The cab dropped us off at the hotel and I helped her up to my room.
“You don’t mind staying the night?” I asked her as we paused outside my door.
She giggled to herself but didn’t say anything.
Once inside, I left her on the couch and went into the bedroom of the suite. I had cleaned it up earlier, knowing there was a strong chance I’d bring her back here after dinner. All my guns and weaponry were tucked away and it looked like the hotel room of your average tourist, albeit one on an extended vacation. In fact, if anything I should have had more stuff than just a duffel bag. I was so used to traveling light.
Once I pulled back the covers for her, I brought out one of my T-shirts from the drawer, one I worked out in but was freshly washed and laid it on the bed. Then I went back into the room where she was dozing and scooped her up in my arms, carrying her to the bed. I gently placed her down on it and then held her up while I placed the shirt in her hand.
“Get dressed into this,” I told her softly. “I promise not to look.”
She looked at me through glassy eyes. “You do it. I’m too tired.”
“All right,” I said, swallowing hard, and reached behind her neck to untie the straps of her halter.
She watched me closely as I did so, her gaze daring me to meet it. So I did. The straps came loose and the front of her top floated down like tissue paper, exposing her breasts.
Fuck. They were so fucking perfect. Beautifully round with dark rose nipples that tightened in the air. Suddenly all I wanted to do was run my tongue under their soft curve then take the nipple in my mouth and suck until she moaned.
My erection strained against my jeans and my breathing deepened. All the while, Alana kept staring at me, almost asking for it. Her eyes were heavy-lided, her mouth open and wet. I was so close to kissing her hard, to letting my tongue run down that vulnerable throat and to her breasts.
I took in a deep breath and looked away from her for a moment, composing myself. I may be a lot of horrible things but I wasn’t about to take advantage of her when she was this drunk, even if she seemed to want it. She couldn’t know what she wanted right now.
Before I could think better of it, I took the shirt and motioned for her to raise her arms.
She blinked at me, shocked I guess, but did as I asked. I slipped my t-shirt on over her head and then gestured to the bottom of her dress. “I guess you can keep the rest on,” I said.
“Don’t you find me attractive?” she asked, slurring her words a bit but still sounding hurt.
I took her good hand and placed it on the bulge in my jeans “I think I do.” Then I took her hand away and put my arm around her waist, scooting her back into the bed where I quickly undid the straps on her shoe. “But you’re drunk and I’m tired and it’s not going to happen like this.”
“But it will happen,” she said, her head leaning back into the pillow. She closed her eyes and yawned.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” I told her. Then I went to the washroom, filled up a glass of water and left it on her bedside table.
I closed the door just in time to see her dozing off and then settled onto the couch in the other room. I pulled extra blankets from the closet, the nightly battle against the air con, and tried to get some rest.
No way in hell was rest coming to me in my state. I took my dick out and jerked off in minutes flat, biting down my cries as I came onto my stomach. I didn’t know what relationship I had with Alana at the moment, my own motives seemed to be changing by the moment, but I knew better than to make her aware that I was getting off to her.
Once my heart-rate slowed and the hazy warmth of orgasm flooded my limbs, trying to take me down into sleep, my thoughts became more clear.
I needed to focus. I needed to find out why she was a target and who had ordered the hit.
Things couldn’t get complicated. I couldn’t get involved. There was no way any of this could end happy if I did.
But maybe, just maybe, her staying alive was happy enough. Even if I had to walk at the end, to protect my involvement, to protect my truth, maybe if she got through this safely, that would be enough.
I had to protect her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Alana
I awoke to yelling from the other room. It wasn’t the type of yelling that made you jolt out of bed, but the unnerving, haunted yelps of someone having a nightmare. I should know, of all people, what I probably sounded like.
Because the light was dim and the sky outside the hotel windows was the hazy grey of pre-dawn, I carefully got out of bed, feeling out of sorts. My head was pounding from all the wine at dinner and I felt ridiculous in Derrin’s t-shirt with my dress around my ass. My god, had he seen me naked last night?