He slid off the glasses and tucked them into his breast pocket. “Is this a new fashion statement for the tour guide?”
She looked down at her filthy jeans and T-shirt. And wished she’d been doing anything else today, even though she’d loved the work. Embarrassed, she glanced up and got the full effect of those stormy eyes. They were sparkling with amusement as they gazed down at her.
Warmth spread all the way to her belly. “Um. No. I’m not doing the tours anymore.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, but he didn’t smile, and she longed to see that dimple flash at her like it had so many times during their one shared dinner. “Lucky for me I took the tour when I did.”
Shannon walked up to them then and, like the pushy friend she was, stuck her hand out. “I’m Shannon Driscoll. Kat’s roommate. We haven’t met.”
Pete straightened from the car long enough to return her handshake. “Peter Kauffman.”
“Guy with a tour fetish. I heard all about you.”
“You did, huh?” Pete’s eyes resettled on Kat. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t look away. “Are you done for the afternoon?”
Kat managed a nod.
“She’s off tomorrow, too,” Shannon interjected. “Just in case you’re wondering.”
“Shannon,” Kat warned.
“What?” her roommate said quickly. “It’s true.” She looked at Pete. “She hasn’t taken many days off in the last month so she’s due. In fact, I could cover for her Sunday if she needed an extra day. Did she tell you she’d been dating this other guy for a while and that they broke up not too long ago?”
“Jesus, Shannon,” Kat muttered. There was mortification, then there was Shannon.
“No,” Pete said with an obvious smile in his voice. “She didn’t tell me.”
Kat’s cheeks heated as she felt Pete’s eyes on her and Shannon kept rambling. “It wasn’t like, serious or anything. And they’re still friends. He comes around now and then. Personally, I think he still has the hots for her. Come to think of it, didn’t Marty mention something about stopping by tonight, Kat?”
Kat groaned and closed her eyes. She knew exactly what Shannon was doing, but it wasn’t going to work. If Pete was really interested, she’d have heard from him before now.
“Too bad she has other plans tonight.”
Kat’s eyes snapped open. Next to her, Shannon grinned.
“Good boy,” Shannon mumbled.
“I’m afraid your ex is going to be disappointed you’re not around.”
“He is?” Kat asked in a whisper as her heart began to pound.
Electricity crackled between them, and Kat waited for Pete to reach out and touch her, but he didn’t. He just stood there studying her with those sexy eyes.
“So,” Shannon said in the silence, “I’m thinking first dibs on the shower are mine after all, huh?”
“Um—”
Pete finally tore his gaze away from Kat and looked toward Shannon. “I’ve got the shower thing covered.” He slipped on his glasses. “She’ll be home tomorrow. If she decides she wants to take Sunday off, she’ll let you know.”
“Wait a minute,” Kat said, enjoying the way he’d swept in here and surprised her, but not entirely sure she liked his making decisions for her. Before she could further protest, he was pushing her around the shiny vehicle and opening the car door for her. “I’m a mess, Pete. I need to go—”
“Don’t worry about it.” He nudged her inside. “You look great. And where we’re headed, what you’re wearing won’t matter.”
Her stomach tightened. Just what did that mean?
He shut her door, moved around the Land Rover and glanced toward Shannon. “She’ll call you tomorrow.”
“She’d better.”
Kat’s heart was hammering as Pete slid into the vehicle beside her, smelling sexier than she remembered. She looked out the windshield at her roommate, who held up her hand to her ear like a phone and mouthed, you can thank me later.
Kat only frowned at her friend.
Pete put the car in gear. “Ready?
She slowly turned his way and took in his broad shoulders and strong arms, the line of his jaw and all that blond tousled hair. He was a man who did what he wanted and took charge of everything around him as if he owned it all. Apprehension sent her nerves jangling. “What if I said no?”
His smile was pure victory as they tore out of the site, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. “Then I’d say, good girl.”
“Not on your life.”
Kat stared straight ahead as Pete killed the ignition and popped open the driver side door. A wave of heat blasted into the interior while a man dressed in the traditional white Muslim salwar kameez walked in front of their car and disappeared inside the entrance to the Mena House, located in the Giza district of Cairo.
“Come on.” Pete climbed out and handed his keys to a valet who rushed over, then walked around the car and opened Kat’s door.
Kat immediately grabbed the handle and jerked the door closed, then clicked the locks so neither Pete nor the confused valet could get in.
Pete regarded her with raised brows. “Open the door, Kat.” When she didn’t, he knocked on the glass until she lowered the window an inch. “What’s wrong?”
“This is a five-star hotel.”
“I know.”
“I can’t go in there.
“Why not?
“Because I’m a mess!”
He chuckled and leaned closer to the window. “It’s the desert. People expect you to be dusty.”
“Not at the Mena House!”
His eyes and voice softened. “Come out of the car, Kat. I guarantee no one’s going to care what you look like.”
She cared. More now than she had when she’d foolishly climbed into this vehicle.
“There’s a better shower in my suite than I bet your roommate’s getting back at your flat.”
