Madison

He didn’t fight her.

There was a slight tremor of surprise as her lips met his, but he let himself fall into the kiss with ease. His hands slid up her side slowly, and Madison had to abruptly hold back a moan at the way his strong fingers massaged her skin as he touched her. She’d left her long coat in the car, and was clad only in her skintight pants and a light blue button-up top that let her feel every press of him.

Hold on to yourself girl, it’s just a fake makeout session.

It certainly felt like more, as pyrotechnics lit off inside her skull. His hands slid around her back and dipped her slightly at the same time his tongue parted her lips. Madison didn’t fight him. She had no choice. If she tried to stop him now, it would almost certainly make the officers suspicious.

At least he’d kept his hands to her waist and back she thought sadly.

Wait. Sadly? You wanted him to touch you elsewhere?

Her eyes flew open at the same moment someone addressed them officiously.

“Excuse me,” an officer said. She saw his hand reach up and tap Kean somewhat tentatively on the shoulder.

Before Kean could react she pushed him to the side and slid past, eying the officer. “Oh,” she said, bringing a hand to her lips and letting her eyes go wide as she took in the officers now filling the hallway.

“Sorry ma’am,” the officer said, obviously feeling uncomfortable at having had to interrupt them.

Madison had been ready to force redness into her cheeks, but as it turned out, she didn’t have to. Kean’s hand trailed down her back and his palm firmly grasped her rear. She jumped slightly in shock, and fire burned its way along her cheeks and down her neck almost instantly.

“Are we in the way, Officer?” she asked, trying to recover as Kean chuckled naughtily from next to her, exchanging a look with the officer that was supposed to be “man to man” she was sure.

The officer grimaced, looking even unhappier at the suggestive look from Kean.

“Uh, yes ma’am. There’s actually an active situation ongoing on this floor. So we’re going to have to ask you to return to your room.”

She frowned. “We have dinner reservations though,” she pouted.

The officer looked apologetic. “Listen, ma’am, I’m sorry, but—”

Madison let her face become even more upset. “I’ve waited six months for him to take me,” she complained. “Please, Officer? I’m not trying to cause any trouble, but I really want to go.”

She reached out a hand, brushing it against Kean’s. He pulled away slightly. Madison noted the way the officer’s eyes took that in, so she reached for it again, hoping Kean would get the hint.

Thankfully he did, and his fingers pushed between hers almost automatically, finding a comfortable place with considerable ease. She leaned in closer to him, acting like an upset wife.

“Um, one moment,” the officer said, turning away from them.

Kean leaned down and she hissed at him. “We’re a loving couple, you’re my husband. Let me do the talking so we don’t get our stories mixed up.”

He shrugged and then to her mild annoyance kissed her on the top of the head. “It’ll be okay, honey,” he assured her, giving her hand a squeeze as well.

“What room are you guys in?” the officer asked, coming back to them at last.

Madison thought quickly, her eyes straying to the room listing sign on the wall behind the officer, telling guests whether they needed to go left or right out of the elevator. She picked something on the opposite side from the room they’d just been in.

“Twenty-two nineteen,” she said, trying to sound helpful.

The officer repeated that to the other, while Madison leaned in to Kean, almost snuggling up to him. It helped that he was so warm and inviting. There was no revulsion from within her at the idea, like there may have been coming from any of a number of other men she might have had to execute such a ruse with.

“When did you two check in?” the officer asked.

“Perhaps what, an hour ago?” she asked, acting puzzled as she looked up at Kean.

The shifter bobbed his head up and down. “Maybe a little more.”

Madison smiled demurely at the officer. “We sort of lost track of time, you know?”

The officer coughed, obviously looking uncomfortable at such overt sexuality from her.

“You didn’t, um, happen to hear, anything, then?” he asked.

“You mean outside of our room?” she replied with a little smile.

The officer nodded. “Yeah.”

“No, I can’t say that I did,” she replied. “Did you hear anything, darling?”

“Nope,” he said calmly. “Sorry. Anything in particular we should have heard?” He looked around. “Should we be worried about staying here?” he asked.

Madison flinched slightly. That wasn’t a question she wanted to ask.

“Nah,” the officer shook them off. “You’re fine. Someone just did a number on one of the rooms, probably on drugs or something. Nothing serious though. But when the person who calls says they smell blood, we gotta come in full force, you know? Even if it’s likely just someone who cut themselves while high on something and got it all over the room before they stopped.”

The officer rolled his eyes. “It unfortunately happens more than I’d like.”

Madison raised a hand to cover her mouth, imitating being horrified. “Oh dear, that sounds terrible.”

“It’s all just part of the job,” the officer replied, then caught the ear of one of the other policemen in the hallway.

Madison heard something about “just screwing” “want to eat” “nearby” and a few other words. She figured the officer was just giving his impression of them, a pair of horny lovers just away to screw all weekend.

While it wasn’t true, it didn’t sound like the worst idea in her book. Not that she was going to be planning such a weekend with Kean any time soon.

Ever. You’re not doing that ever.

Right.

“What about fingerprints?” Kean whispered in her ear as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

He’s taking to this quite well.

His hand ran down her back one more time.

Maybe a little too well.

“We’ll be okay,” she promised.

Her fingerprints weren’t in any known database that linked them to her, that she was aware of at least, and Madison doubted that Kean had ever been outside of his homeland until recently, so there was no need for his fingerprints to have been linked either. Not to mention she’d slipped her shirt along the handle to clean it as she’d walked slowly out of the room.

They should be fine.

Should be.

“Okay, can I see your ID please?” the officer asked.

Madison felt fear jolt through Kean’s hand as she reached into a pocket and pulled out a ultra-slim clutch. It held some cash, her driver’s license, and two credit cards, nothing more. It was all she needed, and after all, purses and clutches just got in the way.

