I sighed. “Fine. We’ll lean into the mystery.”
“In public,” she said, her tone dripping with mischief. “Whatever happens at the hotel, though, that’s your business.”
I hung up before she could cackle again, but her laughter still echoed in my ear.
The idea of Hayes and me together refused to leave me as I lay in bed. I couldn’t sleep, and I was horny as hell. This was the perfect mood to be in to write a sex scene. Usually, I’d need to get off after. That would be a little tricky, given the shared wall between me and the reason my panties were damp.
The wordDarlingfloated through my mind, and my inner walls clenched around nothing. I grabbed my laptop and let my fingers fly over the keys.
The bodyguard, Bruiser, happened to see what the romance writer, Scarlet, had on her screen while she was writing a love scene:
“Am I your character inspiration for that book?” He cocked his head,daring her to deny it.
He was close enough that his masculine and clean smell was impossible to ignore. It was intoxicating.
She nodded.
“Maybe I can give you some details on how he would make her scream his name.”
Her nipples pebbled under her top at his proximity, and his deep tone sent a shiver down her spine. Her eyes darted down, noticing that the bulge in the front of his sweats had grown. She nodded.
“Personally, I like to be the one in charge. Would you like that? If I manhandled you a little?” His body was closer every time she blinked, or maybe she was just constructing fantasies again. Part of her wanted to retreat, but only to see him give chase.
What would it feel like to be pursued by her own bodyguard?
“What-what would that look like?” She could feel her long, silky hair starting to stick to the back of her neck.
He considered that for a moment. “Maybe throw her over his shoulder. Toss her on the bed. Pin her against the wall. Tease her until she begs for it.”
I set my laptop to the side and swallowed hard. My clit throbbed. Picturing straitlaced Hayes saying all those dirty things to me, let alone acting them out, was too much for my hormones to handle.
I didn’t pack my vibrator.
With my luck, it would turn on going through security, and the whole airport would see. So all I had were my fingers and my imagination. I slid my sleep shorts down far enough to spread my legs before diving in. The first touch of the pad of my finger to my aching clit had my back arching off the bed. I circled it fast. I had been mentallyedging myself since I sat down and started putting words on the page.
Heat and pressure built in my core, faster than I thought possible, as the scene I had just written flowed through my mind. I bit my lip to keep the little moans that threatened to escape my throat from doing just that. It was late, or early depending on how you looked at things, but Hayes was known to appear out of nowhere.
The idea of him walking in and seeing me spread out on the bed with my hand between my thighs was enough to send me over the edge. I bucked and spasmed under my own touch, not slowing my hand until I had wrung out the last few drops of my orgasm, then I collapsed back on the bed.
******
As if I wasn’t already planning to kill Anastasia, I woke to the sound of my phone ringing and her name flashing across the screen. I didn’t even know what city we were in anymore. Fort Worth? Houston? Now I had Anastasia’s chipper voice in my ear before I’d had caffeine.
“Morning, superstar! Don’t hate me, but I might’ve arranged a little something for you and Mr. Tall, Dark, and Broody.”
I groaned. “Define alittle something.”
“Just a teensy interview outside the bookstore. An influencer and a camera, maybe a few hundred thousand livestream viewers. No big deal.”
I sat up. “Ana!”
“Oh, come on. The internet is obsessed. Seven million views and counting on that video from the signing. I’m feeding the beast. You can thank me when your royalties double.”
I rubbed my forehead. “Does Hayes know about this?”
“I’m sure you can tell him all about it on the way to the signing.”
“Wait, Ana—”
