Scott snapped his fingers in front of her face, and she jerked back, frowning slightly in surprise.
“Where’s your head?” Keith asked with amusement. “I’ve asked you the same question twice.”
“Oh, my God. I’m sorry,” she stammered. She would die if he knew what she was thinking about. “What did you ask?”
“Do you want more coffee?”
She glanced up and saw the waiter standing by the table with a hint of impatience. “Yes, please.
Sorry about that.”
She pushed her cup closer to the edge of the table so he could fill it easier. When he walked away, Paula pulled her cup back in front of her and stared at Keith through her lashes.
“Want to tell me what had you so distracted?” he asked.
Her lips twitched and her face heated again. “Not really.”
Keith chuckled, but didn’t say anything.
“So where are we going after this?” she asked as she lifted her cup to take a sip of coffee.
“The weather is supposed to turn bad again, plus you look like you’re starting to drag a little, so I thought we would head back to the hotel for an early night. We’ve walked around too much today as it is.”
She nodded then set her cup back down. She knew after today her coffee addiction would begin again full force, but she didn’t care. She loved coffee. Keith was right. She was feeling tired and sore. Her side hurt from all the moving around. A nice warm bath would feel wonderful about right now.
“Your paperwork should be here sometime tomorrow afternoon, then we can head home.”
Paula smiled sadly. “Do we have to?”
“Dread going home?”
“No,” she sighed. “I dread facing everyone.”
“No one knows but me and Kiley, and of course the guys. We can come up with some story to tell them if you want. You don’t have to tell them the truth.”
“It’s tempting.” She spun her coffee in the saucer and watched the brown liquid swirl in the cup. “They all tried to warn me.”
“What were you thinking, Paula? You’re a beautiful woman. Why some guy you never even met?”
“Beauty doesn’t have anything to do with it. I went through a bad breakup about a year ago. I didn’t want anything to do with guys anymore. Flirting with James online felt safe. He wasn’t there. He wasn’t someone I could fall in bed with or even in love with. As time went on, we began to talk more. We exchanged phone numbers and the next thing I knew I was looking forward to his calls. He said all the right things,” she said sadly.
“Before I knew it, I had fallen in love with him. But looking back, I don’t think I was really in love with him, I think I was in love with the man I wanted him to be.” She bit her lip as she realized just how close she came to admitting she had a thing for Keith. Taking a deep breath, she continued, “Over the last few days, I’ve been replaying things in my mind, and I can see all the warning signs, the red flags I was so blind to before.”
A single tear slipped down her cheek. Keith reached across the small table and wiped it away with the pad of this thumb. His touch was so soft, so sweet, it tugged at her battered heart.
“Why didn’t I see them before?” she whispered.
“Loneliness,” Keith said as he lowered his hand. “I blame myself for part of it. Kiley said something to me about it, but I was so busy with the mission we were working on, I didn’t really listen. Maybe if I had, I could’ve gotten through to you. Or maybe it happened exactly how it was supposed to.”
“How so?”
He shrugged and sat back in his chair. “If it hadn’t, I wouldn’t be in London with a beautiful woman I’ve known for years and seeing her for the first time.”
Paula stared in shock at what his words implied. What did he mean by that? Should she ask?
All she knew was they made her heart race with excitement.
He smiled just a little before turning away and waving his hand at the waiter. “Check,” he said.
The waiter walked over and set the check on the table before quickly running off to help someone else.
* * * *
Keith kept his hand at the small of Paula’s back as they walked the short distance to the hotel.
She walked slower now, stiffer. She was tired, and he shouldn’t have kept her out this long, but he’d enjoyed seeing London through her eyes.
Her giddy excitement at even the smallest thing seemed to brighten his whole afternoon. Why hadn’t he noticed her before? Yes, he knew she was pretty. Hell, she was gorgeous. Had he been that buried in his work that he’d just never paid enough attention?
Kiley always said he worked too hard. Maybe she was right. Maybe when they got home, he should pursue this interest in Paula. She was a lot of fun and at times quite funny in a snarky sort of way. He enjoyed the small battle of wits that would sometimes crop up in their conversation, and he definitely liked how she told him like she saw it. Or how she’d put him in his place when it came to Kiley and her interest in Scott.
Paula was right about one thing. Kiley was an adult, but how would he feel about her and Scott being a couple? His best friend with his sister? Keith shook his head and tried not to think about that. He’d shared women with Scott a few times. Threesomes were fun, but Scott could get pretty kinky.
Keith snorted. As if threesomes weren’t kinky.
Would his sister like that sort of thing?
Paula turned to look at him, a questioning frown creasing her brow. “What was that for?”
He blinked in confusion. “What?”
“You groaned.”
Raising an eyebrow, he asked. “I did?”
She nodded and her lips twitched with amusement.
“I was just thinking about Scott and Kiley.”
Paula rolled her eyes. “Would you let that go?” She stopped in the lobby of the hotel and with hands on hips, glared at him. “Honestly, what would be so bad about those two?”
