“Don’t flatter yourself,” she shot back at him. Then she made a dash for the elevator before he could see the blush rising in her cheeks, or notice how she couldn’t keep her gaze off him. Fiona knew what lay beneath the clothing and the thought of him lying in a bed near hers, possibly naked… Well, it didn’t bear imagining. Nothing was going to happen. She had far more serious things to worry about than if he would make a pass at her. Or worse…that he wouldn’t make a pass.
As she stepped into the elevator, she shot a glance down the hallway. Wyatt stood at the doorway of their room, a smile still fixed to his face that broadened when her gaze met his.
Damn. He’d caught her staring.
A warm, rich chuckle filled the hallway, like he knew the secret of what was to come later that night.
Fiona dove into the elevator, her cheeks burning, a place farther south flaming to life.
Holy hell. How was she going to get through the next few days with Wyatt Magnus’s larger than life body to bump into everywhere she turned?
Wyatt was still grinning as he closed the door behind him and made certain it was securely locked and then adjusted his jeans. His groin was far too tight, but it had been worth the kiss to see the event planner’s reaction. He’d made the calm, cool and efficient Fiona Allen run like a frightened rabbit. Oh yeah, he had definitely made an impression on her. Good. Because she’d made an equal one on him and he needed to shake it off so he could see to the security of the convention.
Sleeping in the same room with the fiery redhead would be a challenge. If he planned on sleeping. The real challenge would be to get her to agree to share her bed with him. A couple nights with Fiona ought to get him back on track sexually.
Rather than take the elevator, he headed for the stairwell, jogging down the steps until he reached the garage level. His Jeep was where he’d left it and he climbed in, pulling out his cell phone. Before he put the shift in gear, he dialed Joe.
“Dogs are Heroes, Joe speaking.”
“Joe, Wyatt Magnus here.”
“Wyatt, you old bulldog, what are you doing in town?”
A flash of guilt washed over Wyatt. He’d been in town for weeks and this was his first call to his friend. “It’s a long story, but I need your help with bomb-sniffing dogs at the downtown convention center.”
“What the hell? Did you quit the Army?”
“No, no. I’m on loan to Homeland Security to provide oversight for the security of the International Trade Convention.”
“I thought you were in Ethiopia or Somalia or some other godforsaken country.”
“I was. It’s part of that long story I’ll fill you in on later.” He sighed. “In the meantime the convention starts tomorrow night and I want to make sure the threats we’ve been getting don’t happen.”
“Wow, who’d you piss off to get that assignment?”
Wyatt chuckled. “It’s temporary. So what do you say? Do you have the resources?”
“Sure. I’m on the tail end of training fifteen dogs to be used at airports with the TSA. I can have them loaded and delivered by morning.”
“Good. Can you meet me in an hour at the convention center to discuss the plan with the security firm the planner hired?”
“Which security firm?”
“Lone Star Security.”
“They come highly recommended,” Joe confirmed. “I haven’t heard anything bad about their work. But you never know when you’ll get a bad egg waiting to explode.”
“Right. That’s where you and your canines come into it.”
“Keeping everyone on the up and up.”
“We’ve already had one incident with the Columbian delegate. Shots were fired at his limousine.”
“I heard about that on the police scanner.”
“All the more reason for you to meet me at the convention center.”
“I’ll be there.” Joe told Wyatt what entrance he’d be at and rang off.
Wyatt dug out the card Fiona had given him for the person in charge of the convention center security team for the next few days. Preston Jones.
He keyed the numbers and waited for the man to pick up on the other end. While he waited, he scanned the parking lot of the hotel. If they wanted to keep the delegates safe, he needed to check with hotel security. It wouldn’t hurt to add a few guards to the mix. And he’d check out the cameras to ensure all were functioning and monitored.
Someone exited the building and walked quickly to a shiny black Mustang convertible. By the twitch of her skirt and the long, flowing red curls hanging down her back, there was no mistaking Fiona Allen.
Wyatt’s pulse quickened and he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her as she slid into the sports car and drove past him.
“Lone Star Security, Preston Jones speaking.”
The male voice in his ear brought Wyatt back to the task at hand and he introduced himself.
“I’ve been expecting your call,” Preston said. “I cleared my afternoon to meet with you and show you what we’ve done to get ready.”
“I’m headed to the convention center now.”
“I can meet you there in fifteen minutes.”
“Good.” Wyatt hung up and shifted his Jeep into drive, pulling out of the parking garage into the glare and heat of the south Texas sunshine.
Now that he had his meetings set up, he could get to work. The sooner this convention was over, the sooner he could get back to his real job with the Special Operations command.
When the convention was over, he’d leave San Antonio. A quick fling with the pretty little redhead wouldn’t hurt in the meantime. It would get his motor revved and his spirits up. Yeah, a quick affair with the redhead might be just what the shrink ordered.
Maddie met Fiona at the door to her office, electronic tablet in hand. “I called the caterer, they had a hiccup in the menu and won’t be serving cherry cheese cake. Instead it’ll be caramel chocolate cheesecake. All’s good though because the menu only states cheesecake.”
Fiona strode through the outer office to her inner sanctum with Maddie on her heels.
“The string quartet I got to replace the original for tomorrow’s welcome reception is down to a trio. One member is out sick. They assure me the music will be just as good. I called around to see if I could get someone else, but everyone is booked or out of town.”
“Whatever.” Fiona plunked her purse on her desk and stared at the order that was her desk, drinking in the fact that everything had a place. Order made her feel in control.
Perhaps that was why she was so upset by the day’s events. Being around Wyatt made her feel completely out of control and chaotic. She planned the hell out of events with contingency plans in place in case the originals didn’t work out. She didn’t see a hotel reservation as risky or she would have booked two rooms on the off chance someone was double-booked in one.
The room grew so quiet, Fiona turned to her assistant.
Maddie stood with her hand on her hip.
“What?” Fiona said.
“Whatever?” Maddie stared at her as if she’d grown antennae. “Whatever from a boss who manages everything down to the most minute detail?”
Fiona shoved a hand through her hair, her fingers getting tangled. “Oh Maddie, this day has been insane.”
“Yeah, and since when do you wear your hair down during the day?” Maddie shook her head. “What’s got you rattled, oh gracious control freak?”
An image of Wyatt standing naked in her hotel room flashed in her mind. Fiona turned toward the window, feeling the heat rush up into her cheeks. “Did you have any more luck getting me a room than I did?”
“No. Their system is fouled up and they’ve double-booked several foreigners. They want to place them first since you live in the city.”