Truman Page 7

  She felt dizzy and totally out of control. Quickly, she shuffled away from him, placing her hand on the wall to steady herself.

  “Wow,” he said. “Get a load of this place.”

  Someone had decorated the suite like a tropical hideaway. Huge silk plants dominated the room—a corn plant in one corner, a fake palm in the other. The wallpaper depicted tigers, monkeys, and parrots hidden in lush green foliage.

  The carpet was thick and vibrantly green. In the middle of the room sat the conversation area with a black leather sofa, a zebra skin rug, and two white leather chairs. A chandelier made of antler horns hung above a brass-and-glass coffee table.

  “Not exactly my cup of tea,” Katie confessed, struggling to gain a modicum of self-control. Purposefully avoiding Truman’s gaze.

  Katie ventured from the sitting room into the kitchenette, her pulse thudding faster than a rock band’s drum solo. She stared at the microwave, the dishwasher, the refrigerator stocked with a complimentary bottle of champagne, yet her mind hooked on one thing and one thing only.

  Truman.

  When he had asked her to go undercover with him, she’d been pleased and excited. She’d been looking for adventure, and he’d brought it to her on a platter. However, had she known exactly how much being near him would affect her, she’d have thought twice before accepting his double-edged proposition.

  Excitement, yes.

  Safety, no.

  If she didn’t watch out, her heart would get shattered into a million pieces.

  Yet, she couldn’t have turned Truman away. He had come to her and asked for her favor. She’d owed him for rescuing her from the mugger and for returning her purse. She had promised him. She could not have said no.

  Stuck.

  Trapped for the weekend.

  She’d better learn to make the best of it. But how? She knew only one antidote. Act like Tess Dupree. Troubles seemed to roll off Tess like a kid down a water slide.

  Tess is a fictional character.

  Yes, but that didn’t matter. Tess was a good role model. Katie had learned a lot from imitating her favorite heroine. All right, she knew it was a crutch, but it was a crutch that worked.

  Bolstered, Katie took a deep breath. She could do this. She could resist Truman’s charms and still be a good amateur detective.

  “Katie, come here. You gotta see this,” he called to her.

  She followed the sound of his voice and found him standing in the middle of a large bathroom. A black marble Jacuzzi tub, the approximate size of Siberia, overpowered the room.

  White tiles covered the walls. Two bathrobes, one black and one white, hung on a hook beside the door. There were two sinks, two blow dryers, and two white baskets of goodies, including carved soaps, shampoo, bath oil, body lotion, and toothpaste.

  No denying it, they’d outfitted the place with couples in mind.

  When she spotted the bowl of condoms sitting on a shelf, Katie felt the color drain from her cheeks. Good grief, how was a girl supposed to stay celibate! Truman to her right and a bowl of condoms to her left.

  “How much did this room cost?” she asked, praying that Truman didn’t spy the condoms before she hid them. No sense giving the man ideas. If Truman so much as kissed her again, she’d dissolve into a puddle at his feet. She wouldn’t have the will to keep her hands to herself. He’d been a part of her fantasy life for too long. Clearing her throat, she placed her body strategically between him and the shelf.

  “Don’t worry about it. This honeymoon stay is on the department.”

  “The taxpayers you mean.”

  “Hey, occasionally there are benefits to being a cop. This room makes up for all the ratty dives I’ve endured over the years.”

  “You could fit fifteen people in that tub,” she mused.

  “Now who would want fifteen people in their honeymoon suite’s hot tub?”

  “Kinky people?”

  “Are you brave enough to go see the bedroom?” Truman asked, shooting her a wicked glance.

  “After seeing this bathroom, I’m scared.”

  “Me, too,” he confessed.

  They laughed. It felt good to laugh together, but also dangerous. They were bonding.

  Before she realized what he meant to do, Truman took her hand and led her into the suite’s remaining room.

