Another knock. Louder, more insistent.
Could it be a fan? She hadn’t noticed anyone trailing her. She’d been relatively fortunate as far as stalkers went—nothing serious.
Another knock. Rapid raps this time.
She groaned, pushed the blankets away, and forced her head off the pillow.
She peered through the peephole.
Sterling. What in the world?
She unlatched and unbolted the door, then cracked it open. “What are you doing here?”
He threw his weight against the door and pushed past her into the room, slamming the door behind him. He bolted and latched the locks.
She blinked, mouth agape, and clutched at the neckline of her nightgown. “What are you . . . you can’t . . . please get out of my room.”
He pressed his back to the door, shaking his head. “I can’t.” He spun around and peered through the peephole.
“What are you doing?”
“She’s here.”
“Who’s here?”
“Amber. And she’s upset.”
“Here at the hotel?”
“Yes! She flew back, and she’s been waiting for me. In my room. She’s. In. My. Room. I came back ready to sleep, opened my door, and there she was.”
“You never called her, did you? This is what happens when you don’t deal with problems. They get worse.”
“I was going to call her in the morning. I didn’t know she’d show up. How the heck did she get into my hotel room anyway?”
“I suspect she bewitched some poor hotel employee. Male, of course. Would’ve been easy for her.”
“What do I do?”
“Go back and talk to her.”
“I can’t go back. I’m lucky I got out in the first place.”
“What do you mean? What happened?”
“She was all over me the second I walked through the door. Tried to get me in bed. You don’t understand what it does to a man when a gorgeous woman demands sex and won’t take no for an answer.” He finally turned from the peephole, leaning against the door. His gaze took her in. “Nice nightie.”
She attempted to draw the silky gown closer, as if that would make it less revealing. She wished she’d grabbed her robe before he’d barged into her room. “It looks like you need to tell her no and send her on her way.” She reached for the handle to open the door.
He caught her hand in his, expression pleading. “I can’t. Something happens to me when she’s around. I can’t think clearly.”
He continued to hold her hand. She didn’t resist. “That makes sense. A succubus knows how to prey on a man’s weakness. She’s trying to reassert control over you.”
“I need your help. I don’t know how to deal with an obsessed woman.”
He stood so close. Those dark eyes seemed to cast their own spell on her. Could he resist a succubus? And seek her out instead? “I don’t have experience with situations like this. But you managed to break the spell and escape.” She paused. “How did you get out of the room?”
He blushed. “I kissed her a few times and then told her I wanted to go get her a present. I told you—I couldn’t think straight. I wanted out of there.”
Kissed her a few times? And now he was in her room? She removed her hand from his and crossed her arms. “You could’ve dealt with this over the phone. Now you have to deal with her in person when you’re strongly influenced by her feminine allure. All the more difficult because she’s a succubus. Mr. Wakefield, you have to leave—”
“I’m not going back in that room. And call me Sterling.” He offered his most charming smile.
“You have to handle this.”
“I will. But not at four thirty in the morning. I’m tired and need sleep.” He looked around the room. “Hey, you got a king-size bed. This is a nice room.”
“I need sleep, too. You go deal with the mess you made and tell me about it over breakfast.”
“Maybe I can just sleep here.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “You cannot sleep here. That is out of the question. Completely inappropriate.”
“Do you have a second room? I’ll take the extra bed.”
“I only have the one room. One bed. And I need to get in it and sleep.”
“But it’s a huge bed. I promise I’ll stay on my half—”
“Are you insane? We are not sharing a bed.”
“I’ll sleep on the couch, then. It’s sort of in its own room.”
“You’re not listening to me. You cannot sleep here. You do not understand the kind of gossip that would provoke if word got out. And it would.”
“How?”
“Amber is sitting in your room, waiting for you to return with a gift. She expects you’ll then take her to bed for incredible sex. If you don’t, she’ll be more spiteful and ready for revenge. She will talk to anyone who will listen.”
