Chapter 7
“Wake up, Eden.”
Eden’s eyes flew open to see Drew. He wasn’t sitting in the driver’s seat but was standing by the open passenger door of the truck. She quickly sat up and looked around. “Where are we?”
“At a hotel. I’ve checked us in. Separate rooms, of course.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
“But there is a connecting door.”
Eden blinked. Maybe she wasn’t so thankful after all, although she honestly didn’t think she had anything to worry about. He’d specifically said he wasn’t attracted to women her age. Yawning, she asked, “Why are you standing there?”
“I wasn’t sure you’d be able to walk or if I would have to carry you. I called your names a few times, but you were dead to the world.”
“I’m surprised, since I’d taken a nap when we left Phoenix.”
“It can happen when you aren’t the driver. So, can you walk, or do I need to carry you?”
“I can walk.”
“Okay.” He stepped back, and she turned to step out of the truck.
Unfortunately, her foot missed connecting with the running board, and she would have fallen flat on her face on the pavement if Drew hadn’t been there to catch her. She practically tumbled into his arms. “I’m usually not this clumsy,” she said, staring into the darkness of his eyes.
“Maybe I should carry you to your room after all,” he said in what she thought was a voice throatier than before. And did their faces need to be this close?
“No, I’ll be fine, Drew,” she said, although she didn’t believe for one minute that she would be, since she was noticing something between them that hadn’t been quite so obvious before.
Sexual chemistry. Granted, he was a hunk, handsome as sin, and from the sounds of it, a real lady-killer.
But why had her attraction to Drew Steele become so blatantly obvious now?
Heck, she only knew his last name because Delores had mentioned it.
Then, when his truck had pulled up at the designated spot to pick her up, she had seen the name on the side of his truck’s door ─the Steele Trucking Company.
Was he related to the owner? Is that why he felt he could bend the rules and regulations a little while still keeping his job?
Clearing her throat, she said, “You can put me down now, Drew.” Was she imagining things, or had his mouth moved closer?
“Can I?”
“Yes, please.”
Although she thought it took him a minute longer than necessary, he set her on her feet. “Thanks.” She grabbed her backpack off the truck’s floor and then moved away, allowing him to close the door.
He surprised her by tucking her arm in his. “The parking lot needs repaving in some areas, so I’m making sure you don’t miss a step.”
“Thanks.”
It didn’t take long to reach the breezeway where the hotel rooms were located.
He opened her door. “Remember, I’m right next door if you need anything.
Just knock on the connecting door.” When she nodded, he added, “I requested wake-up calls for four in the morning. If we’re on the road by five, we should reach New Mexico by noon.
I asked Judy to have a two-box breakfast at checkout. ”
She lifted a brow. “Judy?”
“Yes, she and her husband Norm own the hotel.”
Eden nodded. “Friends of yours?”
“Yes. Before I worked with my current employer, I used to haul loads from Charlotte to LA regularly. This hotel was on my route, so I stayed here often.” He paused a moment and then added, “I hope you get a good night’s sleep—even if you slept most of the way here.” He grinned.
Was that a subtle way of making sure she would be up and dressed by five? Or was he simply teasing her? “I’ll be ready to go, Drew.”
He met her gaze for a moment, then nodded, a small smile still on his lips, and left.
It was only then that she released a deep breath.
She glanced around her hotel room. It didn’t have the luxuries and amenities she was used to, but it was clean, and the bed looked inviting.
And it had a telephone. She couldn’t call Amélie, since she was probably in Paris now.
Nor could she place a long-distance call to Sophie without Drew being charged for it.
Somehow, she needed to get word to Amélie that she was alright, even if it meant going through Sophie.
She was quickly discovering just how difficult life was when you didn’t have money.
Crossing the floor, she took a peek inside the bathroom and smiled when she saw the tub.
After the day she’d had, a bubble bath sounded perfect.
She hated that Drew was using his hard-earned cash to pay for her room. Once she arrived in Paris and started modeling, she would pay him back.
**
Drew shifted in bed to grab the remote. Turning down the volume on the television, he tried not to think about the reason he had turned it up an hour ago ─to drown out the sound of Eden running a bath.
