Mission Happy (A Texas Desires Novel Book 3) by Rylie Roberts Page A

Let’s go!” She still didn’t seem to get the clue he was trying to get the door for her. She grabbed the side, yanked it open, then wrapped her arm around his, pulling him across the front lobby.
    “Have you eaten?” he asked, his stomach giving a rumble at the delicious smells coming from the nearby steak house.
    “No detours. Straight to the elevators,” she commanded, never slowing her roll. This wasn’t that foreign of a concept. Ty made him do these things when they were out in public together. That little tickle of concern, the same one he’d had when he’d watched her talking to the personal driver, came back in full force, causing him to look at her a little closer. Her tipsy levels had definitely diminished, and she clearly knew her way around the hotel with the direct route she’d taken to a set of elevators located in the back of the hotel, away from the sight of the general public.
    “Are you famous?” Connor asked once inside the car.
    “What floor?” she asked, not acknowledging him or his question in the slightest. Julie stayed poised with a finger out to push the floor’s button.
    “Seventeen. Are you famous?” he asked again and stepped to the back wall, trying to create some distance. When she started to step toward him, Connor moved to the other side. That finally caught her attention, and she stared at him. The overhead beeps signaled they’d passed at least three floors before she answered.
    “I’ve been acting for many years. I just watched the media tear apart and crucify a new but very good friend of mine. You never know who’s out there lurking, and I’ve tried hard to keep my reputation clean,” she explained.
    Connor stared hard at her. He’d let his guard down with Julie. He couldn’t see her clearly, but she truly seemed to be telling him the truth.
    “Connor, I don’t want anything to get in our way tonight. That’s all I was doing down there. I promise.” Julie came for him again, backing him against the elevator wall and walking into him before wrapping her arms around his waist. “You were pretty magnificent tonight. Great company and great sex. I just want to finish what we started. That’s it. You know that, right?”
    He registered her reassuring grin. She was trying to divert his attention…which he guessed was technically okay. Maybe his hesitation had nothing to do with her and everything to do with his recent diagnosis and those severe mood swings the doctors had warned him about.
    Bottom line—he’d already had this beautiful woman once. She appeared willing to give him a second shot, and if he got lucky, then maybe she’d stay the night—he’d get some much needed cuddle time. If this was all calculated in order to get herself in front of Ty, then he’d set her straight when the time came. Until then, he just simply needed what she was offering.
    “You’re pretty distracting,” he said, his hands going to her hips and tugging her closer against his body.
    “I’ve never done this before,” she said sweetly, lifting up on her tiptoes to get closer to his lips. She could have gone the distance, reached his mouth, but she wanted him to meet her halfway. He had no problem with that and leaned forward to kiss her puckered lips.
    “Good. Then you won’t forget me,” he said, staring down at her. The doors opened and they said nothing more until they got a few doors down from his room. She would have no idea the way to his room. Instead of asking, she walked with her arms wrapped around one of his and her head resting on his shoulder, trusting him to lead her.
    The intimate hold had him moving slower in order to keep her right there by his side. “No rushing this time. You got somewhere to be?”
    “Not until the morning,” she answered.
    In front of his hotel room, he pulled out his wallet and dug through the cards for the key card, inserting it into the security pad.
    “Good. Then let’s order some room service. Get a couple of bottles