Page 22 of France Face-Off
He climbed onto the bed and settled on the edge as far away from her as he could get. “Better?” he asked.
“Much,” she said. “Now, I can go to sleep. Goodnight, Daniel, and thank you.”
“Goodnight, Alex.” He lay for a long time staring at the ceiling in the dim sliver of light making its way into the bedroom from the bathroom.
Not long after she’d said goodnight, Alex’s breathing grew slower and deeper.
Striker lay in the dark, listening to every breath she took, his body aching for something he couldn’t have. He didn’t know this woman, and he was there to do a job. When the job was done, they’d part ways, never to see each other again. He found himself saddened at the thought. He turned on his side, his back to her. He closed his eyes and willed himself to go to sleep. But sleep wasn’t easy to come by with a beautiful woman lying next to him. He was glad Lucie would do a little more digging. Maybe she’d discover more about Alexa Sokolov.
Chapter 6
Alex was surprised that when she woke the next morning, she’d actually slept through the night, something she hadn’t done since her parents’ deaths, and despite the fact she’d slept with a stranger.
Daniel had promised not to touch her, and though she had a natural distrust of everybody, she had inexplicably believed him. The pillows had been more of a barrier to keep her from touching him.
They hadn’t been necessary. She’d slept soundly and undisturbed. When she opened her eyes, she looked toward the other pillow beside her and found it empty. She sat up straight in bed. The sound of a shower running in the bathroom reassured her that Daniel hadn’t left.
With him occupied in the shower, she jumped out of bed, hurried to her backpack and unearthed her wrinkle-free blouse, jacket and the skirt she’d brought to wear when she was translating during the summit meetings. In the mirror over the dresser, she quickly combed the tangles out of her hair and applied a light coat of makeup. She was stepping into her shoes when Daniel emerged from the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.
All of the air left Alex’s lungs, her heart flip-flopped and her pulse sent blood on a high-speed race through her system.
“Oh, good. You’re awake,” he said. “Room service should be delivering breakfast about—” A knock at the door interrupted his sentence. He grinned. “Now.” He crossed to the door, checked through the peephole and turned to her. “It’s room service.”
Alex ducked out of sight as Striker opened the door. A member of the hotel staff wheeled in a cart and laid covered plates on the table in the corner. He wheeled the cart back out, and the door closed behind him.
“I wasn’t sure what you wanted, so I ordered coffee, tea and espresso. You choose.” He removed a stainless-steel cover from one of the plates. “And I hope you like eggs Benedict. If you don’t, they’ve also brought a variety of cold cuts and toast.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll have the tea and toast,” she said. The scent of food made her tummy rumble.
“Good,” he said. “I prefer coffee.” He lifted the mug of coffee, took the top off, drank a long swallow and then glanced at his watch. “You only have a few minutes before you have to be down at the summit meetings…?”
She nodded, nibbled at the toast and drank the tea.
“What are you going to do about your room today?” he asked.
“I’m not exactly sure. I suppose I could check and see if they have an opening for another room.”
“You’re welcome to stay here another night. I’m almost sure I heard them say the hotel was fully booked for this event.”
“I’ve already inconvenienced you enough,” she hedged.
“We’ve been through this argument.” He held up a hand. “The offer’s open.”
“At the very least, I’d like to leave my things here until I decide what to do.” She met his gaze. “What about you? What will you be doing during the day while I’m attending the summit?”
“I want to do more research on some of the players involved in this meeting, as well as review the video again in case I’ve missed something.” He also intended to speak with Lucie to find out what she might have learned.
“The summit will have a catered lunch in one of the banquet halls,” Alex said.
“I’ll be there,” he said. “Though I’m not included in the summit meetings, I do have access to the luncheons and dinners.”
“I hope you know I won’t be sitting with you,” she said.
He nodded. “It would be better if people didn’t know where you’re staying, especially considering the attack last night.”
“I would like to come up to the room at lunch, if possible.”
“I can make that happen,” he said.
