“There,” he said, after he’d finished and rinsed the soap from me. He pressed a kiss to my newly shaved skin, and it was all I could do not to beg him to take me back to bed.
Amy, he’d said. And he was right. If I wanted to make sure she was back home for Candy’s baby, I needed to follow-up.
But I couldn’t deny myself one slow, deep kiss. And as my tongue sought his, I couldn’t help but think of the days that were ticking away, inexorably pulling me away from this man who, with every passing moment, seemed to draw me closer.
Afterward, I bundled myself in one of The Drake’s plush robes, then headed back into his room to hunt up my clothes. “This room is different from the rest of the place.” I’d noticed the contemporary decorations and furniture the first time I’d entered, but had never said as much to him. “You did it, right? Not the hotel staff.”
“It’s all me,” he said, stepping into the room with a towel wrapped loosely around his hips, and making me regret very seriously that whole getting-to-work thing.
“Why this one? Why’d you take the time, I mean?”
“I’m particular about my bedroom.” He’d been looking past me into the room, but now he shifted his gaze to me. “Nothing goes in that I didn’t select.”
I swallowed, suddenly unsure if we were still talking about the furniture.
“So what do you think?”
I blinked. “About what?”
His eyes crinkled at the corners and, damn the man, I was certain he knew the direction of my thoughts.
“About the room.”
“I like it. It’s attractive and interesting, what with all the hard edges and angles. But it’s inviting, too. And somehow warm and comfortable.” I hesitated, then took the plunge. “It reminds me of you,” I admitted, because I simply couldn’t deny the truth in the words.
“Comfortable?” he repeated, his brows rising in mock horror. “I’m not sure I like that. Inviting works for me, though. So does chivalrous and desperately sexy.”
“Are we still talking about the room?”
“What else?” His smile was all innocent.
What else indeed.
I tossed him a saucy smile, bent to retrieve his pants and T-shirt that I’d worn in the park. “Thanks for the loan,” I said, “but the shirt has grass stains—and I’d rather have pants that fit. Do you think The Drake’s gift shop has clothes?”
“While I’m tempted to just keep you naked, you have clothes there,” he said, pointing to the dresser. “Top left drawer, I believe.”
I narrowed my eyes. “And how exactly did my clothes get here?”
“You left your address on your application.”
“Yeah. The address to my locked apartment to which you don’t have a key.”
He waved my words away. “It wasn’t any trouble. Cole is exceptionally skilled in two areas. Art and lock-picking. The second he has no occasion to use anymore.”
He said the last so piously I had to laugh. “But he used to?”
“His misspent youth,” Tyler confirmed as he fastened his broken watch to his wrist.
“With you?”
“More or less. I told you. We both did a lot of misspending before we became tight.” He nodded to the clock. “We should get going,” he said.
“Right.” I hurried to finish putting on my shoes. I didn’t bother with makeup. For one thing, I rarely bothered with makeup. For another, I’d seen the setup in the dressing rooms at Destiny. I could get fixed up before my shift.
“How do you feel about donuts?” Tyler asked.
“I’m a cop. Take a guess.”
“Then we’ll eat on the way.”
He’d meant it about the donuts, and before we got on the highway, he pulled into a bakery and got four dozen, but only shrugged when I asked him why so many.
Then we were on the road again, and I was about to drool from the incredible aroma of dough and sugar.
“We’re heading north?”
“More or less.”
“To where?”
“My house,” he said.
I turned to him. “I thought you said it was about Amy.”
“About your search for her, yes.”
“How?” I asked, a little bit wary, a little bit concerned, but mostly curious.
“Don’t get your hopes up, but there are some people she may have confided in.”
“Oh. Who?”
He turned to me long enough to grin. “Girls,” he said. “Quite a few girls.”
I saw some of those girls when he pulled into the driveway of a gorgeous mansion, house, manor. I wasn’t sure what to call it. I did, however, remember what year it had been built. “Eighteen fifty-six, right? And this is Old Irving Park?”
He glanced sideways at me before he killed the engine. “You did your homework on me.”
“I did. But I never imagined this.” The place was stunning. Huge and grand, yet somehow still comfortable, it sat on a lot that had to cover at least three acres, maybe more. It was painted an inviting yellow and had a wraparound porch and a lovely portico.
I also hadn’t imagined the girls. “Who are they?” I asked of the women who were lying out on the lawn sunbathing, sitting on the porch reading, and even working on a car that was on blocks near the back of the house.
“The residents,” he said.
“Come again?”
“Why don’t you come inside and I’ll explain it to you.”
I followed him into the stately place that managed to combine a modern flair while still keeping the feel of centuries past.
“Tyler!” A woman in a bathrobe stood on the massive staircase, her grin wide. She had a trim figure and hair that fell in ringlets. She wore no makeup, and looked one hell of a lot better than I did.
I considered hating her on sight, but decided to withhold judgment.
“Maisie, this is Sloane. She’s a new dancer at Destiny.”
Maisie’s brow furrowed and she looked sharply at Tyler. “I thought you said it was over.” Fear filled her voice.
“It is. It’s done. It’s over. And they aren’t going to hurt any of you again. Sloane came to Destiny through the traditional application process. And she’s not moving in here.”
“Oh.” Her tentative smile widened. “Oh, well, that’s great. You’re going to love it there, really.” She glanced back at Tyler. “I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?”