by Unknown
Katie shot the cop a nasty look. "I just need to get this egg off me. Watch your step in the kitchen. There's not much to snack on so maybe you should stay out of there. I'm going to wash my hands."
As she stood in the half bath washing up, she heard the cop talk to Kaiden. "Hey, man, you gonna tap that tonight?"
"Watch your step, officer."
"Dude, you gotta be crazy not to. She is one fine thing and you got to keep her protected, right? Ain't that what you feds do?"
"Not another word or I'll give your supervisor a call."
"Whatever, man. Whatever."
Katie shook her head as she dried her hands. You gonna tap that tonight? Would Kaiden try anything once they were alone? She doubted it. Kaiden was a flirt but he definitely took his job seriously.
Besides, did she really want to deal with all the uncharted emotions he had been stirring up in her since she laid eyes on him in the interrogation room? No, probably not.
Yes! Yes, you do! Especially if his lips are on you at the time.
Pushing the thoughts of Kaiden's lips out of her mind, Katie walked out to the living room. Kaiden and Officer Ramsey were circling each other like a couple of lions in a ring, neither one saying a word. If not for being absolutely exhausted, Katie would have enjoyed the little show.
"Okay, I'm ready."
"You think you can handle watching this place better than the other guy?" Kaiden asked Ramsey.
"What? You think only you feds know how to sit on your asses?" Ramsey shot back.
"Come on, Kaiden." Katie interrupted the shower of testosterone. "I really need to get this stuff out of my hair."
And you need to get out of here before someone starts shooting.
Kaiden glanced over at her while keeping an eye on Ramsey. "Yeah, okay. Let's get out of here."
Katie kept her mouth shut as Kaiden all but pushed her out the door. Officer Ramsey watched them go but didn't say anything else. She had pretty much had all the male ego she could take for one night. Now all she wanted was to take a shower and forget this night ever happened.
Chapter Five
Katie didn't say a word as they took the elevator down to the parking garage. She still didn't speak when they were in his truck and she only nodded at the desk clerk when they checked into a small hotel on the edge of the tourist district. They stood in the hall in front of room 203B when Kaiden couldn't stand her silence any longer.
"Something eating you?" he asked as he slipped the key card into the slot on the door.
"What would ever give you that idea?"
"Certainly not your sunny demeanor." The lock clicked and the key card slot lit up green.
Katie didn't answer so he opened the door to the room and waited for her to enter. She still hadn't said anything to him ten minutes later when she grabbed clean clothes and some toiletries and disappeared into the bathroom. The room had two double beds. Kaiden settled on the one closest to the door. He kept a packed bag, commonly referred to in the business and by his mother as a go bag, in his truck. The James family, particularly its matriarch Clara, prided themselves on being prepared for everything. The go bag had served him well on the job many times.
Kicking off his dress shoes, Kaiden sighed in relief. Men's dress shoes were the worst. He much preferred a good pair of tactical boots or even running shoes—they were much more practical in his line of work.
Once he stripped out of his tuxedo shirt and belt, Kaiden sat down on the bed and leaned against the headboard wearing only his unbuttoned black dress pants. He could hear the water running in the shower as his eyes slowly closed.
The sounds of Katie in the bathroom were comforting. It reminded him of being married and having someone to come home to. Knowing he had someone there, someone to hold when the day—or days—were done, had made his life complete. Until it was gone and his bed stood cold and lonely. Although he rarely admitted it, his now busy life felt empty. Being around Katie, first in the hospital and then for the last twelve hours, had brought some excitement and warmth back into his heart.
Like it had done so many times before, his mind wandered back to that last night in the hospital. He wasn't allowed to shower yet as the wound needed a couple more days to heal, so she came in and offered to spruce him up a little for the outside world. He could have cleaned himself up but the thought of the cute little nurse sponging him down had worked for him. He had no idea how much it would work though. They had laughed and joked as she mixed some soap in the warm tub but it had all come to a screeching halt the minute she touched him with the wet cloth. Kaiden's entire body had heated at her touch. His nerve endings had fired over and over again until he was almost on fire. She felt it too, he could tell. She remained quiet as she did her job but her hand held a slight tremor and the rise and fall of her chest had increased at the same rhythm as his own. It was the most erotic thing he had ever experienced in his life.
What he wouldn't do to experience that again.
She's right there, in the shower.
By now her body would be covered in sudsy lather, trails of soapy water running down her sun-kissed skin. She loved the beach enough to pay top dollar for an ocean view from her apartment. How much of her body had been touched by the sun? With any luck, every single inch.
Why don't you go see for yourself?
Because that would be wrong. Katie was his witness, nothing more.
Yeah, right. You weren't thinking that an hour ago.
The whole egg thing had been an accident. It wasn't his fault she had slipped and fallen on top of him. The way his entire being had reacted to her closeness had been mind-blowing though.
His brain was trying to be smart but the rest of him was as stupid as can be. His body wanted to hop in that shower with Katie and show her how a sponge bath really worked with Kaiden James. It didn't matter that he annoyed her or that she might actually be involved in his case. He didn't peg her as a co-conspirator, at least not intentionally, but Katie definitely knew more than she realized. In the morning he would have to start a real investigation. But tonight?
