Against the Edge (The Raines of Wind Can - By Kat Martin Page 0,38

from the hottest body of any man she had ever known, in a rugged sort of way, he was one of the best-looking. Everything about Ben Slocum screamed sexy. From his short, slightly wavy black hair to those amazing pale blue eyes.

She had determinedly kept Ben at a distance, but part of her wanted to give in to the incredible desire she felt for him. Wanted to experience the hot sex those heated looks promised.

But Claire was smart enough not to do something as stupid as sleeping with Ben.

Eleven

Ben pulled into the motel and parked in front of the entrance. Claire got out to stretch her legs a little after sitting in the car for so long. They walked into the lobby together and up to the front desk.

A short young man with shaggy brown hair looked up. “May I help you?”

“We need a couple of rooms,” Ben said. “Just for the night.”

Or at least that was what Claire hoped. Ben hoped he would be able to locate Hutchins on the internet. Or that his friend would find him in the morning. Even if that didn’t happen, Claire figured Ben would be too anxious to wait and would rather push farther down the road.

The desk clerk pounded on his keyboard, then turned back to them. “Sorry, sir, we only have one room left but it has two queen beds. That’s the best we can do.”

Ben nodded, rubbed a weary hand over his face. “Thanks, anyway.” He turned to Claire. “We’ll head down the highway a ways, see what else we can find.”

Claire shook her head. “You’re exhausted. Both of us are. I’m not afraid to sleep in the same room with you.” She ignored the way his gaze sharpened, the way it made her stomach contract.

“You sure?”

“I can trust you, right?”

His mouth edged up. “Mostly. You’re safe with me tonight...if that’s what you want.”

A flush crept into her face as she turned back to the desk clerk. “We’ll take it.”

The young man slid the paperwork across the counter. Ben filled it out, and the man handed each of them a key.

“Number 203. Second floor, down at the far end of the hall. You can park down there and use your key to get into the building. Take the stairs to the second floor.”

Ben stuffed the key into his pocket. “Thanks.” Heading back to the SUV, he moved the car to a parking space at the other end of the motel. All the way there, Claire worried she had made the wrong decision.

She wasn’t really going to sleep with Ben, she told herself. Not in the literal sense. She was just sleeping in a bed in the same room with him. But her heart was beating a little too fast, making her wonder if she would actually get any sleep.

“I hope this is a good idea,” he said, reading her mind as he opened the motel room door and held it for her to walk in towing her carry-on. He walked in behind her and tossed his canvas duffel onto the overstuffed chair.

He turned on the lamp beside one of the beds. “Ladies first. You get first shot at the bathroom.”

She nodded. “Thanks.” Tugging her bag in that direction, she went inside and locked the door. Thank heavens there was a fan so he wouldn’t be able to hear what she was doing.

She showered and brushed her teeth, then pulled on the white sleep tee with a teddy bear on the front that she had brought with her. It covered her sufficiently from neck to midthigh, but when she walked out of the bathroom and noticed the way Ben was looking at her, she felt half-naked.

There was a bottle of water on the dresser. She cracked it open and took a drink, noticed his computer set up on the desk. “Find anything?”

Ben just shook his head. “Looks like it’s going to take more than just a name. Might even be an alias. I’ll call Sol first thing in the morning.” Ben headed for the bathroom, his expression tired and grim.

Claire was under the covers pretending to be asleep when he came back out. Through lowered lashes, she watched him, noticing he wore only a pair of white cotton briefs, figured even that was a concession to her.

He walked over to the other bed and stood with his back to her, testing the firmness of the mattress, drawing back the covers. Long, powerful legs, wide muscular shoulders that veed to a pair