“I know what Keith’s like in bed.”
Paula’s eyes widened. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him with interest.
“Really? I didn’t know—“
“Not like that,” he exclaimed.
He glanced around the lobby and the two couples that had turned to watch them. “Can we discuss this upstairs?” he asked as he grabbed Paula’s elbow and ushered her into the elevator.
He liked the sound of her giggle as the door shut between them and the lobby.
“Okay, so—“
“Wait!” he half-heartedly snapped.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched her bite at her lip to keep from smiling. The doors opened on their level, and he escorted her to their suite, only to come to a complete stop as John smiled at them from his position at the wet bar.
He held up an envelope. “Paula’s papers came through sooner than we thought.”
He tossed them onto the small coffee table. Keith was certainly glad they’d come through, but there was also a little pang of disappointment that it meant it was time to go home.
“Does that mean we have to leave?” Paula asked.
Keith let the hotel room door close behind them, but didn’t say anything. Why did they have to leave? Could he come up with a reason to stay a few days longer? Would this attraction he felt for Paula diminish once they were back home?
“That’s up to the boss,” John said with a shrug.
She turned to look at him with big eyes that silently pleaded. She wasn’t ready. And if he were honest with himself, he wasn’t ready to take her back either.
He walked over and set Paula’s purchases on the couch, then grabbed the papers off the coffee table. How to handle this without appearing obvious? That was the big question.
He opened the flap and glanced inside. Her passport, driver’s license and several credit cards were all inside. They’d gone above and beyond getting all that stuff for her.
He looked up at John. “Why don’t you guys head on home
and help Kiley with the cartel research. Use the company cards and fly commercial. Leave the jet for me and Paula. We’ll join you guys in a few days.”
John looked a bit surprise, so Keith added. “Paula’s still a little stiff and isn’t quite ready to make the trip yet.”
With a nod, John seemed to understand. “I forgot about the ribs. What did the doc say?”
“Just badly bruised,” Keith replied.
“All right. The guys and I will head back tonight and we’ll see you stateside.” As he walked by, he patted Paula’s shoulder. “Take it easy, sunshine - and stay away from internet dating.”
Paula smiled. “No shit.”
Laughing, John left the room.
“Thank you,” Paula said. “I just don’t think I’m quite ready to go back yet.”
“You’re going to have to face them at some point.”
“I know, but at least this way I have a few days to come up with a really good story.”
“You have one. He beat you.”
She smiled and pointed a finger at him. “Nice. And then you came to rescue me.”
He mimicked her stance and pointed his finger at her. “Perfect.”
“Well now that that’s settled, we can get back to that other thing we were discussing. You know. The thing when you said you knew what Scott was like in bed?”
Chapter Eighteen
Keith threw his head back and sighed. “No.”
She put her hands on her hips and gave him a very surprising no-nonsense look that made Keith’s balls tighten. She could be such a little spitfire, and he liked women with fire.
“You cannot say things like ‘I know what Scott’s like in bed’ and not elaborate.”
“Sure I can,” he said, then turned away to head to the bar. “Would you like a drink?”
“I would like an explanation.”
He opened the cabinet at the wet bar. “Red or white wine?”
“Red and stop trying to change the subject.”
“You’re not going to stop, are you?”
She sat down in one of the over-stuffed chairs by the fireplace and put her feet close to the hearth and the warm fire burning in the grate. John must’ve started that while he was waiting on them.
“Would you?” she asked.
Probably not, he admitted to himself.
Sighing, Keith poured two glasses, then walked over to the fire. Handing her a glass, he stood in front of the flames, warming his lower legs. “Scott and I have shared women before.”
Her eyes widened. “Shared girlfriends or shared one night stands?”
“One night stands.”
“Oh,” she said with a nod.
Her lips twitched slightly as she took a sip of her wine. Pink covered her cheeks, but Keith doubted it had anything to do with the warmth of the fire.
“Is he rough with them?” she asked.
“No. Just kinky.”
“Nothing wrong with kinky. Hell in my opinion, just having a threesome is pretty kinky.”
“Scott likes to tie them up.”
Paula looked up at him with those big eyes again and every part of him seemed to come to life.
“So?” she whispered.
Keith swallowed. Would she like that? Being tied up while he had his way with her? The idea was certainly intriguing.
“He also likes to whip them.”
Paula licked her lips and took another sip of her wine. “There are girls out there who might like that, Keith.”
“Oh, I know.”
She grinned wickedly, and Keith had to move to the other chair and sit down before she saw what kind of affect this conversation was having on his libido.
“You just don’t like the idea your sister would.”
Well, there went his libido. “Exactly.”
Paula laughed and the sound sent blood rushing through his veins with a roar that echoed in his ears. “Why is that funny?” he asked with amusement.
He liked seeing her laugh. She shook her head and winced as she placed her hand over her ribs.
