Should I give him the green light? I knew some guys waited for consent these days, but I didn’t want that. I wanted him tokiss me because he couldn’t wait another second. I wanted him to want me so badly, he couldn’t hold back.

Yeah, this wasn’t like me at all. I was a good girl who went to church and waited until marriage to have sex. But when I looked at Clay, I wanted to get naked again and do things?—

“You okay?” he asked.

That was when I saw the concern in his eyes. All of these scandalous thoughts, and he was being protective and nice. He wasn’t having sexual thoughts at all.

I needed to get it together, and I needed to get it togethernow.

“Fine,” I said, stepping away from him. His arms fell to his sides, and my body immediately missed his touch. “The window is too small. And high up. I don’t think it’s an option.”

“Let’s take a look.”

I squeezed my eyes shut as he headed around me and into the bathroom. So much for keeping him from finding out I wouldn’t fit through what he’d probably see as a reasonably sized window.

I’d always loved my curves—I’d been proud of them even as I’d downplayed them. But suddenly, I wanted to be that woman who could easily be picked up and passed through a window, which was bizarre.

All I could figure was I wanted him to be my hero. And I wanted to be the damsel in distress who could also help him get us out of here.

4

CLAY

My mind was stuck in the gutter.

First, I’d seen this woman in only her panties. Then I’d had my arms around her. Oh, and in between, I’d had countless conversations with her that had clearly shown she was the kind of woman who intrigued me. A woman who knew who she was and what she wanted out of life.

Was it possible I was already falling for her? Yes, this definitely went beyond lust. But I needed to work on getting us out of this mess.

Or not.

What if we weren’t in such a rush to leave? What if I just chilled and told myself that I’d find a way out of this? Eventually.

“No other windows,” I reported as I walked toward the lobby. “The door’s the only?—”

I came to a stop as the hallway came to an end. The lobby was empty. Frowning, I did a quick U-turn, checking each room as I passed.

I found her in the room where she’d been when I first got here. She was on all fours, looking under the tanning bed.Smiling, I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorjamb, checking out that fine, round ass as it poked up in the air.

“Found it!” she said.

As she pushed herself to a sitting position, I saw she held a small white item. The wireless earbud she’d had in when I first saw her.

When I first saw her…

That image had never fully disappeared from my mind, but now it came back, full force. Along with it came my erection—the subtle stirrings that I knew were only the beginning. I had to get it under control before it got worse.

“Oh!”

Amber’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I pushed away from the doorjamb and lowered my arms, hoping my bulge wasn’t noticeable yet.

“No windows,” I said, repeating my words from the hallway. “I’m going to work on the lock some more.”

“I was just…” She lifted the earbud, then tucked it into her back pocket. “I lost it earlier, when…you know.”

Our eyes met and held, and in that moment, it was clear that we were both thinking about the same thing. I was remembering the sight of her, flat on her back in the tanning bed. She’d worn only a pair of black briefs with lacy elastic at the waist. The image was burned in my mind.

Her features had softened, but her eyes still had that fire in them. Yes, she was thinking about it too. And it was turning her on.