“You realize those people thought I was a prostitute,” Ally said the moment Carter had closed the door on the gaggle of people leaving their hotel room.
“Really?” he said as he turned around. He’d hardly paid any attention to the people in the room with them. His eyes had only been on Ally.
“Oh yeah,” Ally said with an exaggerated nod. “All of them. A hooker getting the full Pretty Woman treatment.”
“Does that bother you?” he asked as he leaned his back against the door, taking in the sight of her.
They’d draped her in shimmery fabrics, fluffed her hair, blackened her lashes, but nothing fundamental had changed about her. She was still Ally, just like the first night he’d met her. The set dressing might change—this time a little finer than the last—but the fire burning underneath was the same.
And that fire…
“Not really.” She shrugged her shoulders, trying to play it cool, but Carter could see the real answer in the burn of her cheeks.
“Don’t worry about any of them,” he said, pushing off the door and walking toward her. “You’re beautiful.”
“I’d better be after how much you’ve spent on all this,” Ally said, sweeping her hand from the top of her head down the length of her dress.
He reached down and enveloped her hand between his own. He relished the feel of her warm skin against his.
“I didn’t say they made you beautiful.”
He looked down into her clear blue eyes and the glow in her cheeks intensified.
He’d been thinking about her all day. He’d called down to the spa several times to check in on her. He’d told Mason that it was because he was concerned about her safety, and while that was technically true, it wasn’t the whole truth.
He didn’t like her out of his sight for reasons that had nothing to do with security.
“So, are you finally going to tell me where you’re taking me?” she asked.
“To the restaurant on the second floor.”
“Chef Marcel’s?” Her brows shot up. “You weren’t kidding about wanting to go someplace nice.”
“Have you eaten there before?” he asked.
Ally cocked her chin to the side. “What do you think?”
“I think you’ll enjoy it,” Carter said. “The chef’s filet mignon is the best I’ve ever had.”
Her lips quirked up. “You’ve got expensive taste.”
“It’s not about price,” Carter said, shaking his head. He inched closer, not letting go of her hand. “It’s about appreciating all the exquisite pleasures life has to offer.”
The glow was spreading from Ally’s cheeks, down the long column of her neck, over the slope of her shoulders, disappearing underneath the elegant neckline of her dress.
He wondered just how far her blush had traveled. If he slid the straps of her gown down her arms, let the fabric fall to the floor, what would he discover?
Carter pressed his lips together and swallowed hard.
Damn, it was a tempting thought…but one he couldn’t follow. Not right now, at any rate.
He’d spent the afternoon fine-tuning a plan with Mason and now it was time to see it through. His men needed him in position exactly at six forty-five.
Carter glanced over at the clock.
Six thirteen.
They had thirty-two minutes. He supposed they could get a drink at the bar. It would be safer down there. Suddenly, Carter wasn’t sure how much more time he could spend alone with Ally without needing to know if her lips were as soft as he imagined.
“We should probably make our way down to the restaurant,” he said.
“O-okay,” Ally said. Her mouth stayed slightly parted, the tip of her tongue flicking out to wet the swell of her lower lip. Carter’s eyes snapped to the sight.
He turned and tucked her hand into the bend of his elbow.
Yeah. It was much safer downstairs.
Chapter Nine
Carter Page 13
