He plugged in the small portable keyboard, and pecked cross it. She leaned over to stare at the screen in his hand, her face a breath away from his lips. With the slightest tip of his head, he’d be able to capture her mouth, lay her on the desk and dive into her, fast and hard.
I’m out of here. He bolted upright and dropped his T-shirt. Again. He was acting like a clumsy teenage horn dog. “There you go.” He pointed to the Blackberry. “It’s all yours.”
They both bent at the same time to pick the T-shirt up. She stared at him and her hand rested on his shoulder, turning the muscle into tempered steel.
The blatant invitation in her eyes shot through his tattered defenses, sending his willpower into a freefall. It was on the tip of his tongue to say “The hell with it” and drown his ethics in the ocean.
Instead, he summoned his last ounce of control and heaved himself up. “Going to shower.” He headed full speed to the bedroom.
Maddie threw her arms up. “God has to be a man.” Because if God were a woman, she would never have arranged for Maddie to be in a suite with a freaking door separating her from a naked, slick-with-soap Alex.
“Maddie?” Alex shouted from the bedroom. “You say something?”
Oops, she must have said that aloud. “Umm, yeah. I’ll let myself out when I’m done.”
She sat and squirmed in the chair, attempting to concentrate on Reece’s e-mail.
[email protected] wrote:
Hey, Mads,
How hot is it down there? And I’m NOT only talking about the weather.
What I want to know is, how’s your boot camp idea going and did you break out that Kama Sutra book? *ha ha* Nothing new to report on that end for me. Can’t believe I’m entering the dirty thirties, my sexual prime for cripessakes and my battery charger’s seen more action than I have. I don’t get it. It’s not as if I have a unibrow like Callie, that new ditzy blonde in distribution. Gawd, I’m such a bitch. Think I have the female version of blue balls. Okay, enough about my pathetic, celibate, snow-filled life. Fill me in. You getting into any naughty trouble? And how’s Alex? *wink wink*
Spill it, sister.
Hugs, Reece
Maddie hit reply.
Hey, Reece,
It’s hottttt down here and I’m ONLY talking about the weather. *sigh*
Alex is a work in progress.
I am planning to enlist him into boot camp. Soon. Hee hee.
I’ll give you a call in a few days.
Stay warm,
Luv ya, M.
Maddie hit send and thought maybe she was kidding herself about enlisting Alex into anything, and she’d most likely spend another night with good ole trusty and reliable BOB, her Battery Operated Boyfriend.
She wasn’t a virgin, but her sexual experience was minimal at best. She’d listened to women at get-togethers brag about mind-blowing sex, complete with bones turning to rubber. They talked about orgasms rocking their world so hard, they could hardly breathe.
Dammit. That was what she wanted to experience.
Here.
Now.
Alex and his stupid principles.
How was she supposed to sing along with Alex’s version of the friends-only anthem when he’d answered the door—shirtless, no less—showing off his glistening, Adonis-like body? She’d seen ripped, bare-chested men before on her travels, but Alex’s lean musculature, chiseled arms and six-pack abs intoxicated her. And the sight of his mussed hair and the shadow of whiskers on his sensual jaw had caused her mouth to water. She’d had to swallow hard to keep from drooling.
She drained the rest of the juice and shook her hands to the side. Okay, back to work. She had a few more e-mails to read, but she couldn’t concentrate.
She giggled as she remembered the gleam in Alex’s dark eyes a few moments ago. Desire? Hmmm. She was sure she hadn’t imagined his eyes moving from the tips of her toes to the top of her head when he’d opened the door. That wasn’t a “Hey, pal, come on in” greeting, it was downright lascivious.
If only he’d dump his hang-ups, they could cook up a sex-cessful recipe—two-dozen sprinkled kisses, a dash of exotic massage oil and a handful of spice. Turn up the heat to perspiring intensity and serve with a side dish of Kama Sutra positions.
Yum.
Her tingles sprouted tingles.
