Craved

Renee:

"Guess I'll take a shower unless you need to go first?" Damon's golden hair stood in disarray and gave him a sexy, bad boy look.

Her throat dried, and she waved a hand toward the shower not trusting her voice. Rather than dragging the sheet with him, he rose. Every inch of him was muscled and tanned. Did he sunbathe in the nude?

Renee's fingertips flew to her lips. The heat from his kiss still lingered there. Vaguely, as if a fading dream, she remembered thinking about Damon and her body tingling from his hands on her. Burning her, and she wanted more. What was the matter with her? Twice now she almost screwed her boss.

Still, he had a firm ass, and she shivered. Stop it! Stop it!

Her body desired him, but her mind yearned for freedom and independence. Part of her mind craved him too if her dreams were any indication. Wasn't enough. She required more: a relationship, love, mutual respect, but would he be willing not to control her? Could he give up his playboy ways for her?

While he showered, she searched the hotel for her clothes. Nothing. Probably still in the bathroom from last night. Dressing in two-day-old sweaty clothes-not happening. But she shouldn't stay here with Damon wrapped in a bedsheet either as enticing as he was. She'd probably lose control again and start groping him. God, how could I have done that? Her cheeks heated. Especially since she knew if he touched her, kissed her, she'd give in. She'd open her body for him and pray she wasn't swept away in too big a hurricane.

Her hands, her dream started this, but they worked together. Now he took her out to eat at weird locals, balloon rides, and trapped in a tunnel. She chuckled and shook her head. Well, the trapping part wasn't his idea. Was she being an idiot now? A gorgeous man desired her and had the manners to back off when she mistakenly kissed him in her sleep. Was she wrong about him this whole time? Judging him because he picked up a girl he just met at the airport and then had her sleeping in his tent?

She imagined water rolling down his body. Her knees were weak thinking about it. Was he lonely after Melanie screwed around on him and dumped him? Was Renee his rebound? Or they could have fun for a bit and go their separate ways in a few weeks after summer. Like a summer fling. Would he let her come back and work for him next summer? Would she be able to watch him with his next model girlfriend? Probably not.

A knock at the door sounded. "Coming." She ran to the door. "Who is it?"

"Room service. Breakfast and clothes."

Clothes? She opened the door and a man entered pushing a large tray of food. A woman behind him carried a stack of clothes. "Where should we put these?" she asked holding up a pile. Renee gestured. "On the bed is fine."

As the hotel staff left, Damon shut off the shower. She peeked under the silver dome. Eggs, bacon, sausage the other held sliced pineapple, grapes, cantaloupe, and honeydew. The third held cinnamon rolls and toast with small bottles of jam. Her mouth watered. Underneath one of the trays were two empty plates. Quickly, she snatched one and piled on eggs, sausage, two helpings of the fruit, and a cinnamon roll. She'd practically been on a fast for nearly two days, so what were a few extra calories?

Damon emerged, a towel around his waist. Damn, he looked sexy. Swallowing, she said, "Food and clothes arrived."

He nodded and his expression sober. Back in the cave, he'd been so open and fun. Now a thick silence settled between them that pressed against her heart. She missed their time together, and she wanted to know him better-his likes and dislikes. And they never completed their last chess game.

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier." She willed herself not to let her gaze drop. "I was surprised, and..." Her mouth refused to say the words of nearly attacking him in her sleep. "Thanks for the food and everything."

"Of course." He rummaged through the clothes, drawing out a shirt, shorts, and boxers.

Nervous, she stuffed a bite of fruit into her mouth. How could she get him to relax around her again?

Carrying his clothes in one hand, and a towel around his hips with the other, he paused at the bathroom door. "I'll be back. Still have to shave if you don't mind waiting?"

My, he's being formal. He disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door. Guilt sank like a boulder into her gut, but she kept eating. This time she sank her teeth into the pastry and eased her hunger to soften the edges of her remorse. When she finished, she inspected the woman's clothes. Amazingly, everything was her size, even the bra. Although, the thin lace material of each she wouldn't buy for herself but was better than wearing a robe to ride back to camp. A moment later, Damon breezed into the bedroom, and she caught his scent of soap, shaving cream, and a hint of lavender. His stubble was gone, and she reached up and wiped off a trail of shaving cream from behind his ear. He recoiled. She held up her fingers. "Sorry, you had a spot."

"Anything good?” He nodded toward the food.

"Everything. I'm so hungry, there might not be enough left for you." She laughed hoping to ease the tension between them.

When they were alone, he was so easy to talk with, and she found herself hunting for ways to continue the closeness between them again.

"So, anything adventurous planned for today?" After she wiped the shaving cream from her fingers, she tore off a piece of the cinnamon roll. "Like the Whirling Dervishes? How do they not get dizzy spinning around?"

He chuckled and ate a slice of bacon. "Have I spoiled you from working in the excavation?"

"No." She popped the rest of the pastry into her mouth and chewed before continuing. "Just don't know when I'll get another chance to visit Turkey. Always loved Rūmi's poems." His spiritual depth extended past Rūmi's Islamic faith. "I think I can arrange it." He chewed the bacon. "There's also the Blue Mosque, the healing Pamukkale Thermal Pools, and the Ruins of Ephesus."

"And the site of Troy and Mount Nemrut with giant heads of ancient gods."

"I'm surprised you didn't mention Mamure Kalesi on the coast. Or the Ottoman Topkapi Palace."

