Chapter 9

Danika liked that James woke her up twice more in the middle of the night for sex. Honestly, she'd never had an orgasm like James had given her. When she finally said goodbye to James and loaded on the train that would take her to the airport, she was sore but wouldn't change one moment of what they'd done. James had given her a night of being loved, which had been a precious gift. It had been a long time since she'd felt cherished by anyone.

Escaping England had to be her focus. Once at the airport, she kept checking over her shoulder, looking for Ezra or one of their friends. Worry rode her hard, and her stomach didn't stop cramping until she was in New York. Even then, she didn't feel right. She was sure Ezra didn't know where she was, but she wasn't taking any chances. She found a hotel that took cash. It was seedy and not a place she would normally stay, but she had few options.

The city was expensive, and she knew she couldn't stay for long. She had a few thousand in cash that she'd exchanged for American money, but she knew it wouldn't be enough if she lived in New York, so she bought a train ticket to Savannah, Georgia, and hoped she could find a decent place to stay. She wanted to have a life, but she couldn't do that until Ezra was no longer looking for her.

It didn't take long to find a room to rent in Savanna. Not too far from the room she rented, she found a job at a restaurant in the downtown area. She didn't mind that she didn't have money to buy expensive clothes or go out to dinner. She had freedom, which meant more than clothes or things could.

After two weeks, she bought a phone and entered the number James had made her memorize. She was too afraid to call because she didn't want to interrupt him and make him think she was chasing him. Their time together had been short, and it wouldn't be repeated. They'd said goodbye, which had to be final, even though she still thought of him at night. In the dark, she could imagine that he was there with her, his hands on her, his mouth taking her to heaven as he brought her to orgasm after orgasm.

No question, he'd ruined her for other men. No one else would ever measure up. Seeing James again and then being with him had rocked her world. At least she'd had the opportunity to relive a time in her life when she'd actually been happy.

Once she got her life together and she wasn't being haunted by her past, she would contact James. He may not want anything to do with her, but she needed to take a chance. If by some miracle he wanted to be with her, she would jump at the chance. But it had to be once she was in a better place. She had no money, no real home, and she was living paycheck to paycheck.

Being with a man like James would require more than just the bare minimum. He deserved someone who was smart enough not to get involved with a criminal and someone who could pay their own way. She had no clue where he was or what he was doing, but before she hunted him down and showed him that she could be someone worthy, she needed to be more than the mess she was now.

She decided to pick up a second job, one that operated in the morning, and earn extra money. She wasn't doing anything else with her time, so she might as well make money. The second job was at a coffee shop attached to a ritzy hotel. One of the biggest draws of working at the coffee shop were the tips.

She'd been there about a week when she showed up at work early and stepped in through the back door right as a group of customers came in the front. They needed her out there, so she decided to sign in early. As she stepped over to the device where she clocked in, she glanced out to the main lobby of the shop, and her stomach dropped.

Panic flashed as she took a step back and hid from view. Her hands shook as she moved deeper into the back area then turned to watch the display for the cameras out front. Sure enough, the one man she never wanted to see again stood at the counter buying coffee. Heat flashed as her hands and legs started to shake.

Why was Ezra here?

He hadn't looked up at the camera, so maybe he didn't know she was there. Could he be in Savannah on business? Maybe he had no idea she was in Savannah, Georgia, and this was a weird coincidence, or maybe he was hunting her.