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“Okay,” she said, although she turned her head away as if she was supremely embarrassed. Embarrassed? Yeah, they’d had sex, the dirty and gritty kind, but sex was normal and why should she feel even the slightest trace of embarrassment?
Finally separated from her with the condom where it should be, he absentmindedly removed the protection while watching her. She rolled to her side and curled up in a ball, and stark concern had him quickly disposing of the evidence of their encounter in the bathroom. He came back and sat on the edge of the bed, putting his hand to her backside. “Hey,” he said, wanting her attention.
“Hey,” she mumbled back as if she were greeting someone.
He rolled his eyes. “Maria, look at me.”
She shook her head and her eyes slipped closed.
His face creased into a frown. “Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No.”
His eyes narrowed. “Then what’s wrong?”
Finally, she rolled over and faced him, opening her eyes. “Nothing.”
God, she had beautiful eyes. “Are you sure? Still pissed because I’m bilingual?”
“Yeah . . . no.” Her lips lifted in what looked to be an attempt at a smile.
“Right.” He studied her for a moment longer, trying to figure out what was in that feminine brain of hers. Having no clue what to say to her, he went for the mundane. “Are you hungry?”
After an abbreviated moment, she surprised him by nodding her head.
Pleasure at her agreement to readily spend more time with him raised his mood and he felt one side of his mouth lift as he caressed her backside. “You want to go grab some dinner somewhere?”
Her eyes widened and she scooted back on the bed, up onto her elbows, into a semi-reclining position. “You mean like somewhere other than in the hotel?” She made it sound as if she never got out, almost as if the hotel was her boundary.
“Sure. Wherever. We can eat downstairs or take a drive, find a restaurant on the water some place. That sound good?” She looked back at him in silence for a moment, as if he’d surprised her. What the hell? She didn’t think he’d bother feeding her? That kind of hurt.
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
He rubbed her butt again because he couldn’t seem to make himself stand up and move away from her.
She looked at him beneath her lashes. “Garrett?”
His hand took another stroke he couldn’t seem to control. “Yeah?”
“That thing you said to me earlier?” she asked.
He frowned. “What thing?”
“About you not messing around with other women?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“If you weren’t being honest with me, I’ll find out, and trust me, that’ll be the end of whatever this is between us.” She was studying him intently and then she opened her mouth again and turned his words around on him. “Got me, babe?”
She was so fucking adorable he couldn’t help but crack a smile.
****
The next day at work ended up being anti-climatic for Maria. The restaurant Garrett had taken her to the night before had been casual, but there had been little conversation between them. He’d practically stared at her throughout the entire meal, his look both harsh and assessing. The few words between them had been inconsequential, and it was as if they were both only eating for the fuel the food would bring, while each was basically lost in their own thoughts.
She’d certainly known what she’d been thinking. She couldn’t come to grips with the explosive sex they’d had, the dominant force he’d used, and his quiet but semi-raunchy gentleness afterwards.
After the restaurant, he’d walked her back to her room almost like a gentleman, and she’d half expected that he’d try to come back inside for seconds, but he hadn’t. He’d simply kissed her, deep and hard, and then with a gentle push, he’d set her inside her room.
And now, after a regular workday where he hadn’t shown up, she wondered for the billionth time where he was. She imagined that he was back in the Keys, but she wasn’t at all sure. A tiny, ridiculous feminine hurt tried to rear its ugly head, but Maria refused to let it take hold. Her therapy to keep her mind from him was to stay busy, and that’s exactly what she’d done all day.
Staying busy hadn’t been a problem, with electrical problems blacking out part of the building, causing temporary chaos and meaning that she’d ended up stretched to the limit. She’d give anything right now for a scented bath, some candles and some alone time, and certainly being alone seemed to be on her agenda, as Garrett still hadn’t shown up yet.
So now, as she was riding the service elevator up to her suite after her long stressful day, she was attempting to keep at bay the claustrophobia she always felt when she stepped into an elevator. She was alone inside, and she watched the numbers rise while she tried to breathe steadily. You can do it this, Maria. Remember, you do it every single day.
