“Sheesh. Excusemefor being a good host.”
He stopped me again. “You don’t seem too worried. Your father hires someone to look into your sister’s disappearance, and you’re more concerned with your party?”
“Well, I have a reputation to uphold. People love my parties, man.”
“You got answers for me or not?”
I wanted more time with him. And I wanted him to stop being so damnsuspicious. He was acting the same way he had last night when I’dfirstapproached him, all hard eyes and stiff shoulders. I wanted him to loosen up, be the guy from later in the night, the one who’d kissed me into oblivion. And this time, I’d make sure he’d stick around afterward. “Maybe I have answers,” I said with a shrug. “But I don’t know what questions you have yet, do I?”
“Working theory is, your sister’s on a bender,” Jack said. “What do you think?”
I snorted. “Not her style. She indulges now and then, but she’s too ambitious to let something like a drug habit get in her way.” I glanced toward the pool. “Did you have any other questions? If not, you’re welcome to join the fun. In fact, JJ, Iinsist.”
He shook his head, but I couldn’t tell if he was shaking it fornoor forI can’t fucking believe you. “Yeah,Trouble,” he said, emphasizing the nickname I’d bestowed on myself. If I got to call him JJ, I supposed he could call me Trouble. “I’ve got a few more questions. Like, when was the last time you heard from your sister?”
I gave a big, pretend sigh, and crossed my arms. “Okay, okay. If youreallyneed to give me the third degree, at least let me put some clothes on, huh?” I gave a lazy smile as I felt his eyes traveling my still-damp body. He turned away abruptly toward the pool, and kept walking.
“Make it fast,” he sent back over his shoulder.
My heart dropped. He seemed a different man altogether from the one I’d been fantasizing about today. He’d been a lot more interested inmelast night, for one thing. My heart started beating faster as I considered the possibility that this particular gift from the universe wasn’t going to be thenicekind.
I jogged after him and directed him to the tiki bar, where I asked the hired bartender to make him a piña colada while I showered and changed in the pool house.
But when I got out of the shower, still dripping wet, wearing only a towel, I ran straight into him. He was standing against the closed door of the pool house—and he’d locked it, too. His arms were folded, his hat tipped back on his head, and those damn sunglasses were still on his nose.
“I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing,” he said softly, “butI’mon the job, and I don’t have time to mess around. I need answers, and I need them fast.”
My hand drifted towards the towel, tucked at my waist. “Sureyou don’t have time to mess around?”
His eyebrow went up and he put out a stop-hand. “Point made. I’ll wait till you’re dressed. We can go up to the house and I’ll talk to you there. Is your father here?”
“My dad‘sneverhere,” I told him, slowly untucking the towel from my waist. He didn’t turn away. The soft material slid over my bare ass, and I gathered the towel up to sling it around my neck. “You can interrogate me here and now, if you like. Hard. Fast. Unprotected. Hm?”
He didn’t move.
I crossed the floor to him and reached up to take the sunglasses off his face. He made no motion to stop me. “How come you’re always at the Beartrap if you’renotlooking for something like this?”
“I go there to do my job.” He was keeping his eyes very determinedly on mine. “I’m here today for the same reason.”
“You can look, you know. I want you to look.”
And he did. For a moment. He took a quick, hungry look down at my body, and in that instant I could see how much he wanted me. I slid my hand up his jaw and stood up a little on my toes—he had a few inches on me—my mouth so close to his I could feel his breath whisper over my lips.
“I just want a little fun,” I murmured. “I’ve been thinking about you all day. And now here you are, appearing out of nowhere like all my dreams come true.”
“You really are trouble, aren’t you?” His hands rose up, hovering over me like he wanted to touch me, but didn’t dare.
“You seem like the kind whoenjoystrouble.” My lips were close enough to his now that I could feel their warmth. Another half second and our mouths would be touching.
But he grabbed my biceps and moved me firmly away. “Cover up and meet me outside.” Before I could say anything else, he snapped back the lock, wrenched open the door of the pool house, and stalked out.
“Asshole,” I muttered.
He was probably a terrible lay, anyhow. Guys like that were only two things in bed: cold fish or complete volcanos. If he had enough ice water in his veins to resist even justkissingme, going to bed with him would be a real downer.
So what if he didn’t like me? Who cared what some two-bit security guy thought, anyway? I wasn’t going to let him make my night anything other than glorious. Annie was fine, even slightly warmer than usual, and I was living my best life. There’d be plenty of other not-so-cold fish in the pool tonight.
I’d take Unimaginative Jack up to the house, answer his unnecessary questions, and then take my pick from the party people—and I’d make sure he saw me do it, too, before he left, so he’d realize exactly what a mistake he’d made in turning me down.
