Maid of Dishonor by Heidi Rice Page B

I?’
    She tugged her hand free, cursing the heat shimmying up her spine. ‘Because Marnie doesn’t need to know.’
    â€˜That doesn’t answer my question,’ he said, an annoyingly astute look crossing his face.
    â€˜Please, as a favour to me, Carter,’ she said, trying her best puppy-dog pout. ‘Don’t tell Marnie about us. I said some pretty hideous things to her when this happened the first time. And I really don’t want to revisit that situation in any shape or form.’
    He shrugged. ‘Okay, I guess it’s no skin off my—’
    â€˜Pinkie swear,’ she begged, keen to get a commitment out of him. But when she demonstrated the technique by crossing her own pinkie over her heart and kissing the tip, his brows lowered ominously.
    â€˜Don’t push it, Carrington. I don’t do pinkie swears.’
    â€˜Why not?’
    â€˜Because it’s girlie and I’m a guy.’ His lips lifted into a sly grin. ‘You want me to prove it?’
    â€˜Absolutely not.’ She stepped out of his reach, before he could kick off yet more sizzles and shimmies. ‘I have to shower. Alone,’ she added for good measure when he chuckled.
    She needed to make a quick getaway now—no matter how much she might be tempted to stay. Sleeping with Carter again had been a mistake, on a lot of levels, however great it might have felt at the time. Not least of which was that he was a man she didn’t seem to be able to wrap around her finger as easily as every other man she’d ever dated. Getting him to say he wouldn’t mention this to Marnie was the best she could hope for. They wouldn’t be doing this again. As he would be safely back in Savannah by the end of the week, and she would be steering well clear of him—and his addictive pheromones—until then.
    â€˜Aren’t you forgetting something, sugar?’
    She swung round at the laconic question. ‘No, I don’t think so.’
    â€˜My little sister’s not as clueless about carnal relations as she used to be.’ His gaze dipped pointedly to her bare bottom. ‘I’m guessing she may well figure out something’s up when you show up with no panties on.’
    He laughed, obviously enjoying her distress immensely.
    â€˜Oh, go to hell...’ she huffed, waltzing back towards the bathroom.
    â€˜Your butt looks real cute when you’re mad.’
    She shot him the finger and slammed the bathroom door to cut off the sound of his full-bodied laughter. But as she dropped the dress and stepped into the enormous power shower her whole body started to shake.
    Last night’s activities had the potential to be a disaster.... Not just because Marnie might find out—but because she was going to have to keep well away from Carter for the next seven days. And after the night they’d just shared, that was going to be a very tall order.
    â€˜What were you thinking?’ she snapped at herself as the hot water hit her full in the face.
    This didn’t just have the potential to be a disaster, it already was one. And like every other disaster in her life so far, it was entirely of her own making.
    * * *
    Carter’s laughter subsided as he picked up the hotel phone. ‘Give me the concierge.’
    Damn, but she fascinated him. She got worked up about the weirdest things. Marnie wouldn’t care about them now. His sister was hardly the starry-eyed little romantic she’d once been, any more than he was the big brother she’d once looked up to. And while he’d always regretted her finding out he wasn’t the man she thought he was the way she had—he didn’t see why he, or Gina, should have to tiptoe around Marnie’s sensibilities now.
    His kid sister had been living in New York for five years—making her own way in the big bad Yankee city and steadfastly refusing to let him have any kind of foothold in her life. He was