Лиза Джонс: Dangerous Secrets

Her lashes lifted and she met his gaze. “Or what?” And she followed him into his hotel room.

Chapter Three

Luke was aware of Julie on every possible level, in every inch of his body, all too conscious of just how much willpower this night was going to require. He wanted her. He wanted her like he’d never wanted another woman, and that was exactly why he couldn’t touch her. Not now. Not yet. But soon, and he knew it was going to feel like forever in the meantime.

The door slammed behind him and he settled her bag in a corner by the closet, easing into the doorway to watch her sit on his king-sized bed, her long blond hair caressing her shoulders. Shoulders he knew were creamy white, skin he knew was soft and silky, and addictive. She reached for the phone. He leaned on the wall, his blood boiling just thinking about how easily they could end up under the sheets, or on top of them, or anywhere in this room, gloriously naked. The mattress separated them, yet he could smell the faint scent of jasmine and vanilla, a perfume so uniquely Julie.

Oh yeah, he was staying on this side of the mattress, and on the opposite side of the room from Julie. He’d given this thing between the two of them one heck of a lot of consideration and was certain that sex was her barrier, the only thing she gave of herself, the wall that hid her from truly connecting. Only he’d gotten past that wall, he’d seen it in her eyes in the past. He saw it there now: the fear, and the knowledge that he was the man who’d seen the real her.

“Yes,” she said into the phone and even her voice radiated along his nerve endings and threatened to unravel his control. “My key won’t work. Can someone bring a new one up to me by chance? I’m in my neighbor’s room. Room-” She glanced at the phone. “813.” She paused and listened, and then sounding disappointed, asked, “That long? Really? Okay. Hmm. Yes. Fine. I’ll be down.” She hung up the phone and stood up, turning to face him. “They’re too busy to come up anytime soon so I have to go down.”

“They said that about room service when I tried to order,” he commented. “I should have assumed the same for this.”

“I guess that means I have to go downstairs now.” She ran her hands down her hips and looked nervous rather than her normal sexy confident self. Nervous was good. Nervous meant she was feeling something unfamiliar. It meant she was aware of what was on the line, and it had nothing to do with pleasure. Well, maybe a little to do with pleasure.

Neither of them moved or spoke, the air thick, the bed the size of a Texas summer sun, threatening to burn them right into high noon. He needed out of this tiny room with her and now.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” he said, pushing off the wall. “Why don’t we head down and get something to eat while the front desk calms down a bit.”

She studied him a long moment, as if his invitation to leave the room surprised her far more than the one to join him here.

“I seem to remember you having a big appetite,” he pressed softly, reminding her of their time together, of just how well they’d gotten to know each other. Of late night pizzas and walks to the corner deli, and a diner near her house that they’d had many a breakfast at. She wasn’t hiding from any of that. She wasn’t hiding from him.

Her lashes lowered, and her hair fell forward, shadowing her face. “Yes,” she said, drawing out the response before casting him a surprisingly shy look. “I probably like to eat a little too much.”

“Says who?” he asked. “Not me. I prefer a woman who actually eats.” He motioned to the door. “Shall we?”

She smiled and admitted. “I am hungry.”

And so was he. For her.

***

Julie stepped into the elevator with Luke, aware of how big he was, how good he smelled, unsure of what had just happened in that hotel room. She’d thought it would be sex and sin, and forgetting everything but sex and sin. It hadn’t happened. She hadn’t even tried to make it happen even though she wanted it. His cologne tickled her nostrils, alluring and familiar, intimate simply because she knew it so well. Lord help her, she still loved everything about the man. Discreetly, she took a deep breath and inhaled that scent, unable to stop herself. Neither of them spoke, but it wasn’t awkward. Nothing with Luke was awkward aside from how much she wanted him. How differently she wanted him from anyone before him.

When the ding of the elevator signaled they were at ground level, he held the doors and let her step out of the car, reminding her he had always been a perfect gentleman. Something she’d always loved about him. Standing just outside the car she waited for him to follow her.

Luke stepped to Julie’s side just as a busty redhead approached. “Hold the elevator, cowboy.”

Cowboy? Julie thought with a frown. Luke wasn’t a cowboy at all. The woman sashayed past Julie as if she didn’t exist, focusing solely on Luke. Her short skirt left little to the imagination, as did her actions. She offered Luke a flirtatious smile and a wink.

He held the elevator door for her and she paused in front of him. “Need someone to keep you warm, honey? I know just how to handle a wicked winter night.”

Julie sucked in a soft breath, feeling the bite of the woman’s words, unable to stop her reaction. It wasn’t like she didn’t know how women responded to Luke. He was the proverbial tall, dark, and handsome with a rock-hard body and gorgeous eyes. To make matters worse, the woman was actually quite attractive with legs that could reach to China and a slender, lean body, so very unlike Julie’s. Suddenly, Julie felt short and stubby, and lost.

Then, to her utter and complete shock, Luke’s arm folded over her shoulder. “This one here is in charge of my wicked winter nights, but thanks anyway.”

Feeling his body against hers, the sensitivity of his actions, rather than the implication, warmth rushed over her. He let the door go, but not before she saw disappointment flash on the woman’s face. Luke glanced down at her. He dropped his arm and they started to walk. “You could have put your arm around me, too, you know?” he asked, cutting her a sideways look. “I don’t bite, and,” he grinned, “a guy needs to stay warm.”

Without giving herself time to think about her actions, she wrapped her arm through his and gave him her own mischievous smile. “Sometimes you bite.”

He laughed. “Maybe I do.”

They walked together like that, like a couple, and she remembered doing just this in the past, strolling down a Manhattan sidewalk, chatting on their way to dinner. She remembered how good it had felt, how she’d felt like a part of a couple for the first time in her life. How for a few weeks she let it feel good, too, knowing he’d be gone, knowing there was no risk. Only there had been an aftermath, a change in her she still didn’t understand.

The restaurant consisted of empty tables that formed a half circle around a bar. “I guess it’s a good thing everyone is at the front desk,” Luke said. “We have plenty of seating choices.”

“Your choice,” confirmed the hostess, who looked maybe eighteen at most, but was probably twenty-one considering the bar, confirmed.

Luke motioned toward the first booth and glanced at Julie. “Work for you?”

“As long as it’s close to the kitchen.”

The hostess laughed. “Best seat in the place.”

“Then it’s a winner,” Julie confirmed and made her way to the seat facing the exit.

Luke slid in across from her and grabbed a menu, about the same time as a young male waiter appeared. “Drinks?”

Luke quirked a brow at Julie. “Tequila Sunrise?”

He remembered her drink and it pleased her way too much. “Yes,” she said without looking at the waiter. “Still a ‘Shiner Beer’ guy?”