Free Hard Target by Marquita Valentine

and places his palm on the small of my back. “I’m hurt, darling.”
    I lift my shoulders, playing into casually playful conversation. “I really like that suitcase.”
    “Then it’s yours.”
    I bat my eyes at him. “You’re so good to me, sugar.”
    “That’s a bit much.”
    “Not for our honeymoon.” I take a deep breath and throw my shoulders back. “Just you wait until you see all the lingerie I packed in my suitcase.”
    “It’s full of guns and ammo.”
    The bellhop looks our way and I panic a little. Had he heard that? Should I keep playing the wife bit? Shut the hell up? Ah, who cares?
    “I wasn’t planning on wearing nothing but a smile to bed anyway.”
    “You spoil me, darling.” He plants an affectionate kiss on my upturned face. “I’ll reward you by letting you ride my cock until you scream my name.”
    The valet coughs.
    My mouth drops open.
    Ben’s hand slides down to my butt. The squeeze he gives it is way past obvious.
    Until this instant, I never knew how conflicting it is to be annoyed yet turned on at the same time.
    As we walk across the room to the elevators, more than one envious look is thrown our way. A part of me wants to strut while the other, smarter part of me that was rolling her eyes the entire time I was flirting with Ben, reminds me that his affection isn’t real.
    Oh, and snipers could be hiding behind the love seats placed in small alcoves, waiting to blow our heads off.
    I honestly don’t know how anyone can live this way. This is way worse than growing up as a fugitive moonshiner’s daughter. It’s just prettier to look at than a rundown shack and a dirt yard. But at least I was alive in that rundown shack and dirty yard. And all I had to worry about was keeping my nasty cousin, Roger, from messing with me.
    There, if someone had a problem, they’d let you know up front, but here…
    By the time we get to our room, I’m a mess. Tears are threatening to fall at any second and my throat is so tight that I’m all but blubbering when I tell Ben that I need to use the restroom.
    I slam the door behind me, then rest my hands against a granite countertop that looks as though it’s shot with gold. A chandelier dripping with crystals sprays rainbows all over the room. This is probably the most beautiful bathroom I’ve ever seen in my life and I can’t enjoy it one bit.
    I sniff back the tears, staring at my mess of a reflection. My eyes are rimmed in red and, though my hair is pulled into a bun, frizzy wispy pieces frame my face, making me look like a crazy woman. Or like I just wrestled a wild boar. My only saving grace is that I haven’t smeared my make-up all over my face.
    But that’s only because I’m not wearing any.
    There’s a knock on the bathroom door.
    “May I come in?”
    Sagging against the counter, I say, “Sure.”
    Ben’s head appears first, then the rest of him fills the doorway. While the bathroom is large, his presence is bigger. “I know you wanted to get this over with, but you needed a break.”
    I stare pointedly at the shadows under his eyes. Shadows that don’t detract in the least from his sexy face. “You needed one too.”
    “I do. I haven’t lived this life in a while. Takes some getting use to.”
    “Are you going to punch a wall again?”
    “Not for at least another hour or so.” He moves closer, joining me at the sink. “We will get through this.”
    “I’ll have to trust you on that.”
    He grabs the hem of my sweater and pulls me over to him, settling me between his legs. His hand sweeps across my forehead, pushing back my hair. “I haven’t given you much to trust, have I?”
    I consider his words for a minute or two while he waits patiently for me answer him.
    “You’ve saved my life. That’s a pretty trustworthy thing to do.”
    He begins to massage the tight muscles of my shoulders and despite myself, I moan. “I asked the concierge to send up some clothes for you. They should fit, I based the size on