Page 53 of Xavier

“You might consider staying in town,” he said.

She chewed her lip for a moment.

“You don’t have to decide right this minute. Get the shower, then let’s eat and talk about what’s next after our stomachs are full.”

Lissette nodded, ducked into the shower and closed the door.

Xavier stared at that closed door for a long time, listening to the sound of the water being turned on and the shower curtain sliding across the rail. He could imagine her naked, standing beneath the spray, soap bubbles sliding across her light-mocha skin.

The memory of their kiss sent heat burning through his veins, making his groin tighten and his cock swell.

He had to stop those thoughts before they consumed him.

Xavier forced himself to turn away from that door and walk toward the window. Rather than think about Lissette naked, he replayed the setup and attack through his mind in an attempt to chill his rising desire.

Two men, both times, had come after her. They hadn’t tried to kill her. They’d wanted to take her alive.

Based on the trajectory of the bullet that had hit his truck, going through the driver’s side, and the fact that the woman had held the gun to his head, they weren’t opposed to killing him. It would make it easier to grab the girl.

He blamed himself for not seeing through the trap. Once again, he could have cost a life.

The bathroom door opened with a waft of damp air that smelled of his shampoo.

Lissette, with her hair swathed in a towel, stepped out, wearing his sweatpants, riding low on her hips, and a T-shirt knotted at her midriff, displaying a tantalizing expanse of her flat stomach.

“Do you have a brush I can use?” she asked. “It might take a minute to comb through the tangles since there wasn’t any conditioner.”

“I do.” Xavier hurried past her into the bathroom, inhaling the clean, fresh scent of her. He dug in his toiletries kit, found his brush and brought it out for her.

When he placed the brush in her hand, their fingers brushed against each other’s, sending a jolt of electricity up his arm and down to his groin. So much for reliving the attack. He was right back to wanting her more than a skilled protector should.

“I’ll only be a minute,” he said and ducked into the bathroom. He closed the door, but thought again and opened it a crack, poking his head through. “I’m leaving the door cracked so I can hear if anyone tries to get in.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll peek?” she said with a wicked grin.

He laughed. “No. I’m more afraid you won’t.”

With a wink, he closed the door a little more, leaving only a sliver of an opening. He quickly shed his clothes and stepped into the shower. Ignoring the hot-water handle, he turned on the cold water and thoroughly washed and rinsed his hair and body, letting it cool his engines. He couldn’t keep thinking about her that way. Distractions cost lives.

He finished, turned off the water, and reached for the spare towel hanging on the rod. After toweling off, he looked for his clothes. Only then did he remember he’d left them in the other room.

Xavier wrapped the towel around his hips, ran a hand through his damp hair and stepped out of the bathroom.

Lissette stood in the middle of the room with a smile on her face, holding his clothes in her hands. “Forget something?”

His lips twisted. “I did.”

“Some women would think you did it on purpose.” Her gaze ran over him from his shoulders to where the towel draped over his thighs. “Does that kind of trick work?”

“You tell me.” He took another step toward her.

Her tongue swept over her lips. “Oh, yeah. It certainly does.”

All his self-coaching about not letting himself be distracted by his desire for her almost flew out the window. It took every ounce of his control to rein himself in and get serious. “I’ll take those.”

Lissette pouted a little and handed him the clothes. “Such a shame to cover all that,” she said with a flick of her fingers toward his torso and where the towel covered his growing erection.

He snatched the clothing and ducked back into the bathroom, closing the door firmly, more to keep him from acting on her flirty teasing than to maintain his privacy.