  The king-size bed was round and covered with a white bedspread. Pink heart-shaped throw pillows lay scattered strategically across the top. The carpet was pure white and as soft as a kitten’s fur. Modern paintings, done in splashes of vivid color, adorned the walls.

  But the thing that seized Katie’s attention, and shocked her far more than the condoms had, was the huge oval mirror mounted tantalizingly above the bed. Her imagination slammed into overdrive as she envisioned the potential view from that position.

  Holy cow!

  “Viva Las Vegas,” Truman muttered.

  “I’m sleeping on the couch,” Katie announced.

  “No, you’re not. I am.”

  “I suppose we could share the bed,” she ventured, cringing even as she said the words. “It is enormous.”

  “With that mirror hanging overhead? Not on your life, Katie Prentiss. Under those circumstances, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”

  “Me, neither,” she whispered.

  “I might be a policeman, but I’m only human.”

  The raw passion in his voice shook her. She focused her eyes on the floor, too frightened of her own passions to meet his gaze. What would happen if they both gave in to their desires and acted with no thoughts of tomorrow?

  Pleasure rippled through her but was just as quickly replaced by fear. Yes, she might find happiness for a short, glorious time in his arms, but what would happen to her heart in the harsh glare of the morning light?

  Yes, the torture of being near him, yet unable to act on her longings, was far preferable to the agony she would feel if he dumped her.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Truman pulled her from the bedroom and shut the door behind them. “We’ll argue about the sleeping arrangements later.”

  Relieved, Katie followed him to the sitting area. Between condoms in the bathroom, champagne in the kitchen, and erotic mirrors in the bedroom, the sitting room seemed the only safe place.

  “Do you have the conference brochure?” Truman asked, plunking down into a chair. “We can look over the information and plan our attack.”

  “Right here,” Katie said, happy to have something to concentrate on besides Truman’s sexiness and the provocative honeymoon suite. She pulled a glossy trifold brochure from her purse and handed it to him. “Registration is from four until six. What time is it now?”

  Truman consulted his watch. “Three-thirty.”

  “The reception is at seven.” She pointed out the schedule on the brochure, leaning close to him and immediately regretting it. He smelled way too good.

  “Hmm, drinking and no food. Not a good combination. Are you hungry?”

  Oh, yes, but not for food!

  “We could eat at one of the hotel’s restaurants,” she suggested. “They’ve got three in varying price ranges.”

  “Or we could order room service.”

  Katie winced. She wanted to put some distance between herself and Truman. Getting out in public would put her feelings into perspective. Instead, he was suggesting they get cozier. Room service.

  “Isn’t that extravagant?” Katie asked.

  “Live life while you can.” His sentiment sounded exactly like something Tess Dupree would say. “Besides, I think better on a full stomach. Do you see a menu?”

  “I’ll try the dresser.” Katie got up and crossed the room. She riffled through the ads stacked on top of the bureau. “Oh, dear,” she whispered, unearthing a piece of paper advertising adult movies on the pay-per-view channel.

  There were pictures of scantily dressed young women and sexy bare-chested men locked in the throes of passionate embraces.

  Ra
ttled, Katie tried to stuff the damning ad at the bottom of the local attractions guidebook, but it flew from her hands and settled to the floor underneath Truman’s chair.

  This was just like that miserable letter in high school. Embarrassing stuff. Unless she could snatch the paper up before he saw it.

  Truman’s back was to her, his head down as he studied the conference brochure.

  Katie whistled in a breath and tiptoed across the carpet, her blood pumping through her veins.

  She inched closer and noticed what a superb neck he had. Muscular but not too thick. Browned from the sun and lightly freckled. She suppressed a powerful urge to reach out and knead his neck in an intimate gesture.

  Get the porno ad before he sees it, Katie.

  Returning her attention to her mission, she extended her foot under his chair.

  “Find anything?” he asked, just as she was about to touch the paper with the tip of her toe.

  He caught her off guard. She jumped back.

  Truman swiveled his head and smiled up at her.

  Katie stopped breathing.

