Page 8 of Maid of Dishonor
5
VERONICA
Dean lets out a loud whistle when I open the door of the suite. I watch his reaction as he walks around the common area, stopping near the doors that lead out to the balcony and the hot tub.
“This is all yours?” he asks, turning back to me.
I shake my head. “It’s all of ours. Me and my friends for the weekend. What?”
"Nothing," he turns back to stare out at the view. "It's just when I look at you, and then I look at all this, I'm not sure they match up."
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” He holds his hands up to stop me. “I meant no offense.”
I’m not sure why I’m getting upset anyway. It’s not like he had the wrong idea about me. I’m not delicate and rich like Bridget and Beth. My father wouldn’t have the money for a suite like this even if he hustled for months. But up until I met Dean, I never cared about what a guy thought of me. I’m unapologetically who I am—a poor daughter of a criminal with a right hook that can stop any man in his tracks.
"I'm glad this isn't you," Dean says, taking a step toward me. "I've never met a woman like you before. To think that anything could sum you up quickly would be a lie. You're complicated." He takes another step toward me. "You're hot-headed." Another step. "And you are the sexiest woman I've ever met in my life." He reaches out and rests his hands on my waist. "And it would take me a lifetime to figure you out."
"Sounds exhausting," I breathe out as Dean leans in close.
“Sounds exciting,” he whispers against my ear.
Heat floods my lower belly, and my breathing is ragged as my heart thumps in my chest.
Most guys look at me like a challenge they want to conquer to say they’ve tamed the wild beast, but when Dean looks at me, I don’t see conquest in his eyes. I see curiosity, intrigue, and passion.
“Any interest in taking a dip in the hot tub?” Dean asks.
“You read my mind.”
DEAN
There are so many things I should be worried about right now, but all I can think about is how Veronica looks as she lowers her body into the bubbling water. The tied strings on either side of her bikini bottoms calling me to tug them loose and bury myself deep inside her.
“Oh god.” She breathes out. “This feels so good.”
The only thing hiding my raging cock right now is my boxer briefs and the bubbles. But I don't know how much longer my willpower will hold out if she keeps talking like that and making those sounds.
“What?” she asks, trying to hide the knowing grin as it spreads across her face.
I narrow my eyes at her. “You know what.”
She shrugs and doesn’t hide the smile anymore. I watch as she moves her hands over the top of the water.
“Since you’ll probably say something like you can’t talk about the case—”
“I can’t.”
“—then tell me something else about you,” she finishes.
“Not much to tell.”
"I reject that off-hand," she says, flicking water in my direction. "No one's life is totally consumed with their work."
"When you're undercover, it is."
She's quiet for a moment, and I want to ask what she's thinking. But Veronica plays her cards close to her chest. I don't know if that's a result of just who she is or if something happened to her to make her this way.
