the front door.
“Thanks, for that and for a great night. I really enjoyed myself.” She smiled at him but doubted he could see in the darkness. There was a street light in another row of the parking lot, but it didn’t reach where they were stopped.
“I owed you one. Think about what I said.”
“I will.” She leaned over to give him a peck on the cheek, a move she had perfected over many first dates, but J.T. had other ideas.
Before she could back away, J.T. slid his fingers through her hair and held her in place while his mouth took hers in a kiss that curled her toes. He didn’t try to ram his tongue down her throat or mash her lips against her teeth. He merely destroyed her with his tenderness.
Her seatbelt was still fastened so she couldn’t lunge forward, but boy, did she want to. His lips caressed hers, teasing her mouth open until his tongue traced the sensitive inner flesh. Heat flared between them, igniting the air in the cab. Even though his hands never strayed from her hair, her nipples hardened beneath her halter top. She could feel herself getting damp and hot between her legs. The urge to climb on top of him and take the kiss deeper was almost overwhelming.
“Think about that too,” he said as he pulled away with a final nip to her lower lip.
“There’s not much chance I’ll forget it.” Her hands shook as she unbuckled herself and eased out of the truck. She was half afraid her legs wouldn’t hold her and she’d fall flat on her face. Now wouldn’t that be a classy exit?
With her head spinning, she barely registered that J.T. didn’t drive off until she went through the lobby doors. It was probably a good thing he hadn’t pushed her about coming up to her room. The way she was feeling right now, all her thoughts of not complicating things wouldn’t have been worth spit.
Her room was stuffy, so she bumped the air conditioning up a notch. She should probably take a cold shower before she climbed into bed, because she had a feeling more of the heat was being generated by her than by the Georgia summer.
Well, she learned one thing for sure. J.T. McBride hadn’t lost any of his moves. Or his potency. She’d have to be even more careful now than when she was eighteen or she’d lose her panties just as fast.
Chapter Five
Nadya woke up hot, sweaty and frustrated. The frustrated part she could lay at J.T.’s door, the hot was due to the steamy temperature in the room. She kicked off the clinging sheet and marched over to the thermostat. Instead of a temperature, it flashed three dotted lines. She was no engineer, but something told her that wasn’t good.
She pressed the button on the phone for the front desk, then waited impatiently for someone to finish assisting other guests. While she listened to how she could earn more points and a free night’s stay, she clicked on the television to the local news station.
The region was expecting record temps with no break in sight. Shocker. Protesters were marching at the entrance gate to the state forest. Nadya was only listening with half an ear, but it seemed like they were up in arms about a proposed development that would abut the forest. She remembered Mary Ellen mentioning something about that yesterday. Violence in downtown Atlanta, the Braves won a squeaker, blah, blah, blah.
Finally, someone picked up the phone.
“Front desk, how may I assist you today?” a harried voice asked.
“Hi, I’m in room 1088 and there seems to be a problem with the air conditioning in my room.”
“Yes, Ms. Sarov, I’m afraid there’s been a problem with the climate-control system. We have maintenance workers dealing with it now, but it may be a day or two before it’s fixed.”
“No air conditioning for a day or two? In this heat?”
“Yes. We’re terribly sorry for your inconvenience and will do all we can to book you into our sister hotel in Strasburg. Would you like me to make that reservation now?”
Strasburg was an hour-and-a-half farther south. If she meant to stay in Georgia for any length of time, it would be a three-hour trip to Dale. “Let me get back to you.”
She hung up the phone and sat heavily on the bed. What to do? She could drive up to Dale today and say goodbye to Mary Ellen and J.T. and forget all about