“She won’t know I was here.”
Her heart beat against her chest at the idea of this man sleeping in her room. He hadn’t reacted in any way to her reference to sex with Amber. He wanted to stay with her. But that was a bad idea. “You’re being ridiculous. You can’t sleep in my room.”
“You said she’s dangerous. That she’ll steal my soul. How can you send me back?”
“Call the front desk and report an intruder in your room. They can send security to escort her out. You can use my phone.” She crossed to the bedside table and lifted the handset.
He joined her by the bed and returned the phone to its cradle. “Until she convinces another unsuspecting employee to let her back in. While I’m asleep.”
She could smell his cologne, musky and masculine. Why did she lead him farther into the room? “They can’t open the door from the outside if you latch it. My idea makes much more sense than your sleeping here.”
“And then she comes back tomorrow even angrier. What will she do to me? What if she tries to kill me? Is this a Fatal Attraction situation?”
“You’ve said repeatedly you don’t believe she’s a succubus. Are you telling me you aren’t man enough to show her the door?”
“I don’t believe she’s a succubus. But I do believe this woman is mentally unstable. She was crazy tonight. Absolutely unhinged. She crawled all over me, clawed my back. Her eyes were wild. She kept saying I’d never get away from her. She’d never let me go, and no one else could have me. I’m scared. There. Are you happy? You made a grown man admit he’s scared.”
Had he heard nothing she’d said about a succubus? “She won’t kill you. She wants you alive.”
“Oh, I feel much better now.”
“I’m sorry. I’m exhausted and need to sleep.”
“Me, too. So can I kick it on your couch tonight? Please?”
“And then what tomorrow?”
“I’ll deal with Amber tomorrow. When I’m not completely exhausted. I need some time to figure this out. Develop a game plan.”
“Avoidance is not a game plan.”
“Lesson learned. I should’ve listened to you. Now can I sleep on your couch?”
He looked so pathetic. And genuinely scared. Her resolve wavered.
But she couldn’t let him. The risk of scandal was too great.
She took a deep breath. “If you truly don’t want to go back to your own room, let’s see if you can stay with Michael or one of the crew. We can’t risk the gossip by having you stay here, even for a few hours.”
“Will you come with me to ask them? I’m scared I’ll run into her somewhere.”
“I don’t feel up to running around the hotel in my pajamas.”
“What if Michael is already asleep? What if no one answers when I knock? If you toss me out and no one else lets me in, then what?”
She took another deep breath and rubbed her temples. This was deteriorating into one of the most difficult weeks ever. RandMeier had never foreseen this when he invited the guy to come cohost.
Just a couple more days. She could get through this. But she needed t
o sleep. Her head hurt, her eyes hurt, everything hurt.
She walked to the closet, opened it, and yanked out the extra pillow and bedding from inside. She pushed them into his chest. “Couch. Do not tell anyone. You will sneak out in the morning. No one can know you slept here.”
He dropped the bedding to the floor and threw his arms around her, crushing her in a hug. “Thank you so much.”
Startled by the unexpected physical contact, she gasped. Every muscle in her body tensed. She hadn’t allowed anyone to hold her in a long time and had forgotten how nice it felt. Her pulse quickened.
He smelled good. She relaxed, melting into the warmth of his embrace and breathing deeply.
He apparently noticed the shift. He pulled her closer, lowering one arm to curl around her waist. And his orange chakra pulsed.
What was she doing? This guy challenged her online. Called her a fraud. Distracted her when she needed to focus. He hoped to make a fool of her on her own show. Allowing herself to become entangled with anyone—especially him—would be a huge mistake.
She pushed him away. “None of that.”
“Right.” He cleared his throat and smoothed his hair. “I really appreciate this. You won’t know I’m here.”
“No one better know you were here.”
