A Perfect Storm
Page 33
Smiling with anticipation, she answered with a feigned and careless, “’Lo?”
“You left me.”
Her pulsed tripped at the low, oh-so-familiar timbre of his voice. She hadn’t left him. She’d just…left. Why did he make it sound so personal?
“Just noticed that, huh? Man, Spence, you really are astute.”
“You snuck out while I was in the shower.”
Why wasn’t he blowing a gasket? She’d managed to get past his watchful eye, and that more or less proved she was better than him—right? That should have made him furious. Instead he sounded dark and mysterious and…she didn’t know.
“I had some stuff to get done.” Then she reminded him, “But I was there when you woke up as promised, right? I even hung around for breakfast.”
“Biding your time?”
Annoyance straightened her shoulders and sharpened her tone. “I stuck to the letter of our deal—like you did when you talked to Trace, but not Jackson.”
Nothing. No argument, no reply, not even a sound of frustration.
His lack of response spoiled all her fun. On a sigh, Arizona gave up and said, “I had to go shopping so I’d have something appropriate to wear tonight.”
“So it wasn’t just to get even with me for talking to Trace?”
“No.” Well, maybe a little. “I needed to move locations, too, and…well, a girl’s got prep work to do before seducing the masses.”
“I wanted you to stay.”
Oh, wow. She heard his disappointment. And damn it, it ramped up her guilt a lot. “I told you I couldn’t do that.”
“You and I are going to have a nice long talk about what you can and cannot do.”
He sounded so certain of her agreement that she wanted to turn him down. But she needed to keep the peace so that he’d continue to work with her. “Okay. When?”
“As soon as you let me in.”
“Let you…” Control eroded under growing temper. “Where are you?”
One firm rap sounded on her door. “Open up, honey.”
Instead, she stepped back from the door. Voice cracking with outrage, she yelled, “What the hell, Spencer?”
“I don’t want to draw attention out here. Are you going to open up or not?”
She looked down at herself. The white towel barely protected her dubious modesty. “No, I am not.” He could damn well wait for her to dress. It’d do him good to cool his heels in the shabby lobby of the motel. “You had no right to come here—”
“Have it your way.” He disconnected the call.
Grrrrr. Furious—and disappointed that he’d given up so easily—she squeezed the phone, considered throwing it at the door, and decided instead to demand he come back and give her the battle she needed.
She marched toward the door, but as she reached for the doorknob, she heard a scraping sound within the lock. She knew that sound.
He was breaking in!
Sheer surprise lifted her brows and obliterated her anger. She glanced around at the room, started to retreat once more—and the door swung open.
Returning a steel pick and tension wrench to a small leather case, Spencer stepped in, used his heel to nudge the door shut again, and turned to face her.
Her startled surprise was nothing compared to his.
Finding her more naked than not, with nothing but a couple of towels covering her, he went on high alert. Except for his gaze going all over her, he didn’t move. When he finally got his attention up to her face, his eyes darkened. “Hey.”
Hey? That’s all he had to say?
Arizona forgot her state of undress. Well, no, really she didn’t. She just forgot how much she cared.
Umbrage brought her storming up to him, and she poked him hard in the chest. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
He caught her finger and held on. “You thought you were the only one who could pick a lock?”
She jerked free of his hold—and almost lost her towel. She secured the knot above her br**sts and stepped back. More subdued now, she muttered, “That’s not what I mean and you know it.”
One eyebrow lifted—and he pushed away from the door to step toward her. “I told you I was good at tracking.”
“You followed me, Spencer.” She didn’t understand his current mood. “That’s not at all the same thing.”
Shrugging, he finally got his attention off her and scoped out her room instead. “Close enough.”
When he eyed the laptop she’d set up on the small bedside table, she shoved it shut. She hadn’t been looking at anything private, but that wasn’t the point.
Ignoring that, he lifted the T-shirt she’d discarded on the bed and then her bra.
Arizona snatched both away from him. She was a tidy person and would have stored them away in her duffel once she’d gotten dressed in the new duds.
Smiling slightly, he said, “I’m relieved that you’re a fast shopper. In and out in under twenty minutes. Admirable.”
He’d been hot on her heels the whole time! She grabbed his arm, but didn’t have much luck turning him toward her. “You were in the shower! How did you even know I left?”
Despite her hold, he went to the window—which meant she went to the window, too.
He moved aside the curtain to look out. “You think I trusted you to stay put? No. I was listening for you. It’s odd, Arizona, but I can already read you.” He glanced first at her hand on his arm—until she dropped it—and then at her face. “I knew all along you were going to cut out. I saw it in your eyes.”
