Guarded by the Cowboy - Em Petrova Page 0,17
able to find Black’s wife.”
All of it would be worth the suffering and humiliation if she did find her.
“Did that big ape who showed us to our room tell you the time you get off duty?” she asked with more hope in her voice than she wanted to display. She didn’t want him to think she was eager to meet him in bed. In fact, she was uncomfortably aware that they’d be sharing the double, or one of them would be camping on the floor.
The only satisfaction she got from looking at the small bed came from the fact Boone’s feet would hang off the end.
“Do I want to know what that smile means?” His deep voice broke through her musings.
She bit down on her lip. “No. Definitely not.”
They stared at each other. “Are you ready?” he asked.
She nodded.
He started toward the door.
“Wait!”
He turned, a crinkle between his brows.
“You forgot your hat.”
“Not sure if I’m allowed to wear it yet.”
The white Stetson associated with WEST Protection lay vulnerable on the mattress, and while Boone was hot as hell without it, she found she preferred him with.
The thought had her backpedaling to escape the very odd feelings growing inside her at being alone with a gorgeous cowboy who she was married to. She wore his rings.
No, I wear Brodie Marks’s rings.
She ran her thumb along the rough bumps of the diamond bands and then held out her hand. “Do you think a maid would be wearing these?”
“Don’t take them off, Lauralee. It shows our status, and Black wants that. I’m sure if you’re doing something dirty, you’ll be wearing gloves.”
At the mention of “something dirty,” heat climbed up her throat. Damn her pale skin—she knew she must be flushing, and Boone looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.
“Don’t be worried,” he said.
Relief that he’d mistaken the reason her high color flooded in.
“You got this. You’re doing great.”
“Thank you. Let’s get this over with.”
He walked to the door and opened it for her. She passed through, and damn if she didn’t feel his heated stare traveling over her back for the second time. Knowing he’d be the one to zip her out of this blasted dress had her on edge. Part of her wanted to get it off as fast as possible, and the other part of her… Well, maybe getting out of the ugly dress would be worth it, even if it meant Boone had to put his hands on her.
In the hallway, Thornburne stood waiting to take them wherever Black wanted them. As soon as they began walking, another maid in the same blue uniform emerged from a door and fell into step beside Lauralee.
“I’m Anna. I’m going to be showing you the ropes today.”
She smiled. “Laur—Lara,” she corrected herself, hoping she simply sounded nervous and not as if she was covering up her true identity or a dozen misgivings about whether or not she really could pull off this undercover business without being caught.
Anna angled her head toward an intersecting corridor. “This way.”
Lauralee paused. Boone continued to walk ahead of her with Thornburne, but he tossed her a glance over his shoulder that told her everything would be all right. And tonight, they’d meet up in their room and discuss what they’d seen and heard this afternoon.
She caught up to Anna, offering her a smile. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. If I was married to a man like that, I wouldn’t want to leave my bed!” She giggled.
Lauralee sneaked one more look. Even though he faced forward again, she wouldn’t put it past him to possess the sharp hearing of a Wynton, and heard every word Anna said.
Her stare fell on the hard, chiseled buns in those black dress pants. Secretly she had to agree with Anna—Boone was a damn fine man.
* * * * *
According to Boone’s momma, men couldn’t multitask. More than once she claimed the men at her table couldn’t think and eat at the same time. Good thing he was proving her wrong today.
He listened intently to every word Thornburne told him, drank in each detail of his surroundings…and still managed to keep thinking about how sexy Lauralee looked in that maid uniform.
Call him a pervert, but even that little frill around her neck gave him a case of blue balls, not to mention the tight way the fabric clung to her hips.
Hips he’d wanted to latch on to and pull against him just to hear her gasp.
Right now, he wished like hell he’d taken