She wasn’t sure what she was looking for. Another glimpse of that fine suit or perhaps a spark in those eyes. Maybe just some insight into what he was thinking when he’d put her up in the most expensive room in town.
Whatever she was looking for, she didn’t find it. Alex had already disappeared.
Would she see him again?
A part of her hoped so, if only to thank him.
And to apologize.
She didn’t imagine she could do that sort of thing on Trip Advisor.
***
Keep walking. Just keep walking.
Alex had to keep telling himself this. If he didn’t, he’d do something stupid like hurry back to Dana and pull her into his arms.
It was actually her, right here, in the last place he’d expected to find her.
He hadn’t even meant to stop when he heard a snippet of the conversation between Cecilia and their new guest. But after hearing Dana’s plea, he’d hoped to help in his professional capacity.
Then when he saw her, all the memories from that night came flooding back. At first, he had himself convinced she was just a Dana lookalike. His conviction lasted all of two seconds, if that. There was no denying it once he got a good look at her. In that split second, he’d catalogued all the attributes that had fascinated him at Joe’s. She was taller than the average woman, standing about five foot nine. Of course, because he was six foot three, she still looked cute and compact to him, even though her smooth legs seemed to stretch for miles.
She’d wrapped those legs around his waist not long ago.
Her hair was thick and black, a happy turmoil of curls. Soft and rounded, her body put the bronze goddess statues in the lobby to shame. She also had a girl-next-door quality. It was probably the dimples in her cheeks. He’d seen those dimples a few times at Joe’s.
They’d remained hidden today.
It had taken all his willpower not to lean over the counter to stroke her face. He wasn’t sure why the urge to touch her was so strong. Maybe it was the fact her pretty brown skin looked so soft. Although they’d only spent a few moments in each other’s company, he knew enough to know he wanted to touch her again.
Dana had stopped him in his tracks, the same way she’d commandeered his senses at the bar. That night, when she told him what she wanted, he’d become a slave to his senses.
Now, she was under his roof, so to speak.
He’d taken a good look at her reservation. One week.
They could get up to all sorts of trouble in a week.
Yeah, right. As if she’d have you. The woman walked out on you, minutes after you fucked her.
Not a good track record.
And yet the way she looked at him across the counter made his palms sweat. Her eyes had widened with something more than shock or even remorse.
There was an awareness there, so palpable it was almost physical. Her lips had parted and she’d licked them. She’d twisted her finger in one of her curls, tugging in such a way she probably didn’t even realize she was doing it. Her gaze had wandered, noting the details of his suit and the body beneath it.
Total awareness.
Alex may have handled himself poorly at Joe’s, but he’d never been naïve when it came to women.
He just wasn’t sure he had the presence of mind to remain detached around this woman. He’d tried, God only knew he’d tried at the reservation desk. His sense of pride had demanded he act aloof, at least until he knew where he stood.
Maybe he should just talk to her and find out why she left that night.
It was the path to heartache and he couldn’t afford it. It had been hard enough digging himself out of his hole the past year. He was only just starting to regain his equilibrium.
Dana had already toppled him once and he’d been reliving that moment since it happened. Her sweet breath in his ear had lured him out of the doldrums. Her perfumed skin had bewitched him. And the luxurious glide into her body was so good it ought to be outlawed.
