“Move me to one of these rooms.” She mirrored his stance and leaned a shoulder against the door frame, prepared to be as obstinate as Keith until the cows came home. “This one looks good.”
“These rooms are all intended for expo guests. I can’t put them in the tower with the broken elevator.”
She scowled. “But it’s okay for the help to be in the other tower?”
His quick grin put a flutter in her tummy. And that was not cool.
“You won’t write an article about the elevator or lack of air-conditioning in a bridal magazine. I need the guests to be wowed. You will accomplish that with amazing wedding dresses. I will accomplish that by ensuring every last one of these rooms is up to par for the VIPs arriving tomorrow.”
Somehow she’d crossed the threshold and met Keith in the middle. “Your room is in this tower.”
“Yep.” He slid a sizzling once-over down the length of her body and the unspoken message was pretty clear—he would gladly share his room with her, but it was the only one available in this tower. And she’d already declined.
Without checking her strength, she poked a finger in the middle of his chest. “Stop being so logical.”
God, he was so tall when she wasn’t wearing heels. And the chest under her finger was hard with well-defined muscles she remembered well. It took an enormous amount of will to keep the pad of her finger in one place instead of tracing the plane of his torso south until she hit the six-pack abs he surely still had.
Why couldn’t she? He wouldn’t stop her. In fact, he would probably encourage it.
He glanced down at her finger. “Thought you were keeping your hands to yourself. Did you find something you wanted to touch bad enough to break your self-imposed rule?”
Just as she flexed to snatch back her hand, he captured her palm with his own, holding hers tight against his pectoral and yeah, it was still hard as stone. His heart thudded against her hand, speeding up as she glanced at his lips. They’d felt amazing when he kissed her, and it didn’t matter how hard she’d tried to forget, she couldn’t.
“It was more of a guideline than an actual rule. Also an example of you being too logical.” She should go back to the room she’d been inspecting. The checklist was only about half-complete and...
“Sure you want me to stop being logical?” he asked softly. “Logic has its benefits. For example, we’re in a hotel room where a newly married couple will eventually stay. It would be a shame if the bed didn’t hold up to a vigorous round of honeymoon sex. Logically, I should ensure this resort gets high marks on all aspects of Regent’s destination wedding services.”
“That’s very um...logical.” Apparently her brain had now completely deserted her. Because she definitely didn’t want to go anywhere and definitely didn’t think it was a good idea to stay.
He dipped his head, lips hovering near hers, then he turned slightly to murmur in her ear in a hot tease. “I’m glad you agree.”
His nose nuzzled her ear and through no fault of her own, her head swiveled, causing his lips to collide with her neck. She arched involuntarily at the pleasurable contact.
Never at a loss, he molded his mouth to her skin expertly, finding the perfect hollow to lave. It sent a shower of sparks along her throat, and she moaned.
Seeking fingers gripped her face and he guided her chin toward him. His mouth claimed hers, swallowing her moan, and when his arms snaked around her waist, he hefted her against his solid frame.
Her body ignited. He kissed her with tightly wound control but the hint of abandon was there, just below the surface. He’d let his control drop the moment she said so, and devoured her with carnal pleasure until she cried out under the onslaught.
Yes, this was definitely what she’d intended when volunteering for this Herculean task. One telling comment yesterday—I care about you—had possibly changed the course of their future.
She wanted to explore it, wanted to find that place she belonged, that place she’d thought she found with him two years ago. What might be possible now that hadn’t been back then? In the past few days, she felt as if she’d learned more about Keith than she had in the entire six months they’d been together before. She wanted more, wanted him.
She wanted to know what love looked like—felt like—in a relationship. She wanted to know what love felt like in their relationship. True love, not the pale shadow of affection they’d held for each other before.