Page 11 of Hidden Resolution

The magic of the night vanished with him, leaving her chilly and flat.

She was being ridiculously fanciful. If she wasn’t careful, she’d start spinning fantasies around a man who didn’t want her. A man who’d made it very clear, intentionally or not, that she was better off keeping her distance.

She needed to sleep this fascination off.

And if that didn’t work, well, her battery-operated backup never failed.

4

The morning dawned bright and beautiful. Sunlight and sea air streamed in past the billowing curtains. Shonda stretched as she enjoyed the smell of the ocean.

A jolt shot through her, like being hit with a live wire, and she shot up in bed, heart hammering with the force of a resonating steel drum. She was positive she’d locked the bedroom windows last night. She distinctly remembered setting the AC to seventy-two and the fan on low. The curtains had most certainly been drawn. No way would she feel comfortable in a strange place with potential onlookers close by.

Yeah, that left window shouldn’t be open at all.

Without leaving the bed, she scanned the room. Everything appeared to be untouched. She eased from under the covers, careful not to produce a sound. After padding barefoot to the bedroom door and peeking into the living area, her pulse spiked.

The slider was open!

Only a few inches, but enough to indicate a visitor.

Panic clawed at her rib cage, leaving her short of breath, and she bolted for the door. Whipping it open, she charged out andstraight into a brick wall.

Nope, make that a man’s chest!

Steel bands came around her to break her fall, supporting her as her knees gave way.

“Dear God, I think I broke my nose,” she moaned.

“Let me see.” Gentle hands tilted her chin.

Mason. His identity was evident by the way her body betrayed her, warmth intensifying and heartbeat quickening. All thanks to his deep, sinful voice.

He examined her nose as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

“I don’t think it’s broken,” he said. “Want to tell me why you ran out of your room like hellhounds were chasing you?”

“Oh!” The reason slammed back into focus, and she gripped his wrists. “Someone was in my room. I don’t know if they’re still there.”

“Stay here. Let me check it out.”

“No! You’re not going in there by yourself. What if they have a weapon?”

He snorted his disbelief. “Chances are they’ve already escaped out the back with all the commotion you caused here in the hall.”

Annoyingly, he made sense.

Shonda folded her arms. “Then I guess there’s no reason I shouldn’t go in with you.” Sarcasm slipped out, but she didn’t feel bad. His alpha act was starting to grate.

“Are you always so difficult?” Mason asked, exasperation riding every syllable. “The longer we argue, the more time the perp has to escape.”

She fumed in silence while he checked every corner of her suite. Of all the high-handed attitudes! Right now, she was finding it difficult to remember what had made him so attractive to her in the first place.

“All clear,” he announced, stopping in front of her. “Let’s call the front desk and report it. Also…” His finger traced the thin strap of her tank top. “You may want to put on something less revealing, love.”

The spark in his eyes was the polar opposite of last night’s cheek kiss. She’d never given thought to her sleepwear being particularly revealing before, but Mason’s interest made her reconsider.

And now she was covered in goosebumps.