CHAPTER THREE

      Blood pounded in my ears while Alastair traced his fingers along my jaw. His movements were smooth and controlled, as though he was afraid he'd spook me. I lost my ability to breathe as my mouth went dry. His verdant gaze made my knees shake.

      Of course I felt whatever it was that hummed between us. I felt it since last night but I’d never admit it to him.

      “I should get back to the hotel.”

      “Why?”

      “Because I didn’t come here looking for this,” I snapped, my voice rising. “If anything, I want to get away from it.”

      “My kitten has claws.” His smug grin irked me.

      “I’m not your kitten. I don’t want whatever it is you’re offering,” I grumbled.

      Staring at me for several seconds, he stroked the curve of my cheek then dipped his mouth close to my ear.

      “Your body betrays you, Lia.”

      Desire ran thickly through my veins as he slowly moved his hands down my neck, over my shoulders and onto my waist. I wet my dry lips, eliciting a small groan from him. It was a gorgeous sound, immediately conjuring images of him and I tangled together on the ground where we stood. I was in the middle of a busy city on a sidewalk, yet he made me feel like we were completely alone.

      My walls finally went up with a resounding bang, enabling me to snap myself out of his powerful trance.

      “I can’t…I’m not interested in being a one-night stand for you.”

      I pulled away from him sharply and walked back to the hotel on wobbly legs. I willed myself to make it to the elevators. The concierge smiled warmly as I stumbled past. When the elevator arrived I jumped in like it was my salvation. Thankfully nobody else was around. I slumped against the wall and exhaled.

      I didn’t stop shaking until I was safely in the room.

      “You’re back already?” Stephanie yelled from the bathroom. “I’m taking a bubble bath. We’ll talk when I’m done.”

      Collapsing onto the couch, I covered my eyes with my arm. My head pounded, my skin tingled and my heart raced. Never in my life had I experienced such a strong reaction to a person. A soft knock at the door startled me.

      I shuffled over and opened it without looking through the peephole. A young man dressed in the hotel’s concierge uniform smiled at me.

      “Amelia Meyers?”

      “Yes.”

      “This is for you,” he said, handing me a small envelope.

      “Thank you.”

      “Cheers, miss. Good night.”

      I closed the door, went back to the couch and opened it. Written in perfect block penmanship was a phone number and a simple request: Call me. Please. Alastair x

      “That was some serious flirting I saw today. Well done.” Stephanie perched on the edge of the couch, towel drying her hair. I quickly folded the note.

      “What’s that?” she asked.

       Dammit.

      “Nothing.”

      “Don’t ‘nothing,’ me. The two of you flirted and circled each other like dogs all day. What happened after Darren and I left?”

      “Nothing.”

      “You are the worst liar on the planet,” she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “That man is sex on a stick. I could feel the tension between you guys and I wasn’t even taking part in the conversation. You were mentally tearing his clothes off all afternoon. And he’s so primed and ready for you, it’s not even funny.”

      “There will be none of that.” I clenched the note, crinkling the paper.

      "Oh come on. Enjoy it."

      “Is there a particular reason why you want me to have what will most likely be a one-night stand with this guy?”

      “He’s hot. His entire physical being exudes wild, uninhibited sex. Do a little something for yourself for once. You need this. Grab him, throw him down and use him for his body.”

      “Gee, when you put it like that…”

      “You’re a fabulous, successful, available twenty-seven year old woman. But you’ve become too buttoned up and in control all the time. Where’s my spontaneous Lia? My bold Lia? I miss her.”

      We exchanged glances. I sighed.

      “She’s still there, Steph. It’s just taking me a bit to find her again.”

      “Sweetie, just because Nathan turned out to be a grade-A asshole doesn’t mean you should let it rule the rest of your life. You have to live a little.”

      * * *

      I stared at my cell phone. Ten-thirty. It was still relatively early, but Stephanie had already turned in for the night. I was sitting alone in the suite’s living room, wide-awake and twitchy. The crumpled note beckoned me from the coffee table. It annoyed me that I couldn’t get him out of my mind but I couldn’t help myself. I reached for the phone, ignoring all of my instincts as they screamed in protest.

      Taking a deep breath, I dialed Alastair’s number and waited. It rang once. Twice. Three times. Voicemail. I hung up and went to bed.

      A frantic, incessant beeping woke me out of a somewhat deep sleep. It was anything but restful anyway, so the interruption wasn’t too unwelcome. I glanced at the time. Two in the morning? Only one person on the planet would have the balls to text me at this hour. Nathan. I cringed, wishing he would leave me alone. The phone beeped again. Grumbling, I grabbed it.

       1:58am Hello, Amelia. Sorry I missed your call earlier. Do you always call someone and not leave a message?

      Relief swept through me. It wasn’t Nathan. The relief was soon replaced with anticipation. A tiny smile played at the corners of my lips.

       2:00am How did you know it was me?

      The phone rang in my hand, scaring the hell out of me.

      “Hello?”

      “I knew it was you because everyone else who has this number knows to leave a message.”

      I could almost see his smirk through the phone.

      “You’re up late,” I said, stretching.

      “I was working. What’s your excuse?”

      “Someone texted me at two in the morning.”

      He chuckled, low and deep. Lying like this and hearing his voice so intimately close was a turn on. I smiled in spite of myself.

      “I don’t want to keep you up. You have a busy day planned tomorrow.”

       Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it.

      “I’m not going with them.”

      I squeezed my eyes shut, grimacing. Eager, much?

      “You’re not? What are you doing instead?”