Midnight Kiss (Virgin River #12)(69)

“No, no, no,” she whispered. They’d all figure it out now. Every single one of them.

“Elise!” Noah shouted.

She shook her head frantically, rushing for the bathroom just as the shower cut off. “Shhh! Be quiet! There’s nothing going on. One of the satellite branches lost power for a half hour, that’s all. But now everyone is going to know! You’ve got to—”

“Know what?”

“That we—” Elise snapped her mouth shut and glared. Not an easy accomplishment. Noah had pushed back the curtain, and he casually toweled himself off as he watched her with raised eyebrows.

“You know exactly what I mean. You’ve got to get the hell out of my room. But what are you going to tell them? What will you say?”

His brow snapped down. “I’m going to tell them my phone ran out of power.”

“They went to your room, and you weren’t there. Then they couldn’t find me and… This is a disaster!”

“Elise—”

“Wait! I’ve got it. I know where you were last night. You met up with those flight attendants. It’s perfect!”

Noah stepped out of the shower, his deliberate movements giving him a menacing look. Or maybe it really was a menacing look. “What are you talking about?” he growled.

“Last night,” she said simply. She very carefully kept her eyes on his face. “We were tired and…the tequila. It was a mistake. I’m your supervisor—”

“A mistake.”

Something dangerous glinted in his eyes. Elise swallowed and told herself she was backing out of the bathroom again only because he was stark naked. And damp. And ten inches away. She hid on the other side of the door. “Hurry up!” she hissed.

She needed a shower too, but it would have to wait. Elise faced away from the bathroom as she switched her T-shirt for a bra and clean blouse. When she turned around, she was confronted with Noah standing there, towel around his waist. Stupidly, she reached down to cover the sight of her underwear with her hands.

Noah’s gaze slid down to the shield of her fingers, and when his eyes rose to meet hers again, she read disappointment in the pale blue depths. “Unbelievable.”

“What?”

“You’re doing it to me again. But this time…” He threw a hand toward the bed.

Panic finally exploded in her chest. What had she done? No, she hadn’t jumped on him this time, but she’d opened the door with only a towel around her. She’d let him in. He was a man, and she’d presented him with a little free action.

“No one can know, Noah. Please. My job!”

“Sure. I understand. Want me to go out the window?” He snapped his towel off and spun back to the bathroom, leaving Elise with a brief but thorough glimpse of his taut behind. Her knees weakened, but that was probably lack of oxygen. Her lungs were working too hard, too fast. She dressed herself while Noah stomped around, snatching his wrinkled clothes off the floor. She tried to keep from hyperventilating.

“Noah,” she said when he reached for the door. He froze, back tense, neck tight. He waited, and she realized she didn’t have any idea what she meant to say. I’m sorry or Did you mean it? or I’ve wanted that for so long.

She couldn’t manage any of them. In the end, she just said, “Make sure no one’s in the hall.”

His shoulders rose higher, as if he were protecting himself from a blow. He took a deep, quiet breath. And then he left.

She didn’t feel better. She felt worse. The panic swirled inside her chest, more like heartache and sorrow than pure fear.

But this was work. Nothing more or less than that. So Elise brushed her teeth, fixed her hair, and dusted on powder and blush. And then she went back to work, ignoring the ache in her muscles and her heart.

“HEY, MAN,” Tex Harrison drawled from behind Noah’s back as he poured himself a coffee in the bank’s break room.

“Yeah?” Noah’s tone wasn’t polite, but he marked it as a great triumph that he hadn’t actually punched anybody in the two hours since he’d gotten out of Elise’s bed.

“I heard you were a naughty boy last night.”

Coffee sloshed over the edge of Noah’s cup, burning the tip of his thumb. He didn’t notice the pain, because he was busy trying to stop the movie playing in his head. Elise, against the door, both legs wrapped around his waist as she tilted her h*ps to take him deeper… Noah cleared his throat and squeezed the mug tighter. “Excuse me?”

“The flight attendants? Dude, everyone is talking about it. You’re a rock star. Listen, can I go with you tonight? I don’t mean for some sort of group scene, but surely you can’t handle another night of all three—”

Noah spun around and stalked from the break room. Behind him, Tex muttered, “Jeez, I’d think you’d be in a good mood.”

He did not turn back and throw a roundhouse at Tex’s jaw. He did not slam the door of his temporary office. He didn’t do anything except sit down in the chair, place the coffee slowly on a coaster, and force himself to breathe in and out. In and out. Calmly.

She’d done it again. Made a fool out of him. Apparently Elise Watson’s attraction to him only kicked in after a few drinks. Tequila made him palatable, but the cold light of day reminded her of her real feelings. She didn’t like him.