Hot as Sin (Hot Shots: Men of Fire #2)(25)
Author: Bella Andre

“Good,” he said, even though he wasn’t sure he believed her.

If he saw anything that made him question her health—dizziness, slurred speech, grimacing—he’d go after April on his own.

He hoisted both packs onto his shoulders. “I saw a motel next door—figured we’d try there first.”

As if he’d be able to sleep with her only a wall away. Maybe they could get rooms on opposite sides of the building. Maybe then he wouldn’t feel like a chunk of metal being drawn against his will to her sexy-as-hell magnet.

“I scoped out a back exit so we can avoid reporters. I’m assuming you don’t want them to know about April, right?”

She shook her head and sighed. “I can’t believe I forgot about the press. Do you really think we can get out of here without them noticing?”

“Here,” he said, slipping one of the backpacks on her shoulders.

She stumbled beneath the weight for a split second before finding her balance. He pulled out one of the hats he’d bought and shoved it on her head.

“They won’t think to take a second look at a hiker.”

He didn’t want her to know the truth, that anyone who looked closely would be able to see her poise and grace beneath the backpack and goofy-looking hat.

She gave him a weak smile. “If it works, I’ll have to try this disguise again.”

Jesus, he actually felt like his heart skipped a beat as he looked at her smiling at him.

A few minutes later, after they’d seamlessly made their getaway and were heading into the motel’s lobby, she said, “I’d better wait outside until you have the key.”

He nodded, knowing if anyone at the motel got wind of their high-profile guest, it wouldn’t be long before they put in a call to the reporters.

A TV was on as he headed to the front desk, a clip of Dianna interviewing a pop star playing. Momentarily mesmerized, Sam stopped and watched it.

He couldn’t help but be impressed by how good she was at her job. She made talking to a twenty-year-old with whom she had nothing in common look effortless. He’d hung out with enough kids that age to know how difficult it could be to find any common ground whatsoever.

Pulling out a credit card, he got them each a room, knowing it wasn’t exactly what they’d prefer, but deciding to take what they could get at this point.

He didn’t beat around the bush when he emerged from the lobby. “They only had one room left.”

Her eyes widened in alarm. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I want you to stay here, just in case there are more reporters roaming around town. Don’t worry, I’ll find another place to sleep.”

“No, that doesn’t make sense.” She took a deep breath. “I can handle sharing a room if you can.”

Well, shit, he couldn’t exactly admit that he couldn’t control himself around her, could he?

“No problem,” he lied, even though he couldn’t think of a much bigger problem at present.

He hadn’t come here looking for trouble. But he seemed to have found it at every turn.

The motel room was extremely basic with only a bed, a dresser, a TV, and a small sofa. It struck him that Dianna looked like a mouse caught in a small cage, looking for anywhere to escape.

Clearly, he wasn’t the only one having a hard time with their little reunion. He got more satisfaction from that than he should have.

His stomach growled and when hers quickly followed suit he said, “I’m going to call for a pizza.”

“No thanks. I’m not hungry.”

He frowned. She’d always been up for a meal, any time of day or night. It had been one of the things he liked about her, that she was a pretty girl who ate like a normal person, rather than starving herself to fit into a pair of jeans. Had that changed, too?

“Guess you’ve got to stick to salad to fit into all those fancy clothes, huh?”

Her mouth tightened. “I’m not on a diet. I’m just not in a very hungry mood right now.”

Shit, he was acting like an insensitive jerk again. It was just that being with her again pushed all of his buttons. Buttons he hadn’t even realized were there until today.

In lieu of an apology he said, “I know you may not feel like eating right now, not after what you’ve just found out, but you’re not going to do April any good if you’re starving.”

Shrugging as if she didn’t care either way, she said, “You’re right. Order pizza.”

He said, “Everything on it,” at the same time she did and their eyes locked together in an electric moment of remembered awareness.

All the signs of arousal were there—the way her skin flushed, the rapid pulse in her neck, the speeding up of her inhalations. He could have her horizontal and naked on the bed in sixty seconds.

It took every bit of self-control he possessed to force himself to turn away, pick up the phone, and order the pizza.

After hanging up, he paused to wipe all the desire off his face. When he turned around to face her, she was standing in the same place, her eyes still on him.

“Thank you for helping me,” she said in a soft voice. “I know things are kind of weird and—”

He held up a hand. She was about to take them straight into the danger zone. He couldn’t let her do it.

There was only one way to diffuse the bomb of their relentless attraction: clear ground rules.

“Let’s concentrate on finding your sister and bringing her home safely. And because we’re going to need to work together and trust each other, I’ve decided that the best thing we can do is keep the past in the past.”

CHAPTER NINE

DIANNA REELED in disbelief. Had he really just issued her an order? Here’s how we’re gonna do it, babe. No questions. No answers. Just suck it up and get with the program.

But after she’d had a few seconds to digest it, she realized it was less what he said than how he said it that really got to her.

She hated his cold, emotionless voice.

“On the contrary,” she finally replied in a steely voice that not only matched, but raised the frigidity another level. “I don’t think there’s any point in having a big white elephant in the room with us the whole time.”

In her experience managing a sometimes-conflicted staff for a live TV show that couldn’t afford any screw-ups, she never allowed grudges to linger between team members. Between her and Sam, however, she might have been tempted to take the high road and let sleeping dogs lie.