Fated Hearts (Southern Bride 8)

I heard the soft click of the bathroom door shutting, and then water started to run.

I opened my eyes and sighed before I pulled the pillow over my head again. As much as I hated that I could hear everything happening in the next room, the sound of the muffled water caused me to drift off to sleep once again.

Next came a woman’s soft voice. “Where’s the damn light?”

No, we don’t need the light on in my dream, baby. Just come to bed.

Even with the pillow over my head, I saw a bright light fill the room—and then the sound of a woman screaming had me jumping out of the bed and damn near falling on my face as I tripped over my luggage.

“Oh my God! Oh my God! You’re naked! Why are you naked!?”

I rubbed at my eyes to make sure I was awake and not dreaming. After blinking several times and letting my eyes adjust to the bright light, I saw a woman standing on the other side of the bed.

“Why are you in here?” she shouted. “And you’re naked!”

I blinked again, still half-asleep. “Yes, you’ve already mentioned that. Why are you in my room? I was fucking sleeping—that’s why I’m naked!”

Her lip curled back in a snarl as she jerked her head back and looked at the bed, then me. “Who sleeps naked in a hotel bed? That’s just…gross!”

I scrubbed my hand over my face, pausing for a moment to take in what I was seeing. Holy mother of God. The stranger was dressed in nothing but a white tank top and lace panties. Her blonde hair was pulled back in—oh, Jesus—two pigtails.

That was fucking hot.

I did a quick sweep of her insanely gorgeous body before I finally looked at her face. She looked like a goddess. No, a princess. Both?

“Oh, shit,” I whispered. “You’re beautiful.”

Her mouth opened as if she was going to say something, but then she quickly snapped it shut.

I was staring at the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. She had the bluest of blue eyes, and they stared back at me in utter disbelief.

“Your hair… It’s…it’s in pigtails.”

She frowned and placed her hands on her hips. “Really? That’s what you’re going to focus on right now?”

“I’m sorry. A beautiful woman nearly naked and wearing pigtails is in my hotel room. What else am I going to notice?”

The corner of her mouth twitched before she sighed and dropped her hands. “I believe you’re in my hotel room.”

Laughing, I looked around and motioned with my hands. “I do believe I was here first, princess.”

She growled. Holy shit, she actually growled. “Don’t call me that. I am not your princess. I happen to have a name.”

I stood there and waited for her to give me said name. With one brow raised, I watched as she finally took in my body. She made absolutely no attempt to hide the fact that she was appraising me. And, of course, I noticed the extra few moments she spent on my cock. I smirked and asked, “Are you finished checking me out?”

Her gaze jerked back up to mine. “What?”

“What’s your name?”

“Oh…um…it’s Annalise. Annalise Michaels.”

“Roger Carter.”

Annalise looked all around the room, completely avoiding any eye contact—or any other part of my body. “Could you please put some clothes on, Roger?”

“Can you?”

She turned back to me. “I’m not the naked one.”

I huffed. “Please, I can see your nipples through that thin white tank.”

She quickly covered her chest with her arms and let out another growl, followed by, “Could you at least try to act like a gentleman?”

I reached down and opened my suitcase, searching for a pair of sweats. After finding them, I slipped them on as Annalise pulled a sweatshirt over her head to cover herself. She then started to put on yoga pants. It was hilarious watching her struggle to pull them up. She hopped, twisted, then finally fell on the bed and pulled them on. All the while, I stood there and watched in amusement.

Once she was dressed, she focused her attention back on me. “Okay, so what are we going to do about this?”

I shrugged and headed into the other room to see if there was any water. Two bottles sat on the counter, and I grabbed one to open it.

“Wait! Don’t drink that!”

I glanced at the water and then at Annalise. “Why not?”

“They’ll charge me, like, five dollars for it.”

I twisted it open, and she frowned. “No,” I said, “they’ll charge me the money because this is my room.”

“Well, this is the room they gave me a key to. So, it’s mine.”

“I was here first.”

She narrowed her eyes and looked to be thinking really hard for something to say. “Well…well… Listen here…mister. Um…you’re wrong!”

“I’m wrong that I was here first?” I asked with a humorless laugh.