Page 97 of A Tempting Seduction

“It will be,” I said, though my stomach twisted with uncertainty. Dad had believed whatever he'd hidden would be enough to stop Horace Waters. I just hoped he'd been right.

We took the elevator to the second floor, our protective detail spreading out to secure the hallway before allowing us to proceed to our room. The key card beeped, the lock clicked, and Ford pushed the door open to reveal a standard hotel room that could have been anywhere in America.

Two double beds dominated the space, separated by a nightstand with a lamp that had seen better days. A small table and two chairs sat near the window, and a television mounted on the wall faced the beds. The carpet was clean but worn, the walls were painted an inoffensive beige.

“Well,” Ford said, surveying our accommodations. “It's not the Ritz.”

“It's perfect.” I set my purse on the dresser and motioned to the two beds. “Though this is going to be a bummer.”

Ford grinned despite his obvious exhaustion. “Actually, it's a good thing. Means we get to snuggle closer.”

I pulled the room service menu from the bedside table and studied the options. “I'm calling in our dinner order, then I want the first shower.”

“What sounds good to you?”

I read off my selections, then grabbed my toiletry bag and some clothes.

The shower felt amazing after the long day of travel. The hot water helped wash away the stress and fatigue, and I took my time washing my hair and letting the steam work on my tired muscles. When I was done, I slipped into my underwear and applied moisturizer to my arms and legs.

I grabbed the hair dryer and wrapped a towel around my damp hair. I looked in the mirror. Incredible, I hadn’t brought a sleep shirt in with me. My underwear was kind of… well… sexy. There was no way I was going to just strut out there in front of Ford wearing black lace and satin. I looked around and found another bath towel. I wrapped it around my body then opened the bathroom door.

“You can have the shower now,” I called to Ford, who was lying on the bed closest to the door. “It’s going to take a long time to blow dry my hair.”

Ford sat up and looked at me, his expression shifting from drowsy to something much more alert. “No way. The food will be here shortly, and there's no way I want any of the FBI agents to see you looking like that when you open the door. My shower can wait.”

I giggled at his protective tone. “Ford, I’ll get dressed before I answer the door,” I assured him.

“Maybe, maybe not. I’m not taking the risk.” His eyes traveled from my towel-wrapped hair down to my bare legs. “That’s too much for federal agents to see. Why do you have a towel around yourself when you already have underwear on?”

I glanced down at myself, realizing how silly I must look. “Because.”

Ford's eyebrows rose. “That's not a good reason.”

“It’s perfectly logical and it's the answer I’m sticking with.”

Ford laughed, then got off the bed and prowled toward me, his movements careful but determined. “Let me help you with that logic problem of yours.”

Before I could protest, his hands found the edge of the towel wrapped around my body and tugged it free. The terry cloth pooled at my feet, leaving me standing in the middle of the hotel room in nothing but black lace panties and a matching bra.

“Ford!”

“My arm hurts,” he said, his voice taking on a rough quality as his eyes traveled over me. “I deserve a treat. Don’t you agree?”

“Well sure. We’ll order dessert.”

He shook his head slowly. I think my treat should be something beautiful to look at.”

I scoffed, but the heat in his gaze made my skin warm. “That's a terrible excuse.”

“I'm serious.” He stepped closer, his good hand reaching up to cup my cheek. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are? How perfect?”

The sincerity in his voice stole my breath. I could see the truth of it in his eyes, the way he looked at me like I was something precious and rare. Before I could respond, his mouth was on mine, soft and sweet.

I flowed against him, my hands sliding up his chest as I kissed him back. Ford's arms came around me, careful of his injured arm but holding me like he never wanted to let go.

A sharp knock on the door broke us apart.

“Be right there,” Ford called out, his voice slightly rough.