Fever by Kimberly Dean Page A

monotonous. When a looker like Delia came onscreen, she was bound to draw attention.
    He knew. He’d spotted her the moment she’d stepped inside the front door.
    “Adjust the focus,” he instructed.
    He’d been going crazy waiting for her. He’d spent the last three days working at the hotel to smooth out the inevitable kinks that always seemed to pop up whenever a project was supposed to finish. He didn’t mind the long days. It was the long nights that had nearly killed him.
    He’d made the mistake of taking a room without her.
    The two nights alone had been two nights too many. They hadn’t slept apart since her bout with that damned fever, and they wouldn’t ever again if he had anything to say about it.
    He watched as Rob and Delia showed their identification to the front desk and obtained their temporary security passes. Delia said something to Rob, but he just waved her on. The cute concierge had captured his attention. Jack snorted. One of these days that boy was going to go down for the count, and when he did, he was going to fall hard.
    Jackson knew how that felt.
    “Keep running through the checklist,” he instructed the team. “I’ll be back.”
    Trying not to act too anxious, he headed out of the secured room and down the empty hallway. This was the part of the hotel that guests never saw. The walls were stark white, the floors were concrete, and pipes ran exposed along the ceiling. It was in this secluded world that the heart of hotel operations beat. For clearance reasons, this would be Delia’s first visit.
    He couldn’t wait to show her what they’d accomplished.
    He waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive. When it did, it was well worth the wait. Delia stood inside looking fresh and gorgeous. God, she was a sight for sore eyes. “Hey, hot stuff,” he said gruffly.
    She smiled at him softly. “Hi, boss.”
    Suddenly, Jackson found it hard to breathe. He’d never grow immune to that intimate grin. It had taken him a long time to ease her into feeling comfortable around him. Coaxing her out of her shyness had had its upsides, but things were definitely better now.
    She was his.
    And he was hers, through and through.
    “Get over here,” he said, catching her about the waist.
    She flinched when he pounced so suddenly, but quickly softened against him. Jackson couldn’t help it. He’d had no idea how hard it would be to be away from her. The kiss he gave her was hot, deep, and raunchy, but she didn’t shy away. She felt the urgency, too.
    “I missed you,” he growled against her lips.
    * * * * *
    The torment in Jackson’s voice made Delia want to melt.
    “I missed you more,” she said. She truly had. She’d been aching for his touch for days. It had gotten so bad, she’d taken to wearing one of his shirts to bed. Two nights alone had seemed like forever. She didn’t ever want to go through that again. Feeling bold despite the cameras she knew were in this hallway, she swiveled her hips against him. “Can’t you tell?”
    He groaned. “You should have stayed here with me.”
    She nuzzled against his neck. “You were busy. We both were. Besides, I didn’t want to get in your way. You had a job to do.”
    His hands bit into her waist. “You’re never in the way.”
    She smiled at him. “Right. Just like you’re never in my way when you bring me receipts two weeks late.”
    He looked pained, and she kissed his cheek. It was hard to remember back to when he’d intimidated her so. She patted her hands on his shoulders placatingly. There were people watching, she knew. “Now, what about that tour you promised me?”
    With curiosity, she looked down the hallway. She’d wanted to see where he’d spent so much of his time. It was different than she’d expected. The glossy facade of hotels was all she’d even seen. “Is that really Command Central down there?”
    Jackson looked over his shoulder down the barren hallway, and she could see the wheels turning in his head.