  “No menu?”

  She shook her head.

  “What the heck? I’m so hungry; let’s just raid the minibar.” He got up, took her by the hand, and tugged her over to the minibar, leaving the naughty advertisement for adult movies lying face-up on the floor underneath his chair.

  Truman squatted, then opened the small refrigerator under the television console. “Hmm, what have we here?”

  He pulled items out and stacked them on the counter. “Smoked oysters, chocolate bars, pickled onions, green olives, cheese and crackers. Anything catch your fancy?”

  Oh, yeah, but it was the man in front of the minibar that had seized her fancy, not the food he’d put on the counter.

  Oysters, olives, chocolate. Weren’t those tidbits considered aphrodisiacs?

  Ack! Between condoms and mirrors, adult movies and decadent food, Katie feared she’d spontaneously combust. She couldn’t seem to think of anything but Truman and his hot bod.

  Rising to his feet, Truman scooped up his bounty and went to lay it out on the coffee table. He opened two cans of soda, sat down, and patted the sofa cushion beside him. “Chow time.”

  Nervously, Katie darted a quick glance at the advertisement still under the chair and in Truman’s full view. All he had to do was look down, and he couldn’t miss it.

  She edged over and perched on the sofa beside him.

  “Cheese and crackers?” he offered, extending a wheat cracker topped with cheese spread to her.

  She took the cracker and nibbled nervously.

  Truman peeled back the lid on the oyster tin and helped himself.

  Mesmerized by his perfect lips, Katie watched him chew.

  “Yum. Want one?”

  “No, thanks.”

  “Hey, is that the room service menu?” He spied the paper, and Katie groaned inwardly.

  “Uh, no, just an advertisement,” she said hurriedly. “Guess I dropped it on the floor.” She made a move for it, but Truman was quicker.

  He leaned over and snatched up the ad.

  He read it, then grinned. “Why, Katie Prentiss, are you trying to tell me something?”

  7

  Mortified, Katie immediate scrambled for excuses, which just made things worse. “No! It was an accident. I swear. I didn’t even know the thing was on the dresser. I was looking for the menu. You’ve got to believe me. I would never...”

  “Hey, honey, calm down. I was only teasing. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He reached for her.

  She jumped up and backed away from him until she bumped into the wall.

  “Katie, are you okay?”

  Silently, she shook her head.

  He got up and came for her.

  Her heart ached. Her mouth went dry. Her stomach burned.

  Gently, Truman hooked an index finger under her chin and lifted her face to meet his. “I think we need to have a talk.”

  “No, we don’t.”

  “This environment is pretty provocative.”

  That was an understatement. Her jaw tightened beneath his touch.

  “Katie.” He placed both palms on her shoulders. “Relax.”

  Relax? How could she possibly relax, when the man she had been in love with for half her life was standing right in front of her and calling her sweet things?

  Suddenly that man was looking at her as if seeing her for the first time. It was really too much to handle for one day.

  “Take a deep breath,” he murmured.

  She did, but nothing doing. She stared at his neck and felt her chest tighten painfully.

  “Look at me.”

  Slowly, Katie raised her eyes. His gaze was simple, direct, sincere.

  “We need to talk,” he repeated.

  “Talk? What’s there to talk about?” She wrinkled her forehead and shifted her weight. The pressure of his hands on her shoulders disconcerted her. She wished he’d stop touching her, but it felt so nice, so she didn’t tell him that.

  “We really should discuss that crush you had on me years ago.”

  “Crush? What crush?”

  The old shame and embarrassment came rushing back with a vengeance. She couldn’t let him know she still had a crush on him. Katie desperately racked her brain for a flip response. What would Tess say? She tried to concentrate, but it was impossible with Truman staring at her like that. She was cornered, boxed in, forced to face the emotions she’d been hiding for so long.

  “It’s all right. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, but it’s best if we get this out in the open and deal with it,” he said.

  “Why do we have to talk about that old stuff? Its ancient history.”

