Page 95 of Dear John

Still, I padded to the hotel room door and peered through the peephole. Only, it wasn’t Kavanaugh I found waiting for me.Stepping back in surprise, I jerked the door open and stared at IKE leaning against the doorframe.

“What are you doing here?”

“Why are you awake?” he asked, sauntering inside without waiting for an invitation.

“My sister woke me up.”

He glanced around the hotel room as if he was looking for someone, then turned back to me.

“Why do you always look like you just stepped out of a magazine?”

One eyebrow shot up as he casually slid his hand into the pocket of his neatly pressed pants. “Are you checking me out, Isles?”

I bristled at the nickname that only my sister used. “Don’t call me that.”

“Why not?” he asked, feigning disinterest as his eyes wandered over me from head to toe. I could feel a blush rising in my cheeks as he took in my braless state and my way too short shorts. This outfit was for sleeping, not greeting guests.

“My sister calls me that.”

“Then what would you prefer?” he asked, walking forward until he stood right in front of me. My breathing hitched as he lifted a hand, tugging on a curl that was dangling on the side of my face. His blue eyes flicked to mine, seeming to latch on. I felt like I was trapped with him and he refused to let me go.

Swallowing hard, I forced myself to take a step back. “Isla. That’s my name.”

His hand dropped as the curl slipped from between his fingers. Much to my relief, he turned away from me and wandered around the living area of the hotel room. “So, where’s Kavanaugh?”

“He left,” I said, shifting uncomfortably.

“Off on another mission for the senator?”

“No.” I refused to give him any further explanation. It was none of his business.

“So, your boyfriend, who loves you so much he ruined a job opportunity for you, has run off, leaving you here all alone.” He finally looked back at me, his eyes questioning if he got it right.

“Why are you here?” I asked instead of giving him an answer.

He shrugged slightly, the movement sloppy compared to the way he usually moved. His fingers slid across the back of a chair, and that’s when I saw it. His hand gripped the back of the chair as his eyes closed. His body swayed ever-so-slightly. I probably wouldn’t have noticed if not for the fact that he was always so put together.

“Are you drunk?”

A soft huff left his lips and his body swayed again. “Possibly.”

Not that IKE wasn’t allowed to get drunk. He could do whatever he wanted. But he didn’t seem like the type to ever let alcohol interfere with his ability to look out for himself.

“Well, join the club. I had a bottle of wine earlier.” Since he was most likely drunk, I wasn’t about to kick him out. I would feel terrible if something happened to him in a strange city. Then again…

“Where are you from?”

“All over,” he sighed as he slumped onto the couch.

Since he wasn’t leaving anytime soon, I grabbed two bottles of water and brought them over to where he was sitting. I handed him a bottle, then took the other side of the couch, tucking my feet up under me.

“I know you have a house in Kansas, but it doesn’t feel like you live there.”

“That’s because I don’t,” he admitted, fumbling with the lid.

Rolling my eyes, I snatched the bottle out of his hands and opened it for him. “There.” He took it with a grateful nod. “Do you live here?”

“That would be a no.”

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