Page 9

D ammit, he hadn’t wanted to see her again.

At least not until they were on the ship and surrounded by thousands of people.

In a normal situation, he would have called her, so they could talk.

But the safest situation was in person. He’d knocked on the door, but she hadn’t answered and that had sent his blood pressure through the roof.

With his pulse racing and his heart in his throat, he’d jimmied the lock and the sound of the shower running had reached his ears the second he stormed in.

She hadn’t even heard him. Her lack of self-preservation was fucking terrifying. He’d done a quick sweep as soon as he’d made it inside, and had come up empty-handed. Thank god, otherwise he really would’ve had to jump her in the bathroom and made sure she kept quiet.

He leaned against the kitchen counter and took in the untidy kitchen.

An empty bowl with popcorn kernels sat in the sink, the bag still sat on the countertop, and butter and salt filled the air.

He massaged his closed eyelids with his thumb and forefinger.

It was too damn late for this. He’d been on the brink of sleep, warm and naked in his bed, when his phone had vibrated.

He had almost ignored it. But of course, the first thing that had come to mind was Maddie.

The bathroom door swung open and Maddie stomped toward him. A white towel wrapped around her slim frame, the end tucked between her moist cleavage.

His head pounded. He didn’t move from his spot, and there was no way in hell he was going to get close to her. If he did, he’d regret it later.

Her eyebrows snapped low over her eyes in a deep scowl. She folded her arms across her chest. “What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk.”

One perfectly shaped eyebrow bounced skeptically. “You could have called.”

He exhaled deeply through his nose and dug his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.

Her wet hair hung loosely over her shoulder, and her ivory skin was free of makeup.

His gaze dropped down to her bare legs, drops of water rolled to collect at her feet.

His teeth bit into the inside of his cheek.

“I told you not to talk to anyone in this apartment.”

She snorted and her arms swept around her. “Hello, look where we are.”

He closed his eyes and opened them. She was always so damn difficult. “I just finished sweeping the place, it’s clean.”

Her lips twisted. She shifted her weight to the side and tapped her foot. “So then, talk.”

“Go get dressed, and then we’ll talk.”

Her eyes flashed. “I’m not getting dressed.

I’m going to bed the minute you leave.” Her arms fell to hang at her sides and she stepped farther into the kitchen.

The small of her back rested against the island adjacent to him and her hands reached behind her to rest on the edge of the counter.

The towel barely reached the tops of her thighs, and this close, her warm fruity fragrance invaded his senses.

His chest constricted and his blood pressure dropped.

God, he wanted her. Her soft, heart-shaped mouth relaxed and the denim of her blue eyes turned dark.

His fingers tingled with the need to touch her, to tear away the towel and lift her onto the counter.

His hands curled into fists in his pockets.

He cleared his throat. “Then get your pajamas on, or something. I can’t talk to you when you’re half naked.” His tone sharpened more than he’d intended.

Her chin lifted. She brushed her hair to fall behind her, exposing the slim line of her shoulder. A spark of fire lit her eyes.

Ah, hell. Here comes the attitude.

“I sleep naked, Nate. So like it or not,” she said, her fingers plucked at the towel around her waist. “This is how I’m staying until I crawl into bed.” She lifted her chin and smiled.

Annoyance layered with desire simmered inside him.

The muscles in his neck tensed and he worked his jaw.

An image of Maddie curled in bed, naked and still damp from a shower, flashed through his mind.

And that wouldn’t be the only place she’d be wet.

All it would take was one touch, one step in the direction of her room, and she would come.

Over and over.

“Look, if you’re going to stand there and stare at me, I’m going to bed. Lock the door when you leave the same way you managed to unlock it.” She pushed away from the counter. “See ya.”

He brought his hand out and caught her wrist. Her silky smooth skin burned through him. Heat spread through his body and a deep, desperate pulse surged inside him. He needed her more than he’d ever needed anyone in his life.

She swiveled to face him, her gaze fell to his hand on her arm, but she didn’t pull away. She stepped closer, her body pulled him like an intense magnetic field. Her eyes locked with his, every instinct told him to turn away, to run… If he had her once, he’d want her forever.

His fingers snapped open, dropping her wrist. Her small white teeth caught her bottom lip and her gaze fell to his jaw.