Oh, right. Like that was going to work on her.
Kat chewed on her lip in indecision. It wasn’t simply that she was covered in dirt and grime from the tomb. It was also the fact he’d brought her to a hotel. A very expensive, ritzy and romantic hotel located at the base of the Pyramids. The move was clearly calculated and blatantly sexual, and she knew exactly where this would lead if she got out of the car. Straight to his suite, into his bed, without a second look back.
Though she burned inside and wanted to go with him, that part of herself that had been molded at St. Thomas’s Orphanage was wary. For two weeks she’d been telling herself the fact he’d disappeared was really a good thing in retrospect. The attraction she felt for him was like nothing she’d experienced before. It was the kind that burned hot and consumed everything in its path. She’d heard people talk of falling in love at first sight, but she’d never expected it to happen to her. One dinner, though. That was all it took. He’d breezed into her life and set her world spinning, and cowardly as it was, she was almost afraid to see where it would go.
She looked through the window and felt her stomach tighten as a slow smile spread across his lips. And in that moment she knew she was lost.
She released the locks and slowly climbed out of the vehicle. When she was standing in front of him, looking up at all that bronzed beauty, she swallowed. “I don’t have anything else to wear.”
His smile widened until that dimple winked at her and turned her insides to lava. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got you covered.”
They headed into the hotel. He didn’t hold her hand like she expected, but she felt his commanding presence next to her as they crossed the ornate lobby toward the bank of elevators on the far side. “People are looking at me,” she mumbled as they moved.
“That’s because you’re fidgeting.”
She slanted a sideways look. “And that’s a line from Pretty Woman.”
“Never saw it. Though I can’t imagine any woman being prettier than you.”
Her cheeks heated as they approached
the elevators. He still hadn’t touched her, and she was all atingle with nerves. As the door opened and they stepped inside the small car, once again she was reminded how dirty she was and how fresh and clean he smelled.
They rode in silence, her nerves bouncing all over. Then the doors opened, and Pete held out his hand to let her exit first. “All the way at the end.”
The hallway was lush and dramatic, with plush carpeting and gilded sconces on the walls, but it paled in comparison to what came next.
Kat found herself instantly swept up in a world of luxury as soon as she stepped into the suite. Gold and burgundy carpets, hand-carved wooden furnishings, heavy fabrics and enormous windows that looked out over a view of the Pyramids, so close it felt like you could reach out and touch them.
“Oh, my.”
“Like it?” he asked from behind her.
She eased farther into the room and felt herself immersed in opulence, like Cleopatra for the day. “It’s amazing.”
His footsteps sounded behind, and then he was in front of her, heading toward heavily carved double doors at the far end of the large living room. “Bathroom’s through here.”
The bedroom suite was more magnificent than the living area, with an enormous canopy bed and a pile of golden pillows. Kat’s stomach tightened with anticipation as she looked at the bed and imagined lying on it with Pete, but he barely spared it a glance.
He pushed the door across the room open. Behind him she had the impression of miles of marble and gold. “Any kind of toiletry you need should be in there.” He pointed to a set of closet doors on the opposite side of the room. “And there are a few things over there you can wear.” His eyes ran over her. “I had to guess on size. We’ll see if I was right.”
He moved past her, back toward the main door of the bedroom suite, leaving her standing in the middle of all that lavishness. “I have some paperwork I need to do. Take your time.”
Then he was gone.
Alone, Kat’s brow drew together. What exactly was going on here?
She’d thought he’d brought her here for sex, but he hadn’t once touched her. Aside from saying she was pretty in the lobby, he hadn’t actually done anything to indicate he was really interested in anything other than friendship. Come to think of it, the night of their dinner, he hadn’t touched her other than to shake her hand and wish her good night. Sure, he’d sent her heady looks, but what if she’d been misreading him?
Growing more confused by the minute, Kat scratched her head, only to come away with a handful of grit. She turned for the bathroom, flipped on the light and discovered she’d been right. The entire room was done in white marble and was the size of the living room in the flat she shared with Shannon. Though there were female toiletries galore on the counter, there was nothing that indicated a man had stepped foot in here. No used towel, shaving kit or even a comb on the counter. In the car, Pete had told her he’d arrived in Cairo earlier in the day, checked into his hotel, showered and changed. But that didn’t look like the case to her eyes.
Just what kind of game was he playing?
Apprehension growing, Kat peeled off her clothes, started the water and stepped into the glass-enclosed shower. The heat and steam immediately relaxed her, and with each passing minute she convinced herself she was overreacting. Maybe he just didn’t want to touch her until she’d cleaned up. That made more sense than her thinking he had ulterior motives. And it was highly likely the maid had straightened up after he’d had his shower.
Twenty minutes later, when her fingers were wrinkled and her skin was warm and dewy, she climbed out and wrapped herself in a plush terry robe. The cotton was soft against her skin, and she felt worlds better than she had only moments before. Feet bare, she padded out into the bedroom and moved to the closet to find something clean to wear.
