Read Island Getaway, An Art Crime Team Mystery for Free Online Page B

it is.” But Nick wasn’t looking at the
buildings, he was looking at her, and Annika blushed. He
smiled.
    “C’mon. Let’s get you back to the hotel
before it gets cold. The nights can still get chilly this time of
year, and you’re not wearing much.”
    She wasn’t. But she wasn’t cold, especially
after Nick offered his arm and she tucked her hand through and felt
the heat of his body through the layers of clothes.
    It really was only a few blocks between the
restaurant and the hotel, and they walked the distance in
companionable silence. Once inside the lobby, Nick glanced at the
entrance to the bistro. “Glass of wine? Cup of coffee?”
    Better not. Much as she had enjoyed his
company, Annika still wasn’t sure why he’d invited her to dinner,
and until she did, it was probably best not to enjoy his company
too much. Especially since they wouldn’t be seeing one another
again after tonight. “It’s late.”
    “Not that late,” Nick said, with a glance at
his watch.
    It felt late. A lot had happened. “It’s been
a long day. And I guess maybe I’m a little jetlagged.”
    He nodded. “Thank you for having dinner with
me.”
    “Thank you for inviting me.”
    “My pleasure.” He smiled. “Maybe we can do
it again sometime. How long are you planning to stick around?”
    Good question. “I guess that depends on how
long it takes to get my bag back.”
    Nick nodded. “Any word from the police?”
    Not by the time she’d left the hotel two
hours ago for dinner. “I’ll check before I go up.”
    “Why don’t you check now?” Nick said, with a
glance at the reception counter.
    It was a reasonable suggestion. No reason
why she should feel like he took more than a passing interest. It
was probably just her own imagination that turned a perfectly
reasonable suggestion into an order she couldn’t refuse.
    Annika headed for the counter with Nick
trailing behind, and gave her name and room number to the girl
behind the desk. “Any messages for me?”
    “Not that I know of, Ms. Holst.” The girl—a
gorgeous blonde with the kind of assets Annika could only dream
of—dimpled at Nick.
    “Could you check?”
    The girl huffed, but looked away from him
for long enough to ascertain that no, no one had left any messages.
Annika turned her back to the counter and her front to Nick,
who—point to him—didn’t keep staring at the blonde. “Nothing
yet.”
    He shrugged. “Maybe tomorrow.”
    Maybe. “Thanks again for dinner.”
    “It was my pleasure.” He leaned in, his
breath warm against her skin. And hesitated. For a second, Annika
thought—was afraid; hoped—that he was about to kiss her, and her
breath went along with her knees.
    He brushed his lips over hers, so lightly
she might almost have imagined it, except she knew she hadn’t. Her
lips tingled.
    The girl behind the counter sighed, and
Nick’s dark eyes danced as he straightened. “Good night,
Annika.”
    It took her a moment to get her voice to
cooperate. “Good night.”
    “Sleep well.”
    She nodded.
    “I’ll see you around.”
    Sure.
    She headed for the elevator. When she turned
back just as the doors opened, he was still standing there watching
her. Either his mother had raised a gentleman, or he was waiting
until she was out of sight before he asked the receptionist for her
phone number.
    Annika didn’t care. She’d had a wonderful
dinner in a beautiful restaurant with a handsome man, who’d
listened to everything she’d said without scoffing and who hadn’t
tried to invite himself into her bed afterwards. As far as she was
concerned, the evening had been perfect. At this point, she didn’t
care what he did. She headed up to the second floor in a cloud of
bliss, and could probably have floated there on her own, without
the use of the elevator. Once inside her room, she dropped her wrap
on the bed and crossed to the tall windows to pull the curtains
shut. Only to stop when she looked down and saw, below her on the
opposite