Page 17 of Elling & Jackie

She knocked again. He opened the door.

"You can't smoke in the room." Her gaze dropped to the front of his chest. "I intercepted the call from the night clerk this time, but if you try to smoke again, you'll be asked to leave the hotel, and there is no refund. You were supposed to have read the rules when you signed in. If you want to have a cigarette, you can go out to the parking garage. We ask that you don't loiter in front of the hotel. It turns potential guests away."

"Is that so?"

She leaned to her right and looked around him. "You'll need to put the screen back and lock the window, too. We use central air and heating in the building, and it's a safety issue to let guests near an open window."

He gazed down her body. She'd changed into a pair of jeans that hugged her legs, and instead of the white buttoned shirt he'd seen her wearing while working, she had on a wide-necked sweatshirt that slipped off her shoulders. Damn, she looked more available in regular clothes.

"Do you need directions again on how to get to the parking garage from your room?" She pulled the material over her shoulder, only succeeding at making the other side drop.

She wasn't wearing a bra. His gaze lowered. There were no straps.

"Nei," he said.

She frowned.

He cleared his throat and said, "No."

Used to living in the clubhouse were everyone was of Nordic descent; his native language had slipped out. She had him buzzing.

"Okay." She moistened her lip. "If you try to smoke again, it'll be security coming up to escort you out of the building, and you'll lose the money you paid for the room."

"I've got that."

She stepped back and stopped. It was as if she waited for him to close the door before she gave the location of her room away. He already knew she stayed across the hall.

Not one to change his ways, he leaned against the open doorway and forced her to move first.

She raised her chin. He recognized her need to hold a superior position over him, forcing him to stick to the rules of the hotel. But she didn't know him.

He wouldn't allow anyone to tell him how to live his life.

Squaring her shoulders, she turned and walked through the doorway to her room. He chuckled, watching her ass sway with attitude. She could be that way, thinking she was safe from him because she belonged to Brikken, but she was teasing him now, trying to get a reaction from him.

She had no idea he'd already played with Brikken and won.

He walked back into the room. The temperature cooler now that the window was open. The hell he was going to close it. He'd rest better with the air hitting his face.

Pulling the chair next to the door, he sat down and stretched out his legs. Knowing Campbell could come and go during the night in his desire to catch Slag members doing something illegal, he cracked the door open and settled down to watch for any movement.

A car horn blasted the room from down on the street. He closed his eyes, heightening his senses to the noise around him through the open window and the silence in the hallway. If Campbell left or another agent came to him, he'd know.

Knowing there was already one government official visiting Campbell meant the case against Slag was worse than they'd hoped.

The club had always come out on the side of fortune, and none of them had spent time in prison because of club activities. That could change if he couldn't find a way to stop Campbell from hanging around.

Prison would be hell for all of them. Peer had a kid he was responsible for. Roar was about to become a father for the first time. Brage had just got hitched to Dinah. There were Slag members with their own family, living away from the clubhouse. There was a lot more going on besides keeping the money and weapons moving toward Norway and keeping the Portland and Seattle Chapters thriving.

He reached into his pocket and grabbed his pack of smokes. Exhaling loudly, he stopped. His decision not to break the rules had nothing to do with the woman laying down the law on him. The club needed him to stay here, to protect them.

A soft knock moved the door against his boot. He opened his eyes and peered through the crack, spotting the hotel employee at his room again.

Knowing she wasn't going to give up, he bent his knee and moved his foot away from the door. Without holding the door, it swung open. He remained in the chair.

She looked at him, then the window, and returned her attention to Elling. He waited to see if she was going to bitch about the rules again.

She held out her hand, holding out a can of chewing tobacco to him. He remained sitting, taking in the meaning of her gift.

---