“You left me.”
Her pulsed tripped at the low, oh-so-familiar timbre of his voice. She hadn’t left him. She’d just…left. Why did he make it sound so personal?
“Just noticed that, huh? Man, Spence, you really are astute.”
“You snuck out while I was in the shower.”
Why wasn’t he blowing a gasket? She’d managed to get past his watchful eye, and that more or less proved she was better than him—right? That should have made him furious. Instead he sounded dark and mysterious and…she didn’t know.
“I had some stuff to get done.” Then she reminded him, “But I was there when you woke up as promised, right? I even hung around for breakfast.”
“Biding your time?”
Annoyance straightened her shoulders and sharpened her tone. “I stuck to the letter of our deal—like you did when you talked to Trace, but not Jackson.”
Nothing. No argument, no reply, not even a sound of frustration.
His lack of response spoiled all her fun. On a sigh, Arizona gave up and said, “I had to go shopping so I’d have something appropriate to wear tonight.”
“So it wasn’t just to get even with me for talking to Trace?”
“No.” Well, maybe a little. “I needed to move locations, too, and…well, a girl’s got prep work to do before seducing the masses.”
“I wanted you to stay.”
Oh, wow. She heard his disappointment. And damn it, it ramped up her guilt a lot. “I told you I couldn’t do that.”
“You and I are going to have a nice long talk about what you can and cannot do.”
He sounded so certain of her agreement that she wanted to turn him down. But she needed to keep the peace so that he’d continue to work with her. “Okay. When?”
“As soon as you let me in.”
“Let you…” Control eroded under growing temper. “Where are you?”
One firm rap sounded on her door. “Open up, honey.”
Instead, she stepped back from the door. Voice cracking with outrage, she yelled, “What the hell, Spencer?”
“I don’t want to draw attention out here. Are you going to open up or not?”
She looked down at herself. The white towel barely protected her dubious modesty. “No, I am not.” He could damn well wait for her to dress. It’d do him good to cool his heels in the shabby lobby of the motel. “You had no right to come here—”
“Have it your way.” He disconnected the call.
Grrrrr. Furious—and disappointed that he’d given up so easily—she squeezed the phone, considered throwing it at the door, and decided instead to demand he come back and give her the battle she needed.
She marched toward the door, but as she reached for the doorknob, she heard a scraping sound within the lock. She knew that sound.
He was breaking in!
Sheer surprise lifted her brows and obliterated her anger. She glanced around at the room, started to retreat once more—and the door swung open.
Returning a steel pick and tension wrench to a small leather case, Spencer stepped in, used his heel to nudge the door shut again, and turned to face her.
Her startled surprise was nothing compared to his.
Finding her more naked than not, with nothing but a couple of towels covering her, he went on high alert. Except for his gaze going all over her, he didn’t move. When he finally got his attention up to her face, his eyes darkened. “Hey.”
Hey? That’s all he had to say?
Arizona forgot her state of undress. Well, no, really she didn’t. She just forgot how much she cared.
Umbrage brought her storming up to him, and she poked him hard in the chest. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
He caught her finger and held on. “You thought you were the only one who could pick a lock?”
She jerked free of his hold—and almost lost her towel. She secured the knot above her br**sts and stepped back. More subdued now, she muttered, “That’s not what I mean and you know it.”
One eyebrow lifted—and he pushed away from the door to step toward her. “I told you I was good at tracking.”
“You followed me, Spencer.” She didn’t understand his current mood. “That’s not at all the same thing.”
Shrugging, he finally got his attention off her and scoped out her room instead. “Close enough.”
When he eyed the laptop she’d set up on the small bedside table, she shoved it shut. She hadn’t been looking at anything private, but that wasn’t the point.
Ignoring that, he lifted the T-shirt she’d discarded on the bed and then her bra.
Arizona snatched both away from him. She was a tidy person and would have stored them away in her duffel once she’d gotten dressed in the new duds.
Smiling slightly, he said, “I’m relieved that you’re a fast shopper. In and out in under twenty minutes. Admirable.”
He’d been hot on her heels the whole time! She grabbed his arm, but didn’t have much luck turning him toward her. “You were in the shower! How did you even know I left?”
Despite her hold, he went to the window—which meant she went to the window, too.
He moved aside the curtain to look out. “You think I trusted you to stay put? No. I was listening for you. It’s odd, Arizona, but I can already read you.” He glanced first at her hand on his arm—until she dropped it—and then at her face. “I knew all along you were going to cut out. I saw it in your eyes.”
