body. Yeah, not working. He easily envisioned being with her, raising soap bubbles by running his hands over her skin.
Nothing to feel guilty over. He knew he wasn’t married or in a committed relationship. One of those odd things he was certain of. But Grace was now his employee.
Best if he kept his distance.
The situation had already created a faux intimacy between them that created a level of trust unusual in an acquaintanceship less than twenty-four hours old.
She didn’t quite get the me-boss-you-employee relationship, but he’d work on her. Getting around her unrelenting sense of duty when it came to his health would be a bit of a problem. He was grateful to Grace, but she made rigid look loose when it came to her duty.
Still, as long as he kept his raging headache to himself, she should have no argument with his plans.
A good thing, because he needed to take control of his life. Being at the whim of fate felt wrong. Whoever he was, whatever he did, he hadn’t been a follower. Deep in his gut he knew he’d been in charge. The Cartier watch sure seemed to indicate so.
He refused to sit around all day and brood over what he didn’t know. But she was right, the holiday hampered them. And he could use a change of clothes.
Bottom line, this hotel room beat the heck out of the hospital. If he had to take another day to heal up, better here than in an antiseptic-scented hell.
He sat on the bed, leaned back against the headboard and crossed his ankles. A pain pill went down easy with a swig of coffee.
She’d made no mention of the kiss they’d shared. Was that because she didn’t remember, or because she preferred not to? Of the few memories he had, it rated right up there at the top. Waking to her bending over him last night had been a temptation he couldn’t resist. Her nearness, the electric connection of her caring gaze broke through his defenses and he reached for her, claiming her soft lips in a sweet kiss. And oh, man. The tension they’d both tried to ignore throughout the night simmered over. Burned him up.
She’d been right there with him, her response explosive. He’d been ready to roll her under him and relieve their tension in the most basic way possible. He remembered the smell of her hair, the taste of the tender spot behind her ear.
When she’d moaned that he was killing her, it shocked him to his senses. Her surrender had him immediately backing off. He wanted her willing, not succumbing. If she was resistant at all, he had no business taking their relationship in a sensual direction. It would create unnecessary tension between him and the one person interested in helping him.
The water went off in the shower. And now he saw her running a towel over damp curves and that short cap of dark hair. He may have left her in her lonely bed last night, but the attraction remained alive within him.
He forced his mind away from the erotic imaginings. Instead he focused on the contacts she’d mentioned. He had to believe he’d soon have a name to replace the emptiness in his head.
It was the last thought he had before he drifted off.
* * *
Grace exited the bathroom to find JD napping on the bed closest to the window. She closed the drapes and wrote him a note telling him she’d be back shortly. Grabbing her purse and phone, she went downstairs to the lobby to make a few phone calls.
The officer on duty in Woodpark stated a patrol had traveled the road JD had been walking on and there’d been no sign of his motorcycle or wallet.
“There was a report of an altercation at the Red Wolf Tavern including a man fitting JD’s description. The bartender said he hadn’t been drinking. He’d eaten, paid for the meal, apparently from a big wad of cash, and bumped shoulders with a guy on his way out the door. Got beer spilled on him. The other guy tried to get tough with him and the man fitting JD’s description put the aggressor on his knees. The guy backed off and that was the end of
Nothing to feel guilty over. He knew he wasn’t married or in a committed relationship. One of those odd things he was certain of. But Grace was now his employee.
Best if he kept his distance.
The situation had already created a faux intimacy between them that created a level of trust unusual in an acquaintanceship less than twenty-four hours old.
She didn’t quite get the me-boss-you-employee relationship, but he’d work on her. Getting around her unrelenting sense of duty when it came to his health would be a bit of a problem. He was grateful to Grace, but she made rigid look loose when it came to her duty.
Still, as long as he kept his raging headache to himself, she should have no argument with his plans.
A good thing, because he needed to take control of his life. Being at the whim of fate felt wrong. Whoever he was, whatever he did, he hadn’t been a follower. Deep in his gut he knew he’d been in charge. The Cartier watch sure seemed to indicate so.
He refused to sit around all day and brood over what he didn’t know. But she was right, the holiday hampered them. And he could use a change of clothes.
Bottom line, this hotel room beat the heck out of the hospital. If he had to take another day to heal up, better here than in an antiseptic-scented hell.
He sat on the bed, leaned back against the headboard and crossed his ankles. A pain pill went down easy with a swig of coffee.
She’d made no mention of the kiss they’d shared. Was that because she didn’t remember, or because she preferred not to? Of the few memories he had, it rated right up there at the top. Waking to her bending over him last night had been a temptation he couldn’t resist. Her nearness, the electric connection of her caring gaze broke through his defenses and he reached for her, claiming her soft lips in a sweet kiss. And oh, man. The tension they’d both tried to ignore throughout the night simmered over. Burned him up.
She’d been right there with him, her response explosive. He’d been ready to roll her under him and relieve their tension in the most basic way possible. He remembered the smell of her hair, the taste of the tender spot behind her ear.
When she’d moaned that he was killing her, it shocked him to his senses. Her surrender had him immediately backing off. He wanted her willing, not succumbing. If she was resistant at all, he had no business taking their relationship in a sensual direction. It would create unnecessary tension between him and the one person interested in helping him.
The water went off in the shower. And now he saw her running a towel over damp curves and that short cap of dark hair. He may have left her in her lonely bed last night, but the attraction remained alive within him.
He forced his mind away from the erotic imaginings. Instead he focused on the contacts she’d mentioned. He had to believe he’d soon have a name to replace the emptiness in his head.
It was the last thought he had before he drifted off.
* * *
Grace exited the bathroom to find JD napping on the bed closest to the window. She closed the drapes and wrote him a note telling him she’d be back shortly. Grabbing her purse and phone, she went downstairs to the lobby to make a few phone calls.
The officer on duty in Woodpark stated a patrol had traveled the road JD had been walking on and there’d been no sign of his motorcycle or wallet.
“There was a report of an altercation at the Red Wolf Tavern including a man fitting JD’s description. The bartender said he hadn’t been drinking. He’d eaten, paid for the meal, apparently from a big wad of cash, and bumped shoulders with a guy on his way out the door. Got beer spilled on him. The other guy tried to get tough with him and the man fitting JD’s description put the aggressor on his knees. The guy backed off and that was the end of
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