AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ve got it.” She tilted her jaw with what he could only describe as haughtiness.
“I love a woman who pays for the first date.”
She snorted. Then, with all the decorum of royalty, she tread gingerly toward the front of the building.
He let his chuckle escape and waited for her return.
When she got back, he was waiting outside for her, letting the brisk air cool him off.
“I’ve got the key.” She waved it in the air.
“Keys?” His brow crinkled.
“Key.”
“What? You mean to tell me a place like this only had one room left? The others must be condemned.”
She came to a stop in front of him. “No. I just don’t want to let you out of my sight. Position of power.”
Damn this woman and her constant need to exert some authority over him. His chest swelled, and a dozen nasty comments burned on the back of his tongue, all of which he refrained from saying.
She was driving him crazy. Now he had to spend the night with her.
That brought a smile to his face—if he was making her equally nuts, then this was going to be a fun night.
They grabbed their bags from the back, locked her vehicle and set off toward the individual entrances.
When she slid the key into the lock and swung the door open, she stilled.
Tripp reached inside and flipped on the light, illuminating a dingy room with outdated furnishings and carpet, just as he expected.
And one bed.
He clapped her on the back as he pushed past her. “Guess you’ll have no trouble keeping an eye on me. Is that a double bed?”
“I’m just going to use the restroom.” Alexia could barely keep the whimper out of her voice.
Launching herself across the blue carpet that had seen better days—hell, better decades—she reached the flimsy door that wouldn’t keep in a single noise if she had a mental breakdown.
Quickly, she locked herself in the bathroom and braced her hands on the vanity to stare at the yellowed sink.
Oh god.
What hadshe done?Her plan to show Tripp who was boss hadn’t just backfired, it had its own mushroom cloud and radiation levels.
Now she wasn’t just sharing a room with the man but abedtoo.
What he’d said about the motel being condemned wasn’t far off base—it was in the stages of a renovation with only a few rooms available. Unfortunately, getting Tripp his own room was out of the question because the only other one for use was at the opposite end of the building from her, and well, shedidn’ttrust him not to leave in the night, especially now that he knew she was investigating him.
Beyond the bathroom door, she heard thumping that was either Tripp making a heck of a lot of noise as he made his escape or him keeping up his exaggerated limp. She squeezed her eyes shut and released the low groan that had been bottled up in her throat for endless hours in the vehicle.
When they weren’t giving each other the silent treatment, they were arguing. Measuring dicks, as he soeloquentlyput it…
Or they were staring at each other.
Those stares were bothering her the most. What was it about him that made her want to just sit and drink him in like a fine French wine? Besides needing him to solve this case…and okay, him being big and hot—and a bad boy—she could think of no earthly reason why she’d care to acknowledge his existence.
She’d caught him glancing her way a little too often as well. She worked with enough men to know when one showed interest toward her.
