“Wait, are you serious?” she asked.
“As fuck, Gretch. You got played, and you almost became frontline news.”
I could see the anger growing in her face. Gretchen didn’t like being played. It was one of our downfalls. She felt she was being replaced by my company, and I told her that was partially true. My company needed a lot of tending to while we had been together with the merger that took place, and it all became too much. She felt I was pulling the wool over her eyes with how difficult my job was, and I accused her of not getting it because she wanted to be number one to everyone around her.
This situation got bad quickly, and I was wondering if Sam was listening to the whole thing from somewhere in her hotel room.
“I’ll bury you being in Vegas. I should’ve known you weren’t associating with anything near an affair. That’s never been your style,” Gretchen said.
“Thank you for that, and I’d appreciate your efforts to squash this,” I said. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry someone tried to use you. You deserve better than that. You always have.”
“You leave them to me. Thank you for your time, Derek. And I’m sorry for interrupting whatever it was you had going on here.”
“Nothing was going on.”
“Something was going on. I saw the way she looked at you. How your eyes fluttered down her body when you looked back at her. I’m a woman, and if there’s one thing I do know, it’s chemistry between two people.”
“Seriously, Gretch. There’s nothing here.”
“I’m not writing a story on you, don’t worry. And for what it’s worth, I’m glad you found someone to share your time with. Even though things didn’t work out between the two of us, that doesn’t mean I don’t want you to be happy. Whether I agree with your life choices or not.”
I was speechless at what she was saying as she turned to walk away.
“I think you should go for it. She’s a very pretty woman, and she obviously cares about your well-being.”
And with that, she pushed through the alcove door into the hallway and was gone.
Chapter 14
Sam
I DROPPED MY TOWEL in the hallway and set my gun on the edge of the kitchen sink. That woman had seen me in my towel. She wasn’t a threat. She wasn’t a suspect. She wasn’t even important. She had just been one of Derek’s exes who was trying to exploit their past relationship for her own personal gain.
And she had seen me in my towel.
My client’s most important ex-girlfriend had seen all of me but my most sensitive areas.
I was supposed to be keeping this professional, keeping my distance and getting the job done. I was supposed to be protecting this man and figuring out who the hell was trying to kill him. And instead, I was lusting over him. I was drinking in how he looked at me. I was bucking up to him while simultaneously wondering what it would be like to consume him, to give myself over to him and the pleasure my body knew he could grant me.
My distraction was going to get him killed.
I scrubbed my skin down, trying to wash his eyes from my body. I tried to wash away the warmth his gaze had brought when he saw me in the hallway, dripping wet and nothing clothing me but that measly little towel.
What the hell was going on with me?
I heard movement, and I tensed, ready to grapple at a moment’s notice. My hand wrapped around the knife I had with me in the shower as my ears listened out for Derek. Was he okay? Had someone gotten the jump on us? Fuck, I was slipping. I was slipping dangerously, and it was about to cost me my career.
“I see you reaching for something. It’s just me, Sam.”
I released the breath I was holding when I heard Derek’s voice. Until I came to my senses. I was in the fucking shower, and Derek was in the bathroom.
“What are you doing in here?” I asked.
“Joining you if you’ll let me.”
I watched his frosted form slide his suit jacket from his body as he dropped it to the floor.
“What do you mean, joining me?” I asked.
“In that shower. It looks pretty relaxing.”
“Are you insane? Get out of here,” I said.
“Is that what you really want?”