Good grief, he’d only touched her hand. If he actually touched her breast, she’d probably explode.
He let out a long slow breath and dragged a hand through his hair. Maybe he was just as affected as she. Wouldn’t that rock her world?
She lost track of that delicious thought when she caught a glimpse of leather beneath his suit jacket. She peered closer, then stared in horror at the shoulder holster she hadn’t even known he was wearing.
A shoulder holster? What the . . .
“Where the hell did you get that?” she demanded, pointing at the gun tucked neatly inside said shoulder holster. “And how exactly did you even get it on a plane? Do you have a permit for that thing?”
His lips thinned, signaling his annoyance, but that was too damned bad. She wanted answers and his über good looks weren’t going to distract her. Much.
“Yes, I have a permit.” He looked directly at the offending chair. “Did you need help with something?”
She needed help, all right. Considering they were less than two feet away from her bed, she had a list of the ways he could help her right into a series of orgasms. But the truth was, she was just a teeny bit more interested in how he’d gotten a gun past airport security.
Not wanting to be rude, she took him up on his offer. “Yes, I do. Thank you,” she said, rubbing again at the sore spot on her tender bottom. She pointed to the cabinet above the closet. “I need my weekender bag.”
He easily retrieved the bag in question and handed it to her. “How did you get it up there?” he asked.
“Hissy fit.” She took the bag from him, remembering the third canceled weekend date with a guy who’d turned out to be married scum. “Not to change the subject or anything, but what kind of an accountant carries a firearm?”
He shrugged, then took a seat. On. Her. Bed. “One that’s being followed by men who want to keep him from testifying at trial.”
“I’ll buy that,” she said, stunned that her vocal cords continued to function. She was positive they’d been tangled by the sandstorm in her drier than dirt mouth.
He sat on her bed.
Her bed.
Oh, the fantasies that wouldn’t stop running through her head. Her very Southern, very proper Granny Belle would’ve taken a switch to her behind if she were till around to know the wickedly delicious thoughts her very improper granddaughter was thoroughly enjoying.
With great effort, she turned her attention to packing and started stuffing clothes into the bag. One never knew when an opportunity to spend time on the beach might occur, so she tossed her swimsuit into the bag, just in case. An extra pair of capris, shorts, blue jeans, a few tops, and undergarments followed. She was as ready as she’d ever be to spend the next couple of days alone with a man who had her libido standing up and taking notice.
Not until she had the bag zipped did she dare look over at the sex on a stick lounging casually across the very feminine rose-print comforter she’d gotten for a steal on eBay. Too bad they couldn’t stay here. She had very distinct ideas on what to do with his silk patterned tie and the lovely posts of her four-poster bed.
“I’m up for anything now.” She realized exactly how that must’ve sounded the instant her gaze landed on his, which had turned an even more brilliant shade of green.
He coughed, to smother a laugh, no doubt, but couldn’t hide the delightfully sexy smile curving his very kissable-looking lips. Damn, but the man just oozed sex appeal.
Heat crept up her neck and settled like little balls of intense fire in her cheeks. “Oh, I . . . I didn’t . . .” she stammered. “Oh, hell. Let’s get out of here. Please.” Good Lord, she needed to get a grip. At this rate every last one of her girl parts would be glowing in the dark before much longer.
The distinct sound of two car doors slamming snagged their attention. She looked at Chas, who put his finger to his lips. Quietly, he slipped off her bed and walked to the window, where he carefully peered through the slats in the mini-blinds. “Dammit,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
He backed away from the window and came back to her. Everything about him had turned intense and edgy—his body language, the sharpness in his gaze, even his face had changed before her very eyes. He was no less attractive for it, either. In fact, those girl parts she was so concerned with came instantly and vibrantly alive when he slipped his hand around the back of her neck. He urged her forward as if he were about to kiss her.
Anticipation zinged along her nerve endings—until he dipped his head to whisper in her ear. “It’s the same two guys that followed us from the airport. Just do what I tell you to, and I’ll get us out of here.”
Her body was torn between the air of danger swirling around them and the acute sense of intimacy his nearness caused. She needed her head examined. Who got all hot and bothered at a time like this?
Apparently she did.
He slipped his hand over her mouth. “Nod if you understand what I’m saying.”
His hot breath against her ear sent a delicious shiver rippling down her spine. Grateful for the silence, she nodded. She couldn’t have spoken if she’d wanted to since she had zero moisture in her mouth.
“Is there
another way out of here?” he asked her.