Page 38 of Mr. Dangerous

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Naomi

Isaton the floor of the hotel room, my aching legs curled beneath me and my back pressed to the foot of the bed. "I'm going to need therapy after that," I said, already flipping through the TV channels with the remote control. Something to distract me from what had just happened. I wasn't sure I would ever sleepagain.

"You already needed therapy," Rob said. He flipped through the room service menu. "Not a lot of options. What do you like on your pizza? Besides not-seafood?"

"Pepperoni."

He picked up the phone and called in a room service order that was a whole lot longer than just pepperoni pizza. I wasn't going toobject.

"I'm not sure I ever want to leave this room," I said when he hung up thephone.

Rob waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively. I had never seen a man waggle his eyebrows before, but there was no denying waggling when I saw it. And it was still, bizarrely, sexy as hell, with those dark brows over those piercingblueeyes.

I smiled. "You neverquit,huh?"

He sat next to me. When his broad shoulder touched mine, I felt a shiver run down my spine. "When I see something I want, I don't quit until Igetit."

"I don't know about that," Imurmured.

Rob started to ask a question, and I cut him off, suddenly exhausted. "I don't want to fight or insinuate or banter, Rob. I'm tired. It's been a longnight."

"All right," he said. "Just pizza, I promise. Do you want me to go? Give you somespace?"

"No.” The thought of Rob leaving made my heart rate speed. "I want you here. I'm still a littleshaken."

"But you'd like for me to bequiet?"

I smiled at that. "I don't know. Seems like an awful lot to askofyou."

"SEALs can be very stealthy," he assured me. "You won't even knowI'mhere."

I breathed in his scent, the soap and the rich, pleasant smell of his pheromones. Forget he was there, hulking and masculine and protective? Not a freakingchance.

I cleared my throat, not wanting to talk about the night and not able to think about anything else. "I'm sorry I forgot to lock the doors after you got out of the car. That I ruined ournight."

He twisted slightly to make eye contact with me, his blue eyes taking on an edge of exasperation. "You didn't do anything wrong. That carjacker did. And my night isn'truined."

"How could it not be? That was terrifying. I'm still shaking." I held out my hands, but they were traitorously still. "Well, I feel like I'm still shaking, anyway. I feel allwrungout."

"That's normal," he reassured me. "Your adrenaline rush is gone and that makes you feel like shit. Always did for me,anyway."

"Hard to believe anything gives you an adrenaline rush," I said. "You seemed pretty matter-of-fact with an armed asshole in thebackseat."

"I did not feel entirely calm, not with you indanger."

"Well. We’re fine. Tomorrow we'll go see your dad, we'll get the Suburban back. Everything normal, just like weplanned."

"Naomi. You don't have to go right back to normal. It's okay to feel upset about what justhappened."

I laughed shakily. "Is the Navy SEAL telling me to stay in touch with myfeelings?"

"Just because I like to avoid mine doesn't mean I think it's healthy for everyone," he retorted. His blue eyes were warm withconcern.

I turned away. I felt so much more than residual fear and anxiety from the carjacking. I felt a sudden surge of lust, a desire for him that was reckless and embarrassing. I didn’t want him to see the heat inmyeyes.

I knew this was purely primal. All I had to do was talk myself through the desire to rip Rob’s clothes off and straddle him. I'd been afraid. Rob, with his powerful, athletic body and dangerous competence, seemed like he could protect me from anything. So now I wanted him. Even more than I hadbefore.

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