I POKED MY head out the door. No one was in the hallway. Taking a half step out, I saw Barbara at the front desk. As long as she stayed there, there was no way that Luke could sneak out.

Oops—she spotted me. I retreated as she exited the reception area and walked rapidly toward me. I wished I could engage the chain, but that would look suspicious, so I wedged my body in the opening of the door. There was warmth on my right, and then Luke’s hand was firm and reassuring on my back.

“Ms. Squires. Are you feeling any better?” She was trying to look past me into the room again, but she was also trying to keep up the pretense that she was only being a concerned manager.

“Unfortunately, I’m not.” I thought quickly. “Umm, could I get another box of tissues?” I did my best to sound sniffly.

“Of course,” she said, and Luke patted my back in approval. If she went to get the tissues, maybe he could make it to the side exit.

But that hope was dashed when she pulled out her phone and spoke into it. “Yvonne! More tissues for 119.” Then she smiled politely at me, clearly in no hurry to leave.

I nearly groaned in frustration. Luke was patting my back again, in empathy, I supposed. But then one pat hit a little lower, landing at the edge of the belt just above the swell of my ass. Without meaning to, I took a quick intake of breath and arched my back, pushing myself against his hand, like a cat raising its backside in response to petting.

Luke must have taken this as encouragement because he kept rubbing, his hand moving lower. Obviously he was well-versed in feline body language. Uh-oh. This was heading in a dangerous direction.

I smiled politely and tried to look as if I wasn’t being stroked by a really hot guy. Belatedly, I remembered that I was also supposed to be looking sick, so I gave a small cough—one that turned into a sputter when Luke grabbed a handful of ass cheek and squeezed.

I squirmed, trying to dislodge his hand. Barbara was watching me sharply, so I coughed again, and said, “Sorry, I have a tickle in my throat.”

Luke’s hand froze, and so did I, thinking about what I’d just said. Had I really used the word ‘tickle’ while a guy was groping my ass? Was I insane? Or, actually, was he insane? It was his job on the line, after all. But he didn’t seem to be thinking with his head. At least not the big one.

His hand disappeared, and I breathed a small sigh of relief. Maybe he was going to be good now. But that hope died when his teasing fingers skimmed my bare thigh below the edge of the robe.

I willed the muscles in my face to remain rigid and not betray any emotion. To make matters worse, Barbara chose that minute to start talking again. “Have you been to Willow Park? It’s only a few blocks away. The fresh air might do you some good. Wouldn’t you feel better if you got out of this place for a few hours?”

“That’s so kind,” I said, trying to ignore the stroking moving higher and higher under the robe. I could feel cool air on my previously covered skin. “Thanks, but I’d rather get some rest.”

Of course, rest was the last thing on my mind. My pulse skyrocketed as Luke’s hand cupped my ass. Involuntarily, I raised up onto my toes, but his hand moved with me. His thumb and forefinger pressed into one side, and his pinky and ring finger rested on the other. But where was the other—oh god. His middle finger landed right between my cheeks, pressing the flimsy fabric of my panties against me.

I wanted to slam the door in the Barracuda’s face and pounce on Luke, but I could only stand there, feeling like an idiot and trying to keep from moaning. And as for Luke, admittedly, he had magic hands, but he was betting his entire job on my ability to keep it together.

“Ah, here comes Yvonne.”

I shook my head, trying to clear my brain, and looked to see the young housekeeper returning. I took the tissue box from her carefully, trying not to let the door open any wider. Luke was now kneading, squeezing, probing. His fingers flicked between my cheeks, then moved lower and pressed my panties against my center, rubbing and stroking me.

But the Barracuda hadn’t given up. “If you’ll just give Yvonne a few minutes to tidy up your room, I’m sure you’ll feel better—”

“That’s enough!” I nearly shouted the words, hoping that they'd sink into Barbara’s brain as well as Luke’s. Luke’s hand froze on my ass, but his manager looked unfazed. I cleared my throat and spoke a little softer. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. I just need rest. Thank you.”

I closed the door and shakily engaged the dead bolt and the chain. I whirled on Luke, and he took a breath to speak, but then I lifted my finger to my lips. Quickly, I looked out the peephole, but both Yvonne and the Barracuda were retreating. So I let him have it.