He might never get another chance to be alone with her again. To hell with his investigation.
He made up his mind. Memories of her body pressed against his in the kitchen tensed every one of his muscles. Jumping up from the bed, he dropped his pants to the floor and was about to shuck his boxer briefs when he heard the door to the bathroom open.
"What are you doing?" Katie demanded.
Oh, hell. What was he doing?
He saw her reflection in the mirror that hung over the bed. Steam billowed out of the bathroom, surrounding her like early morning fog rolling in off the ocean. She had her hair tied up turban style in a white hotel towel and her cheeks were flushed from the heat of the water—or maybe embarrassment at seeing him nearly naked in the middle of their hotel room.
Dumb ass! What the hell were you thinking? He wasn't thinking, that was the problem. At least not with the right part of his body. "Just getting ready to take my turn in the shower."
"Is that all you were doing?" Her eyes travelled down to his black briefs where a very obvious bulge was for all the world—and Katie—to see.
He felt the blood rush from his crotch as his cheeks flamed.
Damn!
"I didn't—um—hear the water shut off. I was just—grabbing some athletic shorts to—
um—sleep in— and well, what the hell. I was thinking about what happened in the kitchen at your place."
Her annoyance turned to embarrassment. "It was an accident. I'm sorry I fell on you like that. I hope I didn't ruin your jacket."
"I didn't mind. Glad to be able to cushion your fall." He grinned at her, hoping to break the tension a little. The tension between them shifted though, to something almost tangible. He could nearly feel her body pressed against his as she studied him, her eyes moving slowly down his chest, across his hips and back up again. She wanted him. As sure as he was a red blooded American man, Katie McCoy wa
nted him.
Come on, James! Now's your chance.
His mind screamed at him but his feet wouldn't move.
Chicken!
Crossing her arms over her chest, Katie glanced away. The moment was lost forever and so was his chance to get her back into that shower and show her how it was done. How he willed his feet to move, to cross the room and take her in his arms, but he stood firm and fast. Katie started pulling the covers back on her bed. "I'm beat. I'll probably be asleep when you get out of the shower. Wake me up when we need to leave or whatever."
With her back to him still, Katie pulled the towel off her hair. Wet strands tumbled around her shoulders. His hand lifted of its own accord, his body wanting to feel the silky softness in his fingers, but she was out of reach, thankfully.
He made up his mind. She tried to keep her distance and he needed to respect that. He had a feeling he could change that if he wanted to but he still didn't move. His body and his brain waged a war and he had no idea which side would win.
Sleep deprivation.
The thought came out of nowhere. Ah, that had to be it. All these hormones making him feel like a teenage boy had to be a result of lack of sleep… and food. He never did eat any dinner either. Low blood sugar and lack of sleep—that made sense. Kaiden needed to get his game face back on and remember he had a job to do. He would grab a shower and forty winks and when he woke up he would be back to his old self. Agent James, Homeland Security. Confirmed bachelor.
***
She hadn't expected the hotel bed to be so comfortable. Katie curled up under the comforter and listened to the sounds of Kaiden in the bathroom.
Kaiden looked like he wanted to die of embarrassment when she caught him stripping. She didn't believe his story about shorts for a second.
If he had tried to seduce her in the shower she wouldn't have put up much of a fight. She remembered his last night in the hospital way too clearly. The memory had permeated her dreams over and over again causing her a considerable amount of guilt during her relationship with Nathan.
She suspected Kaiden to be twice the man of Nathan, not that she would ever have the chance to find out.
It's for the best, Katie. Nothing could really happen with Kaiden. If it could have, it already would have. He was the one who left and never tried to contact you.
Of course, they lived five hours apart at the time. Maybe long distance wasn't his thing.
You aren't long distance now.
No, they weren't. And she and Nathan were done. But she was still annoyed with Kaiden for treating her like a defenseless child. The little spat between Kaiden and Officer Ramsey had really gotten under her skin.
Let it go already. He's a good guy and he was defending you.
The water turned on in the bathroom. Her aggravation slipped away as her mind began to picture the bathroom quickly filling with steam. She tried to ignore the images her brain conjured up of Kaiden under the hot spray. Her body tingled all over, the desire to rip her own clothes back off overwhelming.
You hardly know the man.
Her body didn't seem to care what her brain said at the moment. Her very cells screamed out for his touch.
She stayed there in the bed, a battle waging between the logical part of her brain and the rest of her.
Frustration growing, Katie threw the covers back and jumped from the bed. She had her hands at the hem of her tee shirt when the bathroom door opened and Kaiden entered the room wearing only a towel slung low across his hips. Katie froze, her shirt halfway up her abdomen.
"What are you doing?" Kaiden grinned as he asked her the same question she had posed to him earlier. The sparkle in his eyes told her he knew exactly what she had been about to do.
"Umm—changing my shirt. This one was bothering me."
"Right."
"Why are you only wearing a towel?" Despite her best efforts to resist, her eyes travelled over the hard planes of his chest. Kaiden caught her glance and held it, his own as hot and steamy as the fog leaving the bathroom behind him.
