The Stranger In Room 205 (Hot off the Press! 1)

On impulse, he reached up to catch her forearms and pull her onto his lap. Caught off guard, she didn’t have time to resist, but she made an effort to avoid landing on his injured knee. “Serena, listen to me. Red’s obviously a guy with a colorful imagination and a flair for the dramatic. He interpreted what he saw in a way that makes for a good story, that’s all.”

“Red’s dramatic, but he doesn’t just make details up out of thin air,” she argued. “If he said the driver headed straight for you, then you should take him seriously. You could have been killed.”

He could feel her shaking and knew she was imagining the grim scenarios that had played through his mind during the brief drive here. To distract her, he finally allowed himself to run his fingers through her soft hair. Or at least he told himself it was to distract her and not because he’d been wanting to do this since she’d knelt beside his chair. “I’m starting to sort of like it when you worry about me,” he murmured. “Even if you do get kind of naggy.”

“Naggy?” Her scowl deepened. “I am not naggy. I just—”

Whatever excuse she might have offered, it was lost when his mouth covered hers.

Serena dove into the kiss, thinking of how easily Sam could have been killed that afternoon. It was bad enough remembering how badly he’d been hurt before, but the thought of losing him that way now, after they’d shared kisses that affected her as none had before…well, she simply couldn’t bear to even think of that.

She knew he was planning to leave soon, knew his stay was only temporary, knew there could be no future for them—and she’d told herself she was braced for that. Her reaction to the near hit he’d just described let her know she wasn’t as well prepared as she’d thought. And that terrified her.

His mouth was so warm on hers, so increasingly familiar. His arms were solid and secure around her, making her feel safe and protected—something she’d never sought from any man. She laid her hand against his chest, feeling the strength of his muscles beneath the thin fabric of his T-shirt. Despite the bad experiences he’d had during the past weeks, this was a man who was fully capable of taking care of himself. He’d allowed her to fuss over him, but he’d have been fine on his own. Maybe he even preferred it that way.

She slowly pulled her mouth from his and searched his face with troubled eyes. Why was she finding it so h

ard to resist his kisses, even though she kept reminding herself of all the reasons she should resist?

“Don’t look so troubled, Serena,” he said, stroking her cheek. “I’m sure it was only a bizarre accident.”

“Actually, that’s not what’s troubling me at the moment,” she murmured, all too aware of their position, his thighs beneath hers.

Catching her drift, he glanced downward. “Oh. Well, that was only a kiss.”

“Something that seems to be happening quite a bit between us lately.”

“I know.” He ran his thumb across her lower lip. “You don’t hear me complaining, do you?”

She gave him a stern look. “I’m not in the habit of indulging in casual affairs, Sam.”

“I never supposed you were.”

“I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea because of a few impulsive kisses.”

His thumb trailed across her lip again, lingering at the slight indention in the center. “I’ve definitely gotten ideas from those kisses, but not that one.”

She leveled another stern look at him. “I’m being serious.”

His crooked smile was transformed into a full-blown grin that nearly took her breath away. “Sorry, Serena, but I really can’t be intimidated by your tough-lawyer voice when you’re sitting in my lap with your arms around my neck. And again, note that I’m not complaining.”

She felt her cheeks warm. When it came to this man, she really did seem to be losing her mind. She scrambled off his lap. Sam made no effort to detain her—or to hide his regret.

Pushing her hands through her disheveled hair, she drew a deep breath and tried to remember how that had gotten started this time. Oh, yes. She’d been reacting to the distress of hearing about his near hit. “I think you should call Dan.”

“Why?”

“Why? Someone tried to run you down! Even if it was an accident, the driver left the scene without even checking to make sure you were all right. Dan should know about this.”

“I’m sure he’ll contact me before long,” Sam replied, sounding suddenly tired. “Word gets around pretty fast in this town. Someone will tell Dan.”

She studied him disapprovingly. “You don’t seem to be taking this very seriously.”

He sighed and pushed himself out of the chair, resting his weight somewhat cautiously on his right leg. “What do you want from me, Serena? I wasn’t hit, and I didn’t see the vehicle well enough to identify it. There’s really nothing more I can do.”

“So you’re just going to forget about it?”

“Yes, that’s what I’d like to do.”