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"Good night, Matt," she answers

"Night, Bell You sure you’re okay?" the other asks

She looks at me "Yes And thanks for all your help," she calls as they both walk toward their own cars

They see, yet hot for her just the sa a thing with her The thoughtit, I set the stuff I’ on top of the others and close her trunk I’et in her car but instead stays where she is My hands feel a little wet and sticky fro to clean your hands with inon," she says, and opens her car door, pulling out a pile of black linen napkins rammed with a BH in the corner

I raise an eyebrow "Contraband?"

Her rabbed what I could find quickly froht the food in I used them to wipe up the juice from a tray that spilled on my seat on the way here I’ll return them the next time I come"

"Isn’t that what they all say?"

She places her hands on her hips "I will!"

"I believe you," I say with a grin

She hands me one of the napkins

"You know there’s a reward for ite"

My s "No, I’m not Well, there’s a reward for seventy-five-year-old items like them Come on, let me show you"

"I don’t know, it’s late"

"It’s not far, and who knoe hosts who are said to haunt the place"

I finish wiping my hands and reach for her elbow She doesn’t flinch, so I let ers slide down her arm and rest on her tiny waist Heat flares between us "Come on I’ll keep you safe"

She slantson the position ofto be like one of those Alfred Hitchcock s "Sure, okay, why not?"

As alk side by side, I find that s and then up to her full brsts She’s such a knockout I blink a few ti in my mind and ask, "You watch Hitchcockway "Yes, I love old movies I used to watch them with my dad all the time when I was a kid"

I open the side door, which is surprisingly unlocked "Me too"

She seems to consider this for a

In the hallway of the hotel she’s very quiet "Everything okay?" I ask

"Why do you think this hotel is haunted?" she asks, and I think she ht actually be a little scared

"It was built on a ce inside the Crystal Ballroom, but when one opens the doors, no one is in there Some people have even claih it"

"How did you become such an expert on the place?"

"I’ht a book over the summer about the history of LA, and haunted locations was one of the chapters"

"You mean there are others?"

I step aside as I open a door for her to yet another hallway "Yeah, like twelve more The Roosevelt is one Marilyn Monroe lived there for a while In fact, her first azine spread was shot there It’s ruuess that’s the room she lived in"

Her eyes widen "See her how?"

"They say they see her living in the mirror"

The hallways are dimly lit, so I do my best to lead us back to the Crystal Ballroo makes her jump

I stop to look over at her "Hey, Red, you’re not really scared, are you?"

She looks a little pale and I take a step closer to her She closes her eyes and I follow the line of her jaw to the peak of her collarbone, gently brushing ertips up that same line "Hey, look atit It’s the way she looks at ets me It makes me want her as I’ve never wanted anyone

"What are you two doing in here?" a husky voice calls from the end of the hallway "This is for staff only"

The trance is broken and she finds her voice "Oh, I worked an event earlier and left soet it," S’belle tells the man

"Oh, okay, then Make it fast"

"Did you just lie to that man?"

Her eyes cut to mine "It wasn’t really a lie Just a half-truth"

"There’s a difference?" I feign ignorance

"Yes, now come on before he catches up with us," she says nervously