Fated Hearts (Southern Bride 8)

Roger

THE DOOR TO the bathroom opened, and Annalise stepped out in a dress that nearly had me swallowing my own tongue.

“Wow. You look…beautiful.”

She glanced down at the form-fitting black dress and smiled. It was long-sleeved, but one sleeve was lace from wrist to shoulder. When she turned, I had to fight to hold in a moan. The back of the dress was low-cut enough to tease me with the soft skin of her back. When she finished her spin, I let my eyes roam her entire body. It was a sexy-as-fuck dress, but not too sexy. It fell just above her knee, and showed enough cleavage to make my dick harden in my pants.

“You look pretty nice yourself,” she said. “Do you always have suits with you when you travel?”

“When you’re a lawyer and in meetings for days on end, you do.”

She lifted her brows. “A lawyer, huh?”

It was then I realized that the only thing we truly knew about each other was our names. “Yes, I was in Chicago on business, mostly for my brother. He’s in negotiations to do a show on a cable network, and he couldn’t make it, so I stepped in.”

“Wow, that’s kind of cool. What does he do for a living?”

“Builds playhouses.”

I could see the confusion on her face, so I took out my phone and pulled up the latest playhouse Truitt was building. It was castle-themed.

“Holy shit! That isn’t a playhouse, it’s a mini castle! That’s for someone’s kid?”

Laughing, I said, “Yeah. You’d be surprised at what he’s made. He’s done playhouses for a few actors, and a couple of singers, as well.”

“That’s amazing.”

I pushed my phone back into my pocket and watched as Annalise made her way over to her suitcase and pulled out a small clutch.

“What do you do for a living, since we’re sharing?” I asked.

“I’m in hotel management. I was most recently employed at the Lotte New York Palace in New York City.”

“Shit, that place is nice.”

She smiled. “You’ve stayed there before?”

With a nod, I replied, “I have. A college friend of mine got married there. It’s beautiful. How long did you work there?”

“Six years.”

“Why did you leave?” I asked, watching her grab a pair of black high heels. She bent slightly to slip them on, and I stared at her perfect ass, my pants suddenly feeling a bit too tight.

“I was tired of living in New York. A smaller hotel was looking for a general manager, and I needed a change. I interviewed for it twice, and they offered me the position. I was supposed to start tomorrow.”

“Shit, that sucks.”

Annalise shrugged. “They know I’m stuck in Chicago, so it’s not that big of a deal.”

I got up from the couch when I saw that she was ready. We both started to head for the door.

“Will it be a big change for you?” I asked.

“A huge change! But one that I’m looking forward to. I’m only thirty-one, but I feel like I need to slow down. I want wide-open spaces and room to breathe. New York City was fun when I was younger, but not so much now.”

As we walked to the elevator, I contemplated how much personal information we should share with one another. I wanted to ask her where the new hotel was but decided not to. She hadn’t asked me any more information about my personal life, so I wouldn’t pry into hers.

Annalise hit the button for the floor and said, “Mary said we’re supposed to meet them at the Andiamo.”

I placed my hand on her lower back and tried to ignore the way it sent a jolt of heat through my entire body. I also ignored the way my heartbeat seemed to speed up as well. Ever since I’d made that stupid suggestion about fucking her, I hadn’t been able to get it out of my head.

Every time I closed my goddamn eyes, I saw Annalise naked under me. Naked on top of me. Naked in the shower. Naked in every possible way I could think of.

“Roger? Roger?”

Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked around.

“Are you coming?” Annalise asked with a slight chuckle, standing half-in and half-out of the elevator.

I shook my head. “Shit, I must have been lost in thought. I don’t even remember the elevator ride.”

With a smile and a wink, she said, “I hope they were good thoughts.”

My gaze fell to her mouth, which only moments ago I had pictured wrapped around my cock. “Very good,” I said, clearing my throat.

“Shall we?” she asked.

I nodded and motioned for Annalise to start walking. Man, she looked so beautiful in that dress. It was a damn good thing I was never going to see this woman again because if I had to look at her every day, I was pretty sure my hand would cramp from jerking off to her image.