Two Times as Hot Read Free

and reached for Emma’s hand. “Shall we?”
    Emma smiled at his enthusiasm. “Oh, yeah.”
    They left the well-tipped waitress standing by their table and headed out the back
     exit, which led into the lobby and the elevator.
    The ride upstairs was silent, but not without some flirtation and a hell of a lot
     of sexual tension between them. Emma peeked at Jace standing beside her. He caught
     her looking at him and grinned at her. He ran a hand down her back, letting it rest
     at the base of her spine. Her stomach fluttered in response to his touch.
    The doors swooshed open on her floor, and they stepped out. A short walk down the
     hall, and the locked door of her room stood in front of them.
    Emma’s common sense returned, and she realized she needed to find her keycard or they
     weren’t getting inside. A bit of rifling and she was able to excavate it from amid
     the clutter collected at the bottom of her purse. She managed to get the card into
     the slot facing the correct direction on the second try. The automatic locks slid
     open as the light turned green. Green for go.
    Emma pushed open the door and a moment later, she and Jace were standing inside the
     room. She should have thought to straighten up after she and Becca had gotten dressed
     for the rodeo. The room was a shambles, but Jace didn’t seem to notice the two suitcases
     open on the floor, or the clothes strewn on the chair, or much of anything else.
    He stepped closer, his eyes focused on Emma. Just a few inches taller than she was
     in her boots, he had to only dip his head to brush his lips across hers.
    Their first kiss was soft and slow, but all consuming. It had her dragging in a breath.
     What would it be like to make love with a man who could kiss so thoroughly? It had
     been a long time since she’d been kissed like that. Slow and deep.
    Hell, it had been a long time since Emma had been kissed by anyone in any way at all.
     She wanted to savor every taste, every touch. This was a memory that would last forever—
    The obnoxious sound of Jace’s phone chiming in his pocket interrupted her enjoyment
     of his talented mouth. Emma pulled back from the kiss, just far enough to say, “That’s
     your phone.”
    “I heard it. It’s just a text. I’m ignoring it.” He pressed closer and wrapped his
     hands around her waist.
    Two sides warred with each other within Emma. She wanted nothing more than to go back
     to kissing Jace. But the other half was dying to know if it was a text from his friend
     Tucker. It could be something to do with her sister.
    Maybe it said something about her level of nosiness, or she could pretend it was concern
     for Becca, but either way Emma let curiosity get the better of her. “Maybe you should
     check. It could be Tucker looking for us.”
    Jace let out an exaggerated sigh that lost all authenticity when he rolled his eyes
     and smiled. “All right. If you want me to.”
    He read the text and his grin disappeared. His drastic change of expression had Emma
     immediately worried. “What’s wrong? Is it Tucker? Is Becca all right?”
    “It’s not Tuck. It’s my ex. She has a flat tire and needs me to come and put the spare
     on for her.” He punched in a reply and then glanced at Emma. “I’m sorry. She’s stuck
     on the side of the highway. It’s dangerous sitting there in the dark. People drive
     like lunatics on that road. I have to go help.”
    “Um, yeah. Sure. Go. You should definitely help her.” A call to the auto club would
     have been a better idea. Or to a local towing company, if his ex didn’t belong to
     AAA. Or to one of her friends or family. Any number of alternatives came to mind.
     Yet this girl had instead texted Jace, her ex-boyfriend. And at her summons, he was
     going to come running.
    “I really am sorry.” With literally one foot out the open door, Jace paused. “Do you
     think I could have your number?”
    “You want my number?” Emma’s eyebrows shot up. “You know