Page 27 of Don't Tell

"Yes."

"Did Roger bother you today?"

"No."

"If he bothers you again — "

"I don’t need you to fight Roger for me."

"I’m not asking your permission. If he bothers you again, I need you to come to me immediately."

I pick up the glass. I drink half of it in one swallow. The water is cold, and I did not know I was thirsty. I set the glass down. My hands are not steady. I hide them behind my back.

"I have to get back to work."

He stands up and moves toward the door so he’s between me and the cart now. I’m hit with a sense of déjà vu. This is how it happened the last time. It won’t happen today.

I walk past him. I’m reaching for the handle when he catches my wrist. My heart starts working overtime to pump blood through my veins. I keep my eyes fixed on the cart, on anything else but his face.

I stare at the cart handle. My mouth has gone dry, and the water did not fix it. My pulse flinches at the inside of my wrist that he can feel, and the worst part is not that I'm afraid he will kiss me again. It's that I'm afraid he will not. I don't know what I will do if he does, and I'm not certain I will stop him this time.

"Let go of me, Cade."

Surprisingly, he does. “Cade. You’re getting too comfortable with me.”

I ignore him and continue toward the door.

"Suzanne."

I close my eyes for half a second. I turn around.

He hasn’t moved since he let go of my wrist. "I haven’t stopped thinking about it."

I know what he means. How could I not? I was there. I haven’t stopped thinking about it either. The smart thing is to walk out the door.

But one thing about danger and desire is that it’s alluring. And when applied right, it’s impossible to resist.

So instead of walking out the door, I ask, "Thinking about what?"

He looks at me for a long moment. "The kiss."

8.Cade

"The kiss."

I say it the second the question leaves her mouth.

I watch what her face does. Her pupils dilate for a second, then she comes back to the present. Her eyebrows scrunch together, and her lips press into a thin line.

I want to kiss her again, right now, but I’m not going to. Maybe in the near future, when she’s not constantly glaring at me or yelling at me for trying to help her. Maybe then I’ll kiss her again.

For now, I don’t want her to leave. I want to show her a piece of my world. I want Suzanne to see me for who I am, outside the hotel, outside this room.

“Leave the cart.”

Her eyes narrow. “Excuse me?”

“I have some business to attend to. I want you to come with me.”