He spread the sheet over the couch. She wished there were a door or divider between the two spaces. Something. She wasn’t worried about her safety or about Sterling trying anything. Despite their differences, she could see he was a mostly decent guy. Just a major pain in the butt.
She crawled back into bed and pulled the blankets to her chin. She heard the sound of him removing clothing. Heard the clothes drop to the floor. And realized he was now in her room undressed. Her heart thumped as she listened to him settle onto the couch. She tried to forget that an extremely attractive and undressed man was sprawled across the couch a few feet away. And how good he smelled. And how nice his arms felt around her. And the way his orange chakra resonated for her. When her mind wandered to imagining him in the bed snuggled against her, she chided herself. The orange chakra indicated nothing but lust. It wasn’t proof he had any serious feelings for her.
He would be gone soon, and she couldn’t risk developing feelings for someone who wouldn’t be around long. Better to keep her distance than deal with the heartache of abandonment. Someone like Sterling wasn’t a good match for her. No way. No how. No. She fell asleep to the soft sound of Sterling breathing, trying to convince herself she didn’t care.
21
Kimberly woke to the sound of the shower. Her head popped off the pillow, and her pulse raced as she remembered Sterling was in her hotel room. She stretched and blinked, her eyelids like sandpaper: 7:58 a.m. Only a few hours of sleep. She felt as if she’d been hit by a truck. Her head throbbed, her body ached, and her brain screamed for sleep.
She knew she should get up. They needed to review hours of footage from last night and gear up for tonight’s investigation. Plus the hotel would stop serving breakfast at nine. Did she care? Her sleep-deprived state left her stomach sour and uninterested in food. She lay back down, preferring a couple more hours of sleep to breakfast. She could arrive at the Williams house later. She was getting too old for these sleepless nights.
She heard the shower turn off and then the sounds of rustling as Sterling pushed aside the shower curtain and grabbed a towel. She blushed as she pictured him naked. She hoped he was on his way out. Staying the night in her hotel room had not been a good idea. Why had he come to her for help? He ridiculed her incessantly. Maybe he simply didn’t know where else to turn.
The bathroom door opened, spilling light into the room. She gritted her teeth. No matter how exhausted, she couldn’t sleep with light glaring in her face.
She opened her eyes. Sterling stood in front of her, a towel wrapped around his waist, wearing nothing else. His skin glistened with droplets of water. He scrubbed at his hair with a second towel. She bolted upright, turning her face away and shielding her eyes. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing like a hot shower to wake you up. Can I make you some coffee?”
“You can put some clothes on.”
“I’m covered. At least in the critical areas. This doesn’t bother you—does it?”
“Covered, sort of. Get dressed.” She hadn’t looked away fast enough to avoid seeing his broad chest, thick biceps, and rippled abs. Her imagination hadn’t done him justice. Yes, it bothered her to have a half-naked man standing in her room. Particularly this man. The way she reacted to the sight of him would not lead anywhere she wanted to go. “You should go deal with Amber.”
“I’m going, I’m going. Still meeting me for breakfast?”
“I think I’ll skip. Thought I’d try to sleep a few more hours.”
“You promised me breakfast. I’ll be waiting in the dining hall. I’m pretty pumped about the footage review today. Very interested to see how my footage compares to your cameramen’s.”
She turned to face him. “Yes, I’m looking forward to that, too. Quite eager to see your reaction.” No way would he see anything different on his own footage. She wasn’t sure anything would wipe the smug grin off his face, but the thought that he might actually see something he couldn’t explain was absolutely delicious. He’d see. Nothing fake about her show. Her eyes drifted lower. Nothing fake about those abs, either.
He turned to go into the bathroom, the towel drawn tight around his waist, outlining his backside. Her gaze lingered a moment before she looked away, her heart skipping a beat. Yes, she was ready for this week to be over. Ready for life to return to normal. Ready for this distraction to be gone.
