“Damn, you push my buttons,” she whispered.
He flashed a smile. “You push my everything.”
Instead of cuddling in his arms, she rose off him and left the room. He was still flying around the stratosphere, drunk out of his mind on her, but she had disappeared.
A quick moment later, she returned with a glass of clear liquid. She folded into bed beside him, tucking one of her long legs beneath her. “It’s crap vodka, but it’s all I’ve got.” She took a long draw.
“Still not into cuddling?”
Surprise flashed in her eyes, then she smiled. “I can do that…if you want.”
Though cuddling wasn’t his thing, either, he would welcome her in his arms for as long as she would stay there. But he said nothing as he pushed out of bed and padded into the bathroom to take care of business.
When he returned, she was leaning against the propped pillows, sipping the drink. The room was warm, so she lay there uncovered. As he drank in her naked form, he wanted to lose himself in her all over again.
“Like what you see?”
“You could say that.”
Her smarmy smile made him laugh. “Me, too. But you already know that.”
“I want to hear it from you, Evan.” He slid back into bed beside her and cupped her chin. “Don’t shut me out.”
Her back stiffened and she offered him the glass. He tossed back a mouthful and winced. “You’re right, thisisshit.”
That made her laugh. “I’m not gonna ask you to stick around.”
“Ouch.”
Her laughter was intoxicating. And something she didn’t do nearly enough. “That was fun, but I’m putting the brakes on this happening again.”
“You reallyaren’tgoing to admit how you feel, are you?”
“I don’t want you to think this is something it’s not.”
The look in her eyes defied her words. He knewexactlywhat this was.
As he dressed, she slipped into a bathrobe. When he finished, she walked him to the door. “Thanks for the quickie,” she quipped.
“You really know how to stroke a guy’s ego.” He pulled out the Glock from his jacket pocket. “Actually, you do. And you’re damn good at it.” He offered her the gun. “For your protection.”
“You remembered,” she said as she took it from him.
“I want you safe.” He purposefully didn’t kiss her goodbye, but she seemed unfazed. This woman was hard as hell for him to read. “Are you coming into the office tomorrow?”
“I’m at Henninger Security all day helping Tucker with his open house.”
“You can use that laptop whenever you need it, but it stays in my office. I’ll let my team know.”
“Got it.”
“I’ll text you the Applegates’ address. Thanks for a fun evening. Next time, let’s leave room for cuddling.”
As he shut the door, her sultry laugh followed him into the hallway.
She’s making me work for every little thing, and she’s so damn worth it.
His phone buzzed with an incoming text from Dakota. “Crow at Dungeon titty bar. Booked a room.”
