Triana nodded, though Remy could tell she had no idea what he was talking about. She seemed relieved he wasn’t going to be putting himself at risk today. That was good enough for him.
“Well, have fun…I guess.” She kissed him again, making him burn with the need to taste even more of her. “You want to get together tonight?”
He grinned, sliding his hands down her back until he had a handful of ass cheek in each. Her bottom should have been listed as a New Orleans work of art. It simply defined perfection.
“That’s a clown question, and you know it,” he told her. “I’m up for anything you might have in mind.”
She rubbed her tummy against the hard-on hidden in his uniform pants. “Yes, you are, aren’t you? But I was actually talking about going out to the French Quarter again. I blew off a night out with my girlfriends last night and was hoping you’d be willing to come out with us so I could make it up to them while still spending time with you too.”
“Works for me,” he said. “My teammates probably wouldn’t mind coming, if that’s okay with you?”
Actually, he wasn’t really sure about that last part, but if he needed his pack mates to pull wingman duty, they’d do it.
Triana smiled. “It’s a date then.” She nodded down at his crotch. “You sure there isn’t something I could do to help you out with that before you go to work? I can work fast when I need to.”
He groaned at the visual and almost gave in, but then resisted the urge. If last night proved anything, it was that once they got going, they didn’t want to stop.
“You don’t know how much I’d love to, but if I don’t get downstairs, the guys are going to come banging on the door.” He caught a stray curl from where it rested against her breast and twirled it around his finger. “Rain check.”
She looked disappointed but nodded.
“Feel free to stay here and catch up on some sleep if you want,” he said. “I’ll put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door.”
“I probably will.” Triana grimaced. “This is a crazy time to be getting up for work anyway.”
Before she let him go, she pulled his head down once more for another kiss, this time slow and passionate.
“By the way,” she said softly, “in case you didn’t notice, last night was fantastic—and I don’t just mean once we got back here to your room. Cross my heart, I’ve never had a better date in my life.”
Remy weaved a hand into her hair and tugged her in for a kiss that he hoped spoke volumes about how much he agreed. “Best. Date. Ever.”
“Something tells me tonight will be even better,” she said.
Smiling, Triana turned and headed for the bathroom, putting a little extra wiggle in her walk as she went—probably to punish him for leaving without taking her up on the offer of a quickie.
“Later, sweetie,” she said over her shoulder.
Remy watched her ass until it completely disappeared from sight, then grabbed his duffel bag and left the room.
Halfway down the hall, he stopped in midstride as he realized how painful it was to leave Triana. His inner wolf shouted at him to go back, even if only for one more kiss. Damn, he’d known the sexual chemistry between them was intense, but it was stronger than he knew—more powerful than anything he’d ever felt before. He supposed that was what happened when you finally made love with the girl you’d been crushing on since high school.
Giving himself a mental shake, he started down the hall again.
Remy smelled the guys waiting for him long before he reached the elevators. Max, Brooks, and Zane were standing there with knowing looks on their faces.
“Good night?” Max asked as he pressed the button for the elevator.
“Good enough,” Remy said noncommittally.
Brooks snorted as the elevator doors slid open. “Dude, you are so full of shit.”
* * *
Triana left Remy’s hotel room and headed toward the diner on Magazine Street a little after nine that morning. While the sky might have still been bright and clear, the threat of the storm in the Gulf was starting to have a visible effect on the inhabitants of the city. It was hard to put into words, but she could feel the tension in the air as people walked along the sidewalks a little bit faster, smiled a little bit less. People were getting worried, and it was starting to show.
She stopped in the entryway of the crowded restaurant, looking for Marcus Bodine, the private investigator she’d hired, and spotted him sitting at a booth in the back, eating breakfast. She wasn’t sure how he knew she was there, but he glanced up and made eye contact the moment she walked in, motioning her over.
She’d just gotten out of the shower when Bodine had called, saying he wanted to meet with her as soon as possible. He had something she needed to see. Triana barely remembered putting on her dress, she’d moved so fast.
