Page 37 of Kissing Danger

Raising his hands in a show of compliance, Nathan stood and stepped away from me. The guns followed him. Even naked and vulnerable, he still managed to radiate calm control, as if the police standing in our hotel bedroom had been his idea from the start.

I preferred to admire his composure, rather than think about my own position. Embarrassment burned me under the scrutiny of so many eyes. There was no denying what we had just done. While I wasn’t ashamed, the remnants of my religious upbringing still insisted that sex should be a private affair, not for the eyes of others.

Not even the aftermath.

There was a commotion among the police as a familiar face pushed her way to the front of the group.

Agent Belden stood there, looking at Nathan with equal parts disgust and glee. She didn’t even seem to notice me at first.

That changed when I started laughing loud enough for it to echo off the walls.

“You were right, Agent,” I managed to say even as I continued to laugh, spurred on by the awkwardness of everything. “I am in handcuffs the next time we meet. And Nathan did take care of me. You should start your own psychic hotline, because you’re a God damn prophet.”

Agent Belden stared at me with an odd look on her face, like she’d never been so disrespected, and didn’t know how to react. The local officers, however, ignored my comments. One of them stored their gun away and approached the bed cautiously.

“Where are the keys,” the officer demanded of Nathan.

Nathan didn’t move, just nodded in the right direction. “There, on the side table.”

A moment later, my handcuffs were removed. At first, my arms didn’t want to cooperate. After being held in the same position so long, my shoulders were stiff. I gasped at the ache in my muscles as my arms collapsed against the pillows.

“Are you okay?” the officer asked as she helped me sit up.

I slapped her hand away, not in the mood to be touched by strangers, then gasped again when the bruises around my wrists made themselves known.

“Of course, I am. What kind of stupid question is that?”

Now that the shock and awkwardness had worn off, I was pissed. My happy, post-sex afterglow had been ruined, and the sudden crash of endorphins felt like barbed wire creeping under my skin.

Rolling my shoulders to get them working again, I grabbed the nearest blanket and pulled it over my lap to preserve at least some of my dignity.

“What’s this all about, anyway?”

“I would like to know that as well,” Nathan spoke up from the other side of the room.

He was too far away. I hated it. We should be cuddling right now and exchanging pillow talk, not staring down the barrel of a dozen guns and twice as many judgmental eyes.

Agent Belden went back to ignoring me to face Nathan. “Don’t play dumb, Sterling. You know exactly why we’re here.”

Still as calm as ever, Nathan bent down to retrieve his pants from the floor and started putting them on. “I assure you, I have no idea what you’re talking about. If you’d care to explain, then maybe we can clear up this little misunderstanding.”

Agent Belden came closer, and pulled out a pair of her own handcuffs, nearly identical to the ones that had just held me to the bed. “We can talk all about it back at the station.”

Nathan didn’t say anything. Just narrowed his eyes at her as the wheels in his head turned.

I, on the other hand, started freaking out.

“Whoa. Hold on. You can’t arrest him.” I jumped off the bed and tripped over the tangled bed sheets.

Nathan caught me. “It’s okay, Deke. You stay here while I go answer their questions. This’ll all be cleared up soon. Just wait here until I come back for you.”

“But—” I stared to argue, but the look in his eyes cut me off. He had a plan. I didn’t know what it was, but I could see the resolution in his gaze.

I just needed to trust him.

“Fine.” I made a show of crossing my arms and huffing in annoyance. “But this is not the fun weekend in New York that you promised. You owe me.”

Grabbing my hand, he kissed my knuckles with the ghost of a grin on his lips. “I promise, I’ll make it up to you.”

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