Carlos gave the huge storage unit one adrenaline-powered shove and the piece flew back against the wall with a thud.
He snatched her hand and kept her moving before panic turned to shock and she stopped. If he could leave her alone, he’d have hidden her and gone on his own to draw their pursuer away. But she knew the territory and he couldn’t risk letting her out of his sight.
When they reached the third floor, he towed her into the brightly lit hallway where he could pick up the pace.
And took a quick look at Gabrielle.
Her face was smudged with dirt and her hair was askew.
Eyes bright from excitement, she looked wild and free. When her gaze met his, she grinned.
Not the careful smile of earlier, but a full-fledged grin.
Carlos rushed up to the door of their room. The phone inside was ringing. He punched in the code to disengage the lock. Voices and footsteps approached from around the corner at the end of the hall, the sound bouncing against stone walls.
He whipped the door open, pulled her through, and closed it softly.
Gabrielle dove for the phone, but the ringer had silenced.
Carlos rubbed his head. Who had tried to reach them?
A knock sounded at the door.
He swung around and pointed at the bedroom, mouthing the word shower and rubbing himself to get the message across quickly.
A second knock sounded. She nodded and rushed out of the room as he jerked off his dusty jacket and tossed it on the floor.
Heartened to hear the shower running, Carlos slowed his breathing and opened the door with a hard-faced “What?”
“Security.” A robust fellow in his midforties stood there. The school name was embroidered on the shirt half of his starched brown uniform. He had a radio hooked to his belt and a stun gun clipped in a holder. “Have you been in Student Building A tonight?”
“No.”
“No one from this room was there?” the guard persisted.
The sound of a cart rolling up to the door was followed by Pierre’s face next to the security personnel. “What’s going on?”
Carlos caught a too casual note in Pierre’s question. He was acting and not good at it. “Sounds like your security is doing a dorm check.”
Pierre eyed Carlos curiously, then told the guard, “It’s probably just new students testing limits. Please don’t disturb Mademoiselle Saxe again.”
The security guard didn’t care for that suggestion, but nodded and left.
Pierre waved the older man pushing the food cart forward, then turned to Carlos. Once again, Pierre sported a superior look that Carlos would like to rearrange for him. “I called twice to say the food was ready early. Where was Mademoiselle?”
“Showering. She doesn’t like to be rushed,” Carlos answered as bored as he could sound considering his heartbeat was still clamoring from the run.
“Where were you?”
“Right here.”
“Why didn’t you answer?”
“First, it’s not my job to take phone messages. Second, I don’t answer her phone at home, so why should I here?” Carlos shoved his gaze over to the cart. “I’ll take that.”
Pierre frowned. “You don’t want him to serve?”
“No.” Carlos tugged the cart into the room while he blocked Pierre from moving in behind it. He swung around and stared at the pair. “Anything else?”
“I’d prefer to confirm that Mademoiselle Saxe finds everything acceptable before I leave.”
“That’s too bad. I prefer you not see Miss Saxe in a towel, which is her favorite way to eat a meal.” Carlos did all he could to maintain a straight face at Pierre’s shocked expression and the wide-eyed look of his food staff. “We’ll call if we need anything.” He closed the door and let out a sigh of relief as the footsteps receded.
Too close.
He retrieved his fake iPod and walked into the bedroom, scanning for bugs. Clean. And…the shower had ended.
“Gabrielle,” he called out, then stepped toward the bathroom to let her know everything was okay. The door flew open and she rushed out wearing nothing but said towel.
“They’re gone?” she asked on a hushed breath.
“Coast is clear.”
He might have kept his hands off her if she hadn’t burst out laughing and launched herself at him, whispering excitedly, “We did it!”
Carlos caught her as her arms went around his neck.
And the towel came loose, falling to a puddle at her feet.
Oh, man, he wanted to look, to feel, to kiss every spot.
She’s off-limits.
Gabrielle kissed him and he let her for about thirty seconds while what little control he had just sifted through his fingers faster than fine sand. Then he took over, kissing soft lips that tore apart every reason his mind dug up to stop.
A shaft of light from where she’d left the bathroom door ajar speared into the dark room.
Gabrielle tasted like toothpaste and happiness.
And every touch of her fingers said she wanted much more from him than a kiss to celebrate their daring race.
She cupped his face, kissing him back with sweetness that hit him low in the gut. He claimed her mouth over and over. He’d been in a semi-aroused state for so long her intentional rub against the front of his jeans stroked him past the point a cold shower would be of any benefit.
The growl that rumbled should have warned her.
His tongue joined hers in an erotic glide.
The need to have her floored him. She was unlike any other woman, passionate about everything. He wanted to feel that passion unleashed. He scooped her up and she curled toward him. Bashful? Two steps and he dropped her on the bed, ready to play.
She whipped the covers up and over her body, her face turned toward the mattress.
The abrupt change in her knocked his senses back into working order again. Why was she hiding herself?
The moment shifted so quickly from let’s-get-naked to don’t-look-at-me his brain had a chance to catch up with his body. He couldn’t do this, and even if he did, not with the light on where she could see the Anguis tattoo on his chest. Carlos took a reflexive step back.
The movement drew her attention to him. “Please. Don’t.”
Anguish needled through her voice and tore at his heart. What was going on? He slowly moved back to the bed and knelt on the edge.
When she sat up, disillusionment filled her eyes.
Carlos didn’t want to be the reason for the wounded look but knew he had to be, and that was killing him.
He pressed his palm along her cheek. “What’s wrong?”
Gabrielle curled a hand around his wrist, but didn’t say a thing at first, just nibbled on her lip, worried about something. She glanced away, then back at him. “I thought maybe, I mean I know I’m not…not like the women you probably have all the time, not a perfect shape, or sexy, but I just…”
She thought he wasn’t interested. That he was rejecting her?
His heart ripped at the possibility he’d caused this remarkable woman to doubt herself or her attraction.
If she reached down to cup him, she’d know the truth, but if she touched him now, backing away from her would be a test he doubted he could pass.
