Page 9 of Hazard
Hazard shook her gently, and she came fully awake, still feeling awful, headachy, and starving. She looked out the window to see them approaching a four-story building, surrounded by high concrete walls, and a fortified gate. Two Marines opened the black full metal gate, closing it behind the two vehicles.
They filed out of the SUVs, and before she could even protest, Hazard and Skull grabbed up her cases. She was silently relieved. She had no idea if this building had an elevator.
The first floor had two guards, one in a security room off to the right and one at the front double glass doors, along with the cafeteria, or Mess Hall in military speak. The aroma of food wafted out and her stomach grumbled.
Hazard glanced at her and said, “We can get some grub as soon as we get settled in.”
To her relief and gratitude, there was an elevator. She, Hazard, Skull, and her luggage piled inside while the other guys headed toward the food. Again, sandwiched between the two men was disconcerting, and felt so totally different. Oh, there were the same dangerous vibes from them, but even at five feet seven inches, she felt dwarfed by their towering heights and the way those broad shoulders filled the space.
Everything about them was disturbingly masculine.
But Hazard’s presence was particularly distracting. His shoulder was braced against the side of the elevator, those faded jeans fitting him like a glove. As he shifted his weight slightly, his altered position accentuated the strong contours of his jaw and the muscled thickness of his neck, and Leigh was suddenly keenly aware of his powerful build.
In the bright light of the elevator, his hair glinted with different highlights of blond and gold, the shades contrasting sharply with his tan and the light fabric of his shirt. He was unsettling so close, making her even more conscious of him as a man.
The elevator stopped on the fourth floor, and they piled off. It looked like the classrooms had been altered into spacious bedrooms with a shared bathroom in the middle of the two. He stopped at a closed door, turning the knob and pushing it open with his shoulder.
Inside she found two big white rooms with dark varnished woodwork and floors, and gabled ceilings. There were oatmeal-colored curtains on the windows along with blinds. The rooms were furnished with a queen bed, footlocker, and an old, scarred walnut dresser with brass-and-glass handles and an equally old oak wardrobe. The bathroom in the center was modern but did have a wonderful old-fashioned claw-footed tub with a generous shower on the side of the wall, along with a tall wall-to-ceiling narrow linen closet.
“There is a laundry room on the first floor in the back. We do our own wash.”
Skull dropped the case near the bed, then silently left the room, closing the door behind him.
“You will be in here, and I will be in the bedroom over.”
“You’re staying in the suite with me?” she asked, her voice coming out husky and surprised.
“Of course. I’m your bodyguard, Leigh. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
For a breathless moment, they stood staring at each other, then Hazard broke the spell. Setting her case down, he cleared his throat. “I’ll move my stuff up here after we eat. I’m sure you’ll want to get some shuteye while you can. You look dead on your feet.”
“What is the layout of the building?”
“As you know the first floor is pretty much all service-oriented, like food, laundry, armory, and cubicles, each wired with Wi-Fi access and a work desk. The second floor is all taken up by the Marines. The third floor has more bedrooms and that is where the conference room is located. The fourth floor is all bedrooms.”
“I see.” He was going to be up close and personal…in her space. She knew that but knowing it and having it become a reality were two different things. They would be effectively living together. But that made sense. He was responsible for keeping her safe. He couldn’t do that from a distance.
“This place is also complete with an indoor track, weight room, and large eight-lane pool housed behind us.”
“That’s nice. I love running, and swimming.”
He nodded. “Did you want to freshen up or change?” There was a strange tightness in her chest as she watched him place her bag on her bed for easy access. She studied his face for some clue as to what was going through his mind. His full mouth was pulled into an unyielding line, and there was an unusual tenseness about him that she found particularly distressing. He seemed so isolated, and maybe that’s what he wanted.
She found that her voice was treacherously unsteady when she responded, “Yes, please. She had to wonder if he was thinking about how much he wished she was back in San Diego, thousands of miles away from here. Probably.
“I’ll wait outside.”
Thank God, she thought as she unzipped her case, the door closing softly. She pulled out a warm black-and-white striped sweater, black leggings, socks, and a long cardigan. She hefted the other case on the bed and removed a pair of black low-heeled boots.
Damn but that bed looked enticing. Now that she was here, having won over her argument with David, she felt a bit more relaxed, but still on edge, and she refused to associate that keen, unsettled feeling with Hazard.
The bathroom was another white room with the same woodwork, but the floor was tiled instead of wood. As she turned on the water to warm it, distributing her toiletries and makeup into the empty medicine cabinet and on the sink, she worked at keeping her wayward thoughts at bay. She grabbed towels and set them on the commode.
She sighed when she stripped off the clothes she’d been in for almost twenty-four hours, then stepped into the steamy enclosure.
Something about the hot water loosened her up, the liquid pressure wonderful, pounding against her nipples even as they hardened from the stimulation. It was as if her body had been slapped awake after a long-term abstinence, and there was no lying to herself. It was all because of Hazard. He had been the catalyst to arouse this dormant sexual need she’d repressed for so long to focus on her career.
She groaned softly as she thought about his profile in the elevator, those muscled forearms, those tight jeans outlining his powerful hips and sex. Damn, the whole gorgeous package was hard to ignore.