Page 11 of The Negotiator

Chapter Four

It took them another hour to pack up the few things the police let Lauren take, answer a few more questions and get out of there. Checking into the suite ran smoother. Then the pacing started. She walked back and forth in front of the small couch in the living room area and tried to clear her head. Looking at the one king-sized bed hadn’t done it. That took her mind in another, very wild direction.

This might be the right place, but it was not a reasonable time. Carl was dead. The police were asking questions. But still, the revving inside her wouldn’t stop. It was as if energy pinged around, begging to escape. She felt as if she were out of control and careening toward some invisible edge.

The only thing that made sense to her right now was Garrett. Strong, reliable, oh-so-tempting Garrett.

She’d held him off for months but he kept coming back. At first, his tenacity weirded her out. Not that she thought he was dangerous. She just didn’t get why he bothered. The man was tall and fit with shoulders she ached to climb. He’d shoot her a smile and her insides would melt. Turn her into one big puddle of longing and need.

Back then she’d been so careful. She might have convinced the court Carl was dead but she knew better. The lingering worry he’d be back never left her mind. She’d never been a lucky person. She’d gone from taking care of a mother who battled depression and darkness with pills and alcohol, until the day she followed through with her threats to drive her car into that tree, to a husband who demanded she handle all the physical work while he kept her at an emotional distance. It was quieter, safer, to be alone.

Out on the boat. Laughing with clients. None of that was real. She could leave it behind at the end of the day and not be responsible for anyone else’s happiness or health.

Then Garrett stormed into her life.

He was funny and charming and made no secret about how much he wanted her. He whipped her up in this storm and she’d never experienced anything like it. She took wealthy successful people out on the boat all the time. They tried to impress her. A few idiot men even attempted to touch her. One “accidentally” landed in the water and to this day believed he got there because he slipped and was grateful to her for fishing him out. She knew that because he continued to recommend her boating expertise to friends and business acquaintances.

Garrett didn’t fit that mold at all. He was confident without being an asshole. Up until him she had thought those two things were irrevocably linked.

She watched him now as he set their bags down next to the bed. Her first thought was that she actually liked him. The second had to do with how much she missed sex and was ready to restart that part of her life even though the thought of caring about anyone, even short term, scared her witless.

All of those thoughts ran through her head but she went with a more neutral topic. “Did Kayla give you the shovel talk?”

He glanced over at her with that sexy grin that made her knees buckle. “What?”

“The ‘hurt her and I’ll bury you in the desert’ shovel talk.”

He hummed as he nodded. “Sort of.”

“She’s being overprotective. It’s sweet.”

He frowned. “I wonder why.”

“Me, too.”

He treated her to one of those long-suffering male exhales. “I was being sarcastic.” He walked over to her and ran a hand up and down her arm. “Hey, sit for a second.”

“You got a room with one bed.” Nothing like stating the obvious, but there it was.

“It’s a suite. I plan on sleeping on the couch.”

“You don’t have to.” The words popped out and sat there in the roaring silence.

She sure did know how to kill a conversation.

“I think that...” His hand dropped to his side as his eyes narrowed. “Wait, what?”

In the history of sex conversations this might not be the easiest one. It sure didn’t fill her with confidence to have to beg him to understand her.

Those hands and that almost unbearable hotness—she got the sense Garrett McGrath knew what to do with a woman. That made the wide-eyed, openmouthed stare he kept sending her even odder. No way he lacked experience. Everything about him telegraphed sex. Since she didn’t think it was from a lack of interest either, she tried again. “We can share the bed.”

“I want to make sure we’re not experiencing a misunderstanding here.” He hesitated between each word, as if giving her a chance to jump in and stop him.

Then his mouth kicked up in a grin and relief whooshed through her. For all his talk, he got it, or at least he was starting to. “I don’t think we are.”

He held up a hand but the confused look had vanished. No, the emotion in his eyes could only be described as explosive interest. “Okay, tell me what’s happening right now? Use small words. I’ll keep up.”

“I’m all churned up and pissed off.” She started to pace, or she would have if he hadn’t been standing right there. One step and she ran into him, had to put a hand on his chest to steady herself. “It’s been a long time...”

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