A government agency? No. I would know. Some old contact would have flagged it for me, because I was not a man to cross, and I could be helpful.
A rogue agent? Someone hired to disrupt our operations and make us vulnerable to threats from investors or the Gaming Commission? That made more sense.
Yes, my instincts were fired up. Orion and Leo were distracted, attending to other issues and not easily available to back me up. Even if Tashi hadn’t been a target at first, she’d made herself one by making herself so visible with her successful marketing campaign. Those damned photos. All three of us smiling, relaxing, and looking vulnerable. We’d made ourselves targets.
And Tashi, with me not knowing where the threat came from, was alone in her suite—the most exposed of all.
I pulled out my phone and texted her:Don’t let anyone but me in. I’m coming up.
Still, when I arrived, I stood at her door. Why was I here? I could easily hire security to stand guard at the door. Why did I feel the need to come here?
A little voice in my head whispered the answer.
That black dress. The one you wanted to take off.
Oh, hell. I could not let my feelings devolve toward this. I was supposed to protect her, not take advantage of her.
I turned, intending to head back to the elevators, when the lock to her door clicked open.
“Ares—”
I swallowed hard and turned.
Tashi stood in the doorway, wearing a silk kimono robe painted like a watercolor. A very touchable silk kimono.
“I’m just checking on you.”
“I’m fine, Ares. Why don’t you come in and see for yourself?”
I froze. Should I? It was at once a terrible and a fantastic idea.
“I’ll do a security sweep, if that’s okay?”
“Sure,” she said.
I moved past her, hyperaware of the silk brushing against my arm, the scent of her shampoo.Focus. Security sweep. That’s all this is.
I checked the windows first—locked, no signs of tampering. The closet next, pushing aside the clothes we bought her, seeing nothing but empty hangers and shoe boxes. The bathroom. Clear. Under the bed, behind the curtains, every corner my training demanded I check.
Tashi stood by the door the entire time, watching me with an expression I couldn’t read.
“Satisfied?” she asked when I straightened from checking the balcony door.
Why did that word flip a switch in my head? I looked over my shoulder to see a sexy smirk on her lips.
“The suite’s secure.” My voice came out rougher than intended.
“Then why are you still here?”
Good question. The professional answer would be about additional security protocols. The honest answer was that I couldn’t make myself leave.
“Because you shouldn’t be alone,” I said.
“I’m not.” She took a step closer. “You’re here.”
“I’ve been watching you,” I said. The words came out before I thought them through. “Since before you walked into our hotel, before the fire, from that first interview when you looked into the camera and told Leo exactly why his marketing strategy was failing.”
She blinked. “That’s?—”