“Here you are,” she said, smiling the way the woman on the card was, trying to act relaxed.

“And his?” the officer asked.

“In the car,” she replied easily. “We can go get it for you if you want.”

The officer pursed his lips. “No, no that’s okay. Can I take your phone number then please, ma’am?”

She nodded and rattled off a number to him, all while holding Kean tight to her, trying not to acknowledge the way his hand felt nice as it practically enveloped hers within it.

“Thank you,” the officer said at last.

Madison could see the other officers in the hallway also relaxing as some came out of the room. They must have realized it was no longer an active situation.

Had they found the body yet, she wondered? If they found it before they could get in the elevator, then she and Kean might be in some trouble.

“Okay, just stay in town, understood?” the officer said, handing her ID back to her.

“Of course. We’re just going for dinner and, um, drinks,” she said flirtatiously, tugging on Kean’s hand.

The officer went bright red.

“Come on,” she said to Kean, punching the button to summon a descending elevator.

It chimed almost immediately. Apparently the police had overridden its function.

They got inside and she discreetly hammered the button for the Lobby, then held it down.

There was a shout from the room.

“They’ve discovered the body,” she said.

The door wasn’t closing.

She hissed angrily and then held the Door Close button and the Lobby button at the same time.

The door started to close. Slowly, far too slowly for her comfort.

The officer who had been talking to them jogged slightly down the hallway, then came to an abrupt stop.

“Hey!” he shouted, turning back to face them. “Hey you! Stop!”

The door kept closing.

“Come on,” she muttered as police officers came back down the hallway after them.

“Halt or you’re under arrest!”

She just smiled politely at the officer as the doors closed while he was still three feet away.

“Holy shit,” she breathed as the elevator began to descend.

“How the fuck did that work?” Kean asked in shock. “They just let us go?”

Madison shrugged. “PDA makes most people extremely uncomfortable. Combine that with the fact that the police didn’t actually know they were searching for a dead body, and the situation wasn’t very serious. Why would they hold us? We’re clean, not sweating, not holding a hostage. We clearly didn’t do anything. It was all about getting out of there before they found the body. We’re lucky they were slacking though. A unit that was more intent on their job would have found it much faster. These guys must have been bored and responding for fun like he said.”

“Fascinating. And you knew that would work to get them to let us go?”

“We still have to get out of the lobby,” she reminded him.”

“I got that,” he replied with a smile. “You just get the keys ready, and hold on tight.”

“Hold on tig—?”

Madison didn’t get to finish her question before he’d scooped her up into his arms once more.

“Oh,” she said as he again lifted her without seeming to move a single muscle. The casual power he displayed like that was something she didn’t think she’d ever get used to.

The chime sounded to notify them they were on the ground floor.

“Put your head on my chest,” Kean said.

“What?”

“Just do it,” he commanded.

Madison went to protest, but the growl in his throat silenced her. She placed her head on his chest, trying to make it clear she was just putting it there, not cuddling with him.

“Why am I doing this?”

Kean didn’t reply as the door opened swiftly. Instead he showed her.

Madison yelped as he moved. Her entire body slammed into his as the shifter darted out of the elevator, past the surprised pair of officers waiting for them as predicted, and out into the lobby. The force of his acceleration would have jerked her neck hard if she hadn’t used him as a headrest.

The world around them blurred as Kean ducked, dipped, dodged, and at one point even dove over a luggage cart as he took them toward the entrance. He slowed briefly so as not to shatter the door, but as soon as they were outside, they were confronted by more officers.

Madison felt nervous, but Kean simply leapt over the nearest police officer while carrying her in his arms. The incredible strength in his legs to propel them into the air like that also resulted in a force that broke the pavement when they landed, sending shards out in every direction.

She held on tighter with each passing second as he raced past the stunned officers, around the corner and to the back of the parking lot where their car was located.

“Get it running,” he commanded as they neared.

Madison forced herself to concentrate, pulling the keys from her pocket and hitting the remote starter and then unlock button as well. The SUV roared to life. Behind them the police belatedly began to give chase.

“Here we are,” Kean said, dumping her in front of her door and then vaulting the roof to land on his side.

He was in his seat and buckling in before she’d barely got her door open. His reflexes were insane.

She fired the engine to life and took off. To the farthest exit she recalled from their way in. Hauling the wheel around to the left she cut back behind the hotel, cutting them off from sight of the officers pursuing them.

“They’ll be coming in their cars,” she muttered. “Gotta get on the freeway. If we can get onto it before they see us, then we’ll be fine, they’ll never be able to find us. Assuming they even got a look at the vehicle.”

“I don’t think any of them were close enough,” Kean said calmly from the seat next to her as he craned his neck around to watch their rear for signs of pursuit. “I think we got away clean.”

“Perhaps,” she muttered. “I won’t be comfortable until I’ve dropped you off and gone to ground though.”

Kean pulled back from his twisted position until he was almost leaning against the dash to look back at her instead. “Drop me off?” he asked.

“Yeah, back at the cabin,” she said. “Is that a problem?”

The shifter frowned. “Um, I mean, I guess I envisioned doing more for you. This is all you wanted from us as a test? To locate that USB twig?”

“Stick,” she corrected.

“Stick, branch, twig, whatever,” he said, throwing one hand up in the air. “Close enough.”

Madison opened her mouth to correct him, thought better of it, closed her mouth, and instead just shook her head.

“No, it’s not all I need from you,” she admitted. “But until I decrypt the data on it, analyze the files, there’s nothing more you can do.”

Kean sat back in his seat as they moved onto the freeway, seemingly free and clear of any police pursuit.

“Well at least today was fun,” he said calmly.

Madison nearly choked at his definition of “fun.”