hospital room provided sufficient privacy for the kind of encounter she was envisioning. KT could not control the smile that curved her lips when she finally raised her gaze to meet his.
One of his eyebrows lifted. “You look like the cat that ate the canary.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Well, that’s one way to put what I’m thinking. Just be glad you’re convalescing or I’d have you in a pretty compromising position about now.”
He patted the mattress beside him. “Come up here and I’ll show you compromising.”
She shook her head and tried to soften the refusal with a teasing tone. “Tempting as that may be, and trust me, it’s very tempting, if I join you on that bed, things are likely to get way out of hand.” She made a gesture to the half-open door.
“Exactly,” Peyton growled, the thrumming of his desire made her lock her knees to keep them from buckling. He took a deep breath and his expression cooled, just a little. “But you have a point.” That touch of caution returned to darken his eyes and the muscles in his jaw tightened.
She stepped forward to grip the footboard to remind herself not to push it. “How about a rain check? You’re going to be out of here in a few days. We can take this up somewhere more private and then we’ll try all the compromising positions we can think of.”
The tension eased from Peyton’s jaw and shoulders as he nodded. “You’re on. I’ll be out of here tomorrow. How about I come to the compound and we’ll take it from there?”
“Done!” She lifted the deck of cards and smiled as she waggled it at him.
“Now, how about we continue my education in card-sharking?”
Chapter Eleven
As she stepped off the elevator into the hospital lobby, KT grimaced at the rain streaking the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Again?”
She turned up the collar of her jacket and paused to let Henry precede her through the sliding glass doors. The bodyguard had appeared at her side last night when she left the hospital heading for the penthouse.
He paused just outside, flicked open an umbrella, and waved a waiting limo forward. When it slid to a stop, he opened the door, the umbrella held over the opening.
She darted forward and climbed in. “Thanks.”
The door closed, but before he could reach the front passenger side door, the limo surged away from the curb, throwing KT against the cushions as the locks clicked. Fear, combined with the chill of the air conditioning, hit her like ice. Andi’s snarl of fury surged, and faded.
Even while her brain registered the locks, KT lunged for the door handle and jerked at it. Through the window she saw Henry throw aside the umbrella and yank a gun out his coat. Two flares followed by two thunks in the armored wheel well had no effect. While pedestrians dove for cover, a taxi veered in behind the limo, blithely unaware of the danger, and blocked further shots.
“Hello, KT.”
KT turned around. Her aunt peered at her through the glass separating the driver’s compartment from the passenger’s. Dark hair fell across Patricia’s eyes in a wavy veil above a Cheshire-cat smile. Her gaze sparkled through the strands with an unsettling intensity.
“Aunt Patricia? What’s going on?”
“I’d have thought it was patently obvious,” said the driver. His voice, and Patricia’s, came through the car speakers.
KT glared into the rearview mirror at a pair of dark brown eyes beneath the brim of the chauffeur’s cap. “Torne! What did you do with my driver?”
Torne exchanged a glance with Patricia. “She’s quite the little humanitarian, isn’t she?” He turned his attention back to the traffic, although he did shoot KT one quick glance. “He’ll be fine, if they find him quick enough. Your kind are so resilient.”
KT looked at her aunt, searching for any sign of injury, hint of fear. “Aunt Patricia? What has he done to you? Is he threatening you?” Her panic should have touched off a reaction from Andi,
One of his eyebrows lifted. “You look like the cat that ate the canary.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Well, that’s one way to put what I’m thinking. Just be glad you’re convalescing or I’d have you in a pretty compromising position about now.”
He patted the mattress beside him. “Come up here and I’ll show you compromising.”
She shook her head and tried to soften the refusal with a teasing tone. “Tempting as that may be, and trust me, it’s very tempting, if I join you on that bed, things are likely to get way out of hand.” She made a gesture to the half-open door.
“Exactly,” Peyton growled, the thrumming of his desire made her lock her knees to keep them from buckling. He took a deep breath and his expression cooled, just a little. “But you have a point.” That touch of caution returned to darken his eyes and the muscles in his jaw tightened.
She stepped forward to grip the footboard to remind herself not to push it. “How about a rain check? You’re going to be out of here in a few days. We can take this up somewhere more private and then we’ll try all the compromising positions we can think of.”
The tension eased from Peyton’s jaw and shoulders as he nodded. “You’re on. I’ll be out of here tomorrow. How about I come to the compound and we’ll take it from there?”
“Done!” She lifted the deck of cards and smiled as she waggled it at him.
“Now, how about we continue my education in card-sharking?”
Chapter Eleven
As she stepped off the elevator into the hospital lobby, KT grimaced at the rain streaking the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Again?”
She turned up the collar of her jacket and paused to let Henry precede her through the sliding glass doors. The bodyguard had appeared at her side last night when she left the hospital heading for the penthouse.
He paused just outside, flicked open an umbrella, and waved a waiting limo forward. When it slid to a stop, he opened the door, the umbrella held over the opening.
She darted forward and climbed in. “Thanks.”
The door closed, but before he could reach the front passenger side door, the limo surged away from the curb, throwing KT against the cushions as the locks clicked. Fear, combined with the chill of the air conditioning, hit her like ice. Andi’s snarl of fury surged, and faded.
Even while her brain registered the locks, KT lunged for the door handle and jerked at it. Through the window she saw Henry throw aside the umbrella and yank a gun out his coat. Two flares followed by two thunks in the armored wheel well had no effect. While pedestrians dove for cover, a taxi veered in behind the limo, blithely unaware of the danger, and blocked further shots.
“Hello, KT.”
KT turned around. Her aunt peered at her through the glass separating the driver’s compartment from the passenger’s. Dark hair fell across Patricia’s eyes in a wavy veil above a Cheshire-cat smile. Her gaze sparkled through the strands with an unsettling intensity.
“Aunt Patricia? What’s going on?”
“I’d have thought it was patently obvious,” said the driver. His voice, and Patricia’s, came through the car speakers.
KT glared into the rearview mirror at a pair of dark brown eyes beneath the brim of the chauffeur’s cap. “Torne! What did you do with my driver?”
Torne exchanged a glance with Patricia. “She’s quite the little humanitarian, isn’t she?” He turned his attention back to the traffic, although he did shoot KT one quick glance. “He’ll be fine, if they find him quick enough. Your kind are so resilient.”
KT looked at her aunt, searching for any sign of injury, hint of fear. “Aunt Patricia? What has he done to you? Is he threatening you?” Her panic should have touched off a reaction from Andi,
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