The Espionage Effect(24)
“You should be more aware of your surroundings.” The corner of his mouth twitched up for a split second. Then he turned and took long strides down a hallway that began to the right of the reception desk.
I hurried after him, half-jogging to catch up. “What did you find out?” I glanced at my watch. While I’d been distracted by the opulent furnishings, he’d been in a heated discussion with the woman at the front desk for just shy of two minutes.
“We’re allowed to visit.”
Uh-huh. More than a few words had been exchanged. “Not what floor? Or directions to a specific room?”
He gave a quick headshake and pressed the elevator call button. “Already knew that.”
My eyes narrowed. “How?”
He fully faced me, humor flashing in his eyes. “I’m in the intelligence business. You provided her first name last night: Anna. All I needed.”
My skin warmed at the mention of last night. Anna’s call had interrupted the sexually charged aftermath of the most erotic kiss of my life. I swallowed hard, throat suddenly bone dry as a gentle throb hummed between my thighs. On a deep breath to calm down, my nipples rasped against the thin material of my dress, hardening to my dismay.
I had to take yet another deep breath to calm down as we entered the elevator. The perplexing man mere inches away suddenly had command of my body in a most disconcerting Pavlovian way. I didn’t know whether to be irritated or grateful.
We exited the elevator on the third floor before I could formulate any other investigative questions. But once the intoxicating spell of his proximity broke, they flooded in. When had he inquired about Anna at the hospital: The moment he’d left last night or just prior to picking me up? And if he already knew her floor and her room, what other information had been exchanged in the front lobby? The weather? The political climate?...A date?
Alec didn’t strike me as the dating kind. More like the…f*cking…kind. Hard. Thorough. Primal…
After another hard swallow, I sucked in a sharp breath. My illicit thoughts rocketed my pulse up faster than anything Alec had actually done. Shaking my head at my wild imagination, I followed his lead down another corridor whose floor had been swathed in the same black granite as the lobby.
He paused at the nurse’s station, a semicircle area in the center of the floor, and rested his arm on the polished cream-colored marble counter.
“Room 302,” he said while nodding toward the room ahead of me without bothering to glance my way. Instead, his gaze tracked farther down the corridor, then swept across the open area, panning from right to left as he scanned the entrance to every visible room.
His hand remained securely wrapped around the handles of his leather bag, his other arm casually resting on the counter. To an untrained observer, his stance might’ve appeared relaxed, but I sensed he stood guard like a self-appointed sentry, watching everything around us, ensuring my safety.
But the moment I stepped into Room 302…everything spy? Completely forgotten.
“Anna!” I rushed over to the bed, astonishing even myself with my level of excited relief.
Lazing atop the covers, wearing an ivory cotton gown with her toned, tanned legs stretched out and one foot perched on a large pillow, she grinned wide the moment I burst into the room. “Dev!”
I landed a hip on the edge of the mattress and threw my arms around her. When a tiny squeak accompanied her shrinking away from me, I released her. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”
By the time I pulled back, she settled against the pillow-mountain propped behind her and shook her head. “No biggie. Turns out when you sprain your ankle and fall—like a total flailing klutz—a few other things are bound to get banged up.”
“Only a sprained ankle, then? Nothing broken?”
She lifted her foot off the pillow, rotating her leg to show me the outside of her foot. Her ankle was swollen, the puffy tissue sporting a purplish bruise. “Nope. And Doc says if I stay an extra day or two, devote myself to elevated rest and all their physical therapy staff has to offer, I can wear heels in a few days, snorkeling by the end of vacation.”
I twisted around, dropping her a hard look. “Really? You’re laid up and all you can think about is Louboutin?”
She gave an unapologetic shrug. “My legs beg for a designer shoe workout. I’m addicted.”
“More like demented.”
Her mouth curved into a winning smile. “Just how you love me.”
I dropped my chin to my chest, shoulders slumped in my honest defeat. When I raised my head, I pressed my lips into a firm line, doing my best not to smile. “Great. What does that make me?”
She tugged me down, scooting over to make room for me. “It makes you delusional, twisted, and perfectly sane in our crazy imperfect world.”
I let out a soft snort as I settled on the bed, cushy for what I’d expected from a hospital. Then again, nothing here was anything like I’d imagined. Her room was private, spacious with a sitting area that included a small beige leather couch and arm chair. The same black granite and ivory limestone covered the hard surfaces, and moss-green curtains framed a wide window.
“I can’t believe you aren’t coming back with us today.” Even odder was the jovial attitude I’d adopted since seeing her. Like we’d switched roles. In her absence, had I provided balance to the darkness, compensating with a modicum of lightheartedness myself? Or had Alec’s presence played a role?