt as though my wolf was becoming a tad more attached. I needed some fresh air. Climbing out, I fell into step beside her, sucking in lungfuls of the cool night air and inhaling the fragrances of the new location.

I stepped in front of her and opened the lobby door. Ushering her through with a flourish, I followed her inside as she made her way to the front desk.

"I have a reservation for a room with two queen beds." She fumbled with her wallet and pulled out cash.

The clerk gave her a bored look, then studied me for a minute. When he finished his once-over, he began clicking at the keyboard with the speed of a sloth.

Ducking my head, I whispered in Lilou's ear, "You might want to tell him the reservation was for tonight, because if he goes any slower, we won't get our room until tomorrow night."

She sucked in her cheeks to keep from giggling and my chest warmed with pride at making her smile.

Finally, the guy ran a tired hand through his shaggy blond hair with one hand and sighed loudly. "I've got you in room six."

He pulled out a key from beneath the counter.

Lilou took the key and handed over her card. It took him an excruciatingly long time to run the card, but eventually Lilou signed the receipt and led me toward the door.

Pausing just before we reached it, she half-turned toward the guy again. "Just confirming, there are two queen beds, right?" Her eyes narrowed as though she were suspicious.

"You got it, boss." The guy clicked his tongue as he pointed and shot her a wink.

"That was weird," Lilou mumbled under her breath, curling her arm around mine as we left the lobby.

My chest warmed yet again at the casualness of her gesture. It showed her comfort level with me, and I doubted she was even aware of what she was doing.

We made our way down the cracked pavement sidewalk until we reached our room. Releasing my arm, Lilou inserted the key into the lock and opened the door.

Her angry hiss as she entered let me know something wasn't right. Stepping inside, I was greeted by the sight of not two beds… but one king-sized bed.

I rubbed my hand on the back of my neck and pressed my lips together, trying to hide my amusement. Lilou didn't just have bad luck, she had straight-up rotten luck when it came to this kidnapping, and I couldn't help but wonder what she was going to do now.

My question was answered when she stormed from the room, dragging me along behind her. She came to an abrupt halt at the lobby door. Taped to the glass was an out to lunch sign, despite the late hour.

"You have got to be kidding me," Lilou snarled, pulling out her phone. "I made reservations for two queen beds! They must have given someone my room!"

Tapping in the motel's number, she held it up to her ear and angrily tapped her foot on the pavement. It rang for several long minutes before she gave up and ended the call.

Putting both hands to her head, she massaged her forehead, seemingly unsure of what to do.

"We should probably go back to the room and figure this out. The longer we stand here, the higher chance someone will recognize me and blow your whole kidnapping plan. Didn't you read Kidnapping 101 before you grabbed me?" I teased, unable to resist the desire to ease her stress.

"No. But I watched 101 kidnapping movies," Lilou answered with confidence.

You have got to be kidding me.

Shaking my head, I made my way back to the room, with Lilou following along behind me.

"We can make this work," I assured her as she stopped beside me.

What was wrong with me? Why should I care about her feelings? Why did I want to see her smile?

Turning slowly, I took in the small room. The outside had been slightly run down, so I found myself somewhat surprised that the inside was nice. Dark wood panels went halfway up the walls before giving way to clean white drywall that traveled up to the dark wooden molding.

Lilou remained quiet, chewing her lip as she too studied the room.

Hoping to ease her worry, I added, "Then again, maybe not. Especially with how hard it was for you to keep your hands off me in the vehicle."

She glared up at me. "I was cleaning up my mess, not feeling you up!"

I held back my chuckle. Her embarrassment was throwing her off balance, and it made her even more adorable… like an angry kitten. I could practically feel my wolf wagging his tail, wanting me to keep pushing her buttons—in a nice way, of course.

"But, I mean, think about it. You manhandled me in the drive-thru while we had an audience and now we're sharing a hotel room. I'd say as far as the world is concerned, we're practically married at this point," I said, digging in as I stepped toward her.

