“I’ve set up a private link and checked to see if the wireless—” The woman turned to face him. “Oh!”
“You!”
Kirk dropped the flowers and luggage and lunged at his “girlfriend.”
* * * *
Surya stood frozen for exactly one second. That one second cost her. Instead of running to the right and locking herself in the bathroom, she found that path cut off as a tall and muscular male body blocked her escape.
She should’ve guessed. Jade asking the favor had thrown her off from guessing it might be somebody she knew.
This vacation was so not. So, so not. It had started out great, until that phone call.
She should have booked a cruise.
She could have gone on that stupid camping trip with Marlena and Steve and played third wheel. On second thought, no. Anything but playing third wheel to Marlena and Steve.
“I really don’t want to hurt you,” she warned the angry, stalking male coming at her.
“I really want to hurt you. Maybe even kill you—after,” he told her, “a spanking.”
Sheesh. Men were so unforgiving when it came to their pride. She shrieked when he started to undo his belt.
“Oh, come on!” she said, backing a few steps. “My belt was much, much thinner than yours. And it was all done in fun.”
“Uh-huh. You can explain to me later. Right now—”
He dove.
Surya ducked to the right.
While on the carpeted floor, he swung out a hand and caught hold of her leg. She twisted, trying to pull free and losing her balance. She fell onto the side of the bed. He came up on his knees and attempted to pull her around onto her front. She resisted, scooting further back on the bed. He followed, his hands grasping her thighs firmly.
Surya turned, picked up the nearest weapon, and bashed a pillow down onto his head. Sure, she was going to beat the man to death with a pretty silk pillow. A karate chop would do the job but that would mean hurting the man she’d told her friend she would protect. Also, she really, really liked this man a lot, even though the last time, they’d met under false pretenses. Okay, more than really, really liked. She clobbered his head with the pillow with renewed gusto.
Her unexpected visitor reached up and held onto the underside of her weapon. She tugged at it.
“Seriously? A pillow?” That familiar deep male voice that had whispered sweet nothings in her ear growled in disbelief. “If that’s your weapon of choice, you aren’t trying very hard to escape.”
Surya peered over the silk pillow. “You’re always overreacting. I’m trying to calm you down.”
“Overre—I’m the calmest person I know!”
“You’re shouting,” she pointed out calmly.
He pushed the pillow up against her chest and effectively tackled her onto her back. She looked up at him. Rumpled dirty blond hair, angry blue eyes, lips she still dreamed about—she sighed loudly.
“Now you’re manhandling your assistant,” she said and watched those blue eyes get all fired up. She really did enjoy riling the man. He exuded this strange combination of nerdy and sexy strength that she found irresistible. “Is your name really Kirk? I prefer the other one. Anthony is so much more you.”
“That’s my middle name. Is Surya your real name?” he countered. He cocked his head. “It’s got to be real, since Jade said you’re a good friend. She wouldn’t just make up a name…would she?”
Surya considered lying. She had lied the last time because she was on assignment. She’d regretted doing it, although she wasn’t sure why. She lied to targets all the time. But he really wasn’t a target; he was just someone who got in the way.
“I’m really Surya,” she admitted.
“You left me tied up. You took something that belonged to me.”
Surya bit down on her lip to keep from smiling. Actually, she’d left him tied up, naked. She’d also spanked his cute bottom a couple of times before she left, which was the reason he was still so pissed off, but it was better she left those details out for now.
