Rainwater Kisses (The Kisses 2)

"Well, a hotel room would be nicer than my apartment. I didn't really clean this morning, so there would be dirty laundry all over the floor."

"Then perhaps we should put laundry all over the floor of the ho

tel room to make you feel more more at home," he whispered, leaning forward and kissing the curve where my jaw met my neck. I shivered with anticipation.

Owen stood up in one fluid motion, holding out his hand to help me up. Once I was on my feet, he pulled me into him, stealing a kiss. It was full of want, need, and pure desire. I couldn't have said no if I wanted to, though I really just wanted to scream yes.

We were back out to the limo in less than a minute, the driver waiting patiently at the door with the car. It was only a three minute drive to the downtown hotel, but I found myself unable to keep my fingers from unbuttoning his shirt. As he pushed my hands away, I looked up at him. "Sorry, they have a mind of their own, tonight."

When finally my fingers came to rest, they were on his tie. I contented myself with using it to pull him into me, kissing him with all my might until we got to the hotel room.

We bounded through the ornate lobby to a series of bronzed elevators that sent us whirring to the top floor. Owen was, of course, staying in the penthouse suite, but I barely looked at it as we stumbled into the bedroom.

Owen growled something, but I was too busy stripping to understand his words. I understood his meaning though. He was already hard, the bulge in his pants displaying exactly how much he wanted me. He kissed me, pushing me onto the bed.

"I want you so bad, Kaylee. You're the only thing I could think about all week." His voice was low and full of power. He was a man who could have anything he wanted, and he wanted me.

I shivered with anticipation, biting his lower lip as he tasted me. I felt my eyes roll to the back of my head as he began our night of pleasure, the bedsheets tangling around us as we writhed in ecstasy.

Chapter 13

Three weeks later, after three more amazing dates, I was pretty sure I was in love. Owen Parker had successfully stolen my heart. We hadn't said anything yet, but I couldn't stop thinking about him. I looked forward to his phone calls, texts, and emails more than I looked forward to my days off.

We both wished we could have more time together, but with our crazy schedules and workloads, we were lucky to manage that many. I knew he had worked magic in order to make it out to Iowa as many times as he had. He took me to the symphony with a stop to a seafood restaurant for our first date, and the second was for ice cream and a movie, in which he rented the entire theater. The third date had been my favorite so far after the botanical gardens; he arranged a special backstage tour of the Des Moines Zoo. Watching him feed the penguins had kept me laughing for hours. Every one of the dates ended back in the penthouse suite, the two of us tangled up in the sheets.

It wasn't all happy though. While just thinking about him put a happy smile on my face and quickened my pulse, I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. We got along famously, but that was easy since we only saw each other once a week. The sex was fantastic, and I was falling hard for him, loving our dates and phone calls, but I was beginning to wonder if it would be enough. As much fun as we were both having, I couldn't see us continuing on like this for much longer. I didn't want this to end, but I didn't know how we could possibly keep our schedules and the distance from breaking us apart.

I glanced around my bedroom, mentally making sure I had everything. Owen was coming to visit, and I had packed a small bag of clothes and a toothbrush, actually planning ahead for once. I was tired of using my finger and his toothpaste to brush my teeth and having nothing clean to wear home. This time, I was going to be prepared for a stay at a hotel. I wasn't sure what adventure we were going to have on this trip, but I was prepared for anything.

My door buzzed, and I hurried downstairs, bag in hand. Owen was waiting patiently by the front door, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. He smiled as soon as he heard the door open, and I hurried out to give him a kiss.

He looked exhausted. His normally crisp dress shirt was wrinkled under his jacket, and he needed to shave. I looked closer and could see that his eyes were bloodshot, his lips and skin pale. I hoped he wasn't getting sick.

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked as he took my hand and we walked to his car. He no longer had us chauffeured around, instead preferring to drive us himself in a fancy sports car. Today's version was an Aston Martin.

"I'm just tired," he said with a sigh. "The flights were miserable getting out here and we kept getting delayed by weather. I know it's almost dinner time here, but my internal clock thinks it's closer to seven in the morning, and I've been up all night. I'm afraid I'm not going to be the best date tonight."

"Then how about we just have a quiet night in? We can lay in bed, eat pizza, maybe rent a movie? You can fall asleep, and we can just relax," I offered. He opened the car door for me to slide in, and he kissed me softly once I was seated.

"You're the best. That sounds fantastic."

It was a short drive to the hotel, and the staff recognized us as we made our way up the shiny elevators to his suite. I had offered to put him up at my place, but we both enjoyed room service too much to actually leave.

I set my toothbrush up in the bathroom, liking the way it looked next to Owen's. I sighed, though, seeing his travel kit sitting on the counter. Was it always going to be this way? Just one-night stays in hotels with days or even weeks in between visits? Owen had a long trip coming up, and I had barely managed to trade my shift to get the time off to see him this time. Working in a hospital meant that I had to work weekends and holidays, and Owen's travel schedule mandated that he leave for weeks at a time. His next trip was expected to take him out of the country to Dubai for at least three full weeks.

I came out of the bathroom to find Owen spread-eagle on the bed and snoring. He hadn't even managed to take off his shoes, their laces undone but still on his feet. I quietly tiptoed over and took his shoes off the rest of the way, then slid his pants off and unbuttoned his dress shirt. I pulled the sheets up to his chin, and he smiled in his sleep and snuggled into the soft material, drifting further into dreamland.

I slipped out of my clothes and into the silky nightgown I had brought, sliding under the sheets next to Owen. He mumbled something as he curled up on his side, his breathing deepening. I glanced at my watch—six-thirty. My stomach grumbled and I glanced over at Owen. It was looking like this was going to be a very quiet date night indeed. I pulled out my phone and dialed for pizza, ordering a large Hawaiian style and a large pepperoni, then turning on the TV with subtitles and the volume all the way down. At least I could catch up on my TV.

Thirty minutes later, just as a new episode of some dancing show was starting, the pizza arrived. The scrawny pizza delivery boy eyed me in my sexy nighty, and I tried not to blush as I handed him the twenty dollar bill, then ducked back into the room. Just as I sat down to eat my pineapple and bacon deliciousness, my phone started to ring. I glanced at the caller ID and inwardly groaned. Work.

"This is Kaylee," I said softly, walking quickly to the bathroom so I wouldn't wake Owen. The door clicked gently behind me as my boss started begging.

"Kaylee, we are short-staffed, and I need you to come in. That stomach bug is going around, and I've had four people call in sick for tonight's shift. When can you get here?"

"I'm not coming in tonight. I'm sorry, but I have plans tonight," I told her. I knew she wasn't going to let me out of it that easily, though.

"Please, Kaylee, we're swamped. It'll be time and a half, and you only have to stay as long as we're busy," she pleaded into the phone. I knew that while I would get the extra pay, we would stay busy all night, especially if as many people had called in sick as she said. I could feel a guilt trip starting.