explore him .
Wasn't that why she'd disappeared? To be free? Free to discover who she really was? What she really wanted?
Was she brave enough to make good on the bold action she'd taken when she walked out on her father? A shimmer of excitement ran through her.
Yes.
And now was as good a time as any.
* * *
Dakota pulled her wind coat more tightly around her and knocked on the door of the Dartmouth Hotel, number 2A. The mornings were cold now, and the icy wind swept over the nearly empty parking lot and along the open walkway, making her shiver.
Or was it just a case of nerves?
All the way over to the Dartmouth, she'd rehearsed in her mind what she would say. Now that she was about to face him, doubt chilled her to the bone.
What if he really wasn't attracted to her? What if he'd just been kidding around? She probably should have thought of a good reason for showing up at the hotel before bolting out of her apartment like she had.
She was just about to chicken out when she heard the lock being thrown on the other side of the door. Suddenly Trey was there, his jeans snug around his hips, his feet bare, his hair still wet from a recent shower. And no shirt.
Puzzlement shot through his eyes, quickly followed by concern. "Dakota. Is something wrong?"
Excitement quivered low in her belly as her gaze skimmed over the ripped muscles of his chest and stomach.
She shouldn't have come. She should have waited until she'd had a good night's sleep, worked out the pros and cons, and met him at some neutral place where they could discuss the option of an affair calmly and rationally.
At the very least she should have come up with that ulterior motive for being there.
"Dakota?" Questions shadowed his eyes.
"Um. I..."
"You're pale. You better come in and sit down." Trey took her arm and gently guided her into the room.
He eased her down onto the nearest double bed and shut the door behind her. The hotel room seemed suddenly very intimate. Dakota's heart jumped into high gear.
Trey sat on the other bed, opposite her. Bracing his elbows on his knees, he leaned forward. Her eyes traced the intriguing contours of his biceps. "What's happened? Is it Hamlet?" he asked.
What did her dog have to do with...."Oh. No, he's...of course not. This...has nothing to do with Hamlet." She felt her cheeks grow hot. Her nerve was failing her. Fast.
His expression darkened. "Did the reporters follow us? I was careful but--"
"No." She looked away. Cleared her throat awkwardly. "I was just.... I thought maybe..." She couldn't do it. She just couldn't ask him flat out. She'd have to figure out some other way.
Dakota jumped up, planning to bolt. Suddenly he was there between her and the door, his frown making a deep inverted V between his eyes.
"What's going on?" Trey demanded.
His eyes were so green. She stared into them, wondering about the man hidden within. She sensed there was more to Trey than he wanted anyone to know. Was asking for a casual affair the right thing to do? For either of them?
Then her gaze dropped to his lips and she remembered how they felt moving across her mouth. The urge to kiss him hummed through her.
Dakota swallowed. She wanted him. She really did. Was it so wrong for two adults to find comfort and pleasure together, no matter how short lived that time was?
She moved toward him quickly, determined to see her plan through, right or wrong. His eyes widened and he stepped back.
His quick dodge threw her off balance. She caught herself, inadvertently trapping him against the door, her hands braced against the cold metal on either side of his shoulders.
His pupils dilated and his gaze ran over her face, touching her mouth, and then locking with her eyes. Her breath quickened.
He smelled intriguing, compelling--fresh with soap and an underlying male scent that was uniquely his. She leaned in, thinking he would meet her halfway, but he didn't. He waited, his back pressed against the door, utterly
Wasn't that why she'd disappeared? To be free? Free to discover who she really was? What she really wanted?
Was she brave enough to make good on the bold action she'd taken when she walked out on her father? A shimmer of excitement ran through her.
Yes.
And now was as good a time as any.
* * *
Dakota pulled her wind coat more tightly around her and knocked on the door of the Dartmouth Hotel, number 2A. The mornings were cold now, and the icy wind swept over the nearly empty parking lot and along the open walkway, making her shiver.
Or was it just a case of nerves?
All the way over to the Dartmouth, she'd rehearsed in her mind what she would say. Now that she was about to face him, doubt chilled her to the bone.
What if he really wasn't attracted to her? What if he'd just been kidding around? She probably should have thought of a good reason for showing up at the hotel before bolting out of her apartment like she had.
She was just about to chicken out when she heard the lock being thrown on the other side of the door. Suddenly Trey was there, his jeans snug around his hips, his feet bare, his hair still wet from a recent shower. And no shirt.
Puzzlement shot through his eyes, quickly followed by concern. "Dakota. Is something wrong?"
Excitement quivered low in her belly as her gaze skimmed over the ripped muscles of his chest and stomach.
She shouldn't have come. She should have waited until she'd had a good night's sleep, worked out the pros and cons, and met him at some neutral place where they could discuss the option of an affair calmly and rationally.
At the very least she should have come up with that ulterior motive for being there.
"Dakota?" Questions shadowed his eyes.
"Um. I..."
"You're pale. You better come in and sit down." Trey took her arm and gently guided her into the room.
He eased her down onto the nearest double bed and shut the door behind her. The hotel room seemed suddenly very intimate. Dakota's heart jumped into high gear.
Trey sat on the other bed, opposite her. Bracing his elbows on his knees, he leaned forward. Her eyes traced the intriguing contours of his biceps. "What's happened? Is it Hamlet?" he asked.
What did her dog have to do with...."Oh. No, he's...of course not. This...has nothing to do with Hamlet." She felt her cheeks grow hot. Her nerve was failing her. Fast.
His expression darkened. "Did the reporters follow us? I was careful but--"
"No." She looked away. Cleared her throat awkwardly. "I was just.... I thought maybe..." She couldn't do it. She just couldn't ask him flat out. She'd have to figure out some other way.
Dakota jumped up, planning to bolt. Suddenly he was there between her and the door, his frown making a deep inverted V between his eyes.
"What's going on?" Trey demanded.
His eyes were so green. She stared into them, wondering about the man hidden within. She sensed there was more to Trey than he wanted anyone to know. Was asking for a casual affair the right thing to do? For either of them?
Then her gaze dropped to his lips and she remembered how they felt moving across her mouth. The urge to kiss him hummed through her.
Dakota swallowed. She wanted him. She really did. Was it so wrong for two adults to find comfort and pleasure together, no matter how short lived that time was?
She moved toward him quickly, determined to see her plan through, right or wrong. His eyes widened and he stepped back.
His quick dodge threw her off balance. She caught herself, inadvertently trapping him against the door, her hands braced against the cold metal on either side of his shoulders.
His pupils dilated and his gaze ran over her face, touching her mouth, and then locking with her eyes. Her breath quickened.
He smelled intriguing, compelling--fresh with soap and an underlying male scent that was uniquely his. She leaned in, thinking he would meet her halfway, but he didn't. He waited, his back pressed against the door, utterly
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