Page 25 of Cast in Shadow
Knowledge was power, and he already had enough in his arsenal.
The knock sounded again—louder this time. And again, she ignored him.
Until the door opened.
She peeked out from behind the curtain and glared at him. His hand was inches from the fabric, outstretched, as if he was about to rip it open.
Where did he think she was going to go? It was a hotel bathroom. There were no windows. No other doors. There was an exhaust fan, which presumably led to ductwork, but that kind of thing only worked in the movies.
“What?” she demanded sharply.
He blinked and took a step back. “You’ve been in there a long time.”
“So?”
“I ...” He paused, as if at a loss for words.
His gaze raked over her bare shoulder and the visible part of her arm, moving to the area concealed behind the curtain. His eyes appeared to take on a glow.
Could he see anything through the material? Or was he just using his imagination, as she had been?
Her breasts tingled, and for one brief, insane moment, she considered opening the shower curtain and letting him drink his fill. It seemed only fair. She’d seen his bare chest after all, and she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. Perhaps she should return the favor.
Also, she couldn’t help but wonder what he would do if she did.
She didn’t get the chance to find out. The tense moment lasted a few seconds. Then, he blinked again, cleared his throat, and averted his eyes.
“Food’s here.”
Irrational disappointment washed over her, but it was tinged with a hint of triumph, too, because his voice was huskier than it had been. Perhaps her cocky, disciplined bad boy wasn’t quite as unaffected as he wanted her to believe.
“Great. Save some for me. And, Zeke?”
“Yeah?”
“Get out.”
“Right.”
She stayed in the shower for a while longer just because, then got out and dried off. Wrapping a towel around her head, she pulled on comfortable clothes and went into the main room. Zeke was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at a television that wasn’t on, looking as if he was deep in thought.
Is he thinking about me? The thought was immensely satisfying.
“It works better if you turn it on,” she commented, moving to the table, where an array of takeout sat, waiting. The delicious aromas had her mouth watering, yet it didn’t look as if he’d touched any of it. “Did you eat yet?”
He shook his head.
She grabbed some food and settled on the bed with her laptop. “Aw, you waited for me? That’s sweet.”
He grunted and frowned. Whatever she thought she might have seen on his face was gone, his expression back to the same closed business-as-usual look she’d become accustomed to. But she had seen a flare of interest—she was sure she had.
“So, how much longer until we get to where we’re going?”
“Two days. Maybe three, depending on what we hit.”
An eternity. And an instant. Her window of opportunity was closing fast. She had to make up her mind. Did she continue to play the docile package to find out more about the mysterious Charley and what she was offering? Or did she disappear while she still had the chance?
She stretched her leg out, taking pleasure in the fact that Zeke noticed. Cool, collected mercenary he might be, but he was still a man who noticed a woman’s bare leg.
