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Toni forced a smile, then rested her head back against the seat. “Must be a guy thing.”
“Not all guys feel the need to prove themselves.”
She peeked one eye open and quirked a brow at him. “Are you saying you’re not macho like that?”
“I’ve got nothing to prove.” He continued to watch her, his eyes narrowed.
“Hmm.” Toni closed her eyes again, hoping everything would stop spinning soon. “Thanks for all your hard work back there. I’ve never had an arrival go so smoothly. Makes the week ahead seem less daunting.”
“It’s my job.” The sounds of him shifting in his seat were followed by the quietwhirof the glass partition separating the back of the limo from the front descending. Spencer spoke to the driver in hushed Arabic, too soft and fast for her to catch what he said, though she wasn’t exactly concentrating either.
Soon, the limo slowed. Toni straightened and opened her eyes in time to see the left-side window whoosh down, revealing a drive-thru menu emblazoned with a familiar set of golden arches. Spencer grinned over at her and winked. “What do you want to eat? I’m starving.”
“Oh.” Her stomach growled loudly. “Um, I figured we’d get something once we got to the hotel.”
“We can eat dinner there later. But I can’t wait until then.” He cocked his head toward the open window. “Get whatever you want. My treat—I exchanged some currency before we left.”
She glanced at the menu. “I guess I’ll have a burger and fries. Ooh, and a milkshake, please. Vanilla.”
“Good choice.” He rattled off their order in Arabic, then pulled out his wallet as they approached the pay window. Hard to believe she’d traveled halfway around the world to eat American fast food, but Toni had to admit a taste of home was just what she needed right now, and his thoughtfulness was thoroughly charming.
Once they were back on the road again, she sipped her shake and smiled. “I figured a buff guy like you existed on power bars and protein shakes. You keep surprising me, Spencer Nixon.”
“As do you, Toni Williams,” he said, smiling back at her around a mouthful of fries. “As do you.”
They finished their impromptu meal just as they pulled up to the entrance of their swanky hotel. Toni stuffed her trash into her bag, then checked the front of her dress. Remarkably, she’d managed not to drip anything on the pristine white fabric. Spencer hadn’t been quite so fortunate. He cursed and wiped a glob of mustard from his tie. Too bad, she thought, since the color of the formerly flawless tie matched his eyes so perfectly, but maybe the hotel’s cleaners could remove the stain.
The driver came around and opened her door to help her out. She smoothed her hand down the front of her dress and stared up at the glass-and-steel architectural jewel where they’d be staying for the next week. Given her father’s wealth, she’d grown up used to luxury accommodations, but when she was traveling on her own or for business, she never would’ve chosen to stay someplace so extravagant. It sent the wrong message to donors if they thought she was wasting their money pampering herself. But in this case, Sheik Saaed was sponsoring her trip, and he was coowner of this resort. He’d insisted on putting her and her team—which simply meant her and Spencer; she wasn’t one to travel with an entourage—up for their entire stay in Jubail. To turn down his invitation would’ve been rude and self-defeating.
“Guess we’ll be toughing it out this week,” she murmured to Spencer, feeling far more lively now that she’d gotten some food.
“Damn,” Spencer said. “This place looks like it cost a million.”
“One billion, actually,” Toni replied, smiling. “At least that’s what my father’s paper reported.”
At the mention of her dad, Spencer’s appreciative expression went flat. He mumbled something under his breath, then went around the back of the limo to check on their luggage as a man dressed in a traditional Jubail white robe and head covering approached her and bowed respectfully. “Ms. Williams. Welcome to the Lotus. It is our supreme pleasure to have you as our guest. My name is Ayaan, and I will be escorting you to your accommodations and serving as your personal butler and concierge during your stay.”
“Thank you, Ayaan.” When Spencer rejoined her, she introduced him to Ayaan, and they followed the man into the lobby. Lush tropical plants and ornately gilded pillars filled the spacious area. Sunlight streamed through the towering skylights above, and the fragrance of flowers filled the air. Everything looked tranquil and serene and infinitely opulent. Near the center of the space was an enormous carved marble table with a huge display of birds-of-paradise, lilies, and cassis. Bypassing the registration area, they followed their guide to a bank of elevators on the far side of the atrium.
“Sheik Saaed has given you the use of the Palm Suite during your time with us. I hope you will find it satisfactory.” Ayaan held open the gold-plated elevator doors for her and Spencer, then stepped inside to slide a discreet black keycard into a small slot where the floor numbers would usually be.
Satisfactory didn’t begin to describe what Toni saw when the doors opened again.
5
Spencer slumped back in his seat on a gold velvet divan and checked his watch for the umpteenth time. He and Toni had been together while Ayaan had given them their tour of the suite, which comprised the entire top floor of the luxury hotel and was dripping with priceless mosaics and artwork, thick rugs, and intricately carved wooden furniture—plus the numerous sparkling crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings. But once the tour was done, Toni had locked herself in her chosen bedroom for an eternity. She’d asked him to wait for their luggage and to choose whichever room he wanted, then disappeared into her quarters. He’d done as she asked, but waiting around like this had him climbing the walls. Not to mention that he was starving again. A burger and fries only lasted a man so long.
He pulled out his phone to check for new messages from his team. Nothing yet. He suspected they were still stuck waiting to land at the airport or in line at customs. Hopefully Gage had discarded his contraband before entering Jubail airspace, or they’d be facing an international incident—again. That was definitely not what they needed, now that they were closer than ever to finding Nick’s killer and unraveling the conspiracy behind his death. He wondered whether Hayley had cracked the encryption on the e-readers yet and sent Kyle another text asking for an update.
Even though they were a monumental pain in his ass sometimes, he missed the guys when they weren’t around. Not that he’d tell them that.
Finally, Toni’s door opened and she stepped out, looking dead tired and decidedly adorable in her pj’s, her face scrubbed clean of makeup and her hair pulled back in a messy bun. She padded over on bare feet and settled on the other end of the divan from him. He noticed her toenails were painted a deep pink with tiny white polka dots. Her thumbs were furiously flying over the virtual keyboard on her screen as she texted someone. Spencer tried to casually lean over and see who she was messaging, but she hit send and put the phone down before he saw anything.
“Sorry I took so long. I fell asleep in the bath.” She sighed and rolled her shoulders, the movement highlighting the deep scooped neck of her fuchsia tank top and the delicate lines of her collarbones. “Do you mind if we stay in and order room service for dinner?”
It took a moment for her words to penetrate the fog of lustful images clogging his brain. Why hadn’t he gone to check on her? Then he could havefoundher asleep in the bath—and maybe even joined her. He pictured how beautiful she’d look, fast asleep. How he’d kiss her awake, then kiss his way down her body as he slid into the water on top of her. Imagined warm, wet limbs wrapping around him, pulling him close. Toni sprawled against the side of a tub full of bubbles, her head thrown back in ecstasy as he thrust into her, bringing them both to the pinnacle of climax again and again. His cock twitched in eager response, and he shifted away from her to hide his body’s reactions. Embarrassed by his lack of control, Spencer forgot all about revisiting his favorite local fattoush places. “That’s fine. Whatever you prefer.”
“Great.” Toni reached over and grabbed a large black binder and flipped it open to the in-room dining menu. “The kitchen downstairs is Michelin rated. Looks like they’ve got a pretty great selection. I think I’ll have the hummus platter with a side of tabbouleh.” She handed the menu to him. “What about you?”
