Drew shifted in bed to grab the remote. Turning down the volume on the television, he tried not to think about the reasonhe had turned it up an hour ago -to drown out the sound of Eden running a bath. He had stayed at this hotel enough times to recognize the sound of water rushing through the pipes to fill the tub. The aroma of jasmine permeated the walls, and his head swam with the scent.
His mind filled with tempting images -Eden slipping off her clothing, then easing into the tub and sinking below the bubbles. Earlier tonight, when he had caught her to prevent her from falling, he had realized how good she had felt in his arms. Her scent had been up close and personal, her breathing close to his neck, and her body had felt so damn soft. It suddenly hit him below the gut that he was attracted to her.
Damn!Of course, he had to admit that he’d been attracted to her the moment she opened her eyes that day and he looked into them. He had been ensnarled by her green eyes ever since, though he’d been trying to resist, especially when they’d been on the road. But there was only so much temptation a man could take…
And it was more than just her looks. Her scent drove him crazy. Whatever perfume she was wearing should be her signature brand. It accentuated her natural scent, and enveloped him in a haze of desire.
And when they were sharing a meal, he could barely hold things together. She had a proper way of eating that he’d thought to be absolutely adorable. The way she would lick her lips after eating something she enjoyed was a total turn-on. Nothing was hurried. She took her time, as if relishing every single moment, gaining total pleasure from what she was consuming. He wondered if she made love the same way.
He loved slow sex -it was the ultimate in intimate pleasure. Nothing hurried or rushed, allowing him to be in tune with every stroke into a woman’s body. Unfortunately, most of the women he encountered liked it fast and hard. There was nothing wrongwith that. However, if given a choice, he felt slow was the way to go.
And if something were to happen between him and Eden, he knew it would be about more than pleasure and sexual fulfilment. There would be a connection between them, and he didn’t want that, not with any woman. Not even Eden. And knowing that, he should leave well enough alone.
But that didn’t stop him from thinking about how it would feel to make slow, intimate love with her. It was an irresistible fantasy, one he shouldn’t really indulge in, but did anyway.
Now that the volume on the television was down, he was picking up more sounds -her movements around the room, the buzzing noise of a hand-held hair dryer. He could imagine her applying heat to her hair to make it look silkier. He wished he could run his fingers through it tomorrow. Better yet, if she had asked, he would have washed it for her. Hell, he’d never washed a woman’s hair before. Had never even thought of doing so.
He eased up to sit on the side of the bed and held his head in his hand. What in the world was happening to him? The sound of a woman taking a bath had never affected him this way before. He was so tempted to knock on the connecting door and…
Do what? Something he would regret in the morning. How many more times would they need to stay in hotels before they reached Tennessee? But then, was being in the truck with her for extended hours any better? And he still hadn’t decided what he’d do when they got to Memphis…
There was no way he could take her to Dollywood. And even if he did, she’d still have the same problem—no money and no place to stay. Besides, he’d need to have her out of his truck before he got there. All it would take was for one of the construction workers to notice her. Some men bought Vogue magazine as eagerly as they did the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated, mainly to see which attractive woman wason the cover. Having her face on Vogue made Eden a celebrity, regardless of whether she wanted it or not.
Memphis was the first major city they would reach after crossing the border from Arkansas. It wasn’t an ideal place for her to hide out, but it would have to do. Although he wouldn’t give her his charge card, he would prepay her entire reservation at some hotel there. In addition, he would provide her with enough cash to tide her over until her agent sent her a ticket to Paris. Satisfied that he had come up with a solution to the problem, he eased back into bed and slid between the sheets, determined to get a good night’s sleep.
**
Eden was ready when Drew knocked on the hotel room door. After performing her morning ablutions, she had decided to wear a darker shade of denim jeans and accent it with a light blue pullover blouse. It hadn’t taken her long to get dressed and repack her backpack. The moment he knocked on the door, she opened it.
Smiling brightly, she said, “Good morning, Drew.”
His gaze roamed over her, and then a frown settled in his features. “What’s wrong?” she asked him.
“Nothing,” he mumbled. “You’re ready?”
“Yes, but something is clearly wrong, Drew, or you wouldn’t be frowning.” Why did he have to look so good this early in the morning and smell good, too?
“I’m not frowning,” he said, turning to leave with her following in his wake.
“It sure looks like you are. Did I do something? You said to be ready to hit the road by five, and we have fifteen minutes to spare. So, what’s the problem?”
Drew didn’t answer until they reached his truck. He went to the other side to open the door for her. She figured he mightbe afraid she’d take a tumble again. Before closing the door, he simply said, “I hadn’t expected you to be a morning person.”
“I take it you’re not,” she countered. When she’d been walking behind him, she couldn’t help noticing–like she had yesterday–what a nice tush he had. He looked darn good in jeans.
“No, I’m not,” he said gruffly. “I might as well warn you that I’m a grouch until I’ve downed at least two cups of coffee.”
She lifted her brow. “At least two?”
“Sometimes three. Stay put. I’m going to check out and grab breakfast. There’s a stop near here where I can park the truck and eat while the food is hot.”
“I ate too much yesterday,” she said. “I can’t possibly eat again, especially not this early in the morning.”
He shrugged. “I’ve never known anyone who could resist Judy’s mouthwatering biscuits. No matter what time of day it is.”
“My granola bar and water will work just fine for me.”
**