“Are you out of your mind?” I said in a fierce but low voice. I smacked his arm, hard. “Are you trying to get fired?”

Maddeningly, he was grinning. “I couldn’t help it. And besides, you handled it like a pro.”

“Like a pro? What kind of pro is good at being felt up?”

He laughed, his eyes gleaming. “I’m not going to answer that—I don’t want to get hit again.”

“You deserve to. Why are you making this harder than it has to be?”

“I told you, I can’t help it. You’re so much fun to play with. Besides, you seem to like it when things are hard.”

This, of course, made me involuntarily look down at the bulge in his jeans. He smirked as he followed my gaze, so I hit him again. He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, I’m sorry.”

Yeah, right. His eyes were dancing. “No, you’re not.”

“No, I’m not,” he echoed, and this time he caught my wrist as I tried to smack him one more time. I grabbed at him with my free hand, but he easily caught it, too. Damn men and their quick reflexes.

He spun me around. When I felt the cool wall behind me, he lifted my hands above my head, stretching me out. I could tell my robe was barely covering the tops of my thighs now, but all I could focus on was his face a few inches above mine.

“I’m not sorry,” he said, looking down into my eyes. “But I am right. You do like it hard. Rough. Maybe even a little dangerous.” He switched his grip, trapping my wrists together in one hand. His free hand skimmed down my hair, across my breast, and deftly undid the belt of my robe. I moaned in excitement laced with a little apprehension. I knew the sensations he could invoke even with only one hand.

He lowered his head, his eyes intent on my lips. I closed my eyes and he neared, but I felt his warm breath skate past my lips, down my chin, and straight to the side of my neck. Oh god … there was no way I was going to resist this.

If he was being bad, I could, too. I twisted my head and caught his earlobe between my lips. His stubble scratched against my throat.

He ran his free hand down my back, and cupped my ass again. This time, his fingers didn’t hesitate to slip underneath the elastic of my panties. His lips on my neck, his fingers skimming my warm slit—it all felt so damn good that I forgot to be mad at him anymore.

Luke let go of my wrists, and I draped my arms around his neck. He placed both hands under me and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around him, marveling at the ease with which he held me. Apparently those muscles in his chest and arms weren’t just for show.

He managed to keep kissing me while carrying me over to the bed. He lowered me onto my back on the tangled sheets, without breaking the kiss.

“I want you so bad, Darcy. So fucking bad.” He leaned over me, one knee pushing up between my spread legs. “I’ve thought about this every day since you checked in.”

He kissed the side of my neck, but stopped when he felt me go still. I replayed his words in my head. Was this all he’d been after? Were all the meals and late night conversations just his way to get us to this point?

It wasn’t an arousing thought. Crap. What a time for my brain to kick in. I felt guilty for even thinking it, but I’d been hurt before. I’d been betrayed by someone I thought was my friend.

Luke leaned back, looking at me questioningly. I wiggled out from underneath him, managing to get into a sitting position.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Was it all about this? About ending up in bed?”

For a moment, he looked genuinely shocked. “No. Of course not.”

I look down at his legs twisted under him. “It’s just … you’re the only real friend I’ve made since I moved here.”

Luke took my hands and waited until I looked up at him. “You have to know that we are friends. Real friends.” He continued to stare at me, still worried. “I admit it, you’re gorgeous. I’d have to be blind not to notice. But I also like you for you. You’re smart. You’re funny. You’re lousy at ordering Indian food, but you’re a kind person. And you’re good with old people.”

That last one finally made me smile. He was definitely the first guy to list that among my attributes. Okay, so maybe I’d jumped the gun. After all, I’d thought he was hot from the first moment I saw him, too.

Luke looked more relaxed now that I’d smiled. “I really like you, Darcy. Yeah, I wanted to ask you out, but I thought you needed a friend. It’s good to become friends first. I didn’t want to be the creep who hit on you your first night in a new city. I’m not Barry.”

“Who?”

“You know, the guy in the skinny jeans who flirts on every woman in the building. Surely he’s hit on you.”

