Fated Hearts (Southern Bride 8)

I gave a nod. “I leave at twelve-thirty.”

We both stared at each other for the longest time before she broke the silence. “I don’t think I’m ready for my fairy tale to end.”

I tilted my head and winked. “Your fairy tale, huh?”

She shook her head as if clearing a thought away. “I don’t want to have dinner with Mary and Dylan. Do you mind if we order room service?”

I pulled her body against mine. “Sounds good to me. Once I get you in that room naked, I’m not letting you leave until you need to catch your plane.”

A brilliant smile lit up her face. “I like the sound of that plan.”

Annalise

TO SAY MY emotions were on a pendulum would have been an understatement. I was so excited to get to my new life, but the sadness I felt at knowing these were the last hours I would spend with Roger was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. How in the world could a man I’d only known for a few days make me feel this way?

All those times my friends said things like, “It was love at first sight. The first time he touched me, I knew.” Now it all made sense. I was a damn cliché.

“I think we’re going to need some food if we plan on locking ourselves away in the room,” Roger stated as he glanced toward the store in the hotel lobby.

I kept my smile on my face, but inside I was far from happy. It was crazy. I knew when I’d agreed to sleep with Roger it was only temporary, but I felt like I was on the verge of a major breakup with a guy I’d been with for years. It was insane. I was insane.

“Hey, are you okay?” Roger asked, placing his hands on my shoulders and drawing me closer.

All I could do was nod.

He gave me a look that said he knew exactly how I was feeling. “Liar.”

“It’s stupid and doesn’t matter.”

He frowned at that statement. “Nothing you could be thinking or feeling is stupid, Anna.”

God, how I loved it when he called me Anna. I loved it when any words came out of his mouth. “It just feels…” I let my voice trail off, knowing I was about to get choked up with emotion.

He sighed. “I know. I feel the same way.”

That caused me to pull my head back slightly. “You do? I mean, how do you know I’m feeling the same way you’re feeling?”

Roger laughed. “Are you dreading getting on a plane tomorrow and saying goodbye to me?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“Then we’re feeling the same way.”

I bit down on my lower lip as I tried to determine how much I wanted to share with Roger about how I was truly feeling. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin the few hours we had left by telling him all my emotions. The ones that usually scared guys away, especially when you’d only known them for a few days. I couldn’t say: I think I want something more than a few days of sex. I could see myself waking up next to you every morning. Or how about: I want to have your babies. Or maybe I could completely scare him off: I think I’m falling in love with you.

That last one made my heart feel as if it was dropping down into the pit of my stomach. Oh. My. Goodness. Was I truly falling in love with a man I’d known a total of two days?

Instead of telling him all of that, I opted to keep things lighthearted. “Who gets to pick out the snacks?”

He gave me a confused look.

“I mean, look at your body,” I said. “You don’t really seem like the snack food type of guy, so I think I should be in charge of picking out what we’re going to eat for the next ten or so hours.”

Roger gave my body a slow perusal. “You don’t look like a snack lover either.”

I felt my nose crinkle up as I replied, “I’m at least ten to fifteen pounds over where I want to be, and this girl knows how to make a damn good ice cream sundae with caramel, hot fudge, and my secret ingredient. Trust me, I know my snacks.”

His eyes turned dark. “The fuck you’re ten pounds over anything. Your body is perfect. In fact, if we had more time together, I’d encourage you to eat whatever the hell you wanted so I could feel even more of you while I fucked you.”

My face got hot, and I quickly looked around to make sure no one else had heard him. I had dated guys in the past who liked to toss out the word “fuck” every now and then, but Roger didn’t mind using it at all. You’d think it would make what we’d been doing feel cheap or wrong. But I knew he didn’t mean it like that. Yes, we fucked, and good Lord, did I enjoy it. But I had also seen a tender side of Roger that I didn’t think many of his past lovers had gotten a glimpse of.