Chapter 16

Sixteen

Harlowe

Istomped away from Roc, my damp feet sinking into the plush carpet and leaving wet footprints in my wake. Had that really happened? Had the orc bodyguard who’d been my secret crush for years just ripped the door off the shower and stared at me while I was naked? There was a time when this exact scenario would have made for a very steamy mental fantasy, but the shock of it had made it more startling than arousing.

I roughly unzipped my suitcase and pawed through the contents, snatching a pair of yoga pants, clean underwear, and a T-shirt.I brusquely dried off my body before tossing the dark green towel on the bed, stepping into my black panties and yoga pants, and pulling the white T-shirt over my head. I’d moved so quickly that Roc hadn’t even had a chance to emerge from the bathroom. Not that I cared.

He’d already seen me completely naked. Besides, I’d had to do partially unrobed scenes before, so I wasn’t a prude. Still, I’d never had a guy walk in on me, especially not one who worked for me. I thought about my agent Grant seeing me in the buff, and a shiver went down my spine. At least Roc had seemed as shocked as I was when he ripped off the shower door.

Now that I was dressed and only slightly damp, I grabbed the towel and used it to wring out my hair. My heart had gone from thundering to beating steadily, and my anger had fizzled like a day-old soda.

I wasn’t mad that Roc had seen me naked. I was upset that he’d caught me crying. I’d thought that I could let go of all my emotions in the shower where no one could hear me, but instead of it being a private release of the day’s frustration and fear, Roc had seen me sobbing. I hated the idea that he’d think I was weak or, worse yet, an emotional actress who had emotional outbursts.

Then I remembered the look in Roc’s eyes as he’d stood outside the shower holding the loose shower door in one hand. He’d been startled—maybe more than I’d been—but there’d been something else, something beneath the shock and embarrassment. There’d been hunger.

My stomach did a curious flip as it hit me that having a huge orc stare at me like I was something he wanted to pounce on didn’t scare me like it should have. I wasn’t frightened by his size or his strength or his monstrous features. I wasn’t frightened by the thought of being with an orc at all. It wasn’t fear that made my skin buzz and my nipples tighten. It was desire.

“I owe you an apology.”

Roc’s gravelly voice made me jerk, and I spun toward him, giving my hair a final squeeze with the towel and walking around him in the arch leading to the bathroom. I hung the towel on the rack, avoiding the shower door that was now propped against the wall, and returned to the bedroom. “It’s fine.”

He shook his head, unable to look at me. “It is not. I acted rashly and scared you. I—”

“You thought I was in trouble,” I said, cutting off his apology. “You were acting out of concern for me, although the shower door doesn’t thank you for it.”

He kept his head down, his dark hair falling over his face and his hands in tight fists by his sides. “I violated your privacy.”

“You did do that.” I managed to laugh. “Listen, I know you didn’t mean to burst in on me in the shower like that. If you were trying to get a peek there are more subtle ways to do it, and that was far from subtle.”

He snapped his head up, the green of his cheeks dark and patchy in what must have been an orc version of a flush. “I was not trying to peek at you.”

I held up my hands. “I know, I know. I was kidding.”

His gaze dropped. “If you wish to have another bodyguard, I can have one of my guys replace me.”

“After that show of strength and devotion? Not a chance.” I made my way to the mini fridge and opened the door. “I’ve had a bunch of bodyguards, but none of them are as dedicated as you. Why don’t we just pretend this never happened? I never cried in the shower. You never ran in and ripped off the shower door. We’ll have a do-over.”

“I wouldn’t mind a do-over of this entire day.”

I snagged a bottle of cheap chardonnay from the fridge and held it up. “I think we could both use a do-over and a drink.”

Roc snapped his fingers and hurried to the door, opening it, and snatching a plastic bag from the ground. “I almost forgot our food.”

The sight of him pulling takeout containers from the bag almost made me forget everything. “You got my burger?”

“With fries and no mayo.”

I moaned, as I twisted the cap off the wine and poured it into a pair of wine glasses on the vanity perched next to red napkins folded into the shape of limp swans. “You are the best.”

Despite the room being the honeymoon suite, it didn’t have anywhere to sit aside from the bed, so Roc stood holding two Styrofoam containers. I headed for the bed with the wine glasses, motioning with my head for him to follow me. “I guess the bed will have to be our table.”

I jumped on and sat with my legs crossed as Roc sat tentatively on the edge. He placed the food on the red satin, but his back remained stiff.

I handed him a glass. “You might need this more than me.”

He frowned. “I don’t usually drink when I’m on duty.”

I took a sip of my wine, wrinkling my nose at the sharp taste. “Then consider yourself officially off-duty. Even bodyguards get a break sometimes, right?”

He grunted, which I wasn’t sure was him agreeing or disagreeing, but I was too absorbed by the savory smell of my burger as I opened the lid of my container. I lifted the top bun, grinning when I saw nothing white smeared on the inside. I tucked my wine glass between my legs to keep it from tipping over, grabbed the burger with both hands, and took a greedy bite. I closed my eyes as I chewed, thinking that it might be the best burger I’d ever eaten in my life. The wine was total crap, but the burger was greasy and thick and delicious.

I opened my eyes to say this to Roc, but I almost choked when I saw how he was watching me, his dark eyes intense as they locked on mine. Maybe I’d spoken too soon when I said he should go off-duty.