Hide and Seek - Lara Adrian Page 0,72
what he’d copied, didn’t even bother to shut down the computer properly or eject the stick safely, just slapped the lid shut and pulled the flash drive from the port.
A few seconds later, he left the stall and walked out of the restroom.
Michelle was already waiting for him. She smiled. “Beat you to it.”
Nick shook his head in disbelief. “You can give a guy complexes, you know that?” He put his arm around her waist and guided her to the door of the restaurant.
The hostess opened it for them. “Thank you for your visit.”
“Good night,” Nick responded and walked out the moment a lightning bolt split the sky. Only a second later, thunder sounded above him, and the clouds opened up, unloading raindrops as thick as peas.
“Damn!” Michelle cursed, stopping under the awning in front of the restaurant.
Nick looked at her thin summer dress, which would most likely become transparent once soaked. And while he wouldn’t mind that particular kind of view, he was sure she wouldn’t appreciate it.
“I think we’d better try to get a cab.”
“You’ve obviously never tried to get a cab during a D.C. downpour.” She shook her head. “We’ll be standing here all night. I say we make a run for it.”
He looked at her with a newfound appreciation for her no-frills attitude. “You sure?”
“You chicken?”
“No, just a gentleman.” He grinned and took her hand. “But since you clearly don’t care about gentlemanly manners, I’ll submit to your wishes.”
Michelle winked at him. “Submit, huh?”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t get any ideas!”
He tugged at her hand, and they dashed out from underneath the protective canopy, running along the sidewalk. Instantly they were doused from above as if they’d stepped into a shower stall, while passing cars splashed them from the side. There was no escaping the water.
Luckily, Nick knew that his computer was well protected in its water- and shockproof cover inside his backpack.
It didn’t take them more than four minutes to bridge the distance from the restaurant to Michelle’s apartment. When Michelle opened her handbag to dig for her keys upon reaching the main entrance of her apartment building, Nick stretched out his hand and took them from her.
“Allow me, milady!” he said gallantly and bowed in an effort to distract her.
“Playing knight now, are you?”
He turned toward the door, hiding what he needed to do by showing Michelle his back. “Knight in shining armor actually,” he said jokingly, buying himself more time to hook the flash drive back onto the key ring. He turned the key in the lock an instant later and opened the door.
Michelle rushed inside and he followed, shaking off the excess water from his hair and body while the door fell shut behind him. Michelle was already climbing the stairs, eager to get to her apartment, and he hurried after her. Her wet dress showed every curve of her body, clinging to her like a second skin. Through it, he could see that all she wore beneath was a thong, no bra. The sight made him hard in an instant.
Arrived at the door to her apartment, Nick pulled Michelle into his arms, unable to hold back his desire for her a moment longer.
“Do you know how sexy you look just now?”
“I look like a drowned rat,” she claimed, laughing.
“A very sexy drowned rat,” he conceded and pressed her against the door, sinking his lips onto her hot mouth. Her lips parted immediately, allowing him to kiss her without restraint. Lust boiled up in him. Collecting all his remaining self control, he severed the kiss, breathing hard.
“We’d better get inside before we give your neighbors a show they’ll never forget.” He reached past her and inserted the key into the lock.
“You’re a bad influence,” Michelle said, but the sparkle in her eyes confirmed that she didn’t consider this to be a bad thing.
Nick pushed the door open and nudged her inside. He tossed the keys onto the side table and kicked the door shut, before setting his backpack down. Then he pressed her against the wall beside the bathroom door.
“Yeah, a really bad influence,” he mumbled and crushed her lips with his.
11
Her clothes were clinging to her, and Michelle knew she looked terrible, but it didn’t matter, because Nick made her feel beautiful. His mouth was hungry on hers, his hands eager to free her of her wet clothes, his pelvis rocking against her with an urgency and rhythm that left nothing to her imagination.
With trembling hands she tugged on his shirt,