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“All I need from you, beautiful lady, is a lunch date. How about it?”
She rolled her eyes. “We can do lunch. How about half hour? Meet me in the lobby?”
“Sure. See you there.”
She dressed, thinking about Roger and Adam. By the time she was ready to go downstairs, she’d made up her mind. There was no future in a sexual relationship with Roger, and she would tell him so. She never kept men hanging around, wondering—well, unless the job required it. As far as Adam, she needed to drop him. Things had gone too far, and since he wanted to marry her, it was unfair to lead him on. The problem was it hurt to let him go. Then again, maybe his leaving her room without saying anything meant he now felt the same. Last night could have been his good-bye. A lump rose in her throat at the thought, but she swallowed it and pulled her attention to the coming meeting with Roger. One man at a time. For now.
Sakura left her room and headed to the elevator. When she reached the ground floor, she found Roger leaning against the reservations desk chatting up the attendant. The Latino woman blushed prettily at whatever he said to her, and Sakura raised an eyebrow as she approached. Amusement transformed to shock when Roger turned toward her. There wasn’t even a bruise on his face let alone a broken nose. He produced a toothy grin, waved good-bye to the attendant, and led Sakura out of the hotel. On the pavement outside, she paused rather than get into his car.
“What’s the deal with you, Roger?” she demanded. “I expected a broken nose.”
“You wanted me to still be hurt?” he asked, his innocent gaze annoying.
“Of course not. You know what I meant. Don’t play games.” She put her hands on her hips and leaned in close to him, examining his face. She froze, her mouth falling open. “Oh crap. Do you have makeup on?”
He spun away and opened the car door. “You make a habit of chopping off a man’s balls, Sakura?”
She stuttered over an apology and then chuckled as they got into his car. “Yeah, I guess I do. Really, I’m sorry. I practically yelled it for the whole world to hear, huh?”
He kept his gaze locked on the street ahead of them, but she knew from the stiff set of his shoulders and the tightness in his jaw she had embarrassed him.
“For what it’s worth, it looks good,” she offered, but knew the words sounded lame.
“I got the swelling to go down with ice, but I was still bruised. I went to a drug store asked the lady there what I could use to cover it. She suggested something called concealer and gave me the one for my coloring. It worked.”
Sakura grinned. “Looks hot. No wonder the font desk clerk blushed all over herself.”
He glared at her, and she laughed again. “I really am sorry.”
“Don’t!” He groaned. “Listen, if you want to make it up to me, you and I can pick up where we left off last night.”
“Sleep with you to make up for my ex punching you? Um, no. My body’s worth a lot more, pal.”
“Your ex?” He eyed her and signaled to make a right turn. “He didn’t act like an ex. Then again, maybe he did. Some people don’t accept when it’s over. Come to think of it, you called him Adam. Is that Adam Martinez, your protector?”
She stiffened. “Yes, so?”
He pulled to a red light and stopped the car. “Adam
Michael Martinez, born in Puerto Rico, raised here in Miami. Half Puerto Rican, half Cuban. Adopted by an aunt who was investigated many times for neglect, but nothing came of it.”
“Stop,” Sakura spat. “I know you looked into all of our backgrounds, but I don’t want you reporting on Adam’s life as if he’s just another name in your database. Yes, he had a difficult upbringing. I already know that. He practically raised himself, and when he was old enough to go looking for his mother, she said she didn’t want him. You can’t imagine that kind of rejection. For that matter, neither can I, so I’d appreciate it if you kept your mouth shut about Adam.”
He blinked at her outburst and then turned back to the road. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I apologize.”
Sakura could kick herself for her words. Adam didn’t hide his background. He didn’t care who knew of his struggles. He had risen above them, but for her to defend him in the way she had, as if she would take Roger’s head off for even mentioning it, gave away too much. There must be no doubt in the man’s mind she had unresolved feelings for Adam. On top of that, she realized she had been insensitive asking him to come to Miami with her. The city must have bad memories for him, and he had already told her he didn’t come home often. When she spoke to him again, she would make it right, and then talk to her father about reassigning her someone else as protector.
After an awkward period, she and Roger chatted again. They ate lunch together, Sakura enjoying his company without any motives. To do so with a man felt pretty good, and she smiled at him without reservation. She flirted, and half way through their meal, she sighed because the man seemed to hang on her every breath. Without meaning to, she’d used the wiles she had honed over the years to trap many shifters. Roger being a regular man was no match, and she considered how she would extricate herself from his expectations without hurting his feelings. After all, she had been harsher than she intended earlier.
“Sakura,” he said, toying with his glass of wine.
She tensed, hoping another invitation to bed wouldn’t follow. “What’s up?”
“I have some information I’m not sure about. I wouldn’t bother sharing it until I did some more digging, but since we’re here…”
She frowned. “Come out with it, Roger. What do you mean?”
“A possible shifter sighting.”
