“Hard to complain.”
He seemed to be a man of few words, so far. And those words didn’t exactly answer the question.
“Why are you so interested in this suite?” he asked her. “Are you planning your honeymoon?”
Tina used the same line as with Heidi Ochoa. “You never know. Do you recommend it? Any downsides I should be aware of? Roses, thorns?”
She scanned the large sitting room, which featured a stonework fireplace and a fully-stocked mini-bar. A fruit platter sat on a polished table under the tall windows, but it had barely been touched. A bottle of champagne sat in a bucket filled with water, and a brown leather jacket was draped over the back of a chair.
She saw no signs of a woman, she realized, as a sense of unease creeped across her skin.
What was she even looking for? Even if “Adam” had left something behind, the cleaners would have found it.
“It’s been great so far,” Jack said. “But it really depends on what you’re looking for in a honeymoon suite.”
“I mean, the usual. What does anyone look for?” Face it, she had no idea about these things, and no real craving for luxury. She’d always thought a quickie exchange of vows and back to work would be the way to go. “Privacy? A bed? I don’t know…” She scrambled for something that might seem useful on a honeymoon. “Lube?”
He nearly choked on his laugh. “No lube, sorry.”
“Rich people don’t use lube? Never mind.” She waved him off before he could answer. “This might sound strange, but do you mind if I test out the vibes in here, in private? I just want to see how it would feel to come in here with my sweetie and be all alone, just the two of us.”
Shrugging, he raised an eyebrow. “Sure, you want me to step outside?”
“Yes, please.”
He snorted, not budging an inch from his position. “Sorry, but I’m not leaving a strange woman alone in my hotel room with all my stuff.”
Oh. So he’d been mocking her. She shot him an assessing glance, reevaluating her impression of him. Not just a pretty face. More of a quick-thinker than she’d realized.
“My?” she asked.
“What?”
“You said ‘my’ stuff. What about your beloved’s stuff? Where is she, by the way?” That uneasy feeling was getting stronger. Good thing she was a cop and knew how to handle herself, even against a fit-looking guy like Jack.
“Where’s yours? Seems kind of odd to plan your honeymoon when you don’t even have a fiancé.”
“You don’t know that.”
“No ring.” He gestured to her right hand. “Also, you give off a very single vibe.”
“No, I don’t.” Offended, she tucked her hands into her jacket pockets.
“You’re right. It’s more of a back-off-before-I-dropkick-you-out-the-window vibe.”
She frowned at him. “Rude. I’d never do that because it would be against protocol.”
“What are you, in the military? What are you really doing here?” He took a step toward her, but she held up a hand. He stopped where he was, a few feet away from her.
“Why is there no woman in this suite with you?”
“I gotta point out that I’m looking at one right now.” He gave her a one-sided smile.
“Answer the question.” She might be on the small side, physically speaking, but she knew how to project authority and get people to do her bidding.
“Maybe she dumped me, ever think of that? Maybe I couldn’t get my money back on this suite.” But she was already shaking her head. Who would dump this guy? He was lethally attractive, with the kind of charisma you saw in the movies…a flash of almost-recognition came to her. It was right there, on the edge of her brain, where she’d seen him before…
“No? Not buying it? Right back at you, because I don’t believe for a second you want to book this suite, and I highly suggest you come clean because I do not like being lied to and?—”
