Slowly, she nodded her approval of his plan.
“That’s a yes,” he confirmed. “Right?”
Lindsey smiled and nodded again.
Mark slid on top of her, his weight on his elbows. “Say it.”
“Ye—” But she never finished, because he kissed her.
* * * * *
Lindsey walked beside Mark, her arm linked with his, a soft smile playing on her lips. The day had been nothing short of perfect. Mark had proven he was far more than some stiff-necked attorney. He had also made her remember a side of herself she had long ago forgotten.
A sudden breeze gushed around them, cooling the air and Lindsey’s skin. But it also brought with it some rather menacing-looking clouds. “Looks like it’s about to storm,” she said. “Maybe we should head back to the hotel.” But she hated to see the day end. It had been such a good time.
They’d started the day out at Starbucks, which they both loved. For hours they had sat and talked. The time had flown by so quickly, when she had looked at the clock she’d been shocked. From there they had taken the day minute by minute, one adventure at a time. Four times, they had ridden the roller coaster at New York, New York hotel.
Mark had caught the attention of a certain alien female with big hears at the Star Trek ride. Lindsey had threatened to elope with the guy dressed as a Klingon.
“Afraid of a little water or what?” Mark asked, giving her a challenging look. “It feels good out here. The temperature must have dropped a good fifteen degrees.”
Lindsey conceded, more than happy to drag out their time together. A part of her was afraid this perfection forming between them would go away when they returned home. That maybe it was vacation bliss and nothing more. It scared her. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I guess if it starts raining we can dodge into a building.”
No sooner than the words were out of her mouth, the sky opened up and the water game down in buckets. They laughed, and Mark grabbed her hand, pulling her with him as they ran for shelter, huge droplets of water hitting them in rapid succession.
The cold water hit her warm skin with icy results. She shivered against the impact, following in Mark’s footsteps, but before they found shelter, he pulled her into his arms, her body pressed against his. She looked up at him, taking in his wet hair plastered to his face, and wondering if he ever looked bad. “What are you doing?” she asked, water getting in her mouth. “We’re getting drenched.”
“I know,” he yelled over the pounding of the rain. “Isn’t it great?” Mark bent down and claimed her mouth in a hot, passionate kiss, his tongue sliding against hers in long, sensual strokes that quickly made her forget the rain. When he raised his head, he wrapped his arms around her hips, latching his hands behind her. “You’re sexy as hell dripping wet.”
Lindsay’s eyes darted to the wet t-shirt now plastered on Mark’s well defined pecs. “You look pretty damn sexy yourself.”
Mark picked Lindsey up and started twirling her around in circles, making her laugh, and then scream. “I’m getting dizzy. Stop!” She laughed some more. People were looking at them but she didn’t care. “I’m soaked, Mark.”
When he let her go, she was unsteady and tumbled into him. “See my plan worked,” he said with a devilish grin. “You’re throwing yourself at me.”
Fifteen minutes later they stepped into their hotel lobby and paused, dripping wet. Lindsey giggled like a schoolgirl as people turned to look at them. When was the last time she had felt so carefree? Mark tugged her close to his side, wrapping his arm around her. The hotel air conditioning only added to her shivers. She was glad to share his body heat.
Mark’s eyes drifted to her chest. Her eyes followed his. Her nipples were dark and perky beneath her thin shirt. “Oh, um, not good.” She crossed her arms in front of her body.
“No,” he agreed. “We need to get to the room.”
By the time they stepped onto the elevator, her teeth were chattering. Mark pulled her close and ran his hands up and down her arms trying to get rid of her goose bumps. “Any better?”
“Hmm, not really, but don’t stop,” she said, teeth making a chattering sound, voice shaky. Mark smiled and planted a kiss on her forehead. “How about a hot bath and a bottle of wine?”
“Purrrrfect,” she said with a chill tinting her voice.
A few minutes later, Lindsey rushed from the hotel bathroom—wearing only a towel—to the bedroom, in search of her wine glass. “Hurry up,” Mark ordered. “The water feels great.”
Lindsey spotted her glass on the dresser, but her eyes caught on the blinking message light on the phone. Her stomach lurched. “Did you tell anyone we were staying an extra day?” Lindsey called to Mark.
“No, why?”
“We have a message.” She sat down next to the phone, on the edge of the bed, wine forgotten. She’d only told Steve.
“Probably a courtesy customer service thing. Leave it. Come join me.”
“I told Steve,” she called back. “Maybe it’s important.” She heard Mark moan as she punched the retrieve button. A recorded voice said, “You have four messages.” She looked towards the bathroom, and opened her mouth to tell Mark, but for some reason, shut it again.
The first call was a hang-up. She frowned as the second call played. It was a hang-up. And so were the next two. Her hands fisted tight around the receiver. Like the calls she had gotten at her apartment in the middle of the night.
“Who was it?” Mark yelled.
She debated . . . tell him—don’t tell him. He was already was too protective. If this was nothing, he’d make her life hell and what purpose would it serve? This was a private hotel room. No one could get to her here. She sat the receiver down.
“Lindsey?”
She pushed to her feet and walked towards her wine. “You were right. Courtesy call.”
Chapter Twelve
The plane ride was bumpy.
Just as Mark was certain his path to Lindsey’s heart would be. He looked down at Lindsey, curled under his arm, hand on his chest, and a smile played on his lips. Slowly, her walls were coming down. He wasn’t kidding himself, though. There was still a long way to go. She was a loose cannon in some ways, ready to explode and jump to conclusions. He needed to get rid of her past skeletons to ensure a future with her. To do that, he was afraid she would need to get Hudson behind her. That could mean catching the killer, a task that might not prove easy, and could, in fact, prove dangerous.
The plane jerked, the turbulence getting heavier. Over the intercom, the pilot announced a seatbelt warning and asked the flight attendants to sit down. Lindsey lifted her head, confusion in her eyes. “I hate when it gets bumpy,” she admitted as she gripped the arms of her seat, knuckles going white.
Mark gave her a comforting smile. “Ah, now, you know that planes are tough. They can take more than people would ever imagine possible.” He slid his hand on her knee and gave it a light squeeze. She swallowed hard, nodding. The plane jerked a couple times in a row, and her face was etched with unspoken fear. “Talk to me and keep your mind off the plane,” he told her.
Her lips were thin, her jaw tense. “About what?”
He wanted to know about the place she called home. “Tell me about Washington.”
She shrugged and then grimaced as a heavy bump shook the plane. “There’s not much to tell.”
“Have you ever met the President?”
“Yeah, I’ve met him.”
“And?” he asked, surprised she hadn’t said more.
“Nothing to tell,” she said. “I was on a special task force that got up close and personal. It was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity.”
Mark looked at her, searching her face, praying he wasn’t going to lose her to her job in Washington. “You like your job there?” he asked but almost didn’t want to hear the answer.
“If you would have asked me that a month ago I would have said yes, but—”
“But what, baby?” he asked, quietly encouraging her.