Murder List

Chapter Thirty-six

Alec wouldn’t spend the night. She tried to entice him, but she couldn’t get him to change his mind. He was far more concerned about protecting her good name than she was. She put on a blue silk robe that didn’t quite reach her knees and sat on the side of the bed while Alec got dressed.

Her legs distracted him from what he was doing. When he realized where his thoughts were taking him, he turned and walked into the living room.

“What’d I do with my phone?”

She followed him. “It’s in your coat pocket.”

He turned around to tell her good night. She stepped closer and buttoned his shirt for him while he clipped on his holster and flipped the leather snap in place over his gun.

She stretched up on tiptoes and kissed him just below the jaw. “Sleep over,” she whispered.

“No.”

His harsh tone didn’t bother her because he was kissing the side of her neck while he refused her.

“Don’t you want to?”

“Of course I want to,” he said. “And if the circumstances were different, I would.”

His hands slid inside her robe. He couldn’t get enough of her. Not good, he told himself. He pulled his hands back. “The whole world is watching you, and I don’t want anyone talking…”

“The whole world? Surely not.”

“You’ve got the police department, the security team, the hotel staff, and your brothers watching your every move. Did you forget there’s a policeman standing outside your door? I don’t want anyone speculating about you or gossiping or teasing…” She was kissing his neck and tormenting him with her tongue. “Stop that.”

After giving the order, he put his hands on her shoulders with the intent of making her step back. He pulled her up against him instead. His chin dropped down on her head.

“Am I the only one worried about your reputation?”

“Apparently so.”

He laughed. “Damn, you’re sweet.”

He tilted her chin up and kissed her. If she hadn’t been so hot, he might have been able to give her a quick good-bye kiss. Regan wasn’t just sweet and sexy and hot, though. She was enthusiastic and demanding. She could turn him into Jell-O if she kept kissing without a hint of reservation. The little whimper she made in the back of her throat triggered a primitive response.

When he ended the kiss, she collapsed against him.

What had happened to his self-restraint? His discipline? Regan could turn him on faster than he could snap his fingers. Man oh man, she was getting to him, and he had to somehow put a stop to it. He was leaving, and nothing was going to change his mind.

“Listen, Regan. This can’t happen again.”

He waited for an argument. He expected her to be upset. Their lovemaking had been pretty incredible, and he had the scratches on his shoulders where her nails had dug in to prove that it was perfect for her too. Yeah, of course she would argue.

“Yes, I know.”

“What?”

“I agree,” she said. “It can’t happen again.”

A pang of disappointment went through him. “I’ve got to get out of here. Lock the door after me.”

His hand cupped the back of her neck and he jerked her close so he could kiss her again.

And then he was gone. Regan flipped the dead bolt in place and fell back against the door. Alec had clearly worn her out. She was still trembling. She dropped her robe on her way back to bed. The sheets were still warm from the heat of their bodies. She wrapped herself in them and closed her eyes.

She was determined not to think about the future, but that was easier said than done. Tears streamed down her face. What an idiot she was. She was falling in love with him. No, she wasn’t falling, she was already in love with him. She would never have been able to let go the way she did tonight if she hadn’t loved him. She knew exactly when she realized it too. She and Henry had been sitting in the hotel bar watching as Kevin poured his heart out to Alec, and the compassion she’d seen in Alec’s eyes had been her undoing. Oh, yes, she’d known it for a while; she’d just been too stupid to admit it.

Besides his compassion, there were so many things she loved about him. He was a man of honor and integrity. She’d figured that out after spending an hour with him. He was also dedicated to his job. He was fiercely loyal to those he cared about, and he had the most wonderful sense of humor.

He did have flaws, but at the moment she could not remember any. She let out a loud groan. Don’t think about the future, she told herself. Don’t think about the day he leaves.

She couldn’t turn her mind off, and the more she told herself not to think about him, the more she did. Regan buried her face in the pillow and cried herself to sleep.