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I crack open the door and call for him. “Hey, Dax. Could you please bring me my suitcase?”

No answer.

A little louder. “Dax?”

Still no answer. Good. He probably left the room. Now’s my chance. My suitcase is on the other side of the room. I’ll just run out there, grab it, and run back. It will take twenty seconds, max.

I open the bathroom door. As I look straight ahead, my feet are like little tornadoes as they fly to the opposite side of the large hotel suite.

“Forget something?”

Instantly, my feet turn from tornadoes to lead. I come to a dead stop only halfway to my destination. I cinch the towel tighter against my body as I turn around to see Dax still sitting in the chair.

“I called for you,” I accuse. “You didn’t answer.”

He pops one of his earbuds out of his ear and holds it up for inspection. He lifts his shoulder in a small shrug. “I was listening to music. I guess I didn’t hear you.”

My eyes narrow on his. The lying snake. Despite that innocent look in his eyes, I know good and well he heard me ask for the suitcase. He’s not fooling me even a little bit. I should call him out on his bullshit.

I know I won’t, but I totally should.

Instead, I put my hand back up to the top of my towel to adjust it again, only this time, I let the towel slip a little lower.

Is the towel sitting a little too low over my breasts? Possibly.

Am I doing this to teach him not to mess with me? Absolutely.

My suitcase is lying on the floor. So, I saunter over to it and bend down. My towel rides up in the back and I’m dangerously close to showing him my ass. Instead of grabbing my clothes and going back to the bathroom, I spend extra time digging through the clothes to find an outfit.

Let him get a show. That’s what he wanted when he pretended he didn’t hear me call for help. Serves him right.

When I finally stand up and look back at him, his hungry gaze is all over me. He’s staring at me, unblinking, not saying a word. The stare continues as I walk back into the safety of the bathroom.

I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I get the feeling I might’ve poked the bear too much this time. He’s made it clear what he wants. He wants a night of sex. Dax might have gobs of experience with one-night stands, but that’s just not my thing.

I don’t even like him.

Yeah, that’s right. I’m gonna keep telling myself in the hopes I’ll start to believe it.

Then I look down at the outfit I put on. Up until now, I’ve gone to bed each night wearing a t-shirt and leggings. So what possessed me to grab my silk pajamas out of the suitcase just now? I don’t even know why I brought them on this trip.

One thing’s for sure. I can’t keep hiding out in the bathroom all night, nor should I. I can handle Dax Anders.

When I finally talk myself into coming out, dinner has already been delivered, and it’s sitting on the table. It looks and smells great, but I’m not hungry.

Dax is pouring red wine into our glasses when I come into the room. “You’re just in time,” he says.

“Is that risotto?” I ask.

“Risotto with lemon and shrimp. I hope that’s okay? It was the recommended dish,” he says.

I’m still debating whether or not I feel like eating when Dax pulls out my chair and motions for me to have a seat. He’s back to acting the perfect gentleman.

Dax, the perfect gentleman. Yes, I can certainly handle that.

Once I’m seated, Dax sits opposite me. He picks up his red wine and has a sip, all the while looking at me. “Just so you know, you’re playing a dangerous game here.” The timbre of his voice is deep and steady.

Warning bells go off in my head, but I look at him directly. Show no fear. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s just a game. We drive a lot, we find clues, we earn some money. Nothing more to it than that.”