When they finally pulled out of the kiss, they were both breathless, and Chase felt as drunk as if he’d been the one to pop those tequila shots.
“I want you.” Zahara’s breathless words chased a thrill up Chase’s spine.
“You have no idea how long I’ve dreamt of hearing you say that.”
She smiled. “Then you’d better do something about it before I’m thinking straight again.”
He pulled his wallet out and dropped two twenties on the table. “Where do you want to go?”
“I live too far away.”
So did he. Besides, he lived in a dive. “Me too.” He kissed her again, just a little sip of her lips. “I’m afraid you’d come to your senses before we got there.”
She laughed, and her eyes sparkled. “That’s so true, it’s funny.”
In some ways, maybe. In others…not so much. He scanned his mind for hotels nearby. He didn’t want to blurt out the idea without one in mind. “Let’s get a room” sounded just sleezy enough to douse the mood.
She was leaning against the booth now, her body and demeanor more relaxed. The tequila was obviously kicking in. She toyed with a button on his shirt. “There’s a cute little boutique place down the street.”
“Wow,” Chase said with a laugh. “You said that so much better than I ever could.”
“I figured you were searching for something better than ‘Let’s get a room.’”
Chase laughed again. “You really do read my mind.”
3
Zahara was eternally grateful for those three shots of tequila right now. Getting to the bar had taken pure, raw determination. The alcohol had loosened her tongue enough to tell Chase how she felt. Admitting to fear or weakness wasn’t one of her strengths.
The payoff had been worth it. She now stood wit
h Chase at the hotel’s front desk, one of his hands firmly grasping hers while he signed the check-in receipt. She knew he was afraid if he didn’t hold on tight, he’d turn around and find her gone. She was a little afraid of that herself.
The thought forced her a step closer to him. Chase had folded his blazer and tossed it over one shoulder. Zahara wrapped her free arm around his waist and pressed the front of her body to the back of his. God, he felt even better than he had earlier in the day, a solid wall of muscle, radiating heat and the dreamy scent of sandalwood.
She rested the side of her head against his back, and scanned the lobby for CCTV units. The last thing she needed was someone in security recognizing Chase and selling the video of him checking into a hotel with some unidentified woman to a media outlet. Chase wasn’t exactly well known, and they had every right to do whatever they wanted. But Zahara didn’t want her face or her name attached to a story about hooking up with a Hollywood up-and-comer.
He glanced over his shoulder, his gaze amused and affectionate. “You’re a little toasted.”
“Maybe a little.”
He laughed. “You’re adorable.”
Her cheeks heated. No one called Zahara adorable. She was strong, independent, serious, kick-ass, no-nonsense, intense, fearless. Not adorable. Very few saw her softer side. But somehow, Chase had seen it early on. And the more time she spent with him, the more comfortable it became to show more of her true self.
The clerk handed Chase the room key, and Zahara’s stomach flipped like a gold-medal gymnast. This just got very real.
He turned, slipped his arm around her shoulders, and started in the direction of the elevators. She kept her head down and her face turned away from the surveillance units she’d located.
On the elevator, she turned her back to the camera tucked into the top left corner and sighed with relief. Letting go of her worry allowed desire to bubble to the surface.
Chase hit the button for the twelfth floor, then wrapped her in his arms and grinned. “What?”
Giddiness fizzed in her veins and tickled her stomach. “Thank God for tequila.”
He walked her backward until her back pressed against the elevator wall. The smolder in his eyes promised her a night filled with all she’d dreamt of.
He slipped a hand under her hair and around the back of her neck. “Zahara Parrish, I can’t even count how many times I’ve fantasized about getting you alone.”