You Belong to Me (Stevens Book 6)

Chapter 9

They worked the following day separate from each other, and it helped ease the tension a little. When they had arrived back at the hotel the previous evening Rainer had told her that he planned to be out on interviews all day. He gave her a name and a location then told her it was where she needed to start her research.

They had exchanged phone numbers, and he had been texting her his thoughts and notes all day to help direct her in her research. All of the texts had been work related, so when she got a text asking her to wrap it up and meet her back at the hotel she agreed, but with hesitation. Perhaps he was going to tell her that he had all that he needed and send her home.

She wanted to cry at the thought. She knew they would go their separate ways shortly, she was already dreading it, but she didn't want it to be any sooner then it had to be.

The hotel that they were staying at was a short distance from the archives and she arrived in good time. When she entered their suite it was to find Rainer pacing the living area like a caged animal. It was so unlike his usual laid back self that she was a little shocked.

She sat her bag down on the table by the door and continued to stand, watching him.

"What's with you?" he asked, noting her crossed arms and wide defensive stance.

"I can ask the same of you?" She motioned to his pacing.

"I have a problem," he said, running his hands though his hair. Normally, he only ran one hand through it so that fact that he used two hands must mean he was really stressed.

"Am I the problem, or can I help?"

Rainer's lip twitched at her question. "Yes, to both." He threw himself down on the sofa in the middle of the room.

"I want to ask a favor of you, but I don't want you to get the wrong idea." He let his gaze wander up her length. She was wearing the little red sundress again.

"Why don't you ask your favor, I'll tell you the idea I get, and you can let me know if its wrong," Alice suggested, sinking into a chair at the table watching him warily

*******

Rainer watched her as she lowered herself into the chair, her dress shorting in length as she did so. At least he knew he wouldn't be forced to pretend that he was attracted to her. It had to be plain and clear to anyone who watched them.

He had been thinking of her admission from the night before all day and it was killing him. Why did she have to be so brutally honest all of the time. He knew she was attracted to him, but for her to admit it so readily was throwing him. She worked for him; he had never crossed that line and he didn't have plans to, but what he was about to ask her would make it much harder not to cross the line.

He had caved the previous evening when he had put his arm around her and whispered into her ear. He had been so tempted and he hadn't been able to resist. He had felt her tremble as he pulled her close, he had seen the goosebumps on her arms when he had whispered into her ear, and he had smelled her lovely scent.

The honest fact of the matter was that he had never wanted a woman as much as he wanted Alice. She was a whole lot of woman and spirit packed into such a tiny package that he was afraid he would break her, and he didn't want to do that.

He would keep it simple, lay it out in clear terms, and make sure that she knew it wasn't real. "I need a girlfriend for the evening."

"Don't you have a girlfriend, and why just for this evening?"

"No, I don't have a girlfriend, and that's my problem. I need a shield from a friend's wife."

"Why?"