Driven By The Hero (Hero Romance 1) by Kalena Lyons Page B

bared her heart to him—her divorce, her frustration with her job, her friends, dating… all of which she kept inside of herself, like a nagging itch she could never scratch. It felt good to pour her heart out to Jack, and she began to wonder just how she had spent so much of the past two years bottling all her fears and her frustrations deep inside her.
    As comfortable as she was opening up to an absolute stranger, there was something still that intimidated her about Jack. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it; it was indefinable. So she drank. Hesitantly at first; then, more rapidly. Soon, as the night wore on, she began to lose touch with the surroundings—the noise, the cackling, the clinking of glasses. All she could focus on was Jack.
    By the time it was 11:30, she was completely, irrevocably drunk - to the point of being cut off. She begged Jack for apologies, but he simply smiled. He offered to assist her to her room, to make certain she got in without any harm. As he helped her stagger to the elevator, arm wrapped around arm, the bartender couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of an older (and high-tipping man) with a younger, much prettier woman who could barely stand up straight. What is this world coming to , he thought.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Laura woke up the next morning at 7:30. It took her a bit to open her eyes, but once she did she was startled to find herself in an entirely different room than the one she checked into. Gone were the classy but modest tapestries and carpets; instead, the luxurious room features hardwood floors, rich oriental rugs and a vast, imposing alcove. The bed she had been sleeping in was not only substantially larger, but much more comfortable than she remembered. She rubbed her eyes to assure herself she was not dreaming. Then, she heard the shower from the bathroom on full blast.
    She tried to piece together the fragments from the night before, but her head hurt too much. The last thing she remembered was talking to a much older, but handsome man who insisted on buying her drinks. She remembered laughing at his jokes and then… nothing. Her temples throbbed and her mouth felt parched. She felt ashamed, but still she had to double check. She peeked under the covers and saw that she was still in her clothes from the night before. And to make matters doubly odd, there was a guest cot directly facing the bed that was covered by some well-worn, crumpled blankets.
    Just then, the shower stopped. She wondered how much time she had to slip on her shoes, grab her purse and creep out of there, but the very thought of sitting up was enough to make her nauseous. She took a deep sigh as the door opened revealing Jack with his hair dripping wet and dressed in a pair of pajamas and a white t-shirt displaying surprisingly chiseled and vigorous forearms.
    “Morning,” he said without turning her way, walking over to the mini-fridge. He returned with a bottle of mineral water he placed on the nightstand. “I’ll make you some coffee. Unless you’d prefer tea?”
    “No… coffee’s fine,” replied Laura meekly.
    “I’ll get you some aspirin as well. I have some fruit in the fridge—you really should eat something.”
    She was puzzled by his nonchalance. Still, the sense of potential regret lingered within her. She knew the question had to come out some time, so it might as well be now.
    “I’m sorry… but… did we…?”
    Jack, who had begun to brew her coffee, gave her an incredulous look before chuckling. “Jesus, Laura... Give me some credit. Do you remember anything about last night?”
    She shook her head.
    “You were unable to tell me where your room was. You were unable to find your card. If I brought you downstairs, in all likelihood the concierge would have called security. So I let you sleep it off here. I am not the sort of person who would take advantage of someone in that state.”
    “I didn’t mean it like that,” she protested. “It’s just that I can’t