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“Hi.” He’d surprised her. “Come on in.”
He looked harried and ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t stay. More meetings. It never ends.”
The room-service guy wheeled up behind him. “Not even for a glass of wine? It’s sunset.” She smiled, thinking of how they’d watched the sunset the night before, the state she’d been in, but he didn’t return it.
“I can’t.” He took her arm and pulled her into the sitting area, out of earshot of room service setting up her little party for one on the balcony. “Can you wait a while for me? I’ll be back later so we can do six geese a’laying.”
“You know, you don’t have to follow the song letter by letter.”
“I’d like to get at least one thing right, okay?” He snapped it out and she gazed back at him blandly, showing him by her lack of reaction how over-the-top he was behaving.
“Miguel. This is a game. It’s a fun game and I like it, but I’m not a case for you to win.”
“I know.” He raked his hair again. “I should apologize.”
“But you won’t.” Amused, she went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “I’ll wait. Go finish your meetings and we’ll work out your mood after.”
He nodded, then, surprising her again, pulled her into his arms for a tight embrace. “You’re a good woman, Roo. Good for me. I do apologize. I was a jerk.”
“You’re allowed. You’re under a lot of pressure, it seems, and I didn’t mind having a bit of a kink-break today.”
Concern cut through his stressed distraction. “Are you sore—did I hurt you?”
She shrugged in his arms. “I’m fine. Good sore. You rocked my world and it’s nice to feel it steady under my feet for a day, okay?”
“Okay,” he said into her hair. “You smell good.”
She laughed. “I thought that oil would never come out.”
“It looked hot though.”
“Yes.”
* * *
When he returned, several hours later, he’d changed out of his suit and wore his charming smile—the fake one meant to cover how he really felt. Which, near as she could tell, was a sour combination of pissed and disappointed.
“How did the meetings go?” she asked, knowing that he wouldn’t say, but unable to keep herself from asking.
“Never mind that. Ready to go?”
“Where are we going—what should I wear?”
He leered at her, but his heart wasn’t in it. “That sundress is fine. You won’t be wearing it for long anyway.”
Simmering with impatience, he held out his arm for her. In his other he carried a basket. He attempted to stroll, but his pace was just a little too quick.
“I know this is your game, but I’m really hoping waterfowl are not involved in what we’re about to do.” She said it teasingly, hoping to lighten the mood.
It worked a little. The smile he gave her was amused. “I thought I’d stick to the ‘a’laying’ part.”
“Works for me.”
“Sometimes I think everything works for you, Roo.”
She turned that over, wondering if it was really as barbed as it felt. “What do you mean by that?”
He shrugged, taking them down the polished stone steps to the sandy beach. “Just that you’re uncomplicated. I envy that about you, really.”
