She shrugged. Under her breath she said, “Every single day of my life.”
“I’ve told you before. Believe me when I say that you’re absolutely stunning, beautiful and sensual in so many ways, and oh so very amazing in bed, and—”
“Amazing in bed?” she asked abruptly. “Really?”
The sound of a car pulling up caught his attention. Duke was here in the cruiser. “I’d throw you to the ground and prove it to you, but the sheriff is here, and shockingly the town frowns on fornicating couples going at it in public.”
Her mouth dropped open slightly, her gaze raptly fixed to his eyes, which made Garrett even more hot for her. He’d been ready to go when they had stepped inside the room. He’d chosen sex over food to be with her today and still felt his decision was the exact right one.
However, turning his libido off so fast was a tricky proposition. Plus, he’d screwed up a few minutes ago, making it seem like he only wanted to fuck her for a while without any strings attached. That was so not his intention. Not this time.
Jessica, meanwhile, stared deeply into his eyes like she either couldn’t believe her good luck or she was considering whether to forgive him for being so emotionally unavailable when she mentioned staying with him. He focused his complete attention back on her.
How did he actually feel about her moving in with them? When he took a second to explore the idea, it didn’t chill him to the bone as much as the first time it crossed his mind. Or perhaps it was his impatient libido and thickening cock trying to get laid helping make it seem okay.
“Garrett. What’s up?” Duke stood next to them. Garrett hadn’t even heard him get out of his car.
Recovering quickly, Garrett said, “Duke, this is Jessica Hoyt. We just now entered her room to discover it had been broken into and vandalized.”
Duke glanced at the door. There were three white stenciled hearts above the room number that Garrett hadn’t ever noticed before. “And this is the bridal suite, right?”
Jessica answered. “Yes.”
His eyes narrowed. “You married?”
She shook her head as an amused smile shaped her beautiful lips. “No. Is that a problem?”
His eyes widened, sending a quick gaze Garrett’s way. He likely wanted to make sure Garrett wasn’t her husband. Duke was probably shocked at the mere idea. Shit. I am a total prick regarding commitment.
“No. Just checking.” He put gloves on and asked, “Can I borrow your key card?”
“Sure.” Jessica handed it to him. He opened the door, gestured for them to stay put, kept the door open with the swing door guard, like she had the night before, and went inside.
While they waited, she said nothing as Garrett continued to review his flawed character. Which would be worse, losing Jessica forever or asking her to move in with them? He mulled over the pros and cons as the silence between them grew to epic proportions.
After several minutes, Garrett heard Duke make a phone call for a forensics team to be called in to process the room. He came back outside, pulled the gloves off, and retrieved a small notebook and pen from his inside jacket pocket.
“Care if I ask you a few more questions, ma’am?”
“As long as you call me Jessica instead of ma’am, go right ahead.” She crossed her arms.
“Got it.” Duke grinned, which wasn’t like him. “How long have you been staying here, Jessica?”
“Just last night.”
“Where do you live?”
“Until fifteen minutes ago, in the bridal suite of this motel.”
He looked at her again. “New to town, are you?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“No. Not at all.” He grinned again. “My next question was going to be, who do you know that might want to scare you, but since you’re new to town, I’m guessing that’s a pretty short list.”
“I don’t know anyone who even knows I’m here besides Seth, Garrett, you, and oh yes, Ryan.”
“Ryan?”
“The clerk who checked me in last night. I believe his last name starts with a T.”
“Right. Ryan T. I know him. He’s likely not a suspect.”