I planted my hands on my hips. 'How did you even get in here?' I asked.
'The door next door was open. This,' he held up a red shopping bag with the word 'Dior' on the side, 'was wedged in the door jamb. And don't change the subject.'
'Oops,' Mrs. R said, taking the bag from his hand. She looked from Ramirez's narrowed eyes to my hands-on- hips. 'Uh, maybe we ought to let you two alone.'
She gestured to Mom, who quickly dumped the printouts into a 'Hermes' bag and followed Mrs. Rosenblatt to the door. She gave me a quick co-conspiratorial wink and mouthed the words 'call me' behind Ramirez's back as they slipped out.
Ramirez latched the door shut behind them before turning his cat-like slits of eyes on me. 'Okay, you want to tell me what that was about now?'
I bit my lip. And shook my head.
Ramirez sat on the double bed beside me. Close beside me.
Despite our little standoff, I was suddenly reminded of how much I'd missed him.
'Maddie, I'm serious,' he said. 'You've got to let the police handle this.'
'But the police think I did it.'
He let out a long breath and rubbed at his temple. 'I don't want you questioning anyone.'
I opened my mouth to protest but he quickly put a hand over my lips and talked right over me.
'I don't want you nosing through anyone's stuff for some sort of non-existent evidence. I don't want you following anyone, spying on anyone, or impersonating anyone.'
Wow. He knew me well.
'And most of all,' he said, leaning in until the scent of his aftershave settled over my senses like a mellow fog. 'Most of all, I don't want you anywhere near Felix Dunn again.' He pulled his hand away from my mouth. 'That guy is bad news. Every time you're around him, he gets you into trouble.'
'Well, technically it was me that got him into trouble this time.'
He gave me a look. 'Promise me.'
I took a deep breath of Ramirez scented air. And nodded.
He looked so relieved I almost felt guilty that I'd had my fingers crossed behind my back.
'Good,' he said. 'Oh, and one more thing?'
I raised an eyebrow at him. 'What now?'
His eyes crinkled at the corners, going all dark and warm as his face broke into a Big Bad Wolf grin – all teeth like he might eat me up at any second. 'This.'
He dipped his lips in to meet mine, his stubble tickling my cheek as his tongue brushed against my lower lip.
Instantly my mind went mush. The prison cell, Felix, Moreau, the whole mess the press was making of my life all disappeared as I leaned into his kiss, my lips melting under his. I closed my eyes as his arm wrapped around my middle, laying me back on the bed. In an instant, the hard planes of his body were covering mine. One hand dove into my hair, the other hiking up the hem of my skirt as his hips pressed into mine. I kissed him back. Hard. As I fumbled with the top button of his jeans. When I popped it open, he did a low growl thing in the back of his throat.
'It's been too long,' he mumbled into my mouth.
'It's only been a couple of days.'
He paused, then looked down at me, his eyes glazed over with a look that could only be described as pure lust. 'Yeah, like I said, too long.'
I laughed as he dove back in, his lips locking onto my throat, nibbling at my pulse in a way that made my body shiver from my head clear down to my toes. I wrapped one bare leg around his torso, navigating my gimp leg out of the way.
Ramirez looked down. 'Can you have sex in that thing?' he asked, gesturing to Wonder Boot.
I felt a devilish grin of my own sliding across my face.
'We're about to find out.'
Chapter Eight
I awoke to the sounds of room service carts being wheeled down the hallway outside my room. I gingerly opened one eye, then the next. It felt like I'd been asleep for days, my mouth full of that morning gym socks flavor. I turned over and looked at the digital numbers of the alarm clock. Seven fifteen.
'Mmmm,' Ramirez moaned beside me. He rolled over, wrapping an arm round me and pulling me to him, spoon fashion. 'Good morning, beautiful,' he mumbled into my hair.
I grinned, wiping the sleep out of my eyes. 'Yes. Yes it is.'
'I had a dream about you last night,' he said. He rubbed his pelvis against my bare tush, leaving very little to the imagination as to just what kind of dream I'd awakened him from.
'Was I good?' I joked.
'Oh yeah,' he growled, his breath tickling my ear. I ducked, giggling.
'And just where do you think you're going?' he asked. He pulled me onto my back and sat up, straddling me. Then he slid one hand down my arm, twining his fingers with mine as he stared down at me.
'Police brutality,' I teased, wiggling beneath him.
He just flashed me a wicked grin and raised his eyebrows suggestively. 'You ain't seen nothing yet.' He leaned in close, his eyes intent on my mouth.
'Halt!' I quickly covered my mouth with my free hand. 'I have morning breath.'
He chuckled. 'Me too. Who cares?' He zoned in again.
'Gross. You may be cute, but I am so
He paused. 'Seriously?'
'Seriously.'
He let out a deep sigh, then rolled back to his side of the bed. 'I fly all the way to Paris just be denied by the morning breath.'
I swatted at him, throwing my one good leg over the side of the bed and hopping to the bathroom. 'Give me five minutes.'
'Four!' he called as I shut the door.
I loaded my toothbrush with Crest and, figuring I might as well go all the way, turned on the shower and quickly did a shampoo and rinse. I towel-dried my hair into a fairly passable sexy-wet look and threw on a little make-up. Hey, just because we'd seen each other naked didn't mean Ramirez had to see me without my eyeliner. By the time I emerged from the bathroom, a white hotel-issue towel wrapped around my midsection, Ramirez was propped up in bed, one hand behind his head as he watched a soccer match on TV.
'That was one hell of a tooth brushing.'
I shrugged. 'What can I say? I'm a hygienic sort of gal.'
He shook his head at me, the corner of his mouth twisting up until a dimple flashed in his left cheek. He curled an index finger at me. 'Come 'ere.'
I shook my head. 'Uhn uh. Your turn.'
His grin faltered for a half a second before he conceded, sliding out of bed. 'All right. But that towel better be history by the time I come out,' he warned.
I shot him my best come hither look as he brushed past me and into the bathroom.
And as soon as he shut the door I sprang into action. I dropped the towel and threw on a denim skirt, pink baby T, and a deconstructed jacket to match my one black ballet flat. Thankfully, I still heard the water running as I grabbed my purse and crutches and bolted out the door.
I know. Totally dirty trick to play on Ramirez. Especially when he was being all cute. But there was no way I was going to question Gisella's agent with Ramirez playing bodyguard. And, as much as I loved him, there was
