Only Christmas

6

Aspen

“I’m not sure I can eat right now,” I admit. I clench my notepad to my chest.

I’d been starving when Hunter asked me if I was hungry earlier. That changed when I saw Edwin from room service standing there as well as Ryan, one of the night security guards. My stomach dropped, knowing they’d seen me in a robe in Mr. Hoffman’s room, and it was going to be all over the hotel as soon as they left the room. People love to gossip around here.

“You need to eat.” Hunter puts his hand on my back, guiding me toward the dining room table. “I told you, angel. You’re not fired. Stop worrying. I don’t like it.” He doesn’t like me worrying? Why does he care? Hunter isn’t turning out like anything I’ve heard.

“I might as well be fired. This is going to be all over the hotel. Do you know what kind of stories they’re going to make up? I don’t even want to think about what’s going to happen when Charlotte finds out. She’s going to lose her mind. At that point I might be begging to be fired,” I blurt out. Why do I keep saying too much to this man? Normally I have the opposite problem. I tend to be on the quiet side, not wanting to draw attention to myself. But with him I’m a damn chatterbox.

“She’s not going to do anything. Just so we are clear, I’ll fire anyone that’s spreading rumors about me in my own hotel.”

“It’s not that simple, and you're not always going to be here.” He lives states away, I believe. From his luggage that I spotted, he’s clearly not local. I at least know that much.

“I promise you. You’re going to be more than fine whether I'm in this hotel or not. I'll give you my word.”

“And you’re a man of your word?” I tilt my head back to look up at him. I’m in the situation I’m in because I was naïve and believed people in the past.

“I’m guessing a lot of people’s words have been shit.” I swallow as emotion tries to rise inside of me. I nod my head instead of speaking, knowing the last thing he wants me to do is cry again. That makes two of us. “Sit and eat. I have an offer I want to make you.” He pulls out a chair for me. I do as he asks and sit down.

He starts pulling the lids off the food. “Did you order the whole menu?” A laugh bubbles up out of me. When the smell reaches me, my stomach growls, and my hunger comes back with full force. The nerves I was feeling only moments ago are thrown to the wayside. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve had the luxury of having a meal this rich.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked.” He almost sounds a bit nervous for a second.

“It’s perfect. I haven’t had a meal like this in a long time.” I smile at him. That little tick in his jaw comes back. “Thank you,” I say and immediately see his features soften.

“You never have to thank me for taking care of you, Aspen. It’s my pleasure.” He reaches his hand out until his fingers are gently caressing down my jaw.

I instinctively lean into his touch. Another kind of unfamiliar hunger rises inside of me. I tell myself it’s from lack of affection, but this is something more. I’m drawn to this man for some reason. I close my eyes, and before I know what I’m doing, I turn my head and kiss the palm of his hand.

I break out of my haze when I hear what sounds like a growl. “Eat,” he says before stepping away from me and taking the seat across the table. I know it’s crazy, but I immediately miss his touch.

“I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

“That feeling is mutual.” He sits, taking the seat to the corner of mine. “I’m not sure what’s come over me either.” I don’t know what to make of that. I can’t wrap my mind around the idea of him possibly finding me desirable and that I’m making him act out of character because that’s what he’s doing to me.

Hunter grabs an empty plate and starts putting a little bit of everything on it before putting it in front of me. Another bubble of laughter comes from me when he starts to cut the steak up for me.

“I can cut my own steak.”

“What do you think of the food here? This is the Wagyu.” He brings a bite to my mouth ignoring my comment.

“The Wagyu! I can’t eat that.”

“You can.” I want to tell him no way, but I've always wondered what it tasted like. It’s actually on a separate menu that only platinum hotel members can order from or people who have booked one of the suites. “Open,” he orders.