Her throat shifted as she swallowed hard. "Practically married because I tried to clean soup off your lap?"

"Is that what it's called nowadays?" I teased.

Lilou snorted. "I have no idea what other people do or say. Dating isn't something I do."

"No, you just enjoy kinky voyeurism stuff on first dates, like you did in the drive-thru?"

Her cheeks flared red. "We're not talking about that."

"I sure would like to," I purred, unable to hold back my grin.

It wouldn't be a big deal for me to sleep on the floor, but I refused to make the offer. Watching her muddle through this ridiculous kidnapping plan was the best entertainment I'd experienced in years.

"I can't with you right now. I'm going to take a shower." She spread her fingers on her forehead and began rubbing frantic circles on her temple.

She was going to trust me to stay put?

"Take your time. I can sit and watch TV or something," I said with as much innocence as I could muster up.

Her spine stiffened. "Absolutely not."

Riffling through her bag, she pulled out a set of silver handcuffs.

Disbelief washed through me. "Really? After everything, you still think I'd run? I've been a good boy."

Lilou shot me a look that said, yeah right. Taking the cuffs, she snagged my wrist and studied the room. She seemed unsure of where to cuff me, and a quick scan of the small space told her there were exactly zero good options.

Sighing, she pulled me toward the bathroom. The options there weren't much better. There was a hand towel rack at the sink or the bath towel rack on the wall, neither of which looked too sturdy.

Finally, her eyes drifted upwards and her expression brightened.

"Oh, no," I growled. "Surely, you're not about to?—"

She pulled me forward and lifted my arm with the silver cuff attached. With a click, she hooked the other end of the cuffs on the thick metal shower rod that was bolted into the walls.

Stepping back, she arched an eyebrow and admired her handiwork.

"You are into some kinky stuff, kitten," I rumbled, enjoying the way her lips parted and her quick intake of breath at my low tone. "If you wanted me to watch you bathe, you could have just told me. The cuffs weren't necessary."

"I didn't bring you in here to watch me!" she squeaked. "Turn around, please. And no peeking!"

I could have refused just to mess with her, but I decided to go along with it. While I was the one currently connected to a shower rod, she'd had a pretty rough day… not to mention it was going to get even worse when my pack showed up.

"So you didn't trust me to stay put in the room, but you trust me not to sneak a look?" I teased as I turned away from her.

The whisper of fabric being removed from her body was followed by the muffled thud as her clothing dropped to the floor. Unable to fight the urge to see her, I glanced over my shoulder.

A long scar ran down her arm, from her elbow almost to her wrist. I caught sight of the distinct suture marks where the wound had been sewn closed. She'd been through something traumatic.

Lilou realized I was peeking and let out a strangled noise. "Turn around, mister! Peek again and I'll blindfold you."

Facing the wall again, I couldn't help but wonder if it was an accident, an attack, or maybe something to do with her health.

She said nothing more about my disobedience, and a moment later, turned on the water. The sound of water splashing against skin told me she'd stepped beneath the shower's spray.

Her scent shifted with a suddenness that caused every hair on my body to lift in alarm. Tilting my head, I tried to catch more of her fragrance, trying to figure out what was going on.

Lilou's pulse slowed and her breathing quickened. Something wasn't right.

Risking her wrath, I turned just in time to see her grip the shower curtain and her eyes roll back. Her muscles went slack, and she toppled toward the back wall of the shower, yanking the shower curtain from the rings one by one as she fell.

Jerking forward, I wrapped my free arm around her waist before she could hit the tub floor. She went limp against my chest, unmoving and not making a sound.

With one arm above my head, still attached by handcuffs to the shower rod, and the other arm wrapped around her slick body to keep her from falling, I strained, trying to hear her pulse.

My own heart stood still, not daring to beat until I caught the soft double thud of her heart beating.

She wasn't dead.

Relief washed through me and I closed my eyes for a minute, working to calm my wolf.

But my rush of gratefulness abruptly turned to confusion as her scent filled my lungs. Where did I recognize the scent from?