Page 29 of Wanted
He looked around the room. A bitter laugh left his lips when he saw the mirror. How sweet of her to leave him a note. The word “key” was written in lipstick with an arrow pointing downward to the dresser.
He laughed again and, suddenly, the humor of the situation got to him. “You are going to pay for this, baby. Big time.”
There was no way he could reach that key. He looked for the phone and saw she’d moved it off the nightstand and put it all the way over by the window. His cell? It was in the back pocket of his jeans on the floor. Stretching out, he reached with his toes, but no amount of contorting could get him close.
“Hell.” There was nothing he could do but make himself comfortable.
It was an hour before he heard somebody in the hallway. Embarrassing as it was, he called out for help. A little maid responded, and her dark eyes grew huge when she discovered his predicament. Reno didn’t know who was more embarrassed when she picked up the key and timidly approached him.
He didn’t have time to explain, though. As soon as she turned him loose, he grabbed the sheet from off the bed and made a beeline to the bathroom. He heard her giggling behind him, and his face, along with most of the rest of his body, turned red with embarrassment.
If that wasn’t bad enough, it took another half-hour to explain the situation to the irate hotel manager. He’d had to lie through his teeth. Reno was so frustrated and embarrassed that by the time he got out of there, he had a pounding headache. He walked out to the parking lot with his mind on other things—like his pride, his reputation, and his weakness for a hot-blooded, but cold-hearted blonde. He reached into the pocket of his jeans for his keys and stopped in his tracks.
“Fuck!” She’d taken them, too.
His head snapped up, and he looked for his rental car. He couldn’t have been more surprised to find it still parked in the space where he’d left it.
Even more shocking, Danielle sat on the hood.
A band of steel circled Reno’s chest, and suddenly, he found it hard to breathe. She was huddled into a ball with her feet propped up on the bumper. Her elbows were settled upon her knees, and her face was buried in her hands. She looked so sad and alone that his heart squeezed.
He didn’t say a word as he approached her. She heard his footsteps, though, and looked up quickly. When she saw that it was him, she hurriedly wiped the tears from her face. She swallowed hard and watched him with wary eyes.
The tears were what did it. He walked straight up to her, reached out, cupped the back of her head, and kissed her.
They’d done a lot of things last night, but this was the one intimacy she’d denied him.
Her lips trembled under his. He changed the angle of his mouth, and the contact deepened. With a groan, she leaned her head back. Her fingers dug into his jacket, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
At last, she surrendered.
The band around his chest loosened, and he swept her off the hood of the car and into his arms. Her fingers dove into his hair, and their tongues rasped as they learned each other’s taste.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathless. “Baby,” he said hoarsely. “You’ve got to stop running.”
Dani couldn’t meet his gaze. Nerves had her stomach churning. She was putting a lot on the line. No, not a lot.Everything. “Were you telling the truth when you offered to work with me to prove my innocence?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “I should have made that clear last night.”
Her heart lodged in her throat, and her voice went tight. “I didn’t do it. I swear. I wouldn’t do something like that.”
A muscle in his jaw worked, and he cupped her face with both hands. “I know.”
“Really?” Dani asked, fresh tears pressing at her eyes.
“Really.”
She jumped so hard against him that she almost knocked him over. She buried her face against his neck and hugged him tightly. She tried not to get too excited. Her name hadn’t been cleared yet.
But he’d said he believed her, and that was worth almost as much.
“Okay, now. Stop that,” he muttered. His hands swept up and down her back. “I’m not good with tears.”
She let out a long breath and sagged against him.
“How long have you been sitting here?” he asked. “Have you eaten yet?”
She shook her head.
