Page 4 of Wild Hope

Not that she would ever let him, of course, but it was a sweet promise just the same.

Joel sighed, clearly not convinced.“Okay, if you’re sure,” he said at last.“It was nice talking to you, Andi.”

“You too.”Most people who came in treated her like she was invisible, simply grabbing whatever they wanted, paying, and leaving.It was nice to have someone help her pass a few minutes of what was bound to be a very long three hours.

He hesitated for just a moment longer before turning and heading for the door.“Good night.”

She waved as he left, then perched on the edge of the stool, watching as Joel climbed into the back of the limo.She wished they’d had longer to chat because her curiosity—okay, and libido—had kicked into overdrive.

What did he do for a living?

Did he always travel around in a limo?

Did he have a girlfriend?

What would it be like to kiss him?Would he gentle and sweet?Or rough and hungry?

She scoffed at the last questions because it wasn’t like the answers mattered.Men like Joel McKenna did not go for girls like her.He was older, sophisticated, more experienced, well-spoken, and rich.

But none of those facts stopped her from running her finger over her lower lip, imagining those hard kisses.Or from fantasizing about what it would be like to lie down underneath him on the backseat of that limousine while he had his wicked way with her.

She let the images play out for too long, then sighed, because now, it wasn’t just going to be a long night.

It was going to be a lonely one too.

ChapterTwo

Joel looked up from his computer when there was a knock on the door to his hotel suite.

“Housekeeping,” someone called from the hallway.

He rose and opened the door, prepared to say he was okay for towels, but stopped when he saw Andi’s smiling face standing next to her cart.

Her eyes widened when she realized it was him.

“We need to stop meeting this way,” she joked.

“Andi.”He could tell she was surprised he’d remembered her name.

The truth was he’d been thinking about the petite brunette ever since he walked out of the convenience store a little after three a.m.Leaving her had been harder than he might have expected, considering the woman was a stranger.

However, it went against his nature to leave someone in what he believed to be a dangerous situation.And as far as he was concerned, a young woman alone in a convenience store in the middle of the night was asking for trouble.

Joel would like to think he’d feel protective of anyone in the same situation, but there was something about Andi that had caught his attention and held onto it.He was no stranger to beautiful women, and while she was truly lovely with her wavy dark brown hair and big blue eyes, that wasn’t what was drew him in.

It was her personality.She’d gotten called in to work someone else’s shift in the middle of the night and she had shown up with a smile on her face and a cheerful attitude.She was friendly and bubbly, and he got the sense that what he saw was what he got with Andi.It was refreshing, given the fact he spent too much time dealing with people who were fake—inside and out.

Then something else occurred to him, and his pleasure at seeing her again morphed to…well, anger.There were dark circles under her eyes that indicated she hadn’t gotten much sleep last night and he frowned.“Did you come straight from the convenience store to work here?”

“Yep,” she replied, oblivious to the irritation her response sparked.

Where was this woman’s family?Why was she working two jobs back-to-back like this?Didn’t she have anyone to help her?

She mentioned her brother but no one else.

He reached out before he could think better of it and ran the tip of one finger under her eye.“You’re tired.”They certainly didn’t know each other well enough for him to touch her, but Andi didn’t shy away.

Instead, she lifted one shoulder casually and gave him another dose of that gorgeous smile.“It’s okay.You’re one of my last rooms.I’m getting off a little bit early today.I had a lot of rooms with Do Not Disturb signs.”As she said that, she waved jazz hands to celebrate.“There is definitely a nap in my plans for this afternoon.”