“Rhys and Veronica are out, but they should be back by the time you’re up. Rhys said to make yourself at home. Marcus and I are here,” she indicated a door on the right, “but the rest of the rooms are available. Help yourself. If you need anything, request it from the suite computer and someone will bring it up.”
I stepped across the hallway and opened the first door. A pretty room in buttercup yellow greeted me and I shrugged. It had a bed, so good enough.
“I need six hours,” I said. I really needed more like eight, but six would have to do. “If you decide we should go the meeting route instead of breaking in, set it up and call me so I get up in time. Otherwise I’ll see you in the morning. Evening. Whatever.” I was too tired to deal with time zones right now.
I moved back to Ada and hugged her close. “Thank you. Be careful.”
“You’re welcome and I will be.”
Ada let go and Loch handed me my bag. “I’ll keep her out of trouble,” he promised.
Ian moved down the hall and opened the door next to mine. “See you all in six hours,” he said. He looked at Loch. “Let me know if you need help.”
Loch inclined his head in agreement. Satisfied, Ian disappeared into his room.
I waved to Ada and Loch, then entered my room for the night and closed the door. I crossed to the bed and dug through my bag until I found the silencer. I clicked it on and moaned in relief. I still felt shaky, but now that I didn’t have to fight the signals for focus, my stomach started to settle.
I put the silencer next to the bed then moved away until the signals came back. I sent Catarina a quick message, then set my com on a dresser outside the silence field. If Ada called, she would be able to get through. That done, I explored the suite.
My room had its own bathroom—a giant, luxurious affair—and a huge walk-in closet. The third door opened upon a view of Ian in a pair of boxer briefs and nothing else.
My brain stuttered to a stop. Tan skin, taut muscles, and a face so handsome, it seemed sculpted. He glanced at me and raised one eyebrow. When he turned my way, I couldn’t help watching the beautiful play of muscles as he moved.
Until I realized he was moving closer and I was staring.
I squeaked, my face flamed in embarrassment, and I slammed the door closed with a shouted, “Sorry!”
Then I promptly banged my head on the door and cursed under my breath for acting like a teenager instead of a grown woman. What was it about him that turned my brain into a pile of stupid?
The door had no lock, so when Ian tried to open it from his side, I silently held the handle and prayed he’d give up. I was not so lucky. “Bianca, let go of the door.” The thick door muffled his voice, but I could still hear him.
“Let me die in peace,” I moaned under my breath.
Somehow, he heard me, and his voice turned amused. “I don’t think embarrassment is terminal.”
“It might be in this case,” I muttered, but I let go of the handle.
He swung the door open and there he was, in all of his near-naked glory. And it was glorious, even better up close than it had been from across the room. I jerked my gaze up to his chin and kept it there. Chins were safe.
I cleared my throat and pulled my tattered dignity around me. “Did you need something, Director Bishop?”
“I would ask you the same, Lady Bianca. What was so urgent that you needed to barge into my room unannounced?” Despite staring resolutely at his chin, I could see the grin hovering around his mouth.
“What makes you think I knew it was your room?” I asked breezily. “I was merely checking the exits.”
He stretched and muscles flexed in my peripheral vision. The grin bloomed, warm and tempting. I wondered how it would feel against my mouth. Soft and gentle or hard and demanding? I shivered and my nipples tightened as desire licked through my belly—and lower.
“Are you satisfied or did you need another look?” he asked.
The teasing challenge brought my eyes up to his. I gave him a coy smile. “I don’t think a look will satisfy. I prefer a more hands-on approach.”
His eyes darkened and he stepped closer. “As the lady prefers.”
I hummed in appreciation, then touched one finger to his chest. He froze. Now that I had his skin under my hands, slight though the contact was, I had to fight to stay on course. I wanted to run my hands across his chest, to see if the muscle was as firm everywhere as it was under my finger. Instead, I pressed him backward two steps.
Then, with fierce reluctance, I pulled my hand away from temptation. I turned and caressed the edge of the door and the handle. “Everything seems to be in order,” I murmured. I winked at him and pulled the door closed while he stood stock-still.
Safely on my side, I blew out a slow, silent breath. Holy hell. A playful Ian was an irresistible Ian.
When a maid knocked on the door a few minutes later with a pot of sweet, milky tea that I hadn’t ordered, I knew exactly who it came from. If I wasn’t careful, Ian Bishop would steal my heart.
And I just might let him.
My alarm tried to drag me from sleep but I fought the pull. I’d slept hard, but I could use another hour or two. The heavy drapes were closed, leaving the room dim. Putting my com on the dresser had seemed like a good idea at the time, but it meant that now I had to drag myself from bed to turn off the cursed beeping.
A knock on the door added to the racket. I pulled a pillow over my head and willed everything to be quiet. A few seconds later, my alarm stopped. I blinked in surprise at the blessed silence, but didn’t question my good luck. Now I could go back to sleep.
“Your alarm has been going off for fifteen minutes,” Ian said. “And you didn’t respond to my knocks.”
I pulled the pillow off my head and glared in his direction. “I was sleeping.”
Ian moved closer and I could tell when he entered the silencer’s circle because his steps paused. “Why are you sleeping with a silencer?”
I peered at him in the faint light. I could just make out his outline near the end of the bed. “Ian, why are you in my room?”
“When you didn’t turn off your alarm or answer the door, I thought something might’ve happened. Instead, I find you sleeping in a silence field where you couldn’t call for help even if you needed it. Why?”
I sighed and gave him one of my truths. “Sometimes I have nightmares. This way I don’t bother anyone.”
“No more silencers. I can’t protect you if I can’t hear you.”
“Not your decision. Now go away so I can sleep.” But even as I spoke, I felt the last vestiges of sleep slipping away. I wouldn’t be able to sleep even if he left, which he showed no sign of doing. I sat up and glared grumpily at him. “Fine, I’m awake. Happy now?”
“No, I’ll be happy when you agree about the silencer.”
“Then I’ve got bad news for you, friend.” I tossed the covers back and slid out of bed. I had on a T-shirt and underwear, so I was decent enough.
Ian moved closer. He was dressed in a dark shirt and dark pants. I was barefoot, and he towered over me by nearly twenty centimeters. Softly, he asked, “Why do you have to fight me on everything?”
“Why do you assume you know what’s best for me?” I responded without missing a beat. “Look, I know it’s a security risk. Of course I do. I weighed the risks and decided it was worth it. I don’t know why you always assume I do things on a whim without a thought to the consequences. I always think about the consequences.”