Lust and Lies 04 - Pretty Maids in a Row

anticipate it."
    "And I'll try to move slowly enough for you to see it coming. One more thing. I only know one way to erase your memory of that... incident. I'll even ask permission." His gaze settled on her mouth. "May I?" She parted her lips in answer. Continuing to hold her hand, he leaned forward and touched his lips to hers.
    Lightly. Tenderly. Briefly.
    And with an impact more devastating than any blatant open mouthed kiss could ever be.
    "You see?" He whispered the words against her mouth. "I can be nice. There's nothing to be afraid of."
    She raised her lashes and met his gaze. They both knew just how wrong he was.

Chapter 11

    The whirring sound of the microwave roused David but he feigned sleep a little longer. He had determined that the insistent throbbing of his sex was due as much to morning wood as to almost two weeks of celibacy rather than a physical contact that could hardly be called a kiss. He had firmly shut out the irrational voice that reminded him that he had not been with a woman since first seeing Holly in the hotel lobby.
    The more he thought about the two kisses they had shared, the more certain he was that seduction might be the right tool to extract information from Holly after all. Her being an innocent only meant he had to proceed more slowly than usual, but the end result would be the same. She would soon be happy to tell him anything he wanted to know, including whether or not any of her friends was a murderess.
    He suddenly realized that somewhere along the way, he had eliminated the possibility that she could be a killer. Her reaction to being touched was his biggest clue. She'd been a victim once and had never fully recovered, of that he was certain. He couldn't imagine her becoming aggressive enough to kill, even in self-defense. His conclusion was that she could not have murdered Tim Ziegler... at least not personally.
    But his reporter's nose still told him she knew something about it that she was keeping to herself. The task he'd assigned himself was to get her to share that secret. He would begin by showing her how much he respected her privacy.
    Since the generator-run window air conditioner was in the center of the camper, he had left the vinyl accordion door open throughout the night. With his lower half discreetly covered by the sheet, he rose and pulled shut the divider before donning his slacks.
    Holly had jolted awake the instant a beam of sun shot through the blinds. Surprisingly she had gotten a few hours' sleep in spite of the fact there had been a man not twenty feet away from her all night. Leaving on the small light over the stove had helped somewhat but she had not actually slept in the same room with anyone in over twenty years. The one and only night she had stayed with Philip, she hadn't closed her eyes.
    Sometime during the night, Holly had talked herself into believing David's caress had been a friendly gesture, even brotherly. To be on the safe side, however, she'd make sure it didn't happen again.
    The more immediate problem was that her modesty was getting the best of her. She needed to use the bathroom, but hated the thought of traipsing outside to the public—probably less than sanitary—facilities, even more than she dreaded using the one inside. But she really needed to rinse off. The excessive humidity made her sticky and she was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday.
    "Good morning," David offered with a cheerful grin when he emerged from his sleeping area. He had a roll of clothing in one hand. "I'm going to take advantage of that undrinkable water to shower and shave, but I would recommend you make do with what we have here. There's no telling who or what is lurking in and around the women's area. I'll just fill the water tank up again later."
    She wondered if he was psychic or just very considerate. Her eyes expressed her gratitude as clearly as her shy "Thank you."
    Holly was bathed, dressed, and on her second cup of coffee by the time David returned. She had begun to wonder if he had gone off to survey the area without telling her, when he appeared wearing a bigger smile than when he'd left.
    "I've got great news," he said, pouring himself a mug of coffee. "I went by the management office to ask a few questions and got more than I expected. The manager agreed to rent me his son's Vespa."
    "This is a good thing?"
    He smirked at her. "It would be rather foolish to try driving this monster on roads that haven't been cleared yet."
    "But