She turned the Blackberry off and went into the kitchenette to scour through the cupboards. She needed chocolate and fast. She found a can of protein powder, vanilla protein bars, salt-free pretzels and a package of sugarless oatmeal-raisin cookies.
Holy jumpin’, how could a sexy-as-sin man be a connoisseur of boring food? She took a cookie and bit into it, sucking on the raisin for some sweetness.
Even though she’d teased him about treating his body like a temple, she had to admit, Alex’s health freakishness had paid off. He was a magnificent male specimen.
Her hand clutched the cookie until there was nothing left but oatmeal dust.
I need a distraction.
She shook the crumbs into the sink and walked to the patio doors, focusing her attention on the beach. The clear morning sky was as blue as a robin’s egg, and the white sand glittered like a carpet of tiny diamonds under the sun’s rays. She opened the patio door, inhaled the salty air and gazed at the tranquil aquamarine ocean, projecting a picture of her and Alex in that ocean…naked.
So much for distractions.
She turned and prowled the length of the suite and found herself smack in the middle of Alex’s bedroom.
Music from a radio wafted from the bathroom. She heard Alex’s baritone voice singing off key.
She winced. Way, way off key. The man was a hottie, but he could not sing.
Glancing around, she noted his jogging clothes in a neat pile inside a laundry basket in the corner of the room, unlike her own messy heaped floor piles. She imagined his clothes folded in perfect order inside the dresser drawers. She preferred open suitcases for easy rummaging.
A bottle of Nautica sat on the nightstand. She picked it up and closed her eyes, inhaling its refreshing citrus, sandalwood fragrance. On Alex, it merged into his skin’s heat and exuded its own provocative masculine scent.
She turned to the bed where a pair of gray Docker shorts, a navy T-shirt lay and—she sucked in a breath—black Calvin Klein boxer briefs.
“Oh, my.” The man packed a serious seduction kit that vibrated all her senses. She slumped onto the edge of the bed. Her body was delirious with desire and her hormones were as revved up as the night their lip lock had led to the delicious tongue tango.
Why did he have to take so long in that shower?
Well, she could always leave.
To do what? Go to her room and fantasize with her battery-operated seducer when the real deal was a few yards away? Alex wanted her as much as she wanted him. She hadn’t missed his pole-in-the-jogging shorts earlier.
Stubborn man.
Before she could stop herself, she kicked her shoes off and shimmied out of her clothes. An electric charge sparked below her navel, combusted, and shot the remnants to the tips of her breasts. She was naked, and she was primed.
Opening the bathroom door, her breath quickened. She stepped onto the cool ceramic tiles.
The music switched to a hip country song. Appropriate background music for what she had in mind. Oh yeah. On the money with the no inhibitions lyrics. Maddie fully intended to get out of line.
Big time.
She took a few seconds and admired him through the glass doors. The water pelted his firm bronze ass and ripped back. She watched him shampoo his hair, hands above his head, covered in big white soapy bubbles.
Yummy.
A naked Alex was so much more scrumptious than she’d ever imagined, and she had a damned good imagination.
She ope
ned the shower door, stepped inside, clicked the door shut and stood close behind him. First, she wound her arms around his waist, then she pressed her breasts into his back. Up on her tippy toes, she peppered his shoulders with kisses. “Mmmm. You feel delish—”
Alex swung around and knocked over the shampoo bottle. “What the—?”
The bottle landed with a thud behind him.
He backed up, stepped on the bottle and his foot slipped out from underneath him.
“Eeek! Alex! Careful!”
In a vain attempt to keep them both from tumbling over, she reached out to grasp the steel bar on the wall.
She landed on top of him, her face inches from a pair of dark eyes so chilling they could end the global warming threat.
“Alex?” She swallowed hard. “You okay? Speak to me.”
“Mr. Donovan has a nasty bump on the back of his head,” Dr. Noa, the hotel doctor, told Maddie. “But he’ll be fine.”
Maddie clutched the collar of Alex’s black bathrobe she had grabbed to cover her nakedness. “Do we need to get him to a hospital?”