A muscle in his neck twitched. He moved his jaw, and forced his brain to make a sentence. “What happened for him to change the plans?” His tone was low and rough. If he didn’t get out of here soon, he’d lose all of his resolve.

Her lips jerked into a mocking grin, but she didn’t move away. “Tony attacked me in the parking lot when I left work,” she said flatly. “I had no choice but to handle it.”

Nate’s heart slammed against his ribcage. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides. If the bastard had hurt her…

“What happened?” he ground out.

She lifted her eyes to the ceiling and dropped them back down. “He came on to me and threatened to tell Carlos that I had hit on him if I didn’t sleep with him. He got a little grabby and I used some self-defense moves.”

His eyes dropped to her neck, a faint reddish-purple mark stained her skin. He cursed and brought his fingers to brush the spot. Her skin was warm from the shower, faint drops of water scattered across her chest. “He choked you?”

Her shoulders trembled beneath his touch. Her lashes lifted and the intensity in her eyes hit him like a punch to the solar plexus. Her fingers curled around his forearm and she pulled his hand away and stepped out of his reach.

“I’m fine. You should know I wouldn’t let him get away with anything. I don’t think he said anything to Carlos. He was drunk. And aside from that, he’d look like a wuss for getting his ass kicked by me.”

She was right. If Tony had been drunk, he’d have been careless. Security cameras littered the interior and exterior of the club. If Carlos found out he’d assaulted one of his women, he’d kill him.

“Now Tony knows you’re skilled. That’s a problem. Even if he won’t chance saying anything to Carlos, it means you’re on his radar.”

Maddie’s forehead crinkled. “What was I supposed to do? Screw him to keep him quiet?”

Irritation flared through him. “Of course not, dammit.”

“Then why are you insinuating I did something wrong by protecting myself?”

His patience waned. He dragged his fingers through his hair. “That’s not what I said.”

“What did you say?”

He snorted. “I don’t need to explain myself. You’re itching for a fight.” He waved his hand in the air, sidled past her and headed toward the door.

“You’re the one who can’t even look at me without running away.”

His footsteps faltered. Had it not been for the shake in her voice, he would have kept walking.

Christ, did she think he couldn’t stand the sight of her? Had he given her that impression?

He turned on his heel, and opened and closed his hands at his sides.

Her fists balanced on her hips, her hair scattered around her shoulders. She scowled, making her lips pucker. That damn, full bottom lip of hers made his pulse quicken. He closed the distance between them, and stopped in front of her.

Desire surged through him with the force of an electrical current. His hand swooped into her wet strands and cupped the back of her head.

Her eyes widened and her fingers curled into his shirt. He sealed his mouth over hers and licked his tongue between her teeth.

Her body melted against him and her head fell back to allow him deeper access. Her warm wetness filled his mouth, and his pulse beat against his eardrums. The slick caress of her tongue over his brought a deep, guttural groan from his throat.

Her waist inched closer to his dick, hard and straining against the confinement of denim. She squirmed in his arms and he pulled away from her. The fiery blue in her eyes searched his. Her lips were pink and swollen from his kiss and a deep stain darkened her cheeks.

“You should go,” she said softly. Her breath came out in shallow gasps. Her hands fell away from his shirt and she backed away. “Goodnight, Nate.” Her hand rose to tangle in the hair at her temple as she scurried down the hall and shut the bedroom door.

Pain exploded in his chest.

Jesus Christ. He couldn’t trust himself around her. Not anymore.

***

“Holy shit, that thing is massive.” Dylan leaned closer to the town car’s window, his neck craned back as they approached the soaring ship. Nate pulled his phone from his linen pants and checked the screen. Still no word from Maddie. She should have arrived an hour ago.

“Aren’t you afraid of boats?” Ashley smiled and her brown eyes sparked mischievously. She wore her curly dark hair secured in a bun at the top of her head.

He turned his attention to her and reined in his annoyance. “No, I’m not afraid of boats. It’s being hundreds of miles from shore in the middle of the damn ocean that I don’t like.”

Dylan crossed his arms and chuckled. His green eyes crinkled with amusement.

Nate narrowed his gaze at him. He wasn’t in the mood to be hassled by his team. But Ashley and Dylan were two of the best agents he had. With their help, he’d been able to secure one of the penthouse suites—which alone had been an enormous hurdle.