began walking toward the waterfront.
“Thanks. I’ve been studying.”
“That’s good. There’s a practicum coming up, you know.” She leaned in for a quick, teasing kiss. “It might be very involved,” she murmured against his lips. “Maybe we should go back to the room.”
He ran his hands down her back. “Maybe we should.” They turned toward the hotel. “Of course, now that I know you’re hell-bent on doing risky things no matter my advice, I’m thinking that there’s a better course to take.”
“A better course than making love until we’re both cross-eyed?”
He cleared his throat. “Different, anyway. How about Defense 101?”
She gave him an amused look. “You’re going to teach me how to kick ass?”
“That might take a little more time than we’ve got. What I can do is teach you a few nasty tricks that might help you discourage the bad guys long enough to get away, though. Come on.” He picked up the pace. “Let’s get to the hotel.”
“I like the sound of that,” she said.
I NSIDE THE Royal Viking, they walked across the elegant lobby and into the elevator. Bax didn’t punch the number for their floor, though. He hit the button for the top floor.
“Wait a minute. I thought we were going to the room.”
“There’s not enough space there to do what I have in mind.”
“There’s enough space in our room to do what I have in mind.” She pressed him against the elevator wall and traced his lips with the tip of her tongue. “In fact, there’s enough space here.” She felt the stir of his cock against her, and that quickly, all she could feel was need.
The chime sounded and the doors opened on the top floor. Joss hit the button for their floor. “Back down.”
Bax put his hand in the door. “Let’s do this first.”
“Can’t it wait?”
“Look, waiting for you to get yourself in trouble is already making me old before my time. Let me at least teach you a few things so I can let you out of my sight.”
It gave her a little pulse of pleasure. “Why, Bax, you’re worried about me.”
“Don’t let it go to your head,” he muttered, a little flush creeping up the back of his neck as he walked down the hallway ahead of her.
Inside the emergency exit stairwell, they climbed upward the last few flights until they reached the top landing and the door that barred their way.
“You know,” Joss said conversationally, “I can’t read a lick of Swedish but there is an English translation there that says if you push that crash bar you’re going to make an unholy amount of noise and have every security guard in the hotel down on us. Maybe we’d better go back to the room and try it there.”
Bax gave her an amused look. “Who said anythingabout a crash bar?” he asked as he pressed one palm against the door and pushed it open.
“Well,” she said.
“It’s one of those security tricks. Makes life easier on the maintenance guys and the warning signs scare off all the amateurs.”
“Are you saying I’m an amateur?”
“You’ve got potential.”
“I might surprise you. I might just decide to become an investigator. What would you say to that?”
“I’d be scared.”
“Damned right.”
The roof was broad and open, covered with some sort of grayish white pebbly tar paper. At intervals stood boxy heating and air-conditioning units and other structures too mysterious for her to identify. Near the edge of the roof, where the hip-high wall met the verdigris-covered facing that surrounded the outside roof, stood the Royal Viking sign. It towered over them in slanting cursive letters. By night, it was outlined in neon; by day, it was black sheet metal, with a line of metal rungs climbing up the slanting sides of the letters, just about where a stepladder would end.
“Their name in lights, huh?” Joss asked, slipping off her jacket and tossing it down at the foot of the R .
“Something like that,” Bax said.
“Okay, sensei, tell me what to
“Thanks. I’ve been studying.”
“That’s good. There’s a practicum coming up, you know.” She leaned in for a quick, teasing kiss. “It might be very involved,” she murmured against his lips. “Maybe we should go back to the room.”
He ran his hands down her back. “Maybe we should.” They turned toward the hotel. “Of course, now that I know you’re hell-bent on doing risky things no matter my advice, I’m thinking that there’s a better course to take.”
“A better course than making love until we’re both cross-eyed?”
He cleared his throat. “Different, anyway. How about Defense 101?”
She gave him an amused look. “You’re going to teach me how to kick ass?”
“That might take a little more time than we’ve got. What I can do is teach you a few nasty tricks that might help you discourage the bad guys long enough to get away, though. Come on.” He picked up the pace. “Let’s get to the hotel.”
“I like the sound of that,” she said.
I NSIDE THE Royal Viking, they walked across the elegant lobby and into the elevator. Bax didn’t punch the number for their floor, though. He hit the button for the top floor.
“Wait a minute. I thought we were going to the room.”
“There’s not enough space there to do what I have in mind.”
“There’s enough space in our room to do what I have in mind.” She pressed him against the elevator wall and traced his lips with the tip of her tongue. “In fact, there’s enough space here.” She felt the stir of his cock against her, and that quickly, all she could feel was need.
The chime sounded and the doors opened on the top floor. Joss hit the button for their floor. “Back down.”
Bax put his hand in the door. “Let’s do this first.”
“Can’t it wait?”
“Look, waiting for you to get yourself in trouble is already making me old before my time. Let me at least teach you a few things so I can let you out of my sight.”
It gave her a little pulse of pleasure. “Why, Bax, you’re worried about me.”
“Don’t let it go to your head,” he muttered, a little flush creeping up the back of his neck as he walked down the hallway ahead of her.
Inside the emergency exit stairwell, they climbed upward the last few flights until they reached the top landing and the door that barred their way.
“You know,” Joss said conversationally, “I can’t read a lick of Swedish but there is an English translation there that says if you push that crash bar you’re going to make an unholy amount of noise and have every security guard in the hotel down on us. Maybe we’d better go back to the room and try it there.”
Bax gave her an amused look. “Who said anythingabout a crash bar?” he asked as he pressed one palm against the door and pushed it open.
“Well,” she said.
“It’s one of those security tricks. Makes life easier on the maintenance guys and the warning signs scare off all the amateurs.”
“Are you saying I’m an amateur?”
“You’ve got potential.”
“I might surprise you. I might just decide to become an investigator. What would you say to that?”
“I’d be scared.”
“Damned right.”
The roof was broad and open, covered with some sort of grayish white pebbly tar paper. At intervals stood boxy heating and air-conditioning units and other structures too mysterious for her to identify. Near the edge of the roof, where the hip-high wall met the verdigris-covered facing that surrounded the outside roof, stood the Royal Viking sign. It towered over them in slanting cursive letters. By night, it was outlined in neon; by day, it was black sheet metal, with a line of metal rungs climbing up the slanting sides of the letters, just about where a stepladder would end.
“Their name in lights, huh?” Joss asked, slipping off her jacket and tossing it down at the foot of the R .
“Something like that,” Bax said.
“Okay, sensei, tell me what to
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