“Maybe not,” Crow chuckled when Penelope said she wasn’t trying to get him to sleep with her. “But you are most certainly drunk.” He met her teasing look with one of his own. Even though he knew she was intoxicated, he found the mischievous glint in her eyes attractive. She had a way about her when she was in a good mood that made his heart race every time. [i]If you were trying to get me into bed with you, you wouldn’t have to try very hard,[/i] he thought as they walked down the hallway.

When they reached the door to their room, Crow unlocked it and held it open for Penelope and Hartley to step through first. As expected, the boy’s excitement drained from his face when he realized Kip wasn’t actually there. He collapsed on his bed and fell asleep after some prompting from Penelope. Crow moved to walk Penelope to her bed, but he paused as her expression changed.

[color=fff79a][b]“Damn... I’m so glad I met you,”[/b][/color] she leaned in to kiss him, but hesitated. [color=fff79a][b]“Ahh, my breath probably reeks, sorry.”[/b][/color]

Crow laughed and took the initiative, closing the distance between them by pressing his lips to hers. He rested a hand on the back of her neck, lightly tracing his way around the side of her jaw. His other arm slipped around her lower back, holding her close to himself. After a moment, he pulled away from the kiss, but continued to hold her in an embrace, resting his head on hers, “I’m glad I met you too.”

He guided her over to her bed and sat down next to her. He glanced at Hartley’s sleeping form across the room. The boy looked like he was out cold. Crow doubted he would wake up to anything. He looked back at Penelope, his eyes wandering over her body as he wondered yet again what it would be like to sleep with her. [i]Now isn’t the time,[/i] he bit his lip. [i]She’s drunk and not thinking clearly.[/i]

“We should get some sleep,” he said, meeting her gaze as he fought the urge to push her down on the bed and kiss her again. “Trust me, you don’t want a hangover tomorrow when we need to get back on the road.”