She lay back down and squeezed her eyes shut. She heard him pulling on his jeans and T-shirt. Heard him lift his jacket from the couch. As he headed out the door, he called, “Breakfast! Don’t stand me up.”
She lay still, hoping to drift back off. But she couldn’t relax or calm her mind enough to fall asleep. And, although she didn’t want to admit it, the image of Sterling in a towel kept her worked up.
She gave up, pushed the blankets off, and left the warm cocoon of the bed. She turned the water up almost unbearably hot and allowed it to pound against her back. By the time she finished, she admitted Sterling was right—nothing like a hot shower to rejuvenate a weary body and mind. Her headache didn’t go away completely, but it was much more tolerable. She pulled on an outfit but didn’t bother with makeup since Rosie would apply some later.
In the dining room, Sterling sat at the same table they’d shared the previous morning. A single daisy in a bud vase rested in the center of the table.
She stopped in her tracks and nearly fled. Perhaps he’d misunderstood. Allowing him to sleep in her room last night had been a decision made by an exhausted mind that wanted rest. And no matter how good he looked without a shirt, she wouldn’t be someone’s rebound. Even if she was interested in a relationship. Which she wasn’t. Especially not with Sterling Wakefield.
Her concern must have shown on her face. He stood. “Relax. Just a thank-you for last night.”
She took a deep breath and started for the table.
A voice behind her halted her steps. “A thank-you for last night?”
She recognized the voice. Not good.
“A-Amber,” Sterling stammered. “I thought you went home. You were gone when I got back to my room.”
“I was there until eight this morning. I know you spent the night elsewhere.” The pale woman narrowed her eyes, the vapid, bovine emptiness gone. Fury burned in its place. “And now I know where.”
Kimberly stiffened her spine and crossed her arms, clutching her quartz necklace. Had she realized she’d be involved in a confrontation this morning, she would’ve prepared by wearing her ruby necklace.
No matter. She could handle a succubus, although only Sterling could sever the connection. “He doesn’t want you, succubus. Leave him alone.”
Amber grimaced and bared her teeth. “He is mine.
” She stepped closer.
Kimberly held her ground. “I don’t want him. But he doesn’t want you. So go.”
“You don’t want him? Then what is all this?” The girl held out her phone, which displayed Sterling’s leaked video, as well as the video RandMeier had requested they post. “The two of you alone in your trailer? You comforting him on set? You look pretty cozy to me. And everyone else in the world.”
“Those are publicity videos. Nothing more. And I never said we were alone in my trailer. Or my hotel room.” Okay, so they had been alone in the hotel room, but if that got out, no one would believe nothing had happened.
Amber attempted to step around her, but Kimberly countered and continued blocking her way.
The young woman tried another approach. “Sterling, let’s go back to your room and discuss this alone.”
He cleared his throat. “You know I’d love to, but I need to eat breakfast and get to work.”
The man would never learn. She raised her voice. “Be honest with her, Sterling. Don’t extend false hope. Lying will only drag this out.”
“You surprised me, Amber. You should’ve given me some warning—told me you were coming.”
The young woman spoke through clenched teeth. “How could I tell you when you wouldn’t take my calls and wouldn’t call me back?”
“Oh. Ha. Well, yes, that is rather a good point,” Sterling mumbled.
Kimberly wished she’d opted to stay in bed. “You already know I agree. You could have handled this much better. Man up and do the right thing. Tell her the truth.”
“I—I . . . think maybe we should get drinks later. Maybe grab dinner before the show tapes tonight? We can talk about this then. I think maybe it would be better for us both if we took a break.”
Amber once again attempted to step around her. “I know you don’t mean that. Let me take you back to your room and you’ll remember how badly you want me. Want this.” She pressed her hands to her breasts and squeezed.
Sterling whimpered.
Kimberly nearly threw up a little bit in her mouth. “I’m finished running interference, Sterling. Either say the words or I’m leaving—leaving you to fend for yourself.”
The Wantland Files Page 13
