Pretty Hot (The Pretty Trilogy Book 1) by Donna Alam

Swallow him whole. ‘Maybe I should check.’
    ‘I can stay.’ My voice is barely audible. I use it as an excuse to swiftly drain the contents of my glass and turn to place my bag on the nightstand. ‘And I’m not mute.’
    ‘Is that a challenge?’
    I almost drop my bag. Drawling and languid, his words sound like some kind of sensual threat. Heat fans out across my skin, and not just from blushing. Forcing my frozen body into motion, I turn and clear my throat, trying for a change in subject. An alternative to melting off the bed.
    ‘What time is your checkout in the morning?’
    ‘I don’t have one. The suite is permanently booked for my use.’
    ‘You live here?’ I squeak. His family owns a school and he lives full time in a five-star hotel. What planet is he from again?
    ‘No, I have a house,’ he answers evenly, eyes sliding to my chest where the sheet is no longer in my grasp. ‘I don’t live here full-time.’
    Quickly recovering my modesty, I tuck the edges under my arms. Of course not. Because living in a hotel part-time isn’t odd at all.
    ‘My house is out of the city and, well, it’s complicated,’ he says with a careless shrug. He slips a hand beneath his head, the muscles of his torso flexing. ‘It’s on the family estate. My mother and father, we each have houses there, along with some extended family.’ His expression is unreadable until I adjust the sheet, when he smiles. ‘The hotel is better located, there’s less traffic to contend with and it’s private.’
    His gaze glides to mine, morphing into something more intense, electrifying the air. Like a vortex, all the energy in the room is sucked into the small space between us. I’m conscious of my chest heaving, like the huge, desperate cliché that I am. Then his mouth slides against mine briefly, tasting and teasing, before his tongue and lips make their way across my jaw. I try to hold on, my thoughts disjointed as the pleasure of his mouth licks at my skin, but one thought floats free.
    His mother and father each have houses. Divorced, maybe?
    ‘Relax,’ he whispers hotly in my ear.
    I shiver, my body’s disloyal reactions almost innate, and definitely in conflict with my brain, but I manage to hang onto that one thread.
    ‘Listen, Kai,’ I say, untangling myself from his arms.
    ‘A goldfish, then?’ he asks, pulling back.
    ‘What? No, it’s just, I usually get to know a person before I . . . er . . . hop into bed.’
    Person. Singular. Other than a few teenage fumbles which surely don’t count. And I’ve just doubled my total, I realise.
    ‘I like that I’m the exception to your rule.’ Fingertips brush my collarbone, lips replacing his hand which trails lower, as words and kisses breathe against my skin. I struggle not to surrender to the sensations as he growls, ‘And I’m all for first times.’
    ‘Boss!’ I squeak out as his tongue dips beneath the sheet at my chest. ‘You’re my boss!’
    ‘Technically, not.’ The words are muffled, spoken between fabric and gritted teeth as he attempts to playfully tear the sheet away.
    ‘Really?’ I glance down, tightening my arms against my sides and, therefore, the covering.
    ‘Really,’ he repeats emphatically, pulling away with a sigh. ‘I understand your concerns, but this isn’t going to make a difference to your job. I’m hardly likely to mention it to Arwa, or anyone, for that matter. My private life is just that. And I’m very good with secrets.’ Though it’s a relief to hear, I still feel hollow. Still look easy. ‘Look,’ he sighs, still regarding me with a mixture of frustration and amusement. ‘I don’t know what the issue is here. We’re both single, no one’s judging. No one’s hurt.’
    A silent yet hangs in the air, but maybe only I can hear it. Throwing a theatrical arm across my eyes, I sigh loudly. ‘I don’t need anyone’s judgement. I’ve enough of my bloody own.’
    ‘Very melodramatic.’ Lifting my arm, he grins