"Are you okay? Where did you disappear to? Let me in," he called.
I gripped the shower curtain with white knuckles. "I went down to the pool to relax for a while. Then, I got distracted with work. I've got to get ready and go to a meeting," I said.
I listened hard, but did not hear a response. Of course, he would not care what I was doing with the rest of my day. I scrubbed my hair hard, buffed my body with a loofah, and rinsed clean. I wrapped the towel around me and yanked open the door, determined to get dressed and out of the suite as fast as possible.
"Fenton! You scared me!" I clutched the small towel harder. "I thought you left."
"And, miss you all hot and wet from the shower? No way," Fenton said.
I reached back into the bathroom and carefully pulled an oversized white robe around myself. "A little privacy, please?"
He stepped up to the threshold of the bathroom and left me pinned between him and the door. He tipped his head as he laser blue eyes searched mine. "What is the matter? Something's wrong."
"Nothing," I said. "I just have a busy day. You are not the only athlete in Vegas, you know."
"Alright," he agreed. He
stepped back but kept his eyes riveted to me. "Did you get a chance to meet Dana Maria before you left this morning?"
The other woman's name was like lighting a fuse. I tried to keep myself from exploding. "Yes. I answered the door."
He waited for me to say more, but saw that I bit my lip. "What? You have something to say about her?"
"What's to say, Fenton? Really." I shook my head and tried to shut the bathroom door in his face.
"I didn't think you'd be so judgmental. So she's an exotic dancer, that doesn't mean she isn't a good person," he said.
"A good person? That has nothing to do with it. She has nothing to do with it," I said.
Fenton crossed his arms. "Yes she does. Dana Maria matters to me. If I'm going to stay here, then she has to be welcome, too."
I shoved him back and slammed the bathroom door in his face. "Do whatever you like. The suite is yours."
"What is the matter with you, Kya?" He kicked the bathroom door. "I thought you were different. I thought there was someone underneath that country club shell."
"Yeah? Well, I thought there was a gentleman under your trash talk and stubble. I guess we were both wrong." I zipped up a white linen dress and tied the sash too tight. My hands shook as I clasped a string of pearls around my neck, but I refused to let that stop me. My curls were springy up wild, but all I did was tuck a white headband into place. I had to get away from Fenton before my temper tore me apart.
I whipped the bathroom door open. "Some people like the way I dress," I said.
Fenton's angry blue eyes swept down the v-neck dress to the tight white sash. Then, he lunged forward and caught me in his arms. His kiss was hard, hungry, and relentless. "I like the way you look, but I like what's underneath better," he growled.
His lips melded to mine and my futile pushes turned into a hard grip on his shoulders. I was hurt and angry and suddenly, so turned on. My entire body wanted to have him at my mercy, to feel him shuddering inside me.
I shook my head and broke free of his hold. "I have a lunch meeting."
"I'm late for the gym," he said.
He stormed out of the suite ahead of me. I rode downstairs in the elevator alone, smoothing my hair down. Fenton's kiss had left me on fire. I was jealous that he could take it out on punching bags and sparring partners. Instead, I had to sit at lunch and smile politely.
"Is that a little sunburn I see?" Jackson asked. He met me just outside the elevator and slipped my hand into the crook of his arm.
I willed the hot blush to dissipate and smiled up at my well-mannered date. "I'm just a little warm."
"Well, I got us a table inside so you can cool off in the air-conditioning." He led me into the hotel's high-end restaurant, where a table was waiting for us.
"Thank you," I said, sitting down as he held the chair out for me. "You didn't need to go to any trouble."
"I love the salmon here," he said.