never say ‘You’re right, we’re billing way too much for this.’ ”
He checked the sign on the wall that indicated the room directions and headed to the right, noting she fell into step beside him.
She stopped directly across the hall, outside room 315, and looked at him over her shoulder. A tendril had escaped her severely pulled back hair and rested on her cheek, a slash of brown against pale skin that somehow made her look almost human.
“ ’Night.” She entered her room and the door closed with a quiet click.
The instant Jack’s door closed behind him, he let out a sigh of relief. First stop was the minibar, where he helped himself to a bottle of water and a bag of peanut M &M’s. After popping several candied nuts into his mouth and washing them down with a long, cool drink, he picked up the phone and ordered room service. He could almost taste that cheeseburger, fries, cole slaw, and chocolate brownie already. The turkey sandwich he’d eaten for dinner hours ago was but a memory.
The bellhop had already delivered his suitcase-talk about fast service-and he simultaneously toed off his shoes and shrugged his suit jacket from his shoulders. After tossing the jacket on the nearest chair, he slipped off his already loosened tie and flicked open the buttons on his dress shirt, all while looking over the room. Muted earth tones, brightened by attractive framed prints depicting nautical scenes, tasteful cherrywood furnishings. The best part was the king-sized bed that beckoned him like a siren with promises of a comfortable night’s sleep.
Still working on his shirt, he clicked on the financial news channel, noting that the stock market had enjoyed an upswing. At least something good had happened today. Keeping one eye on the TV, and still popping M &M’s, he zipped open his suitcase. Might as well unpack while he waited for his meal.
With his attention on the TV, he reached into the suitcase to pull out his favorite Braves T-shirt, which he’d packed right on top. When he looked down, he halted midchew and blinked. Instead of his T-shirt, he held a bit of black lace that looked like a… thong?
He looked at the suitcase and reached for the next item. Instead of his sweatpants, he pulled out a lacy black bra that matched the thong. As if in a trance, he replaced the bra and checked out a few more items on the top. Some sort of sexy corset-looking thing. A slinky see-through number in fire-engine red. A bottle of massage oil. And a box of thirty-six condoms. A book entitled
He stared at the thong dangling from his fingertips. His suddenly active imagination shifted into overdrive, filling his mind with a picture of those curves hinted at beneath her prim, mud-brown skirt filling out the wispy bit of black lace. Which snapped everything male in him to attention.
His conscience coughed to life.
He snatched his hand away as if her lingerie had suddenly spurt flames. Of course he wasn’t a perv. At least he hadn’t been until he’d opened her suitcase. He was just… curious. And surprised. He sure as hell wouldn’t have equated someone so prim with a one-night stand seeker. He’d read about the fireman charity golf tournament taking place at the resort this weekend. Clearly she had, too. Still, he would have bet his entire 401K that Mad Dog wore sensible, white cotton granny panties beneath her schoolmarm clothes. Not that he’d ever pondered her underwear or thought of her in
Okay, fine. But he hadn’t known they were her legs when he’d ogled them. Or her ass.
Damn pesky inner voice. Why couldn’t it lie? Just once in a while? He went to rake his hands through his hair and realized her thong still dangled from his fingers. He stared at the sexy bit of lace and groaned. He did
Annoyed with himself, he replaced the thong and slapped down the suitcase’s lid. Clearly the only reason he would, for even one nanosecond, fantasize about Mad Dog Price was because his brain was fried. He pulled the zipper closed then stepped back.
Of course, this meant that she had
He grabbed her suitcase and headed toward his door.
Five
Fresh from a much needed hot shower that went a long way toward loosening the tense kinks in her neck, Maddie ran a quick brush through her damp hair then wrapped herself in the thick, luxuriously soft terry cloth robe provided by the hotel. Although she’d arrived at the resort later than she’d planned, it was still early enough to change into her Catch a Fireman Dress and scope out the bar. While she dressed, she’d peruse Emma’s pep talk note and the copy of
When she exited the bathroom her gaze fell on the minibar and she realized she was hungry.
She selected the bag of peanut M &M’s and popped one in her mouth while unzipping her suitcase. If she found her one-night stand tonight she wouldn’t get much sleep before her orienteering outing.
His words echoed in her ears.
In anticipation of seeing her newly purchased lingerie, she flipped open the suitcase lid. And stared. At what had to be the rattiest looking T-shirt she’d ever seen. She could tell by the tomahawk it was a Braves shirt, but the lettering was so faded, it read 3 aves. What the heck? She moved aside the T-shirt. Okay, who had taken
