Page 78 of Inarticulate

“Your staff were a godsend.”Hewas a godsend, although she wasn’t entirely convinced he wasn’t the devil.

His casual nod left her wanting more, craving a reaction, something fierce and emotional to match the growing force inside her chest. Most of all, she coveted an apology. His apology, and the belief that he regretted the deception which had cut her deep.

“You didn’t have to help me.”

He dragged his attention from the guests and looked at her.No. He looked into her, seeking secrets and making his presence known in her most intimate of thoughts. She fell under the spell of that look. She capitulated. She caved.

He jerked his head toward the lobby, then pushed from the wall and walked away. A stronger woman would’ve protested. A smarter woman would’ve hightailed it in the opposite direction. But she was none of those, not right now.

She scooted to the kitchen, retrieved her cell from the counter, and pretended she didn’t understand the questioning frown Spencer aimed at her as he continued chatting with Penny.

This was a case of killing two birds with one talented stone. Communicating with Keenan was inevitable. They had a lot to work out, with payments for the Grandiosity staff sitting at the top of the list. And once they were finished, she would receive the grateful bonus of being able to sneak to her room without Spencer shadowing her.

There was nothing sordid or affectionate about the way she trailed after the man who conspired against her. Nothing emotional or calculating. Nope. It was entirely business. That’s why she walked with the added confidence in her stride and the authoritative tilt of her chin.

She was owning this—the apology and thank you that would wipe their slate clean. Or she had been until she entered the lobby and found him beside the reception desk. He captured her with those eyes, his attention unwavering as he retrieved his coat from the night shift receptionist and shrugged into the material with enough suave sophistication to rewire the beat of her heart.

Her feet slowed, telling her to proceed with caution because clearly her mind wasn’t up to speed. He jerked his head again, a slightly arrogant nudge toward the entrance.

No. She shook away the invitation. He was exuding trouble. Tempting, palpable mischief.

He grabbed his cell from his pants pocket, worked the screen, and made the device in her hand dance. She peered down at his message and her stomach descended for the ride.

Keenan: I need to show you something.

She stiffened at the direct hit to her restraint. Humoring him would only cause complications. So why did she continue to walk in his direction? Why was her blood pumping a little faster at the slightest tweak to his lips?

She met him at the lobby doors, his hand poised on the handle. “What do you need to show me?”

He mouthed something indecipherable, or maybe she didn’t understand because she was too focused on his eyes, the gray now vibrant, almost blue. He pushed into the night and held the door open for her to proceed. The freezing air infiltrated her lungs and she shuddered from the vast change in temperature. Within seconds, his coat was slumped over her shoulders, his mouth-watering scent enveloping her like a drug.

“Thank you.”

They walked side-by-side along the path, the silence between them far from comfortable. It was magnetic, his pull loaded with energy that obliterated her need for sleep as they approached the road. There was a clink of a keychain, a flash of lights from a nearby vehicle, and then slowly dawning realization.

“This is yours?” She remembered it from dinner at her aunt’s house. The shiny silver sports car had been parked in the drive the first night they met.

He nodded as he ate up the distance to the passenger door and opened it for her. There was no cockiness in his features. No arrogant smirk. There was no expectation at all, only the lone hand that indicated for her to get inside.

Her lips parted on a silent protest. She wanted to announce her distrust, to tell him sliding into his car didn’t change anything between them. But his actions today meant she owed him. Big time.

“I can’t be gone long.” She made her way to his side. “I need sleep.”

He nodded, the solemn gesture announcing he was fully aware of her exhaustion. She was stupid to think her appearance would’ve escaped him. She still wore her clothes from the night before, the dress now crinkled and her stockings bearing a long runner up her right inner thigh.

She spared a final glance toward the lobby, making sure her stupidity wasn’t being witnessed by staff, especially by Spencer or Penny, before she slid into the soft leather seat. The door shut behind her, the seconds until Keenan joined her ticking by with an unfavorable growl from her intuition.

The keys were thrust into the ignition, the engine purred to life, and her sanity waved goodbye to her from the sidewalk as he pulled from the curb. He accelerated through the city streets, gliding around corners, making the road his bitch with such ease and efficiency that her womanly parts couldn’t help but notice. Within minutes, they were on the freeway, then an exit ramp and farther still. The brightly lit streets became darker, the large buildings turning into residential properties.

He was taking her away from the hustle and bustle, from the lights and the visibility. The shadowed streets filled her with comfort, as if the solitude could hide the secret of falling for him again. There was no radio, no sound, apart from the smooth growl of the engine which thrummed in her chest.

She palmed her cell, unlocked the screen and re-read his message—I need to show you something.She skimmed her thumb over the words, stopping at one.Need.His request wasn’t a wish or a want. It was a necessary requirement.

The same necessity echoed in her chest. Shewantedhim to turn the car around and drive her home, but what sheneededwas closure. To cut off the redundant desire for him and move on. Without an amicable conclusion, her head wouldn’t cease thinking of him. Her heart wouldn’t quit fluttering at the thought of his name.

She had to stop. He had to stop. Everything and anything had to come to a halt so she could regain her professionalism and do what she’d been sent to Seattle to do.

“Where are we going?” She’d only been this far from the city once, the night of the bonfire, and they were traveling in the same direction, down roads that turned desolate, with houses that increased in size and land that spread out between them.

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