Page 65 of Burn

Which by the way, I do, so yet another reason why I can’t tell Scarlet anything about him.

My heart starts to race. “And by damage you mean?”

“Damage. He had a temper tantrum the other night, which was to be expected. Rhya was . . . Let’s just say she was important to him.”

I know I shouldn’t ask, but I do because I’m interested. I saw him the other night, and that man wasn’t the same man I met before. “Were they dating?”

Willa shakes her head. “No.” And she leaves it at that, scrolling through her phone. “So we’ll check out sometime early in the morning.”

Nodding, I make a note for the security here to ramp up and make sure the east exit is clear for him. That’s usually where we have him go since it’s more secure.

As I’m doing that, someone catches my eye.

Not just someone, Caleb fucking Ryan does.

He’s walking past the restaurant windows and into the main lobby of the hotel.

My hotel.

I do a double-take, my eyes widening with each step he takes and then I choke on my spit. “I need to go,” I tell Willa in a rush and grab my phone off the table. “Do you need anything else?”

She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, her wide-set brown eyes dilated. “Nope.”

Rushing out of the restaurant, I practically sprint into the lobby only to find Caleb standing there, hands in his pockets with a dirty smirk on his face.

“What are you doing here?”

Coolly, he raises an eyebrow. “Do you want me to leave?”

Christ, he knows I’m not going to tell him no. Goddamn this guy. He’s really something else. Remember when I said don’t date drummers?

I’m beginning to think maybe firefighters should be on that list too. Mostly because once they get under your skin, there’s no stopping them from bringing the heat.

“I have to work today. Go away.”

“Make me,” he challenges in a whisper, his eyes tightening. “And why is it you’re mean to me here, but then you were practically begging to see me last night?”

Begging? I do not recall begging. There could have been some desperation in my movements, but I wouldn’t go as far to say begging.

“I wasn’t begging you,” I growl, glaring at him. “Andyoukissedme. I thought we agreed we’d meet up tonight?”

“I don’t remember it that way.Youpushedmeup against the side of the truck. I remember that much.” He makes a humming sound and touches my hand with his. “And I couldn’t wait until tonight to see you.”

Is he joking? He looks like he’s teasing me.

I knock his hand away, and his eyes jerk up to meet mine. I might be giving in, but I have to keep him on his toes somehow.

And then his mouth cracks, a widening of his lips and a peek at his perfectly white teeth. “So, do you rent rooms by the hour here?”

“We don’t rent rooms by the hour here.”

“Hmm.” He knocks his knuckles against the granite. “That’s a shame.”

“You’re awful!” I whisper, my gaze darting around the lobby to make sure no one can hear us. Heather’s at the end of the counter assisting guests, but her assessing stare keeps moving our way.

He leans in, his forearms resting on the counter, dipping his head until I meet his gaze. And when I do, he says, “I want to get you naked again,” he admits, a flicker of amusement in those green eyes I dream about. A hint of a smile forms but he masks it by rubbing his hand of over his mouth and straightens his posture. “But if you’re too busy . . .”

He leaves his words hanging there, like I should take the bait.

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