Page 25 of Insatiable


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“I’m a distraction, remember?”

“Only for men who have no self-control or common decency.”

He was skilled at this comforting thing. Viv’s raging pulse began to slow, and the tension that had revved her into a live wire of energy eased. If she could just stay here, naked, close to him, with his warm hands on her hips, it might actually be possible to forget that she was the laughingstock of ESPN.

“How am I going to leave through the lobby now?” she muttered. “And I was worried about the walk of shame before. Does this place have a rear exit?”

“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” he snapped. “That asshole player and bigger asshole general manager do.”

“But somehow I’m the one the reporters are talking about.”

Neeley’s misconduct was sure to be laughed off as boys being boys. Those men on the news hadn’t exactly talked about her as an assault victim. In fact, before she’d spun around to try to stop Damien from viewing what was on the screen, she was pretty sure she’d heard one of them speculate that the whole thing had been a PR stunt on her part.

As if she’d let that creep grope her and stick his nasty tongue down her throat in front of a room full of people for anything.

“God, I can’t even imagine how my family and friends are going to react.” She finally drew a deep, calming breath, and stepped away. Sweeping her hands through her wet hair, she nodded her thanks and added, “I should get out of here and start doing damage control.”

“They announced your name. The press is going to be searching for you.”

“Bastards. I’m not unlisted, either.”

“So don’t let them find you.”

“Do you suggest I go into the witness protection program?”

“I suggest you stay right here until this blows over.”

She’d been highly tempted before when he’d been trying to talk her in to staying. Now there was even more reason to. But Viv had never been the needy type, and she didn’t like the idea now. “I can take care of myself.”

“Have you ever been the fox chased by hunters and hounds? You can’t even imagine how difficult the next few days will be.”

She caught her lip between her teeth. “You really believe it will be that big a deal?”

He nodded, solemn, those dark eyes gleaming with support and regret. “I’m so sorry this has happened to you, Viv, but the truth is, your life is going to be hell until this gets straightened out.”

“That’s the problem,” she snapped, swinging around and grabbing a fresh towel. She wrapped it around her body, tucking it in over her breasts. “This isn’t going to get straightened out. It’s done.”

He was shaking his head before she’d finished speaking. “No, it’s not. Not by a long shot.”

Before she could ask what he meant, he walked toward the shower himself and turned it back on. “Our breakfast should be here any minute. Why don’t you go out and wait for it. I remembered I have to go to a meeting in a while, but you can stay here and eat, and I’ll come and join you later.”

“You want me to hide out in your suite?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t have any clothes, not even a toothbrush.”

He gestured toward his shaving kit. “There’s a brand-new one in there. It’s yours.”

Viv lifted a brow. “You travel with a spare toothbrush?”

For whom? And how often did he give them out? Was he some kind of tooth fairy to sexy women all over the world?

She forced those worries away. Damien wasn’t that kind of man. Even if he was, it was none of her business, anyway. She was his bar—or, parking garage—pickup. Nothing more. Even if he was being super nice this morning and trying to help her out of her mess, he’d made it clear that he didn’t do love or relationships.

“The hotel always has a care packet waiting for these suites,” he explained. “I’ve got loads of them.”

Feeling small, she nodded and walked to the counter, getting the toothbrush in question. “Thanks.” Then, her back to him, she smiled. “Does the hotel happen to provide thong panties in those care packages?”

She caught his eye in the mirror. Damien had been just about to step into the shower, and he laughed as he met her stare. Something about that laughter—the twinkle in his eyes, the flash of a dimple in his cheek—chipped away at her resistance. He’d let his guard down over the hours they’d spent together. She’d never have guessed him to be a dimple owner when they’d met, and was now certain she’d never meet a dimpled man again without picturing—dreaming of—this one.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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