Deadly Race Read Online Free

When she shook her head, he smiled crookedly. “Sorry. All I have is club soda and coffee.”
    His grin sent her heartbeat galloping. Forcing herself to look away from that bare, broad chest, she started for the bed, intending to sleep in her jump suit on top of the covers, as close to the edge as possible.
    “Are you going to sleep in your clothes?”
    She tensed. Had he just been waiting to make his move when they were in bed? Was he like every other man she had met? Granted she hadn’t discouraged him, and she realized she was having a tough enough time fighting off her own attraction. “Yes, that’s all I have.”
    “Where’s your luggage?”
    That was a good question. Think fast. “On the plane I missed.”
    “What’s it doing there?”
    She definitely was digging a deeper and deeper hole. At the rate she was going she would be clear to China soon. But she was afraid to tell this man the kind of trouble she was really in. She would when they were safely in the air, and they could have a good laugh over it. “I thought my plane left at ten in the morning, but it really left at six in the evening. I went hurrying out to the airport only to find I would have to wait hours. So, I decided to check my luggage in and go to the marketplace and shop some more. I just hate waiting at airports. It seemed the logical thing to do.” Her words, part truth, came out in a breathless rush.
    He went to the dresser, opened a drawer and tossed her the top of a pair of pajamas. “Thankfully, Albert packed these for me. If that’s the only outfit you have, you don’t want to sleep in it.”
    “Albert?”
    “My butler.”
    “You have a butler? Just how rich are you?” The second she asked the question she wished she could take it back. So often she spoke her mind without really thinking through what she was going to say. But after Mr. Martinez, she was leery of rich men who thought they could do what they wanted and no one would say anything. My goodness, her former employer was planning a revolution, which she would tell someone about the minute she left Bella Isla soil.
    “I make a decent living, with a little change left over.”
    Ellie clutched the silk pajama top in her hands, the feel of the material deliciously soft. Whether he had ever worn the top or not, she could imagine him in it. She had a most vivid imagination. Her pulse sped up. She quickly escaped back into the bathroom and eyed the tub. Maybe she could sleep comfortably in it. But after not sleeping the night before, because she was climbing out of a window and fleeing the villa, she knew she had to get some rest this evening. If that were possible in the same bed as Slade Calvert. At least it was a king size one.
    After dressing, she again faced her mirror image. She needed to give herself another talking to. The last one obviously hadn’t done much good. It wasn’t Slade Calvert she was worried about anymore and not even the two goons or Mr. Martinez. It was herself. Her reaction to this man was so out of character. She had learned long ago to be cautious. Where was it now?
    For the second time she entered the bedroom, but this time the lights were out, and Slade was already in bed. She slid between the sheets, relishing their coolness, and started to turn her back on him.
    “Good night, Ellie. Don’t worry about anything.”
    His husky voice was tantalizingly seductive, and she found herself waiting to melt into him, to seek the protection she needed to get out of this country in one piece. “Good night, Slade.” She clutched her side of the mattress, hoping she didn’t fall out of bed during the night. But there was no way she would move from the edge.
    For a long time she tried to ignore the sound of Slade’s even breathing that indicated he at least was sleeping. She tried to concentrate instead on the night sounds. King Kong and Godzilla hadn’t approached her since they had picked up her trail. They had just followed her, keeping an eye on