He had stayed at this hotel enough times to recognize the sound of water rushing through the pipes to fill the tub.
The aroma of jasmine permeated the walls, and his head swam with the scent.
His mind filled with tempting images ─Eden slipping off her clothing, then easing into the tub and sinking below the bubbles.
Earlier tonight, when he had caught her to prevent her from falling, he had realized how good she had felt in his arms. Her scent had been up close and personal, her breathing close to his neck, and her body had felt so damn soft.
It suddenly hit him below the gut that he was attracted to her.
Damn! Of course, he had to admit that he’d been attracted to her the moment she opened her eyes that day and he looked into them.
He had been ensnarled by her green eyes ever since, though he’d been trying to resist, especially when they’d been on the road.
But there was only so much temptation a man could take…
And it was more than just her looks. Her scent drove him crazy. Whatever perfume she was wearing should be her signature brand. It accentuated her natural scent, and enveloped him in a haze of desire.
And when they were sharing a meal, he could barely hold things together.
She had a proper way of eating that he’d thought to be absolutely adorable.
The way she would lick her lips after eating something she enjoyed was a total turn-on.
Nothing was hurried. She took her time, as if relishing every single moment, gaining total pleasure from what she was consuming.
He wondered if she made love the same way.
He loved slow sex ─it was the ultimate in intimate pleasure.
Nothing hurried or rushed, allowing him to be in tune with every stroke into a woman’s body.
Unfortunately, most of the women he encountered liked it fast and hard.
There was nothing wrong with that. However, if given a choice, he felt slow was the way to go.
And if something were to happen between him and Eden, he knew it would be about more than pleasure and sexual fulfilment. There would be a connection between them, and he didn’t want that, not with any woman. Not even Eden. And knowing that, he should leave well enough alone.
But that didn’t stop him from thinking about how it would feel to make slow, intimate love with her. It was an irresistible fantasy, one he shouldn’t really indulge in, but did anyway.
Now that the volume on the television was down, he was picking up more sounds ─her movements around the room, the buzzing noise of a hand-held hair dryer.
He could imagine her applying heat to her hair to make it look silkier.
He wished he could run his fingers through it tomorrow.
Better yet, if she had asked, he would have washed it for her.
Hell, he’d never washed a woman’s hair before. Had never even thought of doing so.
He eased up to sit on the side of the bed and held his head in his hand. What in the world was happening to him? The sound of a woman taking a bath had never affected him this way before. He was so tempted to knock on the connecting door and…
Do what? Something he would regret in the morning. How many more times would they need to stay in hotels before they reached Tennessee? But then, was being in the truck with her for extended hours any better? And he still hadn’t decided what he’d do when they got to Memphis…
There was no way he could take her to Dollywood.
And even if he did, she’d still have the same problem—no money and no place to stay.
Besides, he’d need to have her out of his truck before he got there.
All it would take was for one of the construction workers to notice her.
Some men bought Vogue magazine as eagerly as they did the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated, mainly to see which attractive woman was on the cover.
Having her face on Vogue made Eden a celebrity, regardless of whether she wanted it or not.
Memphis was the first major city they would reach after crossing the border from Arkansas.
It wasn’t an ideal place for her to hide out, but it would have to do.
Although he wouldn’t give her his charge card, he would prepay her entire reservation at some hotel there.
In addition, he would provide her with enough cash to tide her over until her agent sent her a ticket to Paris.
Satisfied that he had come up with a solution to the problem, he eased back into bed and slid between the sheets, determined to get a good night’s sleep.
**
Eden was ready when Drew knocked on the hotel room door.
After performing her morning ablutions, she had decided to wear a darker shade of denim jeans and accent it with a light blue pullover blouse.
It hadn’t taken her long to get dressed and repack her backpack.
The moment he knocked on the door, she opened it.
Smiling brightly, she said, “Good morning, Drew.”
His gaze roamed over her, and then a frown settled in his features. “What’s wrong?” she asked him.
“Nothing,” he mumbled. “You’re ready?”