"Well, I don't usually wear clothes when I take a shower. Do you?"
"Of course not." Katie realized she was still holding her tee shirt up as she caught Kaiden eyeing the bared skin. She let the fabric drop and threw her hands on her hips instead.
"I forgot to take my shorts in the bathroom with me. You can turn away if my towel offends you." He teased her with a wink.
"I've seen men in a lot less!"
"Don't I know that." Kaiden dropped his voice to low, husky tones as he dug through his bag and came up with another pair of black boxer briefs.
Why did I say that?
"I am a nurse you know!"
So much for back-pedaling. When did you become such an idiot, Katie McCoy?
"Yes, I know." There he went with that sexy grin again, toying with her. Her blood boiled hot in her veins as she resisted the urge to grab that towel of his.
Kaiden disappeared back into the bathroom, chuckling. Katie scrambled into the bed and pulled the covers up over her head willing herself to fall asleep quickly or die.
Sleep refused to come, as did death. Her nerves hummed with unsatisfied desire and she couldn't calm them. She was supposed to be pissed at Nathan for ruining her life. Instead she wanted to call him up and thank him. Nathan's stupidity had brought Kaiden back into her life. Despite the odd circumstances, it felt like a second chance.
A second chance at what? Love?
Could she be in love with Kaiden? Had she been in love with him since that first night he appeared on her chart at the hospital? Did she even believe in love anymore?
Love was a pretty strong word and it didn't seem to match the feeling in her tense muscles and rapidly firing nerves. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Kaiden in that little white towel. Only, in her mind that towel fell right to the floor.
The bathroom door opened again and Kaiden stepped out. The towel had been replaced with athletic shorts. If only those shorts would go away.
Katie held perfectly still, hoping Kaiden would believe she had fallen asleep. There were sounds of him rummaging through his bag and then the covers of the other bed being pushed back. She heard the click of the lights. After waiting a full minute, Katie slowly opened her eyes expecting to see Kaiden in the next bed. Instead she opened them to tanned, muscular thighs standing beside her. Her heart skipped a beat, and then a second. Following the legs up, her eyes lingered briefly at his hips before traveling over the bare chest and meeting blue eyes that seemed to have darkened to match the twilight of the room.
"I just wanted to make sure you have everything you need before I crash for a bit."
NO! I do NOT have everything I need! I need that body in this bed right now!
"I'm fine. Thank you," she responded.
"Are you sure?"
Was he offering himself to her? Not likely. Kaiden was a gentleman and nothing short of her throwing herself at him on an egg covered kitchen floor would make him take advantage of their situation.
She groaned internally. "I'm sure."
"All right then." Did she imagine it or did he sound disappointed? "Let's grab a few hours shut eye and then I'll take you over to the hospital so you can report the missing ID." He turned and climbed into the adjacent bed. "Sleep well."
"You too." Her voice wavered a little and she almost changed her mind a hundred times in the next five minutes. Kaiden was so close and so nearly naked. She knew plenty of women who slept with men whose names they didn't even know. At least Kaiden wasn't some guy she picked up in a bar.
You have some serious issues, girl. Someone trashed your house, the feds think you are involved in a domestic terrorism scheme, and Kaiden is supposed to be keeping an eye on you while his case plays out and all you can think about is sex?
Not just sex. Sex with an incredibly hot man that made her blood boil just by looking at her.
She turned in her bed as she listened to the sound of his breathing in the dimness of the
hotel room. A street lamp outside their window offered enough light around the edges of the window coverings that she could see the rise and fall of his chest. He had fallen asleep. Something she seriously needed to do as well.
Chapter Six
Kaiden woke four hours later to the sound of his cell phone buzzing on the night stand. A throbbing head and rumbling stomach reminded him it had been a really long time since his last meal.
The display on the phone read his mother's number. Jumping out of bed he took the phone into the bathroom. He didn't want to wake Katie but if he didn't take his mother's call she would just call again. And again. Dealing with his mom would be challenging enough without having to explain Katie's presence.
Quietly closing the door behind him, he perched on the edge of the tub and answered his mother's call. "Hey, Ma. What's up? It's kind of early."
"Good golly, Kaiden, it's half past eight. The best part of the day is already gone." Clara James rose at four thirty every single morning. The early bird gets the worm, she liked to say. Kaiden rarely saw the early hours of sunrise unless it meant he hadn't yet gone to bed.
"I worked last night, remember? I probably went to bed about the time you were getting up."
"It's not good for you not to sleep, Kaiden, dear."
"I know, Ma." His stomach let out a loud rumble and his mother laughed. "You heard that?"
"Let me guess, you didn't eat last night either?"
He thought about the eggs that were supposed to become an omelet and a wave of heat washed over him. "Nope. Missed dinner." Missed dessert too, thanks to an overzealous police officer.
"What do you mean, dear?"
"Nothing, Ma. What's happening out on the mountain?"
"You know, the usual. Pretty much nothing. We missed you at the reception."
"I'm sorry. I had to go to work. I tried to get out of it but well—"
"Did you manage to preserve national security?"
"So far so good."
"Did you let the terrorist know you missed a prime rib dinner on his account?"
