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Jack stared at the bare, smooth skin. It would be a while before she changed into those jeans.
“Jack,” she said, her tone heavy with warning as she settled back into her seat.
“I know, I know.” He turned to look out the window and grinned. He’d rather have her sparring with him than lost in the past. “I’ll stop looking. But every time I close my eyes, I’ll picture running my hands and lips over your smooth skin. Touching you. Tasting you—”
“I’ve been sitting in this hot car with you and a dog for the past hour,” she shot back. “I’m sweaty. I wouldn’t taste good.”
“Yes, Natalie. You would. Trust me.” Just thinking about what she would feel like against his tongue, the sounds she would make when she finally surrendered to pleasure—hell, his imagination might drive him crazy before they reached Nevada.
Chapter Five
Fate was on a mission to prove that her luck hadn’t changed. They’d spent three hours parked on the highway around Los Angeles while workers cleared away the accident. This brought their total time spent in her very compact car up to six hours.
Natalie steered the car into the parking lot of a two-story motel located in middle of nowhere California. If they kept going on the two-lane country road, they’d hit the California-Nevada state line before dark. But Mufasa was growing restless. And Natalie was dying for a break.
The drive had shaken her. When they’d inched up to the scene, she’d spotted the totaled passenger car on the side of the road and the tractor-trailer lying on its side. Maybe the truck driver had survived. But the passengers in the smashed car?
A shiver ran down her spine. Earlier, when they’d drawn to a stop, she’d closed her eyes, haunted by fear for the crash victims and their families. And Jack had placed his hand on her shoulder.
Now, the memory of that touch and his concern haunted her. She knew he wanted her in his bed. He wanted to win the bet. That was fine. Desire and seduction she could deal with. Probably even resist. But knowing he actually cared? That chipped away at her resolve and left her wanting him. Just a little.
But not enough to let him win.
“Do you want me to go inside and secure a room in the back?” Jack asked. “You can drive around and let Mufasa out to stretch his legs.”
“Sure, but get two rooms. I’m not sharing a bedroom with a man who made a bet to seduce me.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind sharing.”
She let out a laugh. Of course he didn’t mind. He probably saw it as bringing her a step closer to victory.
“Sometimes these out-of-the-way motels charge more than they’re worth,” he added. “Because they’re the only game in town.”
She quickly calculated the cash in her purse—most of which she had allocated for bachelorette party favors—and came up short even for a room in the middle of nowhere.
He studied her, and for a second she wondered if he could read her mind. “One room would save us both a few bucks. Destination weddings aren’t cheap.”
Unless they were giving rooms away, she’d have to charge tonight’s stay. And pray she didn’t go over her credit card limit when she handed over her card to the hotel in Vegas. Not a possibility she wanted to face.
Besides, what was the harm in staying in one room for one night with Jack? She could use it to her advantage. Show him that staying in one room together didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to let him touch her. She wasn’t going to let him kiss her. She wasn’t going to let him—
“Okay,” she said. “One room. With two beds. And I need your word that you’ll behave.”
“I don’t make promises I can’t keep.” He opened the passenger side door. “I’ll get the two beds. But darlin’, I’m hoping you’ll give one to the dog.”
Natalie sipped her strawberry milkshake and stared out the diner window at the motel across the street. “We should have placed a to-go order. Mufasa is probably lonely.”
“Will he tear up the room?” Jack asked. “Or bark until the entire motel knows he’s there?”
She shook her head. “No, he’ll behave. Cade trained him well.”
“Cade spends about sixty days a year with his dog. You trained him well.”
“Well, Cade’s the one who trained me,” Natalie shot back, refusing the compliment.
She shook her head at herself. Why couldn’t she accept his praise? For training her dog for goodness sake.
Because smiling and saying thank you was tantamount to letting down her guard. She might as well let him pin her wrists behind her back and kiss her again. But one kiss and she’d be toast. The charming Navy SEAL—the man who’d proved he cared about her dammit—he would ravage her mouth and melt her resolve.
