Read Online Mine Until Dawn by Ednah Walters, E. B. Walters - Free Book Online Page B

her and flashed his pearly whites. Jade’s jaw dropped, the raw sensuality of his smile robbing her of breath. How come he subjected her to his scowls instead of that smile? She found herself leaning over the counter for a better look at his face—the dimples, the way his lips turned upward at the corners.
    “Listen, Miss…” Vince hesitated.
    “Tillman.” The woman tapped her tag. “Kirsten Tillman.”
    “Ms. Tillman.” His voice was precise. “I’ve lost very important documents. If my competitor gets a hold of them, there’s no telling what they will do with the information or….” He stopped and turned his head to scowl at Jade. She’d propped her chin on the heel of her palm and was busy studying his face. “Jade?”
    “Hmm?” Her eyebrows lifted, but the glance she gave him was vague. Then she straightened up and gave him a sheepish grin. “It’s the, uh,” she pointed to something above him, “chandelier. It’s quite majestic. I’m trying to figure out if the oxidized bronze finish is natural or aged with chemicals. It’s hard to tell these days.”
    Keeping up with this woman was driving him nuts. One minute hissing with indignant anger, the next dewy eyed. He had no idea what went on behind her hazel eyes. He shook his head and turned to face the front desk.
    “I know this may sound crazy, Ms. Tillman, but it’s important that I speak with those women tonight.” Experience taught him to always follow through on a lead before the trail turned cold. He wasn’t about to change his M.O. now.
    “I’m sorry, sir, but—”
    “What do you think would be worse for your hotel?” he cut her off. “Bending a few rules or word getting out that the Palace is an unsafe place to stay in because anyone from the street can waltz into a guest’s room and take whatever they want without being stopped?”
    The woman shot her colleague a look, then turned to Vince and sighed.
    “We can’t give out their addresses, sir.   It is against our policy. But if you decide it is in the public’s interest to know what occurred here tonight, we cannot stop you.”
    For a beat, Vince glowered at her. He understood why the woman wasn’t going to bend the rules for him, but that didn’t mean he liked it. How many times did he face insurmountable obstacles and triumphed? This should be no different. He’d find a way.
    “Fine. Excuse me.” When he turned around, Jade was in the middle of the foyer, talking on the phone, her back to him. This investigation was becoming more complicated, making him edgy. Having a woman who teased his senses at every turn tag along didn’t make it any easier. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he couldn’t fight the attraction he had for Jade.
    Should he seduce her and get her out of his system?   Not a good idea, especially since he wanted to finish this investigation yesterday. His uncle didn’t have much time left, so he must get back to the island as soon as possible. Getting involved with Jade would be a distraction that would only slow him down.
    As he drew closer to her, he caught snatches of her conversation. “Could you, please? When? Thirty minutes? Sooner? Oh, that would be great. Yeah, I know I left it a little too late…I see…sure…just a second.” She turned and flashed him a luminous smile.
    The kick-in-the-gut feeling that slammed into him only made him angrier. At himself, not her. It wasn’t her fault he’d been celibate for six months straight and was as horny as a goat. “Now what?”
    She stopped smiling at his grouchy tone. “Someone needs to call me back. Could I give out your cell phone number?”
    He nodded and recited the ten digits. She gave him another glorious smile.
    “Thanks.” After she repeated the ten-digit number in the cell phone, she hung up and gave him back his phone. “We can go now.” Her voice was impersonal.
    An awkward silence followed. Vince glanced down at her as they left the hotel. She ignored him, squinted