Dr. Noa shook his head. “He didn’t lose consciousness. His neuro exam was normal, and he showed no sign of concussion. The cut on his head is minor.”
“Minor? But there was so much blood.” She shivered, remembering how she’d heard Alex’s head thump on the ceramic floor when he’d broken her fall. “That’s why I called you, even though he asked me not to.” Alex hadn’t exactly asked. He’d demanded she not call anybody, in fact.
Doctor Noa smiled. “Because of so many capillaries in the skull, often even small cuts on the head can produce an alarming amount of blood. I’ve cleaned it up. He’ll have a mild headache for a few days, but that’s about it. I’ve given him acetaminophen and left him an ice pack for the swelling.”
Relieved, Maddie blew out a breath.
“Ms. Saunders, you look pale. Meet me in my office. It will be a quick examination.”
Maddie shook her head. “I’m good. I’m just worried about Alex.”
“You also fell, right?”
Maddie hesitated and then nodded her response. Her face now burned like five-alarm chicken wings. At least she wasn’t pale any longer.
The doctor looked away for a few seconds. “When was your last tetanus shot?”
“I’m fine. No bumps or scrapes, and I’m up to date with my shots.” She swallowed hard. She could bike through rough terrain, snowboard down double diamonds and rock climb up steep mountains, but she was a certifiable wimp when it came to needles. With a guilty pang, she was glad her minor blood disorder disqualified her from enduring a needle to donate blood.
Dr. Noa’s hazel eyes held compassion. “You don’t like needles?”
She waved off the question and managed a weak smile “Tell me what to do to help Alex.”
“Mr. Donovan indicated…” He cleared his throat. “He gave me explicit instructions…”
“I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Dr. Noa glanced back at the bedroom, picked up his medical bag and headed to the hallway. “He had a nasty fall. Some irritability is inevitable because of the headache. Is there someone else you can call to check in on him?”
Oh brother, she could only imagine the expletives that had come out of Alex’s mouth. “What exactly did he say?”
She could practically hear the doctor blushing. “He said something about asking the Green-Eyed Angel of—”
“—Planet Crazy?”
“Yes, something like that. To fly back to where she came from and leave him alone.” The doctor turned the knob, definitely looking like he wanted to escape. Maybe he actually believed she was crazy. “Can you call someone to come and check in on him for a few hours?” The soft-spoken doctor appeared uncomfortable. “If you cannot find someone else I can arrange for a nurse to—”
“No need for you to do that.” Maddie clicked her tongue in frustration. “I’ll call our friend Tim. What should I tell him to look out for?”
“Mr. Donovan needs a few hours of bed rest. If he complains of dizziness, vomiting or if his headache worsens, tell your friend to call me.” He took a business card out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Maddie. “Main thing for your friend to watch out for is that Mr. Donovan doesn’t lose consciousness.”
Maddie put the business card on the glass coffee table.
“Don’t worry, Ms. Saunders, he should feel better in the morning.”
After she thanked the doctor, she bid him goodbye and tiptoed into the bedroom. Alex sat on the edge of the bed, wearing only his boxers. After helping him from the bathroom to the bed, she handed them to him before the doctor arrived.
She sat next to him. “How do you feel?” Taking his hand in hers, she rubbed her thumb along his knuckles.
He jerked his arm away as if he’d been stung by a bee. “Did you come back to finish the job?”
She swallowed a lump of guilt. “Can I get you something to drink?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, wincing.
She stood and picked up the ice pack that lay on the floor. “Here.” She handed it to him. “The doctor said you need—”
He threw the ice pack to the other side of the bed. “The only thing I need is to be alone.” He skewered her with the glare he reserved for those who had pushed him to his limit and growled. It wasn’t her ears playing tricks on her. It really was a growl.
As unsteady as a drunk, he stood. “I’ve fled from rebel factions in Columbia.” He bent to pick up his T-shirt from the ground. He continued in a strained voice with beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. “I survived a hole in a ground that the Mexicans used as jail cells.”
