Page 91 of Sinner's Secret

“Hey, sleepy. We’re here,” he said in her ear.

“Hmm?”

“Come on, open your eyes. We’re at the hotel.”

She blinked a couple of times and looked at him with an unfocused gaze. “Hotel?”

“Yup. Come on, just a few more minutes and you can sleep as long as you like.”

“You say all the sexy words,” she said with a secret smile.

He laughed and pulled at her to slide across the seat and come out his door. She did, and as she stepped out, he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm.

“Thanks Ralph,” Baz said to the driver. “This is on the boss.”

Ralph raised his hand and drove away.

Baz pulled her toward the doors and the doorman was there with a smile and a nod. “Good evening, Mr. Breznik. Wonderful to have you with us. The manager will meet you inside and escort you to your room.”

“Thanks,” Baz said. “We’re...uh, not here.”

The doorman’s smile got bigger. “Certainly not.”

They walked in and the manager, a short guy in a nice three-piece suit gestured to the right, then led them to a single elevator marked private.

When the elevator chimed and opened its doors, he went in first and scanned his ID card. The elevator rose faster than expected.

“Mr. Breznik has left a gift basket for you, sir,” the manager said, his gaze not quite meeting Baz’s eyes. He handed Baz two room keys. “These keys will allow the elevator to go to the penthouse.”

Why was this guy so nervous? “Is there something wrong with the penthouse?”

For the first time, the manager met Baz’s gaze. “Oh no, sir.” He pulled at his neckline like he needed more air. “It’s just a busy day, sir. I have a lot on my mind.” He flashed a smile. “Security has been heavily increased, and it’s made several of our guests uncomfortable.”

Yvgeny’s reaction to having his downtown office and his favorite motel bombed had probably scared a lot of people.

The elevator slowed and came to a stop. The doors opened, revealing a dark paneled entry. A wardrobe stood to the left, and a few paces to the right was an open doorway leading into a larger space.

“Thank you,” Baz said and stepped out of the elevator with Nika’s hand still nestled in the crook of his arm.

Behind them, the elevator chimed again and its doors closed.

“The penthouse?” she asked.

Baz shrugged. “Yvgeny tends to forget that I’m used to sleeping in my trunk.”

She snorted a laugh. They walked through the doorway and stopped.

“It’s...very white,” Nika said.

“And shiny,” Baz added.

White walls, white carpet, white linens on the king-sized bed. White furniture with chrome accented lights and lamps. The only pops of color were a blood-red book on one side table, A huge red bow on an even larger white whicker basket on the coffee table, and roses of the same color in a crystal vase on the liquor cabinet along one wall.

“Nope,” Nika said dryly. “A vampire doesn’t own this place.”

Baz laughed, turned her into his arms, and kissed her. She sagged against him and wound her arms around his neck. When he left her mouth to focus on the sensitive skin just under her ear, she put her forehead on his chest and let out a loud snore.

That made him chuckle. “Tired?”

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