Straight Flushed (Hot Pursuit #1)(68)
“Jimmy Sabin,” he said. “Rich told me you’d need a room. It’s all taken care of.” He leaned over the desk and asked the blond for an envelope. After she handed it to him, he said, “Follow me, please.”
I looked over at Stephen and we walked behind Jimmy to a set of tall elevator doors down the hall and off into a carpeted corridor. He punched the button to the twelfth floor, which happened to be the very top. The doors closed, and we headed up with Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” playing in the background.
We walked halfway down a brightly lit hallway and stood outside a set of double doors. Jimmy slid a keycard into the slot. He stepped in first and turned on the lights. Inside, I tried to hide my surprise. We walked past a roomy bathroom and into a large suite with two queen-sized beds. The one closest to the door would be mine. On the wall opposite of the foot of Stephen’s bed, was a set of white, French doors which led to a comfortable office space. It had a small couch, a chair, and a coffee table where we’d probably enjoy a meal or two—after I broke the ice.
Jimmy walked next to Stephen’s bed and pulled back a set of dark, velvet curtains, unveiling a magnificent view of the city. I blinked back the sting in my eyes from the sudden change in light then he tugged an underlying sheer curtain to mute the light.
“I don’t know what kind of favor you owed Richard, but it must have been something big. This place is gorgeous.”
“Don’t mention it. It was available and Rich and I go back a long ways,” Jimmy answered.
“Well, thanks so much for your hospitality,” I said.
“It’s my pleasure.” Jimmy handed over a sheet with information regarding hotel security and passwords for the internet. “If you feel in need of a little entertainment tonight, please stop down in the lounge and have a couple of drinks on me.”
“That sounds great.” I smiled. “Thanks again. I’ll be sure to tell Richard how generous you were.”
With a brief nod and a cordial grin, I followed Jimmy out. When the spring-loaded door shut itself with a loud click, I slid the extra security chain into place. I peeked through the peephole and watched Jimmy walk out of sight. Stephen and I were alone.
When I walked back into the suite, Stephen was setting his backpack down on the chair at the foot of his bed, staring out the window, so I wheeled my suitcase over to the chair at the foot of my bed, keeping my back to him. We had yet to exchange any words. The air conditioner came to life and began humming us a tune. I hoisted my suitcase onto the chair and laid it flat.
“Look,” I said, turning toward him. My voice caught his attention. “I’m sorry if I came off as harsh in the car. I only force the things I do because I want the best outcome. My methods may not always be the smoothest, or most considerate, but it’s only because I care so much. I want to protect you and keep you safe. That’s all I was doing back in the car.”
He walked toward me and stopped just outside of my personal space. “I know,” he said and fell silent. He stared at me, and the look he gave demanded more.
“I didn’t mean to treat you like a child either. That wasn’t my intention. I know sometimes I rule with an iron fist, but history’s shown that it gets me better results.” I swallowed and put my shoulders back.
“I know.”
I huffed. “Can you please say something other than ‘I know’? I’m trying to smooth things over here.” I glanced down at the ground and scratched an itch above my eye.
He took another step toward me, lifted my chin, and smiled. “Do you have any idea how much I want you right now? You are irresistible.”
This should have been the moment where I continued to fight, but he took my breath away, and I could only shake my head. I looked into his eyes and tried to see a clearer picture. He wasn’t mad? All the agonizing I’d just done over the last half hour had been wasted energy. I was drained, broken, and empty. I constantly tried to be the strong girl, to be the best of the best, but life had beaten me down and I’d weakened.
His words continued to resonate, and I opened my mouth in a last ditch effort to stop what was going to happen. “I…” I grunted, but before I got the rest out, he placed one enticing finger across my lips, singeing them shut.
“Uh uh.” He shook his head. “You’ve done something I couldn’t do on my own. I’m indebted to you and I want to show how I feel because words aren’t enough. Let me show you.”
He dropped his hand to the hollow of my back and brought me into him, lightly jostling the gun tucked into my pants. My hands, which had been dangling loosely at my side, instantly tensed as I looked up at his soft, rose colored lips; I couldn’t convince myself to wiggle free. His touch sent currents of desire shooting through me, and it went straight to my brain, short circuiting any and all logic.
His hands roamed higher and glided under my blazer, slipping it from my shoulders and off my arms. My eyes never left his as it fell to the floor. He repeated the maneuver with my holster; I calculated the risk of his every move. I watched raptly as he laid it carefully on the chaise behind me, and as he did, his eyes had become liquid heat, the look so galvanizing it almost stopped my heart.
He placed his hands low on my hips then grazed the top of my backside before giving my flesh a firm squeeze. The steel of his gun pressed deeper into my skin. I reached back and grabbed it, tucking it safely between my suitcase and the side of the chair.