Kade: Armed and Dangerous Read Free Page B

eleven floors.
    “Have dinner with me tonight.” He smiled and she noticed a dimple in one cheek.
    Kelsey’s body heated. Why not? Why not spend one evening in the company of an attractive man?
    She gritted her teeth in an effort to fight off her attraction to the cowboy. I’m not ready. I need more time.
    “It’s just dinner between two new friends,” Kade said, as if reading her mind.
    The elevator groaned to a stop and the doors opened. It’s only dinner, her thoughts echoed. What could happen?
    Definitely not a good idea. There was no room for someone as handsome and charming
     as Kade Owen in her life.
    “Thanks, but no.” She gathered her bags and stepped into the hall that had the same
     peculiar odor that all older hotels did. Like ancient carpet, mothballs, and freshly
     laundered linens. It didn’t surprise her that he followed. He was as tenacious as
     San Francisco fog.
    “How about I make you a wager.” He hooked his thumb in his belt loop. “I’ll guess
     something personal about you, and if I’m right, you have dinner with me. If not, then
     I’ll eat by my lonesome.”
    She sighed and stared up at the outdated popcorn ceiling, then shook her head and
     looked at Kade. “Okay.”
    “If I’m right, you’re having dinner with me.”
    Kelsey smiled despite herself. “Yeah, yeah.”
    He took her hand, and that strange energy jolted her at his touch, sending vibrations
     straight to her toes. His hand was much larger than hers, his callused palm rough
     against her soft skin. She shivered at his mere touch.
    “You’re afraid to have dinner with me,” he began, “ ‘cause you just went through a
     rough time. I’d say you’re divorced and your ex-husband was a real jackass. You deserve
     better, Kelsey.”
    A chill pebbled her skin and she snatched her hand away. “How did you know?”
    With one finger he pushed up the brim of his Stetson, and grinned. “I won the bet.”
    Anger burned away the frost of her surprise. “How did you find that out?”
    Kade gave a gentle smile that had the odd effect of relaxing her. “I noticed that
     you still have a line from where you wore a wedding ring, so it couldn’t have been
     too long ago. You talked about a real idiot who treated you poorly, and you shy away
     from me like a horse spooked by a rattlesnake.”
    She took a deep breath and gripped her laptop bag tighter. “You figured it out just
     from that?”
    “Like I told you, I’m in law enforcement. Figuring out clues is part of what I do.”
     Kade’s expression took on a more serious look. “I’ll behave. Promise.”
    “I must be out of my mind.” She shook her head and sighed. “All right. But it’s not
     a date.”
    Kade strode to the start of the hallway, then stopped before the first door. “I’ll
     meet you in fifteen minutes. I’m starving. Those dang airplane peanuts just don’t
     tide me over.” He stuck a key card into room 1108 and was through the door before
     she had a chance to reply.
    Slick. He even managed to get a room next to hers. She stood before her own door and
     groaned. Should she take her bags downstairs and demand another room?
    Instinct told her that he wasn’t the type of man who would hurt or take advantage
     of her. With the exception of the mistake she’d made with the man she’d married, her
     instincts were usually right on. She could always change her mind and ask for a different
     room if she felt it necessary.
    And since Kade was in law enforcement, he spent his time protecting people.
    Maybe she should ask to see his badge.
    Despite her many misgivings, fifteen minutes later Kelsey was ready. She’d managed
     to blow-dry the rain from her hair, curl a few wisps with the curling iron, and touch
     up her makeup. She’d changed out of her wrinkled blouse and skirt into a pink sundress
     and sandals.
    When she was dressed, she dabbed honeysuckle perfume at her wrists and throat. Like
     the color pink, the scent made her feel feminine.