“Nothing. I don’t want to talk about it.” She turned away. “And anyway, this is all your own fault.”
“How the hell do you figure that?”
She looked out the window, staring blindly into the night and uttered the truth for once. “Because you’ve never made a move on me,” she whispered.
He pulled back as if she’d slapped him. She felt his gaze boring into her but she had exhausted herself with that last outburst and didn’t look at him, instead pressed her hot forehead to the cool glass.
The beat of silence stretched out, and in it she wanted to die. Thankfully, without another word, Danny shoved the truck into gear and steered back onto the highway and drove her home.
Which was good, really, because she didn’t want to hear him apologize for not wanting her. She’d had enough humiliation for one night.
When he finally pulled into her driveway, she fumbled with the door, unable to get out quickly enough.
“Dimi-”
“Thank you,” she muttered, and ran out of his truck and into her place before he could do anything stupid. Before she could do anything stupid.
Like beg him to come in.
The San Francisco Regatta Hotel was big and far fancier than Mel would have picked on her own, but the Huttons had insisted that she and Bo join them-so they all climbed into the Huttons’ limo waiting at the airport, and drove to the hotel.
Mel was quite certain the Huttons’s credit card hadn’t groaned and nearly keeled over on the spot at the front desk from the night’s rate. Still muttering about it, she entered her posh, elegant hotel room and stood there feeling a bit like a bull in a china shop. Tossing her duffel bag onto the fancy, silky, perfectly made bed, she took a deep, calming breath.
Which backed up into her throat when she realized two things at once. One, her hotel door hadn’t shut behind her. And two, that was because Bo stood in the opened doorway, watching her.
Damn it, she was still a little shaky from the adrenaline rush of the rough flight. She couldn’t deal with him now, standing there looking disheveled and sexy.
“That was some flying,” he said.
She turned away and told herself that her stomach jangled because she was still shaken. “Yeah, well, that’s what you get for getting on a flight you hadn’t planned on.”
“Can’t plan out your whole life, you know.”
Maybe not, but she’d tried. Planning meant a lot to her. It gave her a sense of routine, and routine was what had gotten her through some incredibly tough times.
He stepped closer. “Sometimes you’ve just got to wing it.”
Such as having sex with him, she supposed. Wild, erotic, earthy, glorious sex during which she knew she’d come with such ease it still blew her mind.
Not fair that he made her yearn and burn, and not just for another orgasm. He made her yearn and burn to be what she’d always secretly wished that she could be: spontaneous, easygoing, and…dare she even think it?… sexy.
With a soft laugh, he tugged lightly at her hair. “Earth to Mel.”
“I’m here.”
He looked at her for a moment. “That was a tough flight, and I meant what I said. You pulled it off with grace.”
“Imagine that. Me with grace.”
He didn’t laugh with her. In fact, his face remained utterly solemn as he lifted his other hand and cupped her face.
Oh, God. “Don’t,” she said shakily.
“Don’t what? Touch you?”
“Right. And don’t look at me like that, either. Like you’re proud of me, like you care about me.”
“Too bad, since both apply.”
“No, they don’t. Not really.” She took a step back. “Look, I’m a difficult woman-”
“Wow, there’s a news flash.”
“I’m serious.”
“Me, too. Now, about that servicing.”
Her entire body leapt to attention at that, and she took another step back. Her thighs hit the mattress.
He came forward some more, and her hands came up to his chest. Beneath her fingers she could feel the steady beat of his heart. Hers wasn’t nearly as steady, but she told herself that that was lingering adrenaline from the flight. She opened her mouth to say something, she had no idea what, but her cell vibrated in her pocket. The ID was foreign, possibly Mexican, and now her poor overworked heart skipped a beat entirely.
Bo cut his eyes to the cell. “Sally.”
She hurriedly flipped it open. “Hello?” Nothing. “Hello? Sally?”
More nothing.
She and Bo stared at each other. “Bad connection,” she said slowly, closing the phone with great reluctance. They looked at it for a long moment, both more strained than they’d been on the crazy flight here, but it didn’t ring again.
“Call back,” Bo said tightly.
She punched in all the numbers, then locked gazes with him while it rang somewhere far away, her heart pounding, pounding…
No one answered.
“It could have been a wrong number,” she murmured. “Not Sally-”
Bo put a finger over her lips, his eyes hot, dark, and fascinating. “I can take a lot, Mel, and have, but no more lies, not from you.”
She’d hurt him. She hadn’t meant to, but she had. When he’d first shown up here, she’d been prepared to hate him on principle, had wanted to hate him. But then he’d brought in customers when she couldn’t. He’d kept the employees when maybe he shouldn’t. He’d given her a lease that set her up for a good long time.
He hadn’t sold…
At least not yet.
All of which was more than she could say for Sally, who’d vanished on them, no warning, no help, nothing.
In sharp contrast, Bo had been here for her, for all of them, and no anger could hold up to that. “I’m not lying to you,” she said, and waited until he met her gaze. “I really don’t know where she is, I swear it. I never have.”
“What about the money you sent her?”
“Always electronically to her account.”
“So who’s trying to warn you off digging for more info, Mel?”
She closed her eyes. “I don’t know.”
“Yes, you do. It’s her.” He put his hand against her throat, then slid his fingers into her hair, lightly tugging on her ponytail so he could stare deep into her eyes. She did her best to convey her honesty, but knew he had no reason to trust her.
“What else aren’t you telling me?” he asked.
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.”
She licked her lips, and his gaze dropped to them, his eyes glittering. “Seriously,” she said. “You know it all now.”
He waited, every muscle tense.
“No more lies, Bo,” she whispered. “I promise.”
“That’s quite a promise.”
“I mean it.”
He laughed a little harshly, but then he lowered his head so that he was a mere breath away. Their gazes locked, held…
And then he kissed her, and all wondering and worrying went out the window along with her good intentions and common sense. He changed the angle of the kiss to suit him, opening his mouth, sliding his tongue to hers in a
