Page 148 of Positively Pricked

Chapter 49

When the door opened, I was almost surprised. After all, part of me hadn't really expected him to open up, at least not without some serious pounding and yelling first.

But now that he'd actually answered, I was utterly lost for words. And he didn't look particularly chatty himself – or thrilled to see me.

Silently, I stared up at him as he stood in the open doorway. He was fully dressed now, but not in the way I might've expected.

He'd ditched the slacks and was now wearing faded jeans, along with a gray T-shirt emblazoned with some university logo that I didn't recognize. The shirt wasn't tight, and yet, the thin cotton did little to hide the outlines of his defined pecs and bulging biceps.

At the sight of him, I felt unsettled and confused, even more than usual. Just like that day on his porch, he didn't look like a billionaire. He looked like an All-American golden boy, fresh from his senior year at college.

But he didn't look happy.

Finally, I found my voice. "That thing with the senator, what wasthatabout?"

"Nothing," he said. "It's solved, so forget it."

As if I could."But what happened?"

His gaze shifted to something behind me, and I turned to look. I saw nothing except the door to my own hotel room.

Was that a hint for me to leave? If so, he was in for a rude awakening, because I wasn't going anywhere until I had some answers.

I turned back to him and asked, "Is thisreallyyour hotel room?"

He gave me a look. "Everyroom is mine."

Technically, this was true, but he wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what I meant.

I pointed vaguely toward the interior of his room. "But you're not actually staying here, are you?"

"No." He glanced past me. "I'm heading out."

I made a sound of frustration. "Oh, come on. You're deliberately not understanding a single thing I'm asking."

And I hadn't even gotten to the hard questions.

"I understand you fine," he said. "But if you expect answers, you're in the wrong place."

"No," I told him, "I'm in the right place, because the person I need answers from isyou, and this is where you are."

"Not for long," he said. "I'm flying back."

"You are? But we have those…" I gave a little gasp. "Oh, my God. The interview. The one with that morning show. We should've left already." I was nearly frantic now. "Hang on. Just let me grab my stuff."

"Forget it."

"You're right. There's no time. Should we just leave from…" I let my words trail off and looked to his clothes. "But wait. You're not dressed for it."

"Yeah. And I'm not gonna be."

"But what about the interview?" I asked.

He looked away. "Fuck the interview."

"What?"

"It's canceled."