She gasped at what she saw inside. Two pair of slacks—one black, one brown—silky blouses in a variety of colors and low matching sandals. All pieces made from sumptuous fabrics, bearing expensive designer names any moron would recognize.
She swallowed hard, knowing the few outfits alone hanging in this closet probably cost more than her entire wardrobe, both here in Cairo and at home.
But something wasn’t right.
Kat backed up until her legs hit the bed and crumpled beneath her. And staring at the extravagant clothing and the opulence of the room, she had a flashback to the offhand Pretty Woman comment Pete had made in the lobby.
Things started to click into place. Each of the pieces hanging in the closet was beautiful, but they weren’t overly sexual in any way. Not the kind of thing a potential lover might buy for a woman. With sinking suspicion, she realized he hadn’t brought her here for sex like she’d thought. Instead, he’d brought her here because he wanted something from her. Wanted something so much he was willing to try to buy her off with trendy clothing and posh luxury in lieu of his body.
In a rush she remembered the way he’d been eyeing the artifacts in the tomb during his first few tours, and the way he’d watched everything around him with a keen eagle’s eye.
Her stomach tightened as reality smacked her in the face. Tomb robbers did indeed exist in this day and age. And there was an enormous belowground market that traded in ancient antiquities. She’d even heard stories of shady dealers scouting out tombs, passing themselves off as tourists and doing whatever they could to get information from workers. And with the pieces she suspected had gone missing from her site…
Oh, God. She’d been stupidly naïve. She’d been so sucked in by his good looks and charm she hadn’t even questioned what he was really about.
Heart pumping, Kat rose on unsteady legs and opened the bedroom door. The living room appeared empty at first, and though she wanted to rush out of the disgustingly beautiful suite she’d at first envisioned as a lover’s palace, now all she wanted were answers.
Her jaw clenched when she spotted Pete sitting at a desk facing windows that looked out toward the Pyramids, his back to her, his hand busily moving over a piece of paper. Dusk was just settling over the desert, and the lights were only now coming up, spotlighting the massive stone triangles against the dimming sky.
“Just what the hell’s going on here?”
He turned sharply and looked at her, obviously not having heard her march across the floor. For a moment she was sucker punched again, only this time with that familiar lust she’d been experiencing since he’d shown up. He was still wearing the same clothes as before, but he’d added a pair of wire-rimmed glasses that for some reason made him look damn sexier and even more rugged than he already was.
His eyes swept over her as he swiveled his chair and leaned back, taking her in from wet hair to bare feet. “Nothing fit?”
She fisted her hands on her hips and ignored the playful tone of his voice. “I didn’t try any of it on.”
“You didn’t like the clothes?”
“I’m not some hooker you can buy off.”
With slow movements, he set the pen he’d been holding on the stack of papers at his side and regarded her like a lion tamer considering the foolishness of trying to coax a fresh steak from his growling pet. “You’re going to have to explain that one for me. I’m a little behind.”
“I’m getting at that.” She pointed to the bedroom, then lifted her arms to indicate the entire room. “And this. Why did you bring me here? It’s pretty clear it’s not because you’re dying to jump into bed with me.”
“Whoa. Wait a minute.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw and had the audacity to look amused. “I think you’ve got the wrong idea.”
“Oh, no, I have the very right idea. A woman knows when a man’s not attracted to her, so don’t talk to me like I’m stupid. Just come out and say what it is you want from me and stop playing these games.”
He rose from his seat, the leather creaking beneath him, and hesitantly stepped toward her. “What makes you think I’m not attracted to you?”
“A woman knows.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “For one, you haven’t touched me once today.”
“I didn’t want to startle you. You’ve looked a little nervous.”
“You barely touched me the night we had dinner either.”
“True. But not for the reasons you’re thinking.”
Her eyes narrowed. “There’s not a sexy thing in that closet of designer labels you bought.”
“In the first place, I didn’t buy them. I happen to have a…friend who’s got an in with some of those designers. And in the second, I disagree. Those clothes might not look sexy on the rack, but I’m willing to bet on you they’re amazing.”
He was throwing her off with those lusty looks, but she knew she was right. There was something about Peter Kauffman that just didn’t add up. “A guy who’s interested in a woman acts like he’s interested.”
He smiled then, a slow and confident grin that turned her insides to Jell-O, but he didn’t so much as respond.
Her stomach tightened. “And it’s obvious you aren’t staying in that room you pushed me into because there’s nothing of yours in there.”
“Do you want something of mine in there?”
Kat faltered, and he saw it. She hated the fact he was getting to her like this when she knew better. She lifted her chin. “That’s not the point.”
“I think it’s exactly the point.” He moved closer until she felt the heat radiating from his body, but she refused to let him intimidate her, so she didn’t step back. “In fact, I think the point here is that I’m different from the other men you’ve been with, and it’s confusing you.”
He was absolutely right about that. He was completely different, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.
“I know that shouldn’t thrill me,” he went on, “but I can’t help it. Because you’re completely different from the women I’ve been interested in, too, and in my defense, I haven’t known exactly how to deal with that.”
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