"Oh," she tapped her foot excitedly, "the Sumela Monastery, carved into the side of a mountain. Legends say they were guided to the spot by a black icon of the Virgin Mary." One day she'd have enough money and time to visit every exotic location and ruin on her list.

"We'd be here for months if we did all of those tourist sites, and no work would get done at camp."

"I know." She wanted to keep excavating, but they couldn't. "Have you heard back from Dr. Abany?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes, I sent a text, so we can leave as soon as he responds. In the meantime, how about the Dervishes and the Ruins of Ephesus?"

Even though she sought more, it wasn't fair to leave the dig while she traipsed through the countryside. At least they could have fun while waiting for Damon's lawyers to work out a deal with the government or another gig with Abany. "Deal. But if we don't have anything soon, I already have ideas for picket signs me and the team will use to go protest outside the capital building."

"Have you picketed before?" His tone was teasing.

"A few times. Got arrested once for giving the cop hell."

His laugh was light, and made her stomach do a flip. "I bet. So, besides Persian poets, what other writings do you enjoy?" He sat in the armchair next to the wooden desk in the corner. A car backfired outside their hotel window. "Keats, Whitman, Frost, you know the greats." She plopped onto the edge of the bed. "And the classics."

"No modern writers?"

Her cheeks heated. No way was she going to confess her romance novel addiction, at least not yet. Especially after one of her boyfriends made fun of her when he found her stash. "I like a story taking its time. Today's novels seem so rushed like everything else." She wiped off her hands on the cloth napkin beside the breakfast tray. "Why? What do you like to read?"

"Everything."

"That's not an answer," she huffed.

"I read everything from newspapers to tabloid magazines, Shakespeare to the best-selling erotica, More."

She didn't think she could ever be into a BDSM relationship, or at least not the receiving side. "You liked it?" Did his neck flash red?

"Each writer brings a uniqueness to suspend the reader's own beliefs for a time."

She tossed a pillow at him. "Still doesn't answer the question."

"I would've liked to have seen the heroine stronger," he said.

Her grin wouldn't stop. "Me too."

A laughing child ran past the window, and Renee gathered up her new clothes. "Now the bathroom is free, and I'm done with breakfast, I'll wash up."

For a second, a weird look passed over his face. "How about I hold your necklace while you shower?" His eyes never left the crystal as if he spoke to it rather than to her.

Weird. "Ah, no, it'll be fine." She laughed. "But thanks." She dashed to the shower.

Something was different in the way he watched her when he asked for the crystal. Last night, she'd already climbed into the shower before realizing she'd left the necklace on. Oh well, it won't get too wet. Now the bath plug rested on the edge of the porcelain tub. Funny how it was nowhere to be found last night.

After a bath and braiding her damp hair, she dressed. Damon was gone, and when she inspected the food, he hadn't eaten any of it besides the bacon-the empty plate was still clean.

A blinking light in the bedspread made her pause. Damon's phone. Picking it up, she went to put it in her pocket to give to him, since everything else was gone as if he'd already left, when the name Cynthia flashed on the screen. My urn! Renee eyed the message. The first line said: Come to the museum tonight. I've news on the Must be about her urn. Even though she peeked at his screen, she didn't feel right about opening his message and reading all of it. Still, the fact that Cynthia wanted to see them tonight lightened her steps as she rushed out the hotel door and into the lobby. A few people milled about and a line with a mother and two children, a businessman, and a couple waited to checkout with their luggage in tow.

Around a corner, Damon stood with his back to her. A light illuminated him, and he spoke with someone. The woman shifted slightly, and Renee's hand went to her throat. In front of him stood a giant hunched over to keep from bumping into the ceiling. If that wasn't distressing enough, the woman only had one eye in the center of her forehead.

"There she is now. Renee, come meet Julia."

Renee tried not to look at the woman's eye-maybe she had a birth defect and focused on the woman's huge teeth. Still, her neck kinked from the angle of staring up at the woman. "Hello."

"This is Renee, my colleague, the one I told you about."

He talked about her? And pleasantly if this woman's demeanor was any indication. The giantess held out her hand, which looked like it could crush Renee in one swipe. Swallowing her fear, she accepted the handshake. To her surprise, the woman put her pinky in her palm, and it felt like she shook a normal-sized hand. How?

"Renee, meet Julia Stone."

His introduction took a moment to register. "Wait, the Julia Stone? The romance writer?" She'd read all the woman's novels and had seen her picture on the back of her covers, and she looked nothing like this giant before her. "That's me."

"B-but how do you type?" She clapped a hand over her mouth. Rude. She might as well ask how the woman saw with only one eye. If the ground opened up right then, she'd happily leap into the hole. "Pardon?" Damon gave her a perplexing look.

"I use speech-to-text technology, but how did you know I didn't type?"

"Oh, I think I read it in an interview of yours somewhere." She needed to get out of here into some fresh air. "Anyway, Damon, here's your phone, you left it in the hotel room." "Thank you."

Julia murmured something in his ear. For a moment, the room spun, and Renee took a step backward, nearly losing her balance.

He reached out to steady her. "Renee, are you feeling okay?"

"Just tired. I'm fine." She pushed past him and went outside the hotel for some space. But she wasn't fine. She saw weird things, no denying it now, and it was getting worse. As soon as she could, she'd go visit a doctor.