Courting Gossip. Kimberly Dean

you.’

      ‘Pack enough for a week.’

      ‘A week?’ she squawked.

      ‘You’re right. Make it two.’

      ‘And just where am I going?’

      He stared at her, but for once, he didn’t have a quick answer. Genieve tilted her head. In fact, it didn’t look like he had an answer at all. The guy always had a plan. He was always two steps ahead.

      But he didn’t know what to do about her. For some reason, she took pleasure in that.

      ‘I’m not sure,’ he finally admitted. He planted his hands on his hips, and his fingers tapped. ‘Someplace where you can lie low until this whole thing blows over.’

      She didn’t want to help him out of the corner – she really didn’t – but it was late, and he was right. She’d had enough of the press. ‘I have a place on Rehoboth Beach.’

      His chin dipped. ‘You have two homes?’

      ‘It’s a condo.’ She narrowed her eyes at him. The getaway in Delaware was popular for many who wanted to get away from the pressure and rush of DC. ‘I invest in real estate.’

      In the silence, she could have heard a pin drop. She saw the gears turning in his head. Was he reevaluating her or just mapping out another course of action? ‘Where in Rehoboth Beach?’

      Had she not spoken clearly? ‘On. The. Beach.’

      ‘No.’

      ‘Why not?’ It was early spring. It would be a nice time to be there. She could open up the house, air it out and relax before all the tourists started to arrive.

      ‘And risk the media getting pictures of you in a bikini? Make that “Hell, no.”’ He looked at the watch on his wrist. ‘We need to get moving. Once the press gets wind of this, they’ll be knocking on your door.’

      ‘They’ll knock this time?’

      He gestured to the stairs. ‘Pack. Quickly. What can I do to help?’

      Oh, no. She’d let him inside, but he wasn’t getting free rein of her house. He especially wasn’t going to come up to her bedroom and help her pack.

      Then again, she’d love to see his reaction when she directed him to her lingerie drawer.

      She pressed her tongue against the back of her lips. Something inside her just made her want to pester this man.

      ‘You stay down here.’ She turned and started up the stairs. ‘And don’t touch anything.’

      Genieve listened for movement downstairs as she pulled her suitcase out from under her bed. She’d been running on stress and adrenalin for too long, and she could feel her systems crashing, one right after another. It was getting difficult to think straight, and it felt strange to have Brody Haynes here, in her house. The most time she’d spent around him in the past was brief, fifteen-minute chunks. She’d thought the prickly sensation that ran along her skin whenever they were around one another was due to how abrasive he was. Now, she wasn’t so sure. He wasn’t that brusque.

      She packed quickly, throwing things into the suitcase. She didn’t know where she was going, and she didn’t know what she’d be doing. Knowing that Brody would be there for part of it, though, prompted her to pick her best lingerie and some casual clothes that showed a little skin.

      That cold exterior of his just tempted her to rock his calm.

      When she came back down the staircase, she saw that he’d wandered. He was looking at the picture of her and Salvatore that she kept on the shelf in her living room. ‘You’re touching,’ she warned him.

      He put the photograph back, but continued to stare at it. ‘I thought you said you liked to keep your business and personal lives separate.’

      ‘Salvatore is my friend. We get along great.’

      ‘He was also one of your clients.’

      Her breath caught. ‘You don’t know that.’

      Nina was super-stealthy. Genieve didn’t even know who some of the other Luxxor escorts had as exclusive clients.

      He turned and simply lifted an eyebrow.

      Damn it. ‘How do you know that?’ she demanded.

      His expression turned even more dour. ‘You just told me.’

      He started up the stairs to help her when he saw the bag.

      Genieve hated it, but her feelings were hurt. ‘So you’re saying I couldn’t get a man like Salvatore if I wasn’t an escort?’

      ‘You could get any man you want.’

      Their fingers brushed as he took the suitcase from her, and she felt a spark that made electricity dance along her skin.

      ‘Why not him?’ she asked breathlessly.

      Standing on the step below her, he was right at eye level with her.

      ‘You don’t fit,’ he said.

      ‘We fit great.’

      His eyes flared, and Genieve felt colour explode in her face. She hadn’t meant sexually. She couldn’t hold his look. Apparently, she’d saved an entire year’s worth of embarrassment for just one night.

      ‘For short term, maybe,’ he said quietly, ‘but he’s a jock. I’ve heard him interviewed. Eventually, he’d bore you.’

      It was true. She and the tennis player had fun together, but Salvatore was a playboy. He didn’t get half of her jokes, and he wasn’t long-term material.

      Not that she’d ever thought about that.

      ‘Who would I fit with?’ As soon as the words were out, Genieve wanted them back. She and Salvatore got along famously, but she’d never let him into her personal world. Yet here was Brody Haynes, spin doctor to the politicians. They had no history, they didn’t get along, and he was in her home, her private turf, in the middle of the night.

      Genieve closed her mouth tight, but he remained where he was, watching her. He made her uncomfortable when he did that. It was like he was trying to read the thoughts that always seemed to be running through her head. She pushed her hair over her shoulder, but slowed when he followed the movement.

      Awareness suddenly sparked in the air.

      He was close. So close.

      ‘You need someone who challenges you, someone who makes you use that smart mouth for more than just kissing.’

      Their breaths seemed to sync, and his eyelids got heavy. It made her realise how long his eyelashes were. Right there on the staircase, Genieve’s body melted. The unanswered ache in her core returned. She lifted her hand to catch the railing when she felt herself leaning towards him. All she wanted to do was curl up against that hard body and let him make her forget about everything that had happened tonight.

      And about all the reasons why he didn’t like her.

      The pang in her chest was sharp. ‘So where are you taking me?’ she asked quietly.

      His gaze drifted up from her mouth to her eyes. There was flintiness in it, but something brighter in the depths. ‘For tonight, at least, you’re coming home with me.’

       Chapter Three

      ‘What do you mean, Nina and Morgan have a thing?’ Brody demanded as he followed Genieve into his house. ‘You didn’t think that was important for me to know?’

      Genieve rolled her eyes. She was curious to see where he lived, but apparently they had