Laughing hurt her, and he frowned briefly at just how much that bothered him.
“You need to learn to let go. Kiley is a grown woman.”
“It’s hard for me to see her that way. Kind of like with you.” He raised his glass as though pointing at her. “I’ve always viewed you as Kiley’s friend, therefore never looked at you as a grown woman either.”
“Yeah, well,” she drawled as she lifted her glass to take another sip. “I’ve been a grown woman for a long time now and just like your sister, I like the occasional kink in my sex life.”
Keith raised an eyebrow in surprise, but didn’t respond. He certainly wasn’t a prude. He liked a little kink too. Often times liked playing the Dom, although he wasn’t quite as demanding as Scott could be. But there were also times he liked the woman to be the aggressor.
He could picture Paula making the first move. She was confident, at times very commanding, which is what struck him as so odd about this whole situation. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her. He just couldn’t see her being that vulnerable.
“I think on that note, I’m going to take you up on that suggestion for a warm bath.”
Keith stood quickly and grabbed Paula’s hand, helping her to stand. “Do you want something from room service?” he asked.
“Don’t think I’ve eaten enough today?” she asked with a grin.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I could eat again.”
“Yeah, but you’re a behemoth. Don’t all behemoths eat at least every two hours?”
Without thinking, Keith swatted her playfully on the ass, surprising even himself. She didn’t say anything. Instead, she squealed and laughed as though they’d been doing that sort of stuff forever.
“Order me something light,” she said. “I like most anything except seafood.”
Keith watched her walk into the bathroom and shut the door. He should let her soak, let her relax and just go to his own room, but for some reason he couldn’t. Trying to get the image of her smile out of his mind, he ordered them something to eat. While he waited for room service, he kept looking back to the bathroom door, wondering when she would be coming back out.
He enjoyed talking to her. He enjoyed teasing her. He wanted desperately to kiss her, but he knew if he started that, he’d want more. With her ribs, he wasn’t sure more would be a smart thing. He could end up hurting her ribs and that was the last thing he wanted.
In his mind he pictured all the ways they could have sex that wouldn’t affect her ribs. There weren’t many.
Keith ran a hand through his short hair and blew out a frustrated breath. Just thinking about fucking her had his cock so hard, it hurt. A knock at the door startled him from his naughty thoughts. He moved to open it and allowed the waiter to bring in the small dinner he’d ordered.
He tried to think where might be a good place for them to eat and his gaze kept shifting to the bed. Snorting, he picked up the tray and set it on the foot of the bed. He walked over to the bathroom door and rapped his knuckles against it.
“I have an idea,” he called through the door.
“What’s that?” she called back.
“There’s a sci-fi movie marathon on tonight. We can eat while we watch it.”
“I love sci-fi movies,” she said.
Keith could hear the smile in her voice and moved to get things ready.
Paula smiled slightly as she sank a little further into the tub. The bubbles smelled of roses and were so relaxing she almost hated to get out, but at the same time the thought of spending even more time with Keith had her heart beating wildly.
She needed to get out anyway before she shriveled up like a prune. How attractive would that be?
Sitting up, she realized she didn’t bring any clothes into the bathroom with her. How would she get out of here without Keith seeing her?
She stood, then grabbed the towel, wrapping it around her before opening the drain
to let the water out.
“Keith?” she called. “Are you out there?”
“Yeah,” he replied.
“Would you hand me my robe? It’s in the chair by the bedroom fireplace.”
He didn’t answer, but she could hear his footsteps as he moved around the room. When she thought he was close, she opened the door just enough for him to slip the robe through the opening.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Dinner’s here.”
“I’ll be right out.”
She dropped the towel and put the robe on. Doing a quick check in the mirror, she nodded in approval at her flushed cheeks. A warm bath had done wonders for her complexion. She hoped Keith approved.
Frowning, she chastised herself softly. “You have to stop this. He’s off limits. You need to be man free for a while.”
Her lips twisted. But did that really have to include sex? She would really like to have sex with Keith. But did Keith want to have sex with her? And would it be a smart move? It had been so long since she’d been with a guy.
Shaking her head, she chanted, “No, no, no, no…no.” She gave herself a firm look in the mirror.
“No.”
“But he’s so gorgeous,” she whined at her reflection in the mirror.
“Did you say something?” Keith called.
Her eyes widened. Had she said it that loud?
“No,” she replied.
She opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the room. Keith stood by the gas fireplace pointing the remote at the television. A tray of food sat on the bed. She noticed the turned down sheets and glanced at him through her lashes. Had he been thinking the same thing she had?
“I thought you would be more comfortable in bed. It’s been a long day.”
“Yeah, it has.”
Slightly disappointed, she walked over and climbed under the sheets. What did she expect him to say? I thought I might try to seduce you? I want you?
She winced at the soreness in her side as she positioned herself against the pillows. Keith walked over. “Do you need some help?”
“I’m fine,” she said as she adjusted the covers over her legs.
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