Chapter Twenty-Nine

Lena managed to fall back to sleep, but it had taken a long time. She was embarrassed…not to mention frustrated.

Would it have been so horrible for him to touch her? He was a man. In her experience, they weren’t all that picky when they went without female attention for very long. Any female attention would do in a pinch.

He must have been attracted to her on some level. She’d been able to lure him to her hotel room with the promise of nakedness.

Apparently clobbering him on the head had the effect of a perpetual cold shower, because other than the erection the night she’d massaged his leg, he hadn’t responded to her with anything but disgust.

When she woke again, she heard the shower running. That was odd, since he’d showered the night before. Why would he need to take another…?

Oh. A cat-like smile stretched across her cheeks. Maybe she had affected him, after all. She moved to the door to listen and thought she’d heard a muffled groan. She had no way to know if it was due to a release of pleasure, or if his leg was bothering him.

She decided to let herself think it was pleasure. That was more fun. Flopping back in bed, she smiled up at the ceiling. This was a new day. With new potential.

As her thoughts whirled around all the possibilities for the hours ahead, her phone rang. Instantly, the smile fell from her face, replaced by the false, brittle substitute she’d created over the last months.