  “Because it’s affecting you here and now.”

  “It is?” she whispered.

  “You felt it when I kissed you. I felt it, too. Truthfully, Katie, when I saw you at the botanical garden, I wanted you.”

  “You w…wa…wanted me?”

  “I wanted to be with you.”

  “You mean like sex?”

  “I mean like more than sex.”

  “Really?” Her pulse took off at a dead sprint. Was it possible? Could Truman feel for her what she felt for him?

  “I was an idiot back in high school. I can’t believe I ignored you the way I did.”

  “You couldn’t help it. I was fat and ugly, and you were in love with Rhonda.”

  “You were never fat or ugly.”

  “I felt like I was.”

  “Rhonda belittled you. And I’m ashamed to say that I did not stop her. I was young and dumb and thought I was in love.”

  “Look, you weren’t responsible for Rhonda’s behavior; that’s on her. Or my low self-esteem. That’s all on me.”

  “No, but I could have taken up for you. Been nicer.”

  “You were always nice to me,” she murmured.

  “Katie, I’m very attracted to you.” He tenderly brushed a lock of hair from her eyes. “More than you’ll ever know. But I won’t jeopardize the assignment or take advantage of you.”

  “What do you mean, take advantage of me?” Her voice quavered.

  “I want to make love to you so badly I can taste it. But I can’t. I won’t.”

  Truman wanted to make love to her! He’d said it with his own lips. Her heart raced; her palms perspired. Her lips parted at the thought of being kissed by him. But in the same breath, he’d told her he would not act upon his desires.

  “Because of the investigation, you mean,” she asked.

  “Yes, but it’s more than that. You deserve a guy who can devote himself to you one hundred percent. My job is my life, and I won’t apologize for that.”

  Katie’s bottom lip trembled. She felt like a starving woman offered a banquet and then had it snatched away when she opened her mouth to take a single bite.

  “There’s no room in my life for a relationship right now, and you’re much too fine a woman for a casual hookup.
As much I would enjoy having sex with you, it couldn’t be anything more, and that’s why I can’t act on our attraction.”

  “Even if I wanted to have wild, no-strings-attached sex with you?”

  “Especially then. I know you’ve had fantasies about us since you were a teenager. Believe me, I wish I could make all your dreams come true, but I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”

  Tears, hot and hard, caught in her throat. She almost let them spill over, and then she heard Tess’s voice in her head. Never let ‘em see you cry.

  “Okay,” she said, forcing a smile to her face. “Thanks for being honest with me. I appreciate it.”

  He seemed startled that she was taking his rejection so well. “You’re okay?”

  “Sure.” She waved a hand, playing glib. “You’re a sexy guy and a great kisser, but you’re absolutely right. We’re on an investigation. If anything happened between us, it would only muck up the case. And you’re right about me too. I do deserve a man who will put me first, above all else, and as you say, you can’t do that, so…”

  Truman nodded, but he looked sort of miserable. “Thank you for understanding.”

  “No prob.” She shrugged casually, but inside her heart ached. “Could you excuse me for a sec?” She gestured in the bathroom’s direction.

  “Sure.” He smiled that endearing smile. The same smile he’d given her when he’d once told her he was in love with Rhonda. Katie longed to smack him. Just because he gave her that killer-diller smile didn’t mean she forgave him.

  Trying not to run, Katie hurried into the bathroom and locked the door. She sat down on the edge of the massive tub and willed herself not to cry.

  Over the years, she’d cried a river of tears for that man and for what? So that he could tell her she was beautiful, that he wanted to make love to her but that his job meant more to him than she ever could?

  What was the matter with her? Was she a masochist? A glutton for pain?

  Why are you so hung up on him? Katie heard Tess’s voice, tough and strong, singing through her head.

  “He’s gorgeous,” Katie whispered.

  Okay, I’ll grant you that Truman’s got a pretty face and a darned nice backside, but is that enough for you?