He slipped his T-shirt on over his head, his hands trembling. “Tim and I barely escaped machine-gun fire when we helped three journalists in Peru. But your guerrilla ambush—”
“You never told me about Peru. You could’ve been killed.”
He sat on the bed, rubbing his neck.
“Sorry, go on.”
His darkened eyes narrowed. “All that was a bloody cakewalk compared to spending time with you.”
“I am sorry.”
“Yeah.” He winced again. “You’re sorry, and I’m fine.”
“You know how you’re always nagging me about a balanced diet?” She tried for a chuckle, but didn’t make it. “Spontaneity is an important part of a balanced diet.”
“You’re kidding right? Forget it. I want to be alone.”
“I didn’t think I’d surprise you enough that you’d fall over like that.”
He heaved a huge sigh. “You’ve been like Lucille Ball on Red Bull ever since we’ve arrived.” Between wincing, he managed another dirty look. “I see some serious medication in your future.”
She placed her hand on his shoulder. His muscles were as rigid as chiseled stone. “Please try to relax. The doctor mentioned that you need to use that ice pack and—”
“Didn’t he also mention that you were to leave?”
“Yeah, he did. I’m sorry about all this.” She stood, scooped up her clothes from the floor and twisted them in her hands. “I’ll go now.” She hung her head low in time-honored guilty fashion.
“Good plan.”
She closed the bedroom door behind her, leaned against the wall in the hallway and let out a thankful breath that Alex’s injury wasn’t as serious as she’d thought. She’d been genuinely scared when she saw all that blood.
The memory of Alex’s anger had her feeling like a snowflake lost in the ocean. She wiped the tears that had slipped and took a deep breath.
Cripes, it was an accident. He’s acting like I meant to crack his head. Alex can be such an ass sometimes. Well, she wasn’t a snowflake, and she wasn’t going to melt over this.
She slipped into her shorts, shirt and flip-flops. Anxiety gripped her.
Maybe this time she had gone too far and their friendship wouldn’t survive.
Nah, he just needs some time to cool off.
Again.
She dug out her cell phone from her pocket to dial Tim’s number and noticed she had a message on her voice mail. Walking over to collect her laptop case, she glanced at the number. Message from Bernie.
Hope he’s not asking for more money, she thought with a loud sigh.
She punched in her password and listened to his message.
“Yeah, Bernie here. Calling to give you a heads up,” he said. “Just found out a few other folks are going around asking the same questions I’m asking. Hitting some of the same spots. Anyway, I’ll dig around and try to get a name. I’ll be in touch.”
End of message.
Maddie stared at her phone. Who the hell is sticking their nose into my business?
Chapter Ten
“When you grow suspicious of a person and begin a system of espionage upon him,
your punishment will be that you will find your suspicions true.”
—Elbert Hubbard
A seagull swept across the deck below and pecked at the vacationers’ crumbs before it soared to the next feast awaiting him. Alex leaned on the patio railing the next morning and envied the seagull’s life. Soaring freely. Mating with no attachments. Floating in the ocean and waddling on the quiet beach at sunrise.
He drained the last of his orange juice, set the empty glass on the table and rubbed the golf ball-sized lump on the back of his head. He attributed the fact that he now wanted to morph into a bird to the mother of a headache he had all night that could rival any frat boy’s hangover.
He recalled Maddie telling him at some point that she couldn’t get a hold of Tim. He had been too tired to argue and hadn’t had the energy to kick her out.
“Listen,” she had said. “Tim’s busy and the doctor told me to keep an eye on you. So you’re stuck with me. Get over it.”
It hadn’t taken long for his anger to vanish, and he had been impressed with her nurturing abilities. He felt guilty for having been such a hard ass with her. In all the years he’d known her, this was the first time he’d seen her so subdued. Cold toward him, actually. Oh well, he probably deserved her coolness. He had acted like a big jerk when she apologized to him.
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