The Texan's Suite Romance

When they got in the taxi, after tipping Oscar, she instructed the driver on their destination. Then she turned to Alex.

“I thought we’d check into the hotel and have an hour or two to relax before we go to the interview. After that, you have the signing. We won’t get dinner until late, so I’ll order a snack for you. If you want to look at the room-service menu, you can tell me what you’d like.”

He nodded. He knew Mona had said she’d make his life easy, but somehow it bothered him that this woman was so in control over him.

Once they arrived in downtown San Francisco they entered a beautiful hotel, whose reception area looked out at an incredible garden. Miss Tyler came to a halt, gasping at the riotous color of the flowers. “How lovely!”

“Yes,” he said without thinking, “Jenny would’ve loved it.” Realizing what he said, he stepped back and frowned at his companion. “I mean, yes, it’s beautiful.”

She gave him a sympathetic smile and continued on her way to the reception desk.

It didn’t take much perception to notice all the men staring at his guide. Tabitha Tyler certainly took the attention in stride.

“Doesn’t it bother you that all the men are staring at you?” he demanded.

“No, I’m quite used to it.”

She must’ve seen the withdrawal from such arrogance in his eyes.

Laughing, she said, “Because I’m one of three. My sisters and I are triplets, Dr. Myerson. People have been staring at us since we were born.”

“Triplets? Do they look just like you?” he asked in astonishment. He couldn’t imagine three of Tabitha Tyler.

“Yes, except that we each wear our hair differently. Mine’s the longest.” She found the shortest line for registration and stood patiently waiting. “The hotel seems awfully crowded.”

“Probably a convention,” he said absent-mindedly, still picturing three of her.

“Don’t worry. I called and confirmed our reservations yesterday.”

When their turn came, Tabitha greeted the young man with a smile and gave their names.

“Welcome, Miss Tyler.” The clerk, who’d maintained his cheerfulness despite the swarm of incoming guests, typed on his keypad, then gave her a white-toothed smile. “We assumed, since you’re traveling together, you would prefer connecting rooms.”

Chapter Two

Alex stared at the man, not believing what he’d heard. Their rooms were going to be connected by a door? That simply wouldn’t do.

Beside him he heard Miss Tyler calmly say, “Is that all you have to offer?”

“Yes, ma’am, I’m afraid we’re totally booked,” the clerk returned. “But you’ll have easy access to your client this way. You know, we went to a lot of trouble to save these two rooms for you.”

“Very well,” the woman agreed.

Agreed? Was she kidding him?

Alex grabbed her sleeve. Through clenched teeth he whispered, “I won’t stand for this! I want a room alone.”

“But there are no other accommodations, Dr. Myerson. It’s all right. I won’t be barging in on you. All you have to do is close the door to my room and lock it.”

She signed the charge card receipt and received the two keycards the clerk handed her. In turn, she handed one of them to Alex. Then she gave the bellhop a tip and her room number. “Ready to go up?”

“Yeah.” He glowered at her as he spoke.

Keeping a smile on her face, she moved to the elevators as if everything was hunky-dory. Which only irritated him more.

“This isn’t going to work,” he muttered under his breath in the elevator.

“It will be fine, Dr. Myerson,” she insisted, whispering also.

The elderly woman in front of them turned to face them. “Young man, if you’re having second thoughts, you shouldn’t go in that room with her. After all, you’re a married man, aren’t you?”

Suddenly Miss Tyler wasn’t as calm as she had been. Her voice held an icy tone that frosted the elevator car. “We don’t need your advice, ma’am.”

“When he’s already doubting the wisdom of spending the night with you, I should think you’d be too proud to go ahead with your plans.”

Luckily the elevator stopped then on their floor. Without even a glance to the older woman, Miss Tyler took Alex by the arm and started out.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Alex wrenched his arm from her hold. “I don’t like to be touched!”

She stared at him, opening her mouth as if she was going to say something impetuously. Then she closed it and went down the corridor to their rooms. When he joined her, she said coolly, “I’ll keep that in mind, Dr. Myerson.”

She slipped the keycard in the lock and opened his door, standing back for him to precede her into the room. The suite had a small living room with floor-to-ceiling windows that presented a glorious view of Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge.

“Oh, my! I’ve always heard about the beauty of San Francisco, but this is even more beautiful than I imagined.”

She swung around, a broad smile on her face, as if she expected him to join her at the window.

He ignored her. He wasn’t going to talk about the view, or how much she reminded him of Jenny. Until he was alone, he couldn’t regain his composure.

After a sigh, she walked over to the door and opened it to another door. “Here’s the connecting door, Dr. Myerson.” She checked her watch. “You have two and a half hours before you have to appear for the interview. When you’re ready for a snack, knock and let me know.”

After he nodded, she walked out to the hall, closing the door behind her.

A pristine king-size bed, drew him and he flopped down on his back. Damn! One day on tour and the woman was driving him crazy!

Not that he was attracted to her. Of course not! But sometimes she reminded him of Jenny. Those feelings were painful. When she’d touched him, he’d wanted to shake off her hold at once. There was some kind of odd chemistry between them, he had to admit. One he intended to avoid from now on.

A knock on the door grabbed his attention. He was relieved to realize it was the hall door. He opened it and found the bellhop there with the luggage.

“Come in,” he said, swinging the door wide. Then he knocked on the connecting door. When Miss Tyler opened the door, he nodded in the direction of the bellhop, who entered her room.

Alex closed the door and lay back down on the bed, but he had to get up only a couple of minutes later when someone knocked on the connecting door. He assumed the bellhop had forgotten something. When he swung the door open, he found Tabitha Tyler standing there.

“Yes?”

“If you won’t need me for an hour, I’m going up to the gym to work out. It relieves my tension.”

If she’d had any tension, she’d hidden it, except for her reaction to the busybody in the elevator. But her solution to relieving taut muscles appealed to him. Since Mona had put him on a fitness regimen, he’d learned the value of exercise. “Mind if I go up with you? I’d like to work out, too.”