Page 14 of My Little Secret

“That’s okay. We’ve got plenty of nights left.” I draped my arm over the back of her chair. “Gotta use our time wisely. Might even have to start meeting up for dinner soon, too.”

Sadie smiled furtively behind the lip of her wine glass. “That seems quite serious.”

“It is.” I watched as she took a generous sip of wine. “I’m going to need your number.”

“I like how you asked that,” she said, pinching her lips into a curious little smile. “You didn’t even ask at all.”

“Should I rephrase?”

“No. It’ll work.” She jerked her chin toward me. “Get out your phone, stud.”

I couldn’t fight the grin as I fished out my phone. Already my cheeks hurt a little from smiling. Sadie had that effect on me, bigtime.

She gave me her number, and then said, “Don’t send me a million texts a day professing your love, okay? I have enough of those guys in my life.”

“Too many fans, huh?”

She scoffed. “You’d think I was the professional fighter on the top ten sexiest list instead of you.”

I ran my thumb over the bar top. I was desperate to touch her, but maybe I should stay away from the public displays. Negative press right now would be bad. “Those lists are rigged.”

“Actually, I think your looks are rigged,” she said with a pointed look. “You deserved to be number one, not number four.”

Somehow, it was touching that she knew my rank on those stupid things. “You mad about it? You could write to the editor, you know.”

“Already did.” She took a cool sip of wine.

“You gotta be up early tomorrow?” I leaned closer, so our arms brushed.

“Yeah, but not for work. Why, you have something in mind?”

“Thought you could come over to my place again,” I said.

She sipped at her wine before responding. “I could be convinced.”

“I doubt you need convincing.” I narrowed my eyes at her.

“Oh, really?”

“You came looking for me tonight,” I reminded her.

She laughed low, leaning in to whisper hotly in my ear. “But you were here waiting for me.”

Goosebumps flared on my forearms. “Finish your wine.”

She giggled, taking the last pull of her wine. When she set the glass down, I stood, motioning to the bartender. She slid on her jacket while I paid, and we hurried back to my hotel, words stuck in my throat from anticipation and the frigid night air. I’d been imagining this moment since the morning she left. Desperate for more of those kisses…more of her.

In the lobby of my hotel, she grabbed my hand, sending me a secret smile. All I could do was smile back. Fuck the eyes that might see us.

Upstairs in my room, I waited until the door clicked shut before I covered her mouth with mine. She melted into me, pliable and willing, clutching at my face as one kiss turned into a hundred. That exotic vanilla scent she wore filled my nostrils as her fingernails dug into my jaw, sending an electric current up my spine.

I don’t know how long we stayed there, pressed against the wall by the door. It felt like seconds but also hours. When we finally broke for air, my head was spinning. She was a pure drug.

“Jeez, you really missed me,” she purred.

“That’s an understatement.” I pulled back, helping her slide her coat off. “But I have to be good this time.”

“What do you mean, ‘good’?”

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