Catie’s heart lurched. Had she heard correctly? He hadn’t just referred to her as “his woman,” had he? She thought about asking, but didn’t dare. He might take it back. She sighed. He probably didn’t even realize he’d said it.
Chad closed the shirt when the elevator reached its destination. The hall was vacant, thank God. She didn’t need anyone seeing her going into Chad’s room. That couldn’t possibly look good for the competition. Though not explicitly stated in the rules, fraternizing with a judge had to be against pageant regulations.
“Go on in the bathroom and dry off,” Chad said. “I’ll call downstairs and have your clothes brought up. What’s your car make and license number?”
“It’s a green Accord, with”—she hesitated—“Catie Bug vanity plates.” She warmed with embarrassment. “I need to get that changed.”
Chad chu
ckled as he picked up the hotel phone. Catie headed to the bathroom. Afraid to look in the mirror, she went straight to the shower. She hated chlorine on her skin. It made her itch like the dickens. A shower was her only option. She turned it on and the water left the showerhead with a whoosh. Once the room was good and steamy, she stepped inside.
This was Bakersville’s finest hotel—which wasn’t saying much. The shampoo was cheap and runny, but she made do. After lathering her head twice, she rinsed it out and smoothed on the equally unimpressive conditioner. While she let it soak in, she lathered her body and got rid of the wretched chlorine.
Chad knocked on the door and then entered. “Damn, sugar, what’d you get in the shower for? You tryin’ to tempt me with candy?”
“I hate chlorine on my skin, Chad. Get out of here!”
“I had to go down and get your clothes myself. The bellhops were all busy. All two of them.” He laughed. But he didn’t leave the room.
“I said go on, now,” Catie said.
“Hmm. This is quite a dilemma, isn’t it? I’m thinking I might need a shower myself. I’ve been knee deep in this pageant bullshit since sunup. Got hands runnin’ the ranch.”
“Yeah. If you haven’t been ranching, you don’t need a shower. Get out!”
“I’ve already got my shirt off…” Chad pulled off his boots and socks and unbuckled his jeans. “Don’t know whether I can trust you alone in the shower, anyway. Never took you for such a klutz, falling into the pool in the middle of a party. Can’t imagine what might happen to you on a slippery shower floor.” All the while his lazy grin lit up his handsome face. “Seems like we have some unfinished business in a shower.”
“Chad…no. It’s unethical. I’m a contestant. You’re a judge.”
“You’ll just have to disqualify yourself.”
He pulled down his jeans and boxers, leaving them in a heap. His arousal sprang forward, and Catie widened her eyes. Still gorgeous. Still huge. Still all for her.
He opened the shower door and joined her, crushing her to his hard muscular body. “Damn, you feel good, sugar.”
“Chad…”
His mouth clamped onto hers, and she was lost. The kiss fired her blood like nothing had before. His tongue tangled with hers, tasting, devouring, until she had to rip her mouth away to breathe. Embers smoldered between her legs. Chad gripped her breasts as he sucked on her neck, her shoulders.
“I need you.”
Need? He needed her? He hadn’t said he wanted her. He said he needed her. That had to be a good thing, right?
He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his hips, meeting his mouth again. The head of his shaft teased her entrance. Then, “Damn.”
“What?”
“Forgot the condom.”
“Oh.”
For a moment, Catie remembered the torn condom in Chad’s bedroom. She’d been so busy readying for the pageant, she hadn’t thought about that in days.
They were absolutely not having sex without a condom. She removed her legs from his hips and slid down his body.
In fact, they weren’t having sex, period. It would be unethical, and they had already engaged in behavior unbefitting a contestant and a judge. She needed to get dressed and leave.
Now.