Annie on the Lam: A Christmas Caper by Jennifer Archer

through her right now felt a whole lot more like disappointment.
    Joe pushed back his bar stool and stood. “You must be beat. We’ll save the talking for tomorrow. Whatever’s in those files, too. You can have my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
    â€œDo you mind if I borrow your shower?” She felt grimy and wished she had a clean change of clothes.
    â€œSure. No problem.” He nodded toward a short hallway leading out of the living area. “In here.”
    She followed him into his bedroom and he opened an adjoining door, revealing a small bathroom. Annie spared a quick glance at the bed, his bed, which she would be sleeping in soon, and hoped his tank held plenty of cold water.
    â€œI’ll get you some clean towels,” Joe said, his gaze lingering a moment on her face. “I’ll set them outside the door.”
    â€œThanks.” As he turned to leave Annie said, “Oh, I need my purse.” There were moist wipes inside that she could use to remove her makeup. She started after him.
    â€œI’ll get it,” Joe told her.
    â€œThanks.”
    Annie shut the bathroom door, turned and leaned against it, closed her eyes. Well, this was weird. And awkward. So why did she get a little thrill just thinking about him in the next room? A humming sensation beneath her skin when she thought of sleeping in his bed, beneath his sheets, his scent wrapped around her? Maybe because the men she was used to were nothing like him. A compliment to Joe, she decided.
    She sighed and opened her eyes, pushed away from the door. The excitement of the chase earlier had gotten to her, that’s all. The fact that they’d almost gone to heaven together—and not in a good way—but at the hand of a burly baboon.
    Annie pulled off her skirt, tugged the torn satin blouse over her head. In the mirror, she checked out the scrape on her breast, the bruises already apparent on her shoulder and hip from her fire escape dive. She stretched her sore muscles. Her whole body ached. She would get a few hours of sleep, look through the files with Joe in the morning, and depending upon what they found, take it from there. Whether she found what she expected to or not, she would need to come up with a plan of action. But she couldn’t do anything about that tonight. She was too wiped out to think straight.
    A knock sounded at the door. “I’m putting the towels and your purse on the floor to the right of the door,” Joe said.
    â€œThanks,” she called, then waited a beat before reaching for the doorknob. Before she could open up, a thump sounded on the other side of the wall, a clatter, then…
    Joe cursed. “I dropped your—”
    Some something hung in the silence that followed, something ominous that weighed her down with dread. And then she remembered the present Lacy had given her at the Christmas party tonight. Remembered stuffing the box into her purse, it breaking open when she hit Harry.
    Burning with embarrassment, Annie winced and opened the door a crack.
    Stooped in front of the bathroom, Joe held a tiny square packet between his thumb and forefinger. Along with her keys and lipstick, a stick of gum and a few pennies, at least ten other packets just like the one he held lay scattered about his feet. He lifted his gaze to her face and his eyebrows shot up.
    Without thinking, she opened the door wider. “What a mess,” she said, chirping a nervous laugh. “Don’t worry about it. I did the same thing earlier. There are twice as many on Harry’s office floor.” Good gawd . Why had she said that?
    But when his eyes shifted upward and settled on the front of her black bikini brief panties she had the distinct impression he hadn’t heard a word she’d said. His stare was as hot as a beam of Georgia sunlight in July. He lingered, blinked, trailed his gaze up her belly, stopped at her bra and blinked again.
    â€œDon’t