“Oh, him. I call him the horny guy from the second floor.”

“That’s the one. He’s actually not an ass if no women are around. But when they are … hell, I bet he’s even hit on Mrs. Townsend.”

I laughed. “Hey, she’s still got game. She’s a sharp old lady.” Luke had made me feel better, and I was grateful. But now he dropped my hands and looked lost in thought.

“What?”

“Maybe Barry could help us,” he said.

“I’ve got one horny man here already, I don’t need another one. Especially him. Ugh.”

But Luke’s mind was no longer in the gutter—unfortunately. “I told you, he’s not a bad guy most of the time. He could call the front desk, say that there was some kind of problem in his room, and when she goes up to check, I could slip out.”

“Would he do that?”

“Sure. He’s always telling me I need to get more puss—er—female friends.” He fixed me with an innocent look as if I didn’t know what kind of bad boy he really was. “Anyway, he’ll be on board—solidarity among bros or something like that.”

I scooted back and leaned against the headboard, my arms clasped around my knees as Luke made the call. As he’d anticipated, Barry was happy to help. They spent a few minutes working out what kind of problem Barry would pretend to have.

“Yeah, that might work,” Luke said. “Thanks, man.”

He hung up and turned to me. “He’s gonna call in about two minutes. Watch out the peephole—you should be able to see her when she crosses to the elevator.”

Nodding, I watched him gather his wallet and phone, and his long discarded shirt. I was surprised by the stab of disappointment that went through me. Obviously, the most important thing was getting him out of here safely, but still, it had been an interesting morning. Preceded by an interesting evening the night before. After all this closeness, I wasn’t looking forward to being separated by the front desk again.

I crossed the room and looked out into the hall. The front desk wasn’t visible, but I could see the area by the elevator, though the view was a bit distorted. I watched and waited, but nothing happened.

Luke paced up and down the room, far less patient than me. Finally, his phone buzzed.

He listened for a moment. “Shit. Hold on.” He looked at me. “She said she’d ask maintenance to come by on Monday. Nothing’s going to budge her. I sure wish your room was in a different part of the building.”

I nodded in agreement, but I didn’t really mean it. Getting to see him every evening was one of the highlights of my day. But, of course, it was really causing problems now. “She’ll have to go to the bathroom at some point.”

“Yeah, but how will we know when? We can’t see the front desk unless you poke your head out the door, and she’ll get suspicious if you keep doing that every two seconds. Besides, I wouldn’t put it past her to hold it out of spite. She might not leave until my shift starts at five.”

He looked glum. I felt sorry for him in spite of his earlier antics. He worked so hard, taking classes, studying for tests, and manning the front desk long into the evening.

Luke raised his head, and said, “Well, maybe I can deflect a little suspicion.” He put the phone back to his ear. “Thanks for trying. Can you do one more thing? Call her back and keep her talking for at least sixty seconds, okay? Yeah, right now, thanks.”

He hung up, waited a moment, and then hit a button on his phone. He listened, and then grinned. “Got the voicemail.” In a moment, he spoke in his professional voice. “Hi Barbara, it’s Luke. I wanted to let you know that I had some car trouble last night—couldn’t get it started. I’ve got a seminar this morning, but I’ll be in before my shift to try to get it going. If that doesn’t work, I’ll call a tow truck. Just wanted to give you a heads up. See you later.”

“That was smart,” I said. “After all, she can’t be a hundred percent sure you’re in here. I’m a pretty good actress, or at least I am when someone isn’t distracting me with his hand on my ass.”

Luke chuckled, but his mind was still on less naughty topics. “This means you have to stay in today,” he said. “If you go out, she’ll be in here before you reach the parking lot.”

“It’s okay.”

“I’m sorry. Weren’t you supposed to look at some more apartments this morning?”

“Yes. But they can wait.” I watched his face carefully. He currently looked a lot more like the solicitous young man behind the front desk rather than the passionate bad boy who’d had his hands all over my body. Maybe I could do something about that. I was already regretting freezing up before. Luke was a good guy, and he clearly liked me. Sure, I didn’t want to do anything to mess up our friendship, but why couldn’t we aim for something more?