Free Traitorous Attraction by C. J. Miller Page B

the floor of the room or ignore the sporadic sounds from the street and liquor store below. The longer into the night, the louder it had become until quiet finally came around 5:00 a.m.
    Kate closed her eyes and tilted her head back against the seat. The bus rumbled over potholes, and if she wasn’t so tired, it would have prevented her from sleeping. When she awoke, she was immediately aware that in her sleep, she had shifted, letting her head fall to Connor’s shoulder, and he had his arm around her. Heat and embarrassment burned through her. He smelled good, an earthy masculine smell, and she felt safe nestled against him. Should she pretend to be asleep and shift away? Or wake up and pretend she hadn’t noticed the intimacy?
    She decided on the second. When she moved upright, Connor let his arm fall away. She missed the contact the moment it was lost. It was dark and the temperature inside the bus had lowered to a more comfortable level. “How long was I asleep?” she asked.
    “A few hours,” he said.
    That long? “Did you get any sleep?” she asked.
    “No, I’m fine. I want to keep an eye on things.” His eyes traveled across the aisle to a group of four men, two turned in their seats to face the others, their conversation boisterous. They were passing cards from a playing deck between them.
    Were they a threat? Their arms were covered with the same type of snake tattoo the man in the bar had. Were these men members of the Snake Slayers? Were they aware of the altercation in the bar the day before?
    “I can keep an eye out if you want to sleep,” she said. As she spoke, the men glanced at her, two of them leering in her direction. Goose bumps rose on her arms and an uneasy feeling passed over her.
    “Nope. I’ll wait,” Connor said. For her. He was staying awake to protect her. If she wasn’t with him, he could have gone almost unnoticed on the bus.
    They were foreigners and it was obvious to anyone who saw them. Some Tumarans lived under the assumption that foreigners, especially Americans, were wealthy and carried cash and jewelry. Would the men approach, thinking they could rob them? The bus driver wouldn’t be any help and the people around them were likely to ignore an assault. Getting involved in a fight brought too much trouble, and the farther Kate and Connor were from the city, the more the law of the land changed from the hands of law enforcement to outlaws.
    The glances from the four men increased and then their voices lowered. Kate tensed. They were planning something and she didn’t like it.
    She gripped Connor’s arm. “I’m getting a bad feeling,” she said in Italian.
    Connor glanced over at the men. “I’m not thrilled about this either, but we’ll be okay.”
    Kate tried to appear confident, lifting her head and squaring her shoulders. She wouldn’t let the men intimidate her. She had training. Untested training and no real field experience, but she wasn’t helpless.
    “Hey, friend, is this your first time in Tumara?” One of the men directed the question at Connor.
    “No, it’s not,” Connor said. He looked at them, but he didn’t engage in more conversation.
    “What about your lady? She looks like a first timer,” the man said, and they snickered.
    Connor ignored them, although he shifted in the seat, sitting straighter, turning his shoulders toward them, blocking her between him and the open window. He would defend them in a physical confrontation if he had to, but he wasn’t looking for a fight.
    “You look like two Americans who brought trouble to town yesterday in our bar,” one of the men said.
    Then they were aware of the incident. Connor said nothing.
    One of the men crossed the aisle and leaned on the back of their seat. He reached to touch Kate. She shrank away as Connor’s hand flew up. He caught the man around the wrist and twisted it away. “No touching.”
    The man winced.
    Connor released him and the man rubbed his arm. “Don’t be rude,