Nowhere Safe

CHAPTER 34



Trish climbed out of bed Saturday morning, still exhausted.

How was she supposed to sleep with Josh one wall away?

She’d almost folded when he’d tried to get her to talk last night. But that would have been impossible without asking him if what had happened at her house yesterday morning had only been about getting close to her for an investigation.

He could easily say his lunch with Leanne had to do with task force business, but Trish couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more going on.

And she couldn’t let go of the feeling she was being used. That he only wanted to be with her to get information.

Leanne might be fine with that, but Trish was not.

After calling room service for coffee and taking care of her bathroom needs, she’d just slipped her arms through her short silk kimono when someone tapped at the door and called out, “Room service.”

Trish rushed across the sitting area and looked through the peephole to see the guy with the tray, then threw the bolt back, grabbed the doorknob and pulled.

The door had barely opened when a hand hit at eye level, slamming it shut.

She yelped and jumped back, banging into a solid wall of Josh. “What are you doing? You scared the fool out of me.”

“That has yet to be seen,” he muttered.

Trish scooted from under his arm and turned to face him.

Nothing covered his golden body besides a pair of partially buttoned jeans. His blond hair poked out at odd angles. Everything about him said he’d just climbed out of bed, except for the intensity of those deep-water blues he was using to stare a hole in her.

“Don’t ever answer the door,” he warned in a rough morning voice. “I’m the only one who opens it.”

”I checked first. It’s room service.”

“You don’t know that’s who it is.” He picked her up at the waist and moved her aside then opened the door, took his time assessing what he saw and stepped back.

A startled hotel waiter entered and placed a tray on the glass coffee table. Josh tipped him well then flipped the lock back in place behind the departing waiter.

“See?” she said. “Just coffee.” Before he could respond with more than an annoyed look, the phone on the end table rang. He snatched the receiver away from her reaching hand and spoke.

“I can’t answer phones either?”

He ignored her and spoke into the receiver. “Josh.” Silence. “Sure, hold on.”

She took the phone he offered her. How did anyone know she was in his room?

“I see you caught up with Josh.” Heidi, thank goodness.

“How’d you know I was in this room?” Trish asked suspiciously, giving Josh the evil eye for infiltrating her circle of friends. A very small circle.

“Josh called to let me know how to find you. I feel much better that you’ll be safe with him.”

Trish disagreed. Danger came in many forms. Josh with no shirt, looking imposing and deadly was sending her hormones bouncing in every wrong direction.

But Trish was not admitting that with him standing so close. She told Heidi, “I don’t anticipate a problem here.”

“Wish I could say the same, because we have one here.”

“What’s wrong?” Had the shop been broken into again?

“More of an inconvenience than a problem. There’s a gas leak in our building. We’re shut down until the city finds it. They evacuated us and said we couldn’t come back until Monday.”

“Crap. As if business wasn’t bad enough already.” Trish gritted her teeth. “You and Bunko might as well take the weekend off and enjoy yourself.”

“You take it easy and try to enjoy yourself, too.”

Fat chance of that happening. Trish finished the conversation and hung up. A cup of coffee, complete with the right amount of cream, appeared under her nose. Josh waited for her to accept the mug. She didn’t.

“Trying to get on my good side?” Trish asked.

“Is that possible?”

“Normally, I’d say yes, but highly doubtful at this point.”

Josh set the cup on the table and stepped close enough to invade her personal space. She backed away, but he kept coming until retreat had her rear pinned against the door.

He threw a hand just above her head, and leaned in intimately. His early morning musky scent invaded her senses. “We’re going to clear up this misconception you have about yesterday.”

“There is no misconception and there is no reason for us to discuss it.” She pressed her lips together. He wasn’t the only one who could pull off annoyed and dangerous.

“You are one stubborn woman,” he grumbled then sighed. “Leanne and I were having a professional lunch.”

“Oh, sure. What was the tactical question? Your place or mine?” Oh, crap. Had she really just said that?

A muscle in Josh’s jaw ticked, confirming she had absolutely spouted those words. Since she had, what was his blasted answer?

He shook his head. “I guess there’s only one way to fix this.”

No chance. She had his number. Josh could talk until he was blue in the face and still not change her mind.

Trish picked up her chin. “Give it your best shot, Sugar.”

“Whatever you say.” Josh snatched her into his arms and covered her mouth with a kiss that shot straight to her girl parts. He scooped her bottom with one hand, lifting her completely off the floor, and cupped her head with the other.

Holy lip lock.

When she sighed, his tongue slipped between her parted lips, dueling with hers. He tasted like toothpaste and hunger. She understood the hunger part. Trish gripped his shoulders, trying to remember why she hadn’t wanted to do this.

Must have been momentary insanity.

He lifted her up against the bulge in his pants and she considered begging. Heat flamed low, burning her up with needing him to touch her everywhere. The harder he kissed the hotter she got until she was panting.

Josh tore his mouth away and dropped her on her feet.

Her glazed eyes cleared. What...

“That should be a good start.” He turned and walked into his bedroom, shutting the door.

Wait a minute. Where was Josh going?

Confusion crashed around Trish. She wasn’t fighting mad anymore. He’d shut down that emotion and cranked up her hormones to full throttle. She stared at the closed bedroom door and blew an errant curl off her forehead.

“Damn.” She picked up her mug and sulked her way to her bedroom. What had that been all about?

Hadn’t she told him to keep his hands to himself?

He needed to stick to the rules or do a better job of breaking them.

Trish pinched the bridge of her nose. What in the world was she thinking? Did she have no self-respect?

Apparently not when it came to Josh, because her heart wouldn’t let him go, faulty organ that it was.

The hell with him. Trish jerked a brush through her tangle of curls. She was only a job. He could tag along all he wanted, but his hands better stay in his pockets.

AA

The next time Josh had an impulsive idea like kissing Trish, he’d go ahead and just shove a knife through his eye instead.

Had to be less painful than kissing her and walking when his body screamed to feel her beneath him. He washed his face and reached for a plush towel, drying off quickly.

He had to be ready to walk out of the suite on her heels.

But touching her again was not on the schedule today.

The only reason he’d kissed her this time was because he couldn’t take another minute of accusation riding her gaze when he hadn’t done anything wrong. No, that hadn’t been the only reason after spending most of the night checking on her. He’d stood in her bedroom doorway for over an hour at one point, watching her breathe, so damned glad she’d arrived safe and alive.

She’d whimpered on and off with nightmares

He’d wanted to hold her and let her know she didn’t have to fight her demons alone. Not when he was around.

When she’d raced out to answer the door this morning, he’d barely stopped her in time. She shouldn’t have left her room with nothing on but that silk napkin with sleeves that hardly counted as clothing.

No complaints, but a man could only resist so much.

Then she’d tasted like liquid sex when he’d kissed her. His hands could still feel her tight bottom through the slippery material and he’d known without a doubt that she hadn’t been wearing anything else. Just a thin silky barrier between him and the body he hadn’t been able to get out of his mind since that first kiss.

Josh peeled his now-snug jeans down past his aching erection and flipped the shower on, cold. What would be the greater challenge for the next two days?

Keeping Trish safe from danger or from his raging libido that only raged for one woman?