Cinn glanced around the greenhouse. “Well, I think everyone’s fine, so we can leave.” She headed for the kitchen exit, but paused with her hand on the door to glance back at him. “I can introduce you to the rest of the plants tomorrow night.”

“Wonderful.” He didn’t think she heard his muttered sarcasm.

Suddenly she grinned at him. It was playful and teasing and so sexy he almost groaned. Had he warned her about his uncontrollable bouts of lust? Sure he had. The exaggeration might turn out not to be an exaggeration at all. Maybe he’d spent too long in the Alaskan wilderness, because Want was wearing a capital W and coming up fast in his rearview mirror. He couldn’t let it gain any traction, because he had serious stuff to deal with. He couldn’t afford any side trips.

“My friends run and hide when I start talking about my plants. You can’t. I’m looking forward to having a captive audience. The life of a bodyguard sucks lemons, doesn’t it?” Her soft laughter was an expression of real amusement.

No one had shared that kind of laughter with him for a long time. She’d never know what a rare treat it was. And because he could almost feel his hard edges turning to mush, he strode through the kitchen, determined to put some space between them.

Dacian was already halfway across the great hall and headed for the stone steps that would take him back to her room when he remembered. He’d forgotten to lock the greenhouse door. He glanced behind him. He’d also forgotten to bring her with him. Even now she could be grabbing her plants to load into her truck. Damn.

When he got back to the greenhouse, he found her waiting for him, holding Vince all cozy in his pot.

“I decided to take him up to the room with me. He’ll be less nervous if I’m nearby.” She didn’t ask why he’d rushed off, and he didn’t offer an explanation.

Her narrowed gaze told him she was ready for his contemptuous comments. So he didn’t make any. “Great. Take him with you. Let’s get back to your room.” He thought about offering to carry the plant for her, but decided against it. The thought of one of her leafy charges in his undead clutches would horrify her too much.

He did compromise by taking one of the elevators in the hotel lobby up to her floor instead of climbing the stairs. She’d never know how much it cost him to stand in that small enclosed box. Whenever he camped out in a national park, he simply slept in a cave or the ground. No coffin for him. He could dig himself out of the earth. He’d never let himself be trapped again.