Page 13 of Hook

"What the hell are you doing? No!" She tries to push away. She rummages for something in her pocket, and suddenly I feel the very sharp edge of something poking into my side. I don’t need to look down. It’s a blade. I’ve felt the cold metal against my body before.

"Hmm, the wildcat has claws. Easy sweetheart." I whisper as I press closer to her. Our noses just a hair's breadth away from each other.

"What are you doing?" She whispers. Her words tremble and I feel her free hand squeeze against my arm. It's only then that I notice she's not pushing me away anymore, she's pulling me closer.

"I'm just making sure they don't see you. That's the plan isn't it?" I question but her eyes don't leave mine.

Instead she licks her lips slowly and her gaze dances between my own and my lips. She wants me to kiss her. My cock gets hard at the thought. Slowly, I lean forward a bit more and our nosesskim each other. She tips her head back, those moist lips waiting for me to lick and bite on. It would be so easy and I bet she'd taste better than any five course meal.

I know I should be paying attention to the men outside that we're trying to get away from but for the life of me I can't stop looking at her. She's everything I've always known I'd never have but yet here she is basically begging me to take her with her eyes.

"Easy." I growl when her hand absentmindedly pushes the knife harder against my skin.

"Sorry." She squeaks before she lets the knife fall to the floor of my truck.

"Don't apologize, Bea. I'd just rather not have to get any stitches today." I smirk at her and she dazzles me with a soft grin in return.

The tension between us crackled like electricity. I find myself studying the curve of Bea's neck, the way her pulse flutters just beneath her skin. I force my gaze back to her eyes, surprised by the intensity I found there.

"You're good at this," She says softly, a hint of admiration in her tone.

I chuckle low in my throat. "You have no idea," I replied, the double meaning hanging in the air between us.

As we sat in silence, our bodies pressed close, my mind raced. I'd known Bea for such a short time, yet I felt an overwhelming urge to protect her, to keep her safe. It wasn't just physical attraction – though that was undeniably present. There was something about her spirit, her resilience, that called to me on a deeper level.

"Hook," Bea breathed, her eyes searching my face. "I?—"

"Shh," I interrupted gently, spotting movement outside. "They're leaving. Just a little longer."

As we waited, I realized with startling clarity that I was in too deep. This woman, with her fierce determination and vulnerable heart, had somehow wormed her way past my defenses. The thought both thrilled and terrified me.

I need to put some space between us both physically and emotionally before I make a fool out of myself.

"Okay, let me check it out." Slowly, I move back from her and I swear I hear her whimper as I do. Fuck, I could throw her in the back seat right now and have my way with her. I want to. More than I've wanted most things recently.

Unfortunately, I know I have to watch for any threats, the same ones that she's running away from. I look over her shoulder out the passenger side window and don't see the two men in front of the police station any longer. Moving away from Bea even more I look out the front window and see the two of them walking down the block stopping every so often to tack a sheet of paper onto a wall or telephone pole.

"Stay here. I'll be right back." I order Bea as I hop out the car and walk to the nearest telephone pole to see exactly what they are putting up around town. My heart drops to my gut as I get a good look at what it is. It's a missing person's flyer. On it are several pictures of Bea and a large warning on the bottom that she's mentally unstable and dangerous. I may not know Bea very well but there's one thing I know about the woman is that she's not crazy.

This Lance asshole is pulling out all the stops to get her back. Talk about determination.

Of course, this puts a real kink in my plan to just drop her off at the police station to let them deal with this mess. If Lance's goons have already gotten to the boys in blue first and told them that she was crazy there's every chance that they won't believe her if she tries to go in there and tell them that people are after her. She was telling the truth when she said that no one would believe her.

All of the so-called options Brick suggested earlier disappeared right in front of my eyes as I continue to look over the flyer. There was nothing left for me to do but protect her myself. With a deep sigh I walk back to the driver's side door of my truck and get in.

"What was it?" Bea asks the second my ass touches the seat.

I don't answer her. She's already panicked just from seeing the two men. If I tell her they are going around telling people she's crazy she just might lose it. I squeeze the steering wheel and look up through the front windshield and watch as the two men disappear around the corner. The immediate danger is gone but who knows when it'll pop back up. Who else does Lance have searching for Bea.

The weight of the situation weighs heavy on me but I know I have to keep it together for Bea. I didn't ask for this job but she's depending on me.

She stares at me, those big eyes mixed with apprehension and uncertainty.

"We need to figure out our next move."

"What do you mean our next move? I thought this was our next move. What was on the flyer?" Her questions flying faster than a buckshot from a shotgun.

"They're making it seem like you're crazy. A danger to yourself and others."