Page 11 of Slumming It

I was a long way from happy.But hey, I was used to it. The last time I'd felt anything like genuine happiness, I'd been right here in Driftwood Cove. But that was a long time ago, and it's not like the story had a happy ending.

When "Emily" didn't budge, I made a you-first gesture and waited.Your move, cupcake.

With a little huff, she turned and stalked into the room. I waited a beat before striding after her, not crowding her heels, but blocking her exit just the same. When the door clicked shut behind us, I told her, "That's your cue."

And then I waited.Well, this should be good.

Chapter 5

Emily

My cue?

Okay, I realized that I was only in here to explain. But I also realized that there was a bed just a few feet away, and I was stuck behind a closed door.

With a stranger.

A very large, ticked off stranger.

Sure, he wasn't yelling or throwing things, but that did little to ease my concerns. Somehow, the storm in his eyes felt far more dangerous, and I was stupidly rattled in spite of his outwardly calm demeanor.

Calm or not, he practically screamed danger – the scary kindandthe good kind, meaning the kind that made nice girls go bad in spite of their very best intentions.

Plus, he was blocking the door.

Whywasthat, exactly?

I gave the bed a nervous glance before telling him, "I'm warning you, if you try anything, I'll scream."

His mouth tightened. "And I'm warningyou." His gaze flicked to the bed. "If I made you scream, it wouldn't be for a rescue."

My jaw dropped.Talk about arrogant.And yet, I fully realized what he meant. By now, I'd been working at the hotel for just under a month. During this relatively short time, I'd heard more sexual encounters than I'd ever wanted to.

Some men made women giggle. Others made them moan. Andsomemen did all of this and then some, making their lucky partners lose all self-control.

Just last week, there had been a total screamer in room number one. Her partner – a local handyman with a certainreputation – had been pounding the heck out of her. And I didn't mean with his hammer.

At the time, I'd been cleaning the neighboring room, which meant that I hadn't personally seen the encounter – thank goodness. But Ihadheard far too much of it before drowning it out with metal music through my earbuds.

Oh, she'd been screaming alright, but not for help. Mostly, she'd been screaming his name along with a whole bunch of encouragement, which to me, had seemed totally unnecessary.

I mean, judging from her squeals of ecstasy, he'd been going plenty "harder" and "faster" already.

Now, here in room fifteen, it wasn't lost on me that the guy in front of me had a certain reputation, too. As naked images flashed in my brain, heat flooded my face, and my knees grew just a little wobbly.

Was this the reason he'd reserved both rooms next to his?Because he was planning for a whole bunch of screaming and moaning?

At the mere thought, a swarm of butterflies fluttered briefly in my stomach before drifting lower to wreak all kinds of havoc in parts best left unmentioned. Still, I jerked my chin upward and announced, "I don't appreciate the implication."

His mouth only hardened. "Yeah? Well that makes two of us." His icy gaze bored into mine. "I don't go where I'm not invited."

His gaze burned, but I refused to look away. "Well that's convenient."

"Meaning?"

I considered the guy in front of me. He had a killer body and the face to match. Even if he were dirt-poor, he would have no trouble with the ladies. "I'm just saying, a guy like you probably gets invited all the time."

He looked anything but flattered. "A guy like me, huh?"