Page 102 of Strictly Forbidden

We’d fallen into another episode of the Twilight Zone.

“My God. This is incredible. I guess this is how the rich people live.” I’d flitted around the massive hotel suite with Max in tow, admiring the three-sided view of the impressive city with the mountains in the background. Now I was standing in the bathroom that was the size of at least half my house.

I was trying to figure out the best way to describe the huge room with a picture window the length of a car. Between the marble and wood surfaces, the soft overhead LED lighting, the oversized bathroom surrounded on two sides by glass doors, the fluffy robes hanging for our use, and the collection of bath sheet sized towels, I was impressed.

But when Kage had put on the surround sound system of music that was being piped through unseen speakers in almost every wall, I was floored.

At least I’d changed into one of the fluffy robes, feeling a bit more like a princess than a pauper. I could honestly get used to this. Thankfully, I could still smile. Max looked up at me then huffed, strolling from the bathroom as if in disgust. Granted, the scent of the steak lingered in the suite, although it had taken the furry one about twenty seconds to down the two filets.

Somehow, I had the feeling he was ready for a long nap.

At least my baby didn’t seem any worse for the wear. When the bastard had struck him down with a limb, I’d lunged in his direction, trying to claw out his eyes.

If only I’d been able to.

I was thankful Kage hadn’t killed the man. Well, a small part of me anyway. With Zoe continuing to dig into what had happened with the wretched conviction, it was much better my hero hadn’t taken a life right in front of the cops.

I noticed his reflection in the sparkling glass window as he walked into the room, holding a glass of champagne in one hand, a tumbler of scotch in the other. He took a few moments to take a deep breath, as if I didn’t smell like some sewer rat given the chase and the rumble in the snow, before easing the glass around my arm.

As soon as I wrapped my fingers around it, our fingers touched and I was thankful the shots of electricity hadn’t left.

“If I seem to remember correctly, you’re a wealthy woman yourself. You’ve been on the New York Times bestseller list six times, the USA Today seven, and you’ve sold millions of copies of your books. I think you probably have a much larger bank account than you want anyone to know about.”

“You really have been checking up on me.”

“What did I tell you before? I make it my business.” He wrapped his hand around the collar of my robe, pulling me onto my tiptoes. Suddenly, he produced a strawberry, twirling it into the air in front of me. “Still hungry, baby?”

I knew what he was doing, everything to keep my mind off what had occurred, and had almost occurred. While the surroundings could certainly help, he was the reason I was alive and eager to continue living.

“Maybe.” But not for what he was trying to feed me.

“Open that perky mouth of yours.”

I dutifully followed his command, taking my time in doing so. When he popped it into my mouth, his lust-filled eyes piercing mine, there were so many things I wanted to say to him, so many thank-yous but I knew he wouldn’t accept them. He was that kind of man, full of humility and grace as much as he was domination and brawn.

Only that was tough for him to accept.

As I chomped down on the strawberry, his eyes shimmered and I noticed for the first time there were flecks of various incredible colors framing his forest green irises. That only added to his sex appeal.

The moment he pulled his hand away, I took a sip of champagne and got as high on my tippy toes as possible, capturing his mouth for a change. As I shoved the last of the strawberry along with a splash of bubbly past his lips, I heard a distinct growl and it wasn’t coming from my sleepy puppy.

With his drink still firmly planted in his hand, the big man managed to pull me off my feet, holding me so close I could feel his heartbeat.

The kiss was as full of passion as always but there was so much more to it, a closeness that was entirely different. I had no idea what had happened during his trip, nor did he offer anything. I think for the moment we were simply embracing the fact we were both alive.

And maybe a little head over heels.

At least that’s what I hoped was happening.

He swept his tongue inside, taking his sweet time exploring every little crevice. I was so locked into the moment and the feel of being in his strong arms that I could have remained exactly like that for a long time.

But he wasn’t having any of it, finally easing me to my feet. I almost sloshed champagne over the rim of the glass from the excitement surging through me.

The man had that strong of an effect on me.

We both knew there were things to talk about, more time needed at one of the precincts, but I was so grateful to be allowed to walk away from the carnage and horror that I felt like I’d arrived in heaven on earth.

It was strange to be standing in the middle of perhaps the most impressive bathroom I’d ever been in, drinking expensive liquor while enjoying a fabulous view. But with him, I could see doing almost anything.

---