crawl inside his skin. As his hands roamed the small of her back and below, she arched into him wishing her hands were not trapped in the mess of blankets still entangling her body.
“What am I doing?” she moaned, dropping her head to rest on his chest as she struggled to catch her breath.
Royce loosened his arms slightly, unwilling to let her get too far away. Not only did he enjoy holding her close, but his towel had slipped, and that cold shower was now a distant memory.
“Who are you?” Becki finally managed to ask as she looked into the deepest emerald green eyes she had ever seen. Suddenly becoming aware that she was still wrapped in his muscular arms, Becki tried to take a step back. Royce responded immediately by tightening his grip on her.
She tried to step away once more only to be wrapped even more closely in his strong arms.
“Ok, hot-shot, you’re starting to tick me off,” she said managing to free her hands. Becki pushed against his chest with both hands, “It’s time for you to let me go”.
“I can’t do that,” he replied.
“Now,” she reiterated, pushing against him as she tried to wiggle out of his arms.
“Uh, my towel slipped so unless you want--”
“What towel-- Oh my God,” Becki said, wrenching herself out of his arms and throwing the blankets at him all in the same fluid motion. “Stay right there, I’ll get you some clothes.”
As she hurried away, his gaze lingered on the strip of skin left bare by a tank top that ended just below her breasts and short-shorts that would be illegal in most countries. As he watched, she stopped, wrinkled her brow, and scratched her head as if puzzled. Suddenly she spun around and stalked back across the room, not stopping until she was directly in front of him.
Tilting her head to one side and squinting up at him, she got directly to the point. “What did you say you were doing in my house again, naked?” she asked.
Becki wrinkled her nose as she caught the scent of her favorite shaving cream. She leaned closer to him, and sniffed. “Did you use my twenty five dollar can of shaving gel?” she said incredulously, poking him hard with a finger in the center of his chest.
Royce raised his hands in the universal sign of surrender, “If you will get me something to wear, I’ll explain,” he negotiated.
She looked at him as if he had three heads, folded her arms, and began taping her foot; clearly indicating that she was not going anywhere.
“I’m a friend of Ryker’s--” he began.
“Ryker? My landlord Ryker?”
“Yes,” he confirmed, “we’ve been friends for years. I’m going to be in town for a couple of weeks and I usually stay here when I’m in the area.”
His stomach clinched as he lied to her, but there was no other explanation he could offer, at least not an explanation that was reasonable.
“Well you are not staying here this time. It’s occupied,” she said with a glare.
“So noted; I’m sorry I frightened you,” he apologized, then offered a bribe, “I’ll buy you a new can of shaving cream if you find some clothes for me.”
She narrowed her eyes and planted her hands on her hips. However, she had stopped tapping her foot which Royce decided to view as progress.
“Two cans,” he quickly upped the ante. “Two cans of shaving cream for a shirt and pair of shorts,” he bargained flashing his dimples.
“Deal,” she agreed, before turning to rush from the room. She had better find those clothes…quickly. When he flashed that smile, her first impulse had been to tackle him to the floor and have her wicked way with him.
He fleetingly wished he could spend some time with her, get to know her a little better (maybe even a lot better). You might as well stop right there buddy. Royce shook his head at the foolishness of wishing. Time was one thing he did not have. The mission was already two years behind schedule, so there was literally no more time to spare. He had a job to do, a team to lead, and a coin to find. He also needed to figure out the Witches’ agenda; they always had an agenda. He didn’t know what they were up to, or why they were meddling in the recovery operation, but he was damn sure going to find out. Glancing at his watch